The Manual boys’ varsity lacrosse team’s season came to a close after the Ballard Bruins defeated the Crimsons in the first round of state playoffs. Manual’s defensive players would allow an occasional open shot on goal, but overall they did nothing that was a detriment to the team. The Crimsons just could not keep up with the firepower of the Jefferson Cup champions in Tuesday night’s game, as the Bruins defeated Manual for the second time in as many weeks on their way to a 9-6 victory.
“We came into tonight’s game down two great defensive players, which meant we had a lot of tired legs out there,” head coach Nathan Moore said. “Our defense played well and we saw the slides, but we shut down the guys who were looking for,” Moore said.
Altough the Crimnsons jumped to an early 2-0 lead, Manual’s offense was slightly off tune during the first half mainly, relying on attackman Brenton Wolford (#10, 12) to get the job done on offense.
“When I play I try to keep my mind as blank as possible and just be ready to help the team when they need it most and whenever I can,” Wolford said.
At the start of the second quarter however, Manual came out of the gate looking for vengeance and putting up a fight, refusing to go down easily. To start the second half Manual scored first and kept the pressure on until the final quarter of play were Ballard was able to sneak by with a solid defensive effort and lock down Wolford and company.
Manual’s lacrosse program will be losing several key pieces to their team including Wolford and midfielder Braxton Dewey (#29,12). The senior captains gave moving farewell speeches to the team, thanking them and wishing them well.
“I am incredibly thankful to have the guys who played this year to walk with me down the road of life,” Wolford said.
However with these players leaving, it makes room for player such as Nick Brewer (11, #6) and and Owen Gant (10, #9) to shine in the upcoming season.
Manual finishes the season at 7-14, a vast improvement from last year’s 2-11 record.
Stay tuned to the CSPN sports page to watch updates on how the team plans to prepare for next year and how they say farewell to their senior class.
