By Mark Nagi
Statistically, the West Rebels were not the better team in the Class A championship game in boys’ lacrosse. Their opponent, the Page Patriots, outshot them (33-18), collected more ground balls (39-20), and won more faceoffs (10-4).
But the Rebels led in the only category that matters. On Friday, May 15, West defeated Page 6-5 in Franklin to bring home their first state championship in program history.
“They came out physical like we thought,” said West head coach Chandler Klinck. “Page wasn’t as aggressive as we had kind of scouted for. So, I think it went a little slower in the beginning than initially expected, but I mean, it was a good close battle.”
The game could not have started better for the Patriots, as Daniel Wolak won the opening faceoff, sprinted downfield, and beat West goalkeeper Samuel Jones for the opening tally only six seconds into the contest. But the Rebels fought back with goals from Pablo Gillespie, Jackson Carter, and Gaines Asti to take a 3-1 lead with 1:54 to go in the first period.
But the Rebels went cold, going over 12 and a half minutes without a goal, but Asti’s second tally tied the game at 4, which is how things stood at intermission.
West (15-3) was led offensively this season by one of the state’s best attackers, Corbin Thomas. He had 59 goals heading into the state title game, second most in the TSSAA. His lone goal against the Pats gave West a 5-4 lead in the third period.
“Early on, it got a little bit in our heads, I think, because this was our first state championship game appearance,” said Klinck. “They were a little more prepared for the moment than we were. I thought we settled in eventually, and the key was just getting possession of the ball and making smart decisions.”
Overall, it was a challenging offensive experience for the Rebels. They went on another long scoring drought after Thomas’s goal, this time 15 minutes. But junior Zack Lopez’s tally with 6:50 to go gave West a 6-5 lead.
After that, the Samuel Jones show took center stage for the Rebels. He made four key saves in the fourth period and 14 for the game. Page (11-8) took a whopping 33 shots on goal in this game, nearly doubling West’s output of 18. But Jones and the West defenders would not allow the ball to get into their net again as they finished the job to bring home the championship trophy.
“He (Jones) has earned his opportunities as a junior,” said Klinck. “He’s played behind other guys, gotten his experience, come in very humble and leads the defense. Obviously, that was a huge stand at the end of the game by all the defense. I have got to give them huge credit too, because I mean, they just played phenomenally.”
The West Rebels lost in the state semifinals a year ago to Signal Mountain in double overtime. This year, they beat Signal Mountain in the semifinals 9-2. In the regular season a year ago, they fell to Page 9-8, but turned the tables in the biggest game of this season.
The future looks bright for the Rebels, with only six seniors and five starting sophomores. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them in contention for another major trophy next spring.
