A budding dynasty, Middletown boys lacrosse leaves no doubt in repeating as 1A champs
OWINGS MILLS – One year ago to the day, Middletown boys lacrosse needed every second of the 48-minute regulation clock to change the program’s fortunes forever. The Knights still talk about that game, the eight unanswered goals in just over a quarter of play to give a plucky upstart their first state title. Fallston talks about that game, too.
The perennially powerful Cougars were on the other side of that meltdown. When both teams learned last Friday they would rematch for the Class 1A state championship, the preparations and gamesmanship began immediately. After 48 more minutes Wednesday, Middletown left no doubt about its status as a budding dynasty.
The Knights romped to an 18-6 win at Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium to win their second consecutive state championship. They rattled off the game’s first nine goals and ensured no comeback was necessary. “As soon as we found out last week that we’d be seeing them again, we started preparing right away, knowing that they were a great team,” Middletown head coach Dominic Ceresini said.
“We just had to come out, play a full game of Middletown lacrosse that we’ve been doing since Feb. 28. That’s exactly what we came out and did.
” Still, this was a new level for the Knights. The offense, as it has all season, flowed effortlessly, with zippy passes leading to one quick strike after another. But the defense, which was notably inconsistent early in the season, finally found its top form and smothered one of the state’s more potent and versatile attacks.