NOVI – When it comes to Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Detroit Catholic Central in boys lacrosse, the emphasis is on winning the last meeting of the season.
But, that doesn’t mean the other encounters still aren’t important.
The two programs that have won all but one MHSAA Division 1 state championship held their annual regular season meeting on Tuesday night, with the Shamrocks coming away with an emphatic 14-4 victory, their fourth straight win overall on the season.
“We were going through some growing pains and sorting things out and we just kind of put it back on the boys and told them that they have to be tough and do things the right way,” Catholic Central coach Dave Wilson said. “I think they are finding out they’re getting rewarded when they do it the right way.”
The loss could be an eye-opener for Brother Rice (6-4), as it got an indicator of where it needs to get to should it hope to retain its state championship that it took for the Shamrocks last spring.
“The message is the same. We will see these guys again and we need to get better to come out on the other end next time,” Brother Rice coach Ajay Chawla said. “Our guys are fighting hard, they’re just young. We’re making a lot of rookie mistakes, and not having been on the field a lot is a big deal. We’ve got young guys we are depending on this year and we’re going to get better every day. Sometimes, they need a game like this to get a little push.”
Tuesday’s meeting was about possession and the Shamrocks (7-3) imposing their will physically on offense.
Senior Nick Edwards and junior Alex Spangler won the majority of faceoffs for Catholic Central, which led to some lengthy possessions and kept Rice from finding an offensive groove.
Detroit Catholic Central’s Ryan Dye (23) looks to get around the defense of Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice’s Brady Thomas (20) during Tuesday’s CHSL boys lacrosse match. (DREW ELLIS – For MediaNews Group)
“We knew possessions would be a big thing in this game,” Edwards said. “We had everyone step up in that regard. Our defense did a great job, and our guys battling for the ball did a great job. Possession was a big part of this game.”
The first period ended with the score tied 2-2, as Rice managed to score a pair of goals with a man advantage, but the Shamrocks took over in the second. They scored six of the next seven goals to hold an 8-3 lead at the break. A pair of goals came on putback-efforts, as the Shamrocks crashed the Rice net and overwhelmed the Warrior defense.
“That was unscripted, but it’s just about our guys being ready,” Wilson said of the putback scores. “We’ve been focused on being mentally tough and staying ready in each situation. I think the boys did a good job of that.”
Rice couldn’t turn things around in the second half, being held to one goal thanks to the play of Catholic Central goalie Travis Wasen, who made 14 saves on the night.
Edwards collected a pair of goals and two assists to help lead the CC offense in the win. Asher Miscovich and Ryan Dye each scored three goals, while Peyton Sofran and Blake Papke scored twice.
The Shamrocks started the season 3-3, but have found another gear in the last week. Their last three victories have all been by double figures.
“We had a rocky start to the season, but we’ve really come together as a team with pillars like discipline and accountability,” Edwards said. “We just want to hold each other to a high standard, the CC standard.”
Brother Rice was led by Frank Baiardi, who had two of the team’s four goals. Goalie Ryland Parent made 11 saves.
The Warriors graduated three All-Americans and had one returning this season in junior long stick Ben Waechter. However, Waechter suffered a shoulder injury that has kept him off the field with no timetable for a return. Rice is looking to find new offensive starters to step up, which Chawla believes will happen in the coming weeks.
“We’re relying on four or five sophomores and a freshman to score goals, and they’re still learning,” Chawla said. “We’ve got to get more confident and start trusting in ourselves more. We’re off to a tough start, but I know we will figure it out.”