Brother Rice continues D1 dynasty
June 9, 2012
BIRMINGHAM – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice remains the only Division 1 boys lacrosse champion in MHSAA history. But not without having to withstand pesky Ann Arbor Pioneer in Saturday’s Final at Seaholm High.
The Pioneers hadn’t lost a game this season and jumped out to a 2-1 lead. But after breaking the game open in the second quarter, Brother Rice hung on for a 14-8 victory to continue a title streak that has included every MHSAA championship since it became an association sport in 2005.
Senior Riley Kennedy had five goals – including four straight during the 10-2 second-quarter run – plus two assists for the Warriors. Senior Henry Nelson added three goals and three assists.
“The most important thing is we’ve got to play our game,” Brother Rice coach Robert Ambrose said. “We weren’t doing that. We weren’t executing like we should, playing a little selfish or (not) moving the ball. So we just said, ‘Hey guys, we’ve got to regroup. We’ve gotta go after it. We’ve got to get into our zone, and play our game.’”
Pioneer (21-1) held its early lead until Nelson’s first go
al tied the score 2-2 just more than a minute into the second quarter.
But despite outscoring the Warriors (20-2) by two goals during the second half, Pioneer could never make up for the early barrage.
Senior Eric Loveless led Pioneer with three goals and an assist in the team’s first championship game appearance.
“The second quarter, we just got shell-shocked. We went from being up 2-1, and then all of a sudden it’s 11-3. … We just sorta got overwhelmed from where we were,” Pioneer coach James Corey said. “And we battled. For three quarters we hung with this team, and I think we have a lot of talent, a lot of heart.
"But they’re the best team for a reason, and they showed it in the second quarter.”
Click for the complete scoring summary.
PHOTOS: (Top) Brother Rice senior Henry Nelson (shooting) fires one of his three goals into Pioneer's net Saturday. (Middle) Warriors senior Liam Timmis (41) leads a run during the Division 1 boys championship game. Photos by John Johnson/MHSAA.
Seniors Drive Lake Orion Lax Turnaround
May 16, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Brad Thomas and his coaching staff did their best last May to make practices fun. But that wasn’t always easy with his Lake Orion boys lacrosse team heading toward the end of a second straight sub-.500 season.
A year later, everything has changed.
The Dragons are 14-1 and have clinched the Oakland Activities Association Red championship – and are the Applebee’s Team of the Month for April after starting the season with 10 straight wins through April 30.
Lake Orion was 7-12 in 2014 and 5-14 last spring after starting 2-8 both of those seasons. But the Dragons showed signs of emerging near the end of 2015, winning three of their final six games. And five of their losses last season were by four goals or fewer.
“We have a lot of upperclassmen who have been up (on varsity) the last couple of years and experienced a lot of close losses,” said Thomas, who is in his sixth season leading the program. “It would be a one or two-goal game, and we wouldn’t make a play at the end.
“This year, we’ve had a lot of close games. But we’ve found ways to make plays, and that’s been driven by the seniors. … Whether it’s been locking in defensively, or scoring more goals on offense or finding a way to get a ground ball. And the younger guys have bought in and see how special we can be.”
The turnaround has included first wins in program history over Birmingham, Clarkston, Troy Athens and Rochester Adams. Lake Orion is ranked No. 8 in Division 1, with its only loss by a goal to Division 2 No. 8 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on May 3.
That Birmingham win – 9-8 in overtime on April 15 – gave Thomas an idea that the just-miss experiences of the last two seasons might pay off. The Dragons have seven wins by four or fewer goals and two one-goal wins over their last four games, including a double-overtime edging of Bloomfield Hills.
Lake Orion has eight seniors, including four who have been on the varsity three seasons – goalie Zach Daining, defender Jack McClear, midfielder Cole Schaefer and attack Jake Chapie.
This senior class also is the first to play in the middle school program, and the community’s 5-year-old youth program now starts at 9-and-under.
The team has worked to become part of its greater community as well, last season playing a “Lacrosse for a Cause” game that raised money for ALS of Michigan after the mother of a player died after suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Two weeks ago, the team through fundraising and the dedication of its game against Oxford raised more than $6,000 for the Fallen and Wounded Solider Fund, a Bloomfield Hills-based effort that provides financial assistance to veterans and their families.
“They’re just good people,” Thomas said of his players, “just a great group of guys who work hard and are dedicated to being good to each other – a great example of what we want the program to be here.”
Past Teams of the Month, 2015-16:
March: Hancock ice hockey – Report
February: Petoskey boys skiing – Report
January: Spring Lake boys swimming & diving – Report
December: Saginaw Heritage girls basketball – Report
November: Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard volleyball – Report
October: Benton Harbor football – Report
September: Mason and Okemos boys soccer – Report
PHOTOS: (Top) Lake Orion boys lacrosse players line up before a game this season. (Middle) Dragons attack Jake Chapie (13) looks for an opening. (Photos courtesy of Lake Orion boys lacrosse program.)