admin
PROVIDENCE – Like there was any ever doubt.
La Salle and Moses Brown are Rhode Island’s two best boys lacrosse programs for a reason and Tuesday showed just a part of why they’re in a different stratosphere than the rest of the state and that gap isn’t going to shrink any time soon.
Everyone on the planet knew the Rams would have little trouble taking down South Kingstown, but the 12-time defending state champs didn’t share the same opinion. La Salle showed some rust early against the Rebels, still managed to build a lead, then grew it its play improved in the 20-2 win.
“It’s simple – they’re 15, 16, 17 and 18-year old boys. That’s no indictment of them, it’s just that these are instant memories,” said La Salle coach Steven O’Donnell by phone after the game. “You can’t take anything for granted. You have to repeat, repeat and repeat again and really know your personnel.”
Across the city, rumblings of a potential upset circled the East Side as Moses Brown hosted Hendricken. The Quakers wasted little time in making sure those thoughts remained a ridiculous idea, dominating from start to finish in a 17-2 win over the Hawks.
“We all came together really well today,” said Moses Brown’s Reece Chase, who scored three goals and had two assists on Tuesday “We’ve been preparing for the last week for this game and we knew if we came out here all together and played our hardest we’d come out with a win.”
“It feels good and it’s as good as winning any other game,” MB’s Peter Sarnowski said. “It’s another one behind us and we’re moving on to the next one.”
The next one is the biggest game of the year and has been every year for the past decade.
La Salle has won the last 12 state championships and is favored to win a 13th and that comes with a certain amount of pressure.
But the Rams don’t dwell on things like streaks. The team is more focused on trying to be better and preparing for the next opponent.
“We don’t talk about it. It’s just a given because it’s there,” O’Donnell said. “There’s always pressure on a young kid, so you don’t tell them they have to win because someone won before them.
“They’re unique – you’re not the team last year, the team before or the team before that. You’re independent and whatever you do, you do it for your own legacy.”
Moses Brown also has to deal with the pressure of trying to be the team that ends La Salle’s streak. But much like the Rams, the Quakers do a good job of ignoring the noise and focusing on themselves.
“It’s togetherness. Every time we play well, we play as a team and it’s on all of us to get a good win,” Sarnowski said. “We treat it as any other game. We’re going out there to win.
“You never step on a field wanting to lose so that’s always the mindset.”
La Salle and Moses Brown met in the regular-season finale that served as a preview to the state championship game.
It showed a lot, namely the gap that existed last season between the two had shrunk considerably. While La Salle openly said it didn’t play well, Moses Brown was far from perfect in the 9-6 loss. The game served as an educational tool for both teams and, with coaches as keen and talented as O’Donnell and Moses Brown’s Mike Fraioli, you can expect adjustments to be made off that game film.
“The desire of Moses Brown to win,” said O’Donnell when asked what stood out in that matchup. “The will for them to beat us. It was evident from every player’s perspective, every coach’s perspective. They weren’t sitting down. They played hard the whole game, they played physical, they were fast and they were disciplined.
“It’s a message to our team that they were focused on beating La Salle.”
“We learned a lot, similar to this game,” said Sarnowski, an expert interviewee who says enough without saying too much. “… We’re watching the film and learning so we’re better than last time.”
“They’re a very talented team, but we know we’re a very talented team,” Chase said. “We’re ready for a battle.”
That battle will take place at Brown University over the weekend, on a date the RIIL will soon officially finalize. Whichever day it is, the teams will be ready.
“Our mindset is these next two days, we’re going to prepare as much as we can and play our hearts out,” Chase said. “We’re all going to come together and whatever happens Saturday across the street will happen and we know if we play as a team, we’ll have a shot.”
“Every game we’re getting the best efforts from every team we play,” O’Donnell said. “We have to expect Moses Brown will be fully prepared and we have to be prepared also.”
#Scores #RIIL #Boys #Lacrosse #Division #Semifinal #Games #June
