Boys varsity lacrosse continues local dominance with 19-2 win over Caledonia

Matthew Mahoney

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After two landslide wins over opponents on the east side of the state, the boys varsity lacrosse team returned home for its fourth conference game of the year on Monday. With Caledonia being promoted from the league below after last year, the Fighting Scots have struggled against the high-powered teams in their new conference.

That struggle for the Fighting Scots continued against the Rangers, as FHC got off to a quick lead and never looked back, eventually winning 19-2. While the Rangers have struggled with some slow starts as of late, that was not the case on Monday. Senior Logan Wedder once again dominated the middle of the field, winning 21 out of 23 faceoffs to create extra possessions. In the first quarter, they scored 11 goals, which is a new high on the season for goals in a quarter. With the quick 11-0 lead, the coaching staff was able to pull the starters on the defensive side early.

After the first, sophomore Mason Wiltz took over in net for starting senior Jack Nolan. Mason had a solid outing in relief of Jack, making 7 saves throughout the final three quarters. While the defensive starters got some rest, the offensive starters stayed in for the majority of the first half. Junior Jackson Clay got back to his usual offensive performance level, scoring 6 goals and recording 3 assists. Senior Luke Majick also led the team on offense, picking up from where he left off against Cranbrook with 5 goals and an assist.

Going into the locker room at halftime, the Rangers led 16-1. The FHC coaching staff prides itself and stresses a fluid offensive style, and this was clearly displayed on Monday.

“[To improve offensively it] has to be by running our offense, not someone just getting the ball and dodging to the goal just to score,” head coach Andy Shira said. “The system is more important than an individual’s stats.”

Even with the starters out in the second half, that well-executed offense remained intact with the backups in, which just shows the system has been well implemented in the whole program.

With this win, the Rangers advance to 10-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Next up for the boys is a matchup against Northville, who are ranked ninth in Division 1 and come in with a 9-1 record. With it being the last home game of the season, the Rangers will look to close out the home slate with a win before traveling to some very tough opponents.