The Rockbridge County High School boys lacrosse team suffered a pair of losses last week, coming up short 12-11 at home against William Byrd last Monday before losing 22-2 at Salem on Thursday.
In a back-and-forth battle last Monday, the Wildcats got out to a fast start, leading 4-0 after the first quarter and 7-3 at halftime, but the Terriers (7-2) outscored RC 6-0 in the third quarter to take a 9-7 lead. RC responded in the fourth by scoring the next four goals to go up 11-9, but the Terriers scored a pair of goals to tie the game before Cason Nichols put in the game winner with 43.5 seconds left.
Five days earlier, the Wildcats had come back from a 7-1 halftime deficit at home against Cave Spring, only to fall short 10-9 in overtime.
“That’s how lacrosse goes,” said RC head coach Davey Jones. “A game of momentum. We clawed back into the Cave Spring game. We let Byrd claw back into this game, and it’s just a matter of stringing together four quarters. We had opportunities. I think a few things were just unlucky, and that’s unfortunately how the game goes sometimes, but we’ve got a great group of guys, and I appreciate that, no matter where they are, I think there’s no momentum swing that we can’t come back from.”
Grayden Brown led the Wildcats with four goals, while Andrew Kelly scored three goals and won his 400th career faceoff. Scoring two goals each for RC were Jayden Layman and John Brooke. RC goalie Chase Pooley made six saves.
Nichols led the Terriers with four goals, while Dawson Brinkley scored two goals for Byrd.
Jones said his players are learning to be “mentally tough enough to make big plays in big situations, and we’ve got guys that can do that. Yeah, It’s tough. William Byrd came out, and they stuck with it, too. Congrats to them for doing that.”
On Thursday, Salem (8-2) dealt the visiting Wildcats their third consecutive loss.
The Wildcats were scheduled to play at Christiansburg last night and will visit E.C. Glass on Thursday before playing host to Jefferson Forest on Monday. RC will then play host Blacksburg next Wednesday, May 14, at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, with the location moved because RC is playing host for a track and field meet that evening. All nights will start with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.
ABOVE, RC junior attackman Grayden Brown takes a shot on William Byrd goalie Talon Gibson. Brown led the Wildcats with four goals. AT UPPER RIGHT, Wildcat junior defender Caleb Robinson (20) and a William Byrd player battle for position while RC junior attackman Trenten Cash (3) gets open. AT LOWER RIGHT, RC senior attackman John Brooke cradles the ball while closely guarded by a Terrier. Brooke scored two goals. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
