Highlight Reel: 2017 Lacrosse Finals
June 12, 2017
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
For the first time in the history of the MHSAA Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday, all four finalists for both girls and boys from the previous year returned to square off in championship game rematches, with two teams continuing their winning ways.
Here are highlights from Saturday’s action from MHSAA.tv. (Click on the final score to watch the entire game.)
Girls Division 1
Hammer Time - Maggie Hammer led Rockford's effort in the Division 1 Final with five goals, four in the first half, including this shot from a low angle.
Bright Spot For Birmingham - Meryl Feys had four goals to lead Birmingham in the Division 1 Final against Rockford, including this one off a first quarter restart.
Girls Division 2
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 17, East Grand Rapids 16 (OT)
Pioneers Force Sudden Victory - East Grand Rapids forced the Division 2 Final into the first sudden victory championship game in MHSAA Girls Lacrosse history with about 90 seconds to play in overtime when Lindsay Duca put the ball out in front for Emily Roth to score.
End to End – Stuff to Score - The game-winning sequence for Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood against East Grand Rapids begins with junior goalie Brigitte Ballard coming up with a big save. The ball goes ahead to junior midfielder Angelina Wiater, who makes a 75-yard run downfield to wrap around the goal and score the Division 2 game winner.
Boys Division 1
Birmingham Brother Rice 8, Detroit Catholic Central 6
Shamrocks Storm Into The Lead - Detroit Catholic Central scored three straight goals to begin the second half in the Division 1 Final against Birmingham Brother Rice, including two by Brennan Kamish.
Mr. Big Shot Wins It For Rice - The only goal of the fourth quarter was the fourth goal of the game for Cameron Gould of Birmingham Brother Rice, who gave his Warriors the lead and another MHSAA Division 1 boys lacrosse title.
Boys Division 2
East Grand Rapids 11, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 9
The Beast For East - Hub Hejna scored four times for East Grand Rapids in its 11-9 Division 2 Final win over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. He tallied two goals in the first quarter after the Rangers got out to a 2-0 lead, the second of those coming on this wrap with a minute to play.
What A Day For Clay - Bryce Clay had a five-goal day for Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central against East Grand Rapids in the Division 2 Final. He gave his team a 2-0 lead in the first quarter with this shot from midfield.
PHOTO: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood celebrates its first girls lacrosse championship Saturday at Brighton High School.
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.