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TRIAD BLACKHAWKS LACROSSE |
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BLUE HORNETS SHOCK WHIRLING CATS FOR LIGHTNING LAX TITLE
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October 25, 2009 -- The second-seeded Blue Hornets used a consistent and well-balanced attack along with timely defense to shock the favored Whirling Cats, 19-17, in the championship game of the first annual Lightning Lax tournament this afternoon at Sportsplex. Led by player-coach Jacob Johnson, formerly of Cardinal Gibbons, current Western Guilford players Will Saenz and Tim Wallis (15 goals), Hume-Fogg, TN star Tyler Caviness (who was celebrating his 18th birthday), and the tenacious Friss brothers (Zach and Brendan) from Mooresville High, the Blue Hornets beat Some Men and Some Babies in the playoff semifinal, 17-14, and then overcame fatigue and the recent memory of a regular season loss to the Whirling Cats to gut out a finals victory and take the title.
Each game was 15 straight minutes of non-stop, back-and-forth action, and the teams in the best shape tended to shine. "I thought full-field lacrosse was fast and tiring until I played 4 v 4 today," commented one player.
The Whirling Cats were led by tournament MVP Aaron Jones of Grimsley High School (17 g, 6 assists) and offensive MVP Daniel Richards, also of Grimsley (17 g). Richards, fresh off of Grimsley's cross country, showed boundless energy throughout the tournament. |
Champion Blue Hornets |
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Some Men and Some Babies, made up of Southeast Guilford players and former SE coach Travis Rimert, used the tournament's most tenacious defense, some hard-charging freshmen, and the high scoring tandem of Mitch Rayl (14 goals) and Dustin Gray (13 goals) to make an impressive run.
One of the tournament's surprises was the Ham Hocks, dominated by Ragsdale players and led by player/coach Hugh Fiery and the unselfish play of Tyler Edwards and Cameron "Rudy" Bradford, who averaged almost 13 goals per game and had an astounding 22 assists. Their run and gun offense was virtually unstoppable, but fatigue and defensive lapses ultimately doomed the Hammies.
Of note was the outstanding offensive (16 goals) and defensive play of Spencer Clark for the Falcon Carcasses.
The relentless ground ball and defensive play of Keith Tracey earned him the "Animal" Award. |
Tournament MVP Aaron Jones |
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Statistics and Awards:
Outstanding Team, Tournament: Blue Hornets (T. Wallis, W. Saenz, Z. Friss, B. Friss, J. Johnson, T. Caviness)
Outstanding Team, Regular Season: Whirling Cats (A. Jones, D. Richards, Nick Cole, K. Friss, S. Cisco)
Most Outstanding Player: Aaron Jones
Outstanding Offensive Player: Daniel Richards (Honorable Mention: Tyler Edwards)
Outstanding Defensive Player: Aaron Jones
Assists Awards: Jones, Cameron Bradford, Tyler Edwards
Playoff MVP: Will Saenz
Best Team Offense: Whirling Cats (Honorable Mention: Ham Hocks)
Best Team Defense: Some Men and Some Babies
Most Team Assists: Ham Hocks
Outstanding Player/Coach: Jacob Johnson (Honorable Mention: Hugh Fiery)
Fastest Shot: Tyler Caviness (81 mph)
"Animal" Award: Keith Tracey
Most Entertaining Player: Hugh Fiery |
Hockey Anyone? |
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Dustin Gray, Charlie Wilkins, Per Kraft |
Wild and Furious Action | |
Offensive MVP Daniel Richards Attacks Goal |
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INDIVIDUAL POINTS LEADERS |
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Name |
2pg |
g |
a |
pts |
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Aaron |
Jones |
2 |
15 |
6 |
25 |
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Tyler |
Edwards |
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15 |
6 |
21 |
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Daniel |
Richards |
2 |
15 |
1 |
20 |
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Tim |
Wallis |
1 |
14 |
1 |
17 |
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Jacob |
Johnson |
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11 |
5 |
16 |
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Hugh |
Fiery |
1 |
11 |
3 |
16 |
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Spencer |
Clark |
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16 |
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16 |
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Cameron |
Bradford |
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9 |
6 |
15 |
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Travis |
Rimert |
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11 |
4 |
15 |
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Mitch |
Rayl |
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14 |
1 |
15 |
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Don |
Croom |
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13 |
1 |
14 |
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Dustin |
Gray |
1 |
12 |
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14 |
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Will |
Saenz |
2 |
8 |
1 |
13 |
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Chase |
Robertson |
1 |
9 |
1 |
12 |
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Per |
Kraft |
1 |
6 |
3 |
11 |
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Nick |
Cole |
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8 |
1 |
9 |
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Tyler |
Caviness |
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6 |
2 |
8 |
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Brett |
Zinsmeister |
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5 |
2 |
7 |
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Keith |
Tracey |
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4 |
2 |
6 |
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Marshall |
Lemmond |
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5 |
1 |
6 | |
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TOP GOAL SCORERS |
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2pg |
g |
Total |
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Aaron |
Jones |
2 |
15 |
17 |
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Daniel |
Richards |
2 |
15 |
17 |
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Spencer |
Clark |
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16 |
16 |
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Tyler |
Edwards |
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15 |
15 |
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Tim |
Wallis |
1 |
14 |
15 |
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Mitch |
Rayl |
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14 |
14 |
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Don |
Croom |
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13 |
13 |
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Dustin |
Gray |
1 |
12 |
13 |
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Hugh |
Fiery |
1 |
11 |
12 |
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Jacob |
Johnson |
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11 |
11 |
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Travis |
Rimert |
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11 |
11 |
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Chase |
Robertson |
1 |
9 |
10 |
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Will |
Saenz |
2 |
8 |
10 |
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Cameron |
Bradford |
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9 |
9 |
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Nick |
Cole |
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8 |
8 |
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Per |
Kraft |
1 |
6 |
7 |
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Tyler |
Caviness |
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6 |
6 |
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Brett |
Zinsmeister |
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5 |
5 |
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Marshall |
Lemmond |
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5 |
5 |
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Keith |
Tracey |
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4 |
4 | |
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ASSISTS LEADERS |
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Assists |
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Aaron |
Jones |
6 |
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Tyler |
Edwards |
6 |
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Cameron |
Bradford |
6 |
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Jacob |
Johnson |
5 |
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Travis |
Rimert |
4 |
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Hugh |
Fiery |
3 |
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Per |
Kraft |
3 |
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Tyler |
Caviness |
2 |
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Brett |
Zinsmeister |
2 |
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Keith |
Tracey |
2 | |
Tyler Edwards plays defense on Don Croom |
Nick Cole Threatens Goal as Tyler Caviness Slides |
Opening Faceoff, Championship Game |
Intensity was the order of the day |
Whirling Cats, Regular Season Champ, Tournament Runner-up |
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