![Forest Hills Central/Country Day lacrosse](/sites/default/files/2022-06/220611_D2b_2H.jpg)
D2 Final Features Defense, But Forest Hills Central Breaks Away
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
June 11, 2022
HOWELL – Both sides knew what to expect in Saturday’s Division 2 Boys Lacrosse Final at Howell Parker Middle School after having faced each other early this regular season.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central entered the rematch undefeated behind the sterling goaltending of Crandall Quinn, a junior already committed to the University of Michigan.
Quinn sparked the defense and Jonah McConnell’s four goals paced the offense as the Rangers prevailed 11-8 over Detroit Country Day, after also winning the first March 30 matchup 18-10.
Forest Hills Central secured its fifth Division 2 title, while the Yellowjackets were playing for a potential third.
“We came out a little bit slow,’’ said Rangers coach Andy Shira. “We had some lapses, not moving our feet. We gave them a little too much space to get their hands free and reach back to shoot. It was a good adjustment by our defense coordinator Andrew Clay. Simple things that got us here.
“Crandall is one of the best players in the state of Michigan. He’s deserving of the accolades he has gotten. He was an All-American last year as a sophomore (and) was phenomenal. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got it this year and next year. He stood on his toes.
Trailing throughout the first half, the Rangers did take a 7-6 halftime lead as two stingy defenses kept the game close.
Country Day’s Caden Daley tied the game at 7-7 with 6 minutes, 24 seconds to play in the third quarter. But Forest Hills Central regained the lead on Jake Koning’s first goal of the game.
Nathan Sarjeant give the Rangers their largest lead of the game at 9-7 on a goal late in the third. Country Day’s Talon Garn made it a one-goal game with 8:46 to play, but Miles Duiven scored his second of the game moments later to make it 10-8 FHC.
McConnell scored his fourth goal of the game to give the eventual winners an 11-8 cushion with 5:08 to play.
“We knew they were going to focus on John (Tomsheck) a lot,” Shira said. “Jonah plays well off John. We knew that would free him up.”
“Because they were playing tight on John, it left me wide open,” McConnell said, “so I was able to get open and the midfielders were working their butt off.’’
Country Day was held to two goals during the second half.
“I have a great defensive unit,’’ said Quinn. “They did everything they could to win this game. We came out a little soft at first, and we realized that’s not the game we play. During halftime we had a big speech about it, and we came out and showed who we are.’’
Sophomore midfielder Caiden Ramos got Country Day on the board 90 seconds into the action for a 1-0 lead. Parker Yearego made it 2-0 seconds later.
At the 7:52 mark, Yearego added his second goal of the game to make it 3-0 as Shira was forced to call a timeout. It was Yearego’s 96th goal of the season.
A minute later, sophomore Nolan Hartl got the Rangers on the board to make it 3-1.
A lengthy attack by Forest Hills Central produced a goal by McConnell to trim the deficit to 3-2 at the end of a physical first quarter.
Luke Grove notched his first goal of the game early in the second quarter to make it 4-2. Duiven made it a one-goal game again with his first goal with 7:35 to play in the half.
Forest Hills Central tied it up on Sam Sneider’s goal with 6:14 left. It wasn’t tied for long as Yearego scored his third of the game 10 seconds later to make it 5-4. But the Rangers’ Magnus Salmon twisted and turned until he got free to tie the game at 5-5 less than a minute after that.
Country Day’s Garn scored his first of the championship to give the Yellowjackets a 6-5 lead with 3:14 remaining in the second quarter. McConnell responded 11 seconds later with his second to tie it, 6-6. A minute later, McConnell gave the Rangers their first lead of the game with his third goal to end the first-half scoring.
“I want to give them the credit,’’ said Country Day coach Chris Garland. “It’s a well-coached team, and Andy does a great job with is kids. There’s no one to blame, but it just didn’t go our way today.’’
PHOTOS (Top) Forest Hills Central and Country Day players contend for the ball Saturday, including the Yellowjackets’ Ryan Lyngklip (11). (Middle) The Rangers’ Jonah McConnell (2) chases down the ball with Country Day’s Will Thompson (60) right behind him. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
![](/sites/default/files/imported/Photos/190516_Cass_2H.jpg)
Technicians Pioneering PSL Lacrosse
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
May 16, 2019
DETROIT – Liam McIlroy never thought of himself as a trailblazer in the sport of lacrosse. Though he played lacrosse in high school at Grosse Pointe South, earning all-state honors as a junior, McIlroy also played football for the Blue Devils and, later, in college at Denison University in Ohio.
Yet McIlroy and his lacrosse team broke barriers this spring at a school known statewide for its prowess in football and basketball.
McIlroy, 24, is the first head coach of a lacrosse program in the Detroit Public School League. Detroit Cass Tech is one of the top academic institutions in the Detroit Public Schools, and school administrators took a chance – and what many see as a leap forward – by sponsoring a varsity boys lacrosse team this year.
Detroit U-D Jesuit, a member of the Detroit Catholic League, is the only other school within the city limits that has a boys lacrosse program.
