Warriors, Spartans advance to JD championship

By Ryan Yemen
Published: May 13, 2008

The Western Albemarle boys lacrosse team is back in familiar territory.
On Tuesday night the Warriors dispatched Monticello 12-6, earning a spot in Jefferson District championship.
“We established the tempo early and got the looks we needed,” said Western coach Hunter Price. “But you’ve got to give credit to the defense.”
Western came out of the gates strong, scoring seven goals in the first quarter.
The Warrior defense was flawless in the first half, giving up no goals and providing the offense with plenty of possessions.
“If you control the tempo, you take the other team out of their game,” Price said.
Offensively, Mack Schwoebel and Matt Galvin paved the way. The Warrior attackers each picked up hat tricks.
“We knew coming in that we had to come out strong and get a lead in that first quarter, so that we could get everyone some playing time,” Schwoebel said. “I think getting everyone some experience will help out a lot later on.”
The Warriors left their starters on the bench after the half.
Trailing 10-0 at halftime, the Mustangs regrouped in the second half.
Monticello’s Richie Aguilar ended the shutout with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
“I’m really proud of them for sticking with it when it’s 10-0 at the half,” said Monticello coach Mat Kenney.
In the fourth, the Mustangs tallied five goals, getting a goal from Daniel Leib and another from Aguilar.
“Myself and my assistant coach will be back next year,” Kenney said. “We plan on building a lacrosse program here at Monticello.”
Western Albemarle will face Salem on Thursday for the district championship. The Warriors defeated the Spartans 10-7 earlier in the season.
“[Salem] took us to the brink earlier this year,” Price said. “It was tied 8-8 going into the fourth quarter, so it’s going to be an evenly-matched game.”
Salem 11, Charlottesville 8
The Charlottesville boys lacrosse season came to an end on Tuesday evening.
The Black Knights put together a late fourth-quarter rally, but ultimately came up short against Salem, which won 11-8.
Trailing by as many as four in the fourth quarter, Charlottesville was able to cut its deficit in half.
“These kids came to fight tonight,” said Charlottesville coach David Zentmyer. “But we lost a couple of possessions and it changed the game. A couple of dropped balls came back to get us.”
With time winding down, the Spartans tacked on a much-needed insurance goal to put the game out of reach.
Junior Tucker Poe and senior Rory Heim scored seven of the Black Knights’ eight goals.