Moment: 1st Lead Only Lead EGR Needs
May 18, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
East Grand Rapids never led during regulation of the 2009 Division 2 Boys Lacrosse Final, trailing Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at most by six goals during the second period.
But with the end of overtime staring the Pioneers down, Josh Drummond gave his team the only advantage that mattered.
Drummond scored an unassisted goal with 1:36 to play in the extra period, giving EGR its first and only lead and a 13-12 win that clinched the program’s third-straight Division 2 championship.
Drummond also had scored twice during the fourth period as East Grand Rapids mounted its comeback and outscored St. Mary’s 5-2 to deadlock the score and send the game to overtime.
Drummond went on to play at Grand Canyon University. Jake Coretti, who netted the tying goal with 3:43 to go in regulation, was a sophomore that season and went on to play at Rutgers.
Watch Drummond’s game winner below from the MHSAA Network.
Country Day Scores in Record-Setting Fashion to Claim 1st Title Since 2014
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 8, 2024
ANN ARBOR – Heading into Saturday’s MHSAA Division 2 Final, Detroit Country Day coach Chris Garland attributed a lack of offense to why his Yellowjackets came up short in the 2022 and 2023 championship games.
That issue was corrected this time around.
Detroit Country Day put up the second-most goals in D2 Finals history, defeating Ada Forest Hills Eastern 18-7 to claim its first championship since 2014 and fourth overall.
“We have so many skilled players. We are a complete team with tremendous depth,” Garland said of the offense. “We just want to keep putting the ball in the hands of our offense. If you stop one of them, we have another guy that can come at you. We showed that (Saturday).”
One player that Forest Hills Eastern didn’t have an answer for was Country Day sophomore Keaton Yearego. He matched a MHSAA Finals record with six goals, three coming during a 5-0 rally in the second period that put the Yellowjackets ahead for good at 8-4.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team, and my coaches have a lot of confidence in me and allow me to play my game,” Yearego said. “I have some great senior attackmen around me that help me do my thing. Today was just my day.”
The Hawks (16-5) tried to set the tone early, posting the first two goals of the game when junior Jackson Arnold and senior Will Morgan each found the net during the opening minutes.
“I loved the energy. The boys came out to play right from the get-go,” Forest Hills Eastern coach Antonio Boggiano said. “We knew right away that we weren’t happy just getting to this moment. We actually wanted to compete for the championship.”
The Yellowjackets (19-2) didn’t let the early deficit affect them and answered with three straight goals, two coming from senior Oliver Aaron.
“We’ve faced that kind of challenge before. It’s nothing new for us. We’re a resilient team,” Aaron said. “When you have a strong bond with your teammates and can rely on them, you can bounce back from those slow starts.”
The Hawks answered with the last goal of the first period from junior Bradyn Campbell. Senior Preston Hoexum then found the net to open the second to put Forest Hills Eastern up 4-3.
That’s when Country Day got rolling offensively. The Jackets scored 14 of the next 16 goals over 26 minutes of play.
Most of the scores came unassisted, as the Yellowjackets won individual battles to get open looks at the net.
“We have a lot of offensive threats on our team, so if one way isn’t working, we know we have other options,” Yearego said. “We really just executed well and showcased how many different ways we can score. It was an unbelievable performance.”
The offensive dominance showed in a 49-22 shot advantage for Country Day. The score could have been even more in favor of DCD, but Hawks goalie Camden Klaes made 15 saves in net.
Morgan and Campbell both finished with two goals to lead Forest Hills Eastern, which made its first Finals appearance since 2021.
“I’m just proud of the boys, just for overall the season we have had,” Boggiano said. “We met in October and said right then and there that we were going for this ring. We came up a little bit short, but I’m just extremely proud of (the team). They overcame a lot of adversity.”
Aaron finished with four goals for Country Day to go with Yearego’s six. Preston Cook, Caden Daley and Rhys Kenney all found the net twice.
PHOTOS (Top) Country Day goalie Kellen Curby makes a save during Saturday’s Division 2 Final. (Middle) Country Day and Forest Hills Eastern players scramble for the ball. (Below) DCD’s Joe Norton (21) works to get into the open.