The Spartans sent the Kangaroos bouncing back to Lake Washington — and straight out of the state tournament bracket — Friday, May 18, scoring a 15-6 win in the boys lacrosse quarterfinals match.
Bainbridge scored first with about 7:30 left in the initial quarter, but overall got off to a rough start; slow and sloppy. Team officials said the stop-and-start play of the first minutes may have been the result of the team’s having endured such a long lapse between outings. The match against LW was their first since May 1.
“It might have been the weird break, only playing against each other, basically, for a couple of weeks is kind of tough,” said Spartan Assistant Coach Jacob Hayashi. “But they pulled together.”
Indeed they did, and quickly.
The Kangaroos evened things up with a little less than five minutes left in the first — and then slipped in one more to start the second up 2-1.
Bainbridge was back up in a blink, though (3-2 with seven minutes left in the half), and would remain in the lead for the rest of the night.
The second half began with Bainbridge ahead 7-4 and making steady advances throughout the rest of the night.
“We had a lot of penalties and we held in there,” Hayashi said. “A bunch of guys stepped up; it wasn’t just one or two guys contributing, so that was awesome. That’s what we need to do to go forward.”
Of course, the win earned them the right to do so, and the Spartans played the semi-final match, at home, Wednesday against Mercer Island, putting them within sight of a shot at the state title.
“If we play well, if we play like we played in the second part of this game, we should be able to play anybody,” Hayashi said.
The win at home also marked Senior Night, and the squad’s upperclassmen — Byran Carson, Jacob Hogger, Ethan Peloquin, Jared Stahl and co-captains Michael Greenwood, Gavin Jakubik, Charlie Shrout and Carl Swan — were recognized.
“They’re a great bunch of kids,” Hayashi said of the seniors. “Every senior group is special in their own special way and this is a good group of guys, like usual.”
Last year also saw the departure of a large crop of upperclassmen, so Hayashi said the team wasn’t too worried about next year yet.
There was, he said, too much still directly ahead to dwell on the distant future.
“We lost a bunch last year also and we’re back in semis, so it kind of worked out,” he said Friday. “This year, we only brought in two freshman, so hopefully we pull in some more for next year.”
Confident in the squad’s ability to compete for the state title, there was no reason, the assistant coach said, that the Spartans couldn’t hang with any team they may face in the rounds to come.
“If you have a bunch of guys clicking, we’re in great shape,” he said. “If only a couple guys are doing stuff, then we’re in trouble.
“If everybody can come together and play well, then we can play with anybody,” he added. “If they don’t show up, then we’re kind of in a rough spot.”
The semi-final win was sweet for Spartan fans as well, as surprise free concessions — hot dogs, pulled pork, chips, sodas and cookies — were provided by Curt Carlisle of Bainbridge Heating and Air.
