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The Rockbridge County High School boys lacrosse team closed out the regular season with three straight victories, downing William Byrd and Franklin County at home while earning a road win over Hidden Valley last week.
The Wildcats will enter next week’s Region 4D tournament with an 8-6 overall record.
On Monday of last week, the RC defense dominated from start to finish in a 12-1 home victory over William Byrd. The Wildcats limited the Terriers to two first-half shots – both off-cage – and didn’t allow a goal until the game was well in hand in the fourth quarter.
Colby Jarvis led RC with three caused turnovers, while his fellow starters on close defense, Sawyer Hattersley and Milo Mulitalo, registered two takeaways apiece. All told, Byrd, which ended the week at 4-9, committed a whopping 40 turnovers in the game.
“I thought overall, the defense executed really well,” RC head coach Robert Hull said. “It’s anchored with our senior captain, Colby. He’s been outstanding all year, and seems to be getting stronger and more confident. … The other two defenders came up huge, good body position – both Milo and Sawyer. They’ve just been getting more and more solid.”
After a goalless first quarter, the Wildcat offense clicked into gear in the second period. River Hull celebrated his birthday by having a hand in all four RC markers in the frame – scoring a pair and assisting on goals for Jayden Layman and Alex Nye – as the ’Cats headed into halftime ahead 4-0.
RC found even more rhythm on attack in the third period, outscoring Byrd 6-0 in the stanza to pull away. Layman added three more in the quarter, while Nye, Andrew Kelly and Quincy Speers also scored as the Wildcats stretched the lead to 10-0.
After a dismal second half against a strong Cave Spring squad four days earlier – the Wildcats trailed just 5-4 at the break before the Knights pulled away for a 12-5 victory – RC had one of its best film sessions of the season. That study time bore fruit in Monday’s game.
“It finally started looking like we were moving the ball a little bit better, and being a little less selfish,” Coach Hull said. “I thought it was just a good allaround effort from the offensive side.”
Landyn French finally got the Terriers on the board with 9:40 to play. But Ethan Forbes’ mandown tally and Speers’s second goal salted the win away for the Wildcats.
Layman totaled four goals in the game, while River Hull finished with four points. Kelly won 11-of-16 faceoffs, and John Brooke tallied a pair of assists. Julian Pantoja made 16 saves for Byrd, as RC outshot the Terriers 54-12.
With the postseason rapidly approaching, the Wildcats look to be putting the pieces together at the perfect time.
“I’m hoping that this is a good turning point, and that this is how we’re going to play going forward,” Coach Hull said.
RC 15, HV 4
RC sprinted past Hidden Valley for a 15-4 win in Roanoke last Wednesday.
Kelly scored four goals, while Brooke notched one goal and six assists to spearhead a balanced Wildcat attack. Layman tallied three goals and two assists, River Hull also scored three times, Nye finished with two goals and two assists, and Speers collected a pair of goals.
Jack Jensen had a great night in goal, stopping 11 of the 15 shots on target that he faced from the Titans, who ended the week at 4-8. Jarvis contributed to the Wildcats’ offense with one assist.
RC 14, FC 4 The Wildcats capped the week – and the regular season – with a 14-4 home win over Franklin County in Friday’s Senior Night game.
Four different players registered hat tricks for RC, led by Speers’s three goals and three assists. Nye had three goals and two helpers, while Kelly tallied three goals and one assist and River Hull also scored three times.
Mason McDill and Joseph Held notched two goals apiece for the Eagles (4-9).
Friday’s performance continued to display the Wildcats’ progress on the offensive end. Hull is the lone senior in a contingent of attackmen and offensive midfielders that primarily features freshmen and sophomores, but that young group has grown more comfortable over the course of the season.
“Where normally we would have rushed things on the offensive side, I think we’re starting to slow the pace a little bit – settling down, giving our defense time to breathe and catch the ball,” Coach Hull said. “We’ve kind of cherished our possessions a bit more and capitalized on those opportunities by moving the ball.”
McDill scored the first goal of the contest at the 9:14 mark of the opening quarter. But the Wildcats took control from there, posting eight unanswered tallies to close out the half. Hull completed his hat trick before the break, while Nye and Speers each snagged two markers in the first half.
The Eagles narrowed the gap to 8-3 early in the third quarter, but RC proceeded to outscore FC 6-1 the rest of the way.
Brooke chipped in two goals for the Wildcats, and Jensen made five saves. Brayden Scott led the Eagles’ defense with a gamehigh four caused turnovers, also notching one assist, and Rusty Waldron totaled eight saves.
Prior to the game, RC honored its senior class: Hull, Jarvis, Garrett Stillwell and team manager Emma Brooke.
Stillwell, a long-stick midfielder, was sidelined by a knee injury early in the season. But Hull and Jarvis – who will play lacrosse for Guilford College and Bridgewater College, respectively – have filled key roles for the Wildcats, while Coach Hull referred to Emma Brooke as “an unsung hero” for the team.
RC has earned the No. 5 seed in the Region 4D tournament. The Wildcats will travel to fourth-seeded Jefferson Forest for a quarterfinal game on Monday, with first faceoff slated for 6:30 p.m.
