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Cave Spring rallied past the Rockbridge County High School boys lacrosse team for a 12-5 victory in Lexington on Thursday.
The Knights overcame an early deficit to improve to 11-1 on the season, while the Wildcats fell to 5-6.
RC jumped on Cave Spring in the opening stages, scoring the first two goals of the game and leading 2-1 by the end of the first period. The Knights battled back in the second frame, capitalizing on a series of Wildcat turnovers to take a 5-4 advantage into halftime.
Cave Spring then dominated the second half as the emerging regional contender – the Knights had already beaten Region 4D powerhouse E.C. Glass, and their only loss was to Class 5 school Patrick Henry – pulled away for its fourth straight victory.
“Unfortunately, today’s game was a lost opportunity, and one that I think I can only sum up as erratic,” RC head coach Robert Hull said. “Proud of our effort, but we have to work smarter, not harder, to get where we want to be.”
The Wildcats’ five goals came from five different players – Zane Ramsey, Alex Nye, Jayden Layman, Quincy Speers and Andrew Kelly each tallied one marker – while John Brooke had multiple assists in the game.
But overall, RC’s young offensive unit is still struggling to find consistency, which puts more pressure on the Wildcats’ defense. That seemed to be the case in Thursday’s game, particularly after a solid first quarter from the home team.
“We continue to struggle to maintain focus and work as a unit on the offensive end,” Hull said. “When that fails and we force the issue as individuals – and not as a team – we end up turning the ball over, which leads to unsettled opportunities where the defense is outnumbered. The scoring opportunities for opponents come as a result of us giving them the ball in an untimely manner.
“Once we stop creating opportunities for good teams, we will become a good team,” the RC coach added.
The Wildcats were slated to play host to William Byrd on Monday. RC will visit Hidden Valley for a 6 p.m. contest today, Wednesday, and the ’Cats will wrap up the regular season at home against Franklin County on Friday. Junior varsity action will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity game scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
RC will then await the Region 4D tournament schedule. For updates, visit www.thenews-gazette.com.
