The necessary effort and determination to win were there, but that resolve wasn’t quite enough to produce the result the Yorktown Patriots wanted.
In a back-and-forth high-school match, defending champion Yorktown (17-2) lost to the host Madison Warhawks, 12-10, May 26 in the title game of the boys 6D North Region lacrosse tournament.
Yorktown led 10-8 with 6:11 to play. Then Madison won four straight faceoffs that led to four straight goals as the Warhawks rallied to win.
The loss snapped Yorktown’s 17-match winning streak.
“We are disappointed not to win, but I saw an all-out great effort on our part and a great lacrosse game, so you can’t be upset about any of that,” Yorktown coach Greg Beer said. “In a seesaw game like that, they had good stretches and we had good stretches. The ball bounces funny ways sometimes, and in a game like this, that helped Madison some and it helped us.”
Yorktown was missing at least three players in the game for various reasons. Beer said they should be back in the lineup for the upcoming Virginia High School League state tournament. The region tournament’s top two teams qualify for that competition, won last year by Madison.
It’s possible Yorktown and Madison could meet in the state semifinals. That occurred last season, and the Warhawks won, then went on to win the state crown. Yorktown won its first state title the previous season, when the Patriots also won a region championship.
Yorktown’s leading scorer in this season’s region final was Will Hock with four goals. Garrett Wing scored three, Hudson Greene two and Jack Martinez one.
The game had four ties and three lead changes, the Patriots took a 2-0 lead then trailed 4-2 at halftime. Madison led 7-4 in the second half, but Yorktown rallied to take 8-7 and 10-8 leads.
Yorktown was 2-1 in the region tourney, defeating the Centreville Wildcats, 16-7, in the first round then the Langley Saxons, 13-6, in the semifinals.
Hock and Greene each scored four goals against Langley. Wing had a goal and three assists and Martinez had one goal and two assists.
Greene scored five goals and Hock and Spolidoro two each against Centreville. Wing had a goal and three assists.
In the preceding Liberty District tournament, Yorktown won the title with a 15-14 win over the McLean Highlanders in the championship game by netting the final four goals.
Hock tied the score at 14 with 4:52 to play, then Greene netted the game-winner with 2:58 left.
Greene and Wing each scored four goals with Hock having three and an assist. Greene added three assists and Wing two.
Also scoring were Martinez, Miles Fang, Gray Macaulay and Dylan Lefton with a goal each. Yorktown goalie Hayden Wittington made 10 saves. Lefton gathered eight ground balls, Vinny Spolidoro five and Harry Larbalestier three.
Yorktown was 2-0 in the district tournament, routing Herndon, 18-5, in the semifinals after a first-round bye. Martinez and Wing each scored four goals in that win and Hock, Greene and Nathan Graves scored two each. Greene had five assists and Wing four.
NOTE: Martinez was chosen as the Liberty District Player of the Year and made first-team all-district along with Greene, Hock, Fang and Spolidoro.
