Boys Laxers Dominate Charlottesville

Big First Half Fuels RC Boys’ Win Over Black Knights

The Rockbridge County High School boys lacrosse team rode a dominant first half to a 14-5 win over Charlottesville in Lexington on Thursday evening.

The Wildcats (2-5) built up an 8-1 lead by the intermission and held off a rally from the Black Knights (1-6) in the second half en route to claiming their first home victory of the season.

Jayden Layman scored four goals for RC, while Quincy Speers notched two goals and three assists. Grayden Brown bagged a hat trick for the ’Cats, and John Brooke contributed one goal and three helpers.

Quinn Ragsdale paced Charlottesville with two goals and one assist, and Eli Seay also scored twice.

The game was tied at 1-1 after three minutes of action, but the Wildcats reeled off the final seven goals of the half. Layman recorded three of his markers before the break, and an extra-man tally from Brooke with 2:39 left in the second period gave them an 8-1 advantage.

“Jayden Layman had a really good game,” RC head coach Jay Whitelock said of his junior attackman.

Brown extended the margin to 9-1 early in the third quarter before Charlottesville rallied for three consecutive markers. The Black Knights pulled to within 9-4 on a goal from Ragsdale with 11:15 remaining in the fourth frame.

But RC regained control down the stretch. A man-up score from Brown keyed a 5-1 run for the ’Cats across the final 6:09 – a spurt that included both of Quincy Speers’ goals.

Andrew Kelly chipped in two goals and won 13of-23 faceoffs for RC, and Jackson Speers registered four caused turnovers. Jack Jensen made five saves during the first half, while Ashtin Taylor played the final 24 minutes in goal and notched three stops. Trenten Cash and Patrick Looney each added one goal for the ’Cats.

Charlottesville held a slim 26-25 advantage in shots, but RC won the ground ball battle 31-26. The Wildcats also limited the Black Knights to a 1-of-6 mark on extra-man opportunities.

Thursday’s crowd was boosted by several dozen players from the Lex Lax Lightning youth program. Whitelock was thrilled to have those kids in attendance, and he hopes that many of them will stick with the sport long enough to join the high school program.

“It was really neat to have the little kids out here tonight,” the first-year RC coach said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here: we’re trying to get guys to come out and play the game, and we’re hoping to get them rewarded by scoring goals and winning games.”

JF 15, RC 0

Jefferson Forest (4-3) defeated RC 15-0 in Forest on Wednesday evening.

Jensen made 17 saves in goal, but the Wildcats’ offense struggled as the team was shut out for the third time this season.

The Wildcats will return to action at home against Patrick Henry on Thursday before playing at Franklin County on Monday, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m. on both nights.