Athletic standards are significant at Cass Tech. The football program won MHSAA Division 1 titles in 2011, 2012 and 2016, and lost in the Final in 2015. The boys basketball program, most recently, won PSL titles in 2017 and this past season.
“I’m loving it,” McIlroy said. “It’s a grind. You have to remind yourself that it’s more than a game. We’re excited lacrosse is an option (at Cass Tech).
“Our goal, initially, was to find our identity, as the first team in Cass Tech history. Our slogan before the season was ‘day by day.’ (The players) realize they weren’t going to be the best team in the state.
“There are high expectations here. Football is huge at this school. The slogan for the football players here is ‘second to none.’ It’s a great institution. There’s no free pass at Cass Tech (academically). There’s a lot of work to be put in. In lacrosse there’s a lot of work to be put in. To me, it’s about work ethic. It’s a sport that has adopted a suburban culture. For the most part, people are excited to have a team. We’ve received support from the community and from the other teams we’ve played. Some have offered us equipment, advice and generally just anything they can do to help.”
McIlroy has 25 players in the program, 20 who play regularly. There’s one senior, eight juniors and four who have played football including two freshmen and a sophomore.
The learning curve has been steep. Though some have competed in youth leagues, most notably Detroit Youth Lacrosse – which supports three age groups: third and fourth grades, fifth and sixth grades and seventh and eighth grades. It has a website (www.detroitlacrosse.org) but, like Cass Tech’s program, is in its infancy. This is just its second season, and McIlroy is one of its co-founders.
It is his association with this youth league that steered McIlroy to Cass Tech.
“I’ve done personal training and coached youth leagues, but this is my first year as (a) head coach,” McIlroy said. “I try to use other sports as a reference, football and others. I’ve kind of honed my style. I played hockey when I was younger, and football (provided) a better opportunity for me to play in college. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for lacrosse.”
Perhaps the program at Cass Tech is simply a natural progression from what McIlroy helped to start with Detroit Youth Lacrosse. Parents began showing interest in having a team at the high school level and inquired of both McIlroy and Cass Tech’s administrators.
Steve Hall is the varsity boys basketball coach at Cass Tech and shares the athletic director duties with Thomas Wilcher, Cass Tech’s varsity football coach. Answering those inquiries, Hall and others acted. Rather quickly, a team was formed. To Hall and other administrators, the questions they asked themselves were, “Why not? Why can’t lacrosse become a part of the Cass Tech community?”
“In my position, you try to accommodate the interests of more kids,” Hall said. “With lacrosse, we’re able to provide another sport, another avenue. We’re providing kids another vehicle.
“It broadens our horizons. It’s another opportunity. We’ve had some games with some great programs and there are some suburban schools who have B teams and, when there’s the opportunity, we can play those teams.
“We’re in our infancy. I will stand on the sideline, we played (Madison Heights) Bishop Foley one game and it was like, ‘Wow! I’m at a Cass Tech lacrosse game. This is great.’ It’s great that we can be pioneers in the PSL. The bottom line is, we can possibly enhance the high school experience. I’ve seen a percentage of students who have been impacted positively by this. It can only open their minds.”
Aaron Stunson is not unlike many of McIlroy’s lacrosse players. Stunson played lacrosse with friends in pickup games but never competitively before this season. He worked his way into the starting lineup, first as a goal keeper and now as a midfielder, and was named captain.
Stunson played soccer as a freshman, but his interest in the sport waned and he’s thankful this opportunity arose.
“I always liked the sport,” he said. “I was curious how I would fare on a competitive team.
“It’s cool. It’s fun. But it’s hard, too. A lot of us … this is our first time competing. At least 10 of us, this is our first time playing. We’re learning day by day.”
Cass Tech is 2-8 heading into the MHSAA Tournament, and Stunson and McIlroy agree they have seen improvement. Stunson singled out games with Grosse Pointe South as examples. South dominated the first winning 14-1 and also won the second, 12-1, but Stunson said his team was better prepared the second time around.
“The people in the crowd said we’d played much better,” he said. “My parents and other people told me that.”
Baby steps, certainly, but positive steps are being made. McIlroy said the Technicians’ first victory, 9-5 over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, did much for his team’s self-assurance.
“They believed they had a place in the sport,” he said. “Building upon little victories helps with confidence. Our next challenge is if we can stay competitive and win games we’re not expected to win.”
On that note, Cass Tech’s next game is Friday at Birmingham Brother Rice in a Division 1 Regional opener. Brother Rice is the standard-bearer in the sport having won the first 13 Division 1 titles before losing to Detroit Catholic Central in last season’s championship game, 11-10.
McIlroy said he’s excited about the challenge, and he’s happy that his players are excited.
“We’re going to show what we’re made of,” Stunson said.
Tom Markowski is a correspondent for the State Champs! Sports Network and previously directed its web coverage. He also covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Cass Tech lacrosse players work out during a practice this season. (Middle) With the city's skyline overlooking them, the Technicians train during their first season as a program. (Photos courtesy of the Detroit Cass Tech boys lacrosse program.)