BURLINGTON — Talk about the perfect stage. With St. John’s Prep navy and BC High maroon painting the fully-seated bleachers at Burlington High, a third consecutive title game between the Division 1 powerhouses was underway.
Keeping history in mind – Prep having defeated BC for two straight championships heading in – one group of Eagles looked to break through, while the other eyed a three-peat – a dynasty, even.
And after 48 minutes, 30 goals, and five times the score was tied, Prep’s Eagles flew just a little bit higher en route to a 16-14 win.
“This was a wild game,” Prep Coach John Pynchon said. “I’m just so proud. It was a dramatic [and] great lacrosse game.”
It wasn’t all great for Prep, however.
After two BC goals in four seconds – the second a buzzer-beater from distance – Prep trailed 13-9 after the third quarter, one BC scored seven goals in.
“That was the lowest I’ve ever been in a lacrosse game, when that one went in at the end of the third,” Prep goalie Gavin Kornitsky said.
That said, good teams don’t run – they respond. Prep’s Jake Vana (4 goals), Jimmy Ayers (5), and Nathaniel Jones ripped three goals in less than three minutes to make it 13-12 approaching the eight-minute mark.
But just like that, BC snatched one back to retake its two-goal cushion (14-12; 7:50).
After Matthew Morrow (3 goals, 2 assists) cut the lead in half, do-it-all Ayers scored an under-and-over goal with three minutes to play, tying the game 14-14 to the roaring Prep faithful.
“Thank you to everyone who came out,” Ayers said. “It’s so special.”
While Prep’s offense exploded in the fourth with seven goals, Kornitsky (6 saves) did his thing between the pipes. The senior went out in style, robbing BC’s Shane McDonnell at the doorstep in the fourth quarter.
When asked about his mindset amidst pressure situations, a smiling Kornitsky was quick to the point.
“Don’t let them score,” said Kornitsky, who made three fourth-quarter saves.
Then came the big one. Morrow went right down main street with 2:42 remaining before firing one in from distance – the eventual game-winning strike.
“Matt Morrow played great,” Pynchon said. “I’m just so proud of these seniors.”
From there, Vana bounced in the dagger with 40 seconds remaining in the season (16-14). The next thing you know, the turf was covered in gloves and sticks from Prep players hoisting them in the air.
After the game, a Gatorade-drenched Pynchon mentioned one of the two regular-season meetings between the two teams – BC won the game on Prep’s home turf.
“After we lost up at our place, we had a pretty emotional meeting,” Pynchon said.
Heading into Sunday, Pynchon showed his seniors a picture of last season’s championship team, telling his veterans to create their own history.
“We brought a photo in of the team from last year,” Pynchon said. “That was last year. Forget it. We want to go get another one.”
Well, they did. Prep finished the season 22-1 and outscored its opponents 73-23 across five tournament games en route to another title.
And, as said, a dynasty.
