Sports

VIDEO: After Mid-Season Slip, Boys' Lax Looks to Finish What It Started

Hard-fought loss to rival Clarksburg could help revive Wolverines' push toward best season in years.

The Clarksburg boys' lacrosse team erupted into a roar and poured onto their home field, ecstatic in their high-drama, roller-coaster win over rival Watkins Mill.

The Coyotes had built a 4-1 first-quarter lead in the April 15 showdown between one-loss teams, faltered while the Wolverines rallied to score five of the game's next six goals, then answered with a pair of goals in the fourth quarter to scratch out a 7-6 victory.

Throughout the final minutes, Watkins Mill had been on the verge of netting the equalizer. So when the clock finally hit zero, the Coyotes's emotions let loose.

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Except the game wasn’t over.

A last-second penalty flag had gone unseen by the timekeeper and the lead referee. The officials conferred with each other, checked and re-checked their rulebooks and conferred with the coaches. They even tried calling the county’s head referee for advice.

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Finally, after a quarter-hour of tense debate and anxious wait, 20 seconds went back on the scoreboard. The Wolverines had new life, the ball and a two-man advantage.

Watkins Mill attackers looked for a gap in what had for most of the afternoon been a stubborn Clarksburg defense. As the seconds ticked away, senior Kyle Khuen reared back and unleashed a shot from long range. Clarksburg goalie Alex Belman squared up, coolly corralled his 14th save, then hurled the ball upfield to run the clock out.

The clock again showed zero, this time for good.

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While Clarksburg got to relive its earlier outburst, Watkins Mill was left stung by the bitter loss to their arch-rival—and their second loss in as many days, after an undefeated start.

Though the foe was familiar, Friday’s game faced them with a scenario wholly foreign to this season: Their 6-0 start had been comparatively easy wins against teams with losing records, while the April 14 loss to powerhouse Quince Orchard turned into a blowout once the Cougars put their starting attackers in the lineup in the second half.

Watkins Mill went into the Clarksburg game expecting the first true barometer of just how good they are. It proved to be Watkins Mill’s most hard-fought game, and despite the loss, by far the best they have looked this season.

It was the most hard-fought and meaningful game that senior attacker Tommy Drury has played  at Watkins Mill.

"It was extremely intense, especially the last 20 seconds," he said. "We all were trying to do everything we could. Adrenaline is going through you, you’re just trying to do what you can."

Watkins Mill woke up after stumbling to the 4-1 deficit, sparked by Drury's goal half a minute into the second quarter, and another one three minutes later. They were the better team for most of the period and dominated the third quarter flat-out .

The offense showed both patience and potency, and if not for several sprawling saves by Clarksburg's goalie, would have tallied a much higher total. The defense, meanwhile, shut the Coyotes down as the game got more physical, disrupting passes and controlling most of the ground balls. Sophomore goalie Eole Lake plugged whatever gaps opened up, coming up with a couple big saves to hold the Coyotes scoreless for more than 20 minutes. (Lake finished the game with 10 saves.)

Cheered on by a galley of Wolverine faithful that outnumbered the home crowd, Khuen gave Watkins Mill a 6-5 lead early in the fourth quarter, his third goal of the game.

But the Wolverines seemed to go flat from there.

Routine passes suddenly became turnovers. 50-50 ground balls started going Clarksburg's way. And the Coyotes’ imposing net-minder became an even more daunting presence, denying several in-close chances in the fourth quarter.

The game also saw an abundance of disputed calls. On Watkins Mill’s goal to take a 6-5, Clarksburg coach Curtiss Belcher, Jr. protested that Khuen had violated the crease. (Officials stopped the game to check the rulebook before allowing the goal to stand.) On Clarksburg’s winning goal, Watkins Mill coach Randy Thompson said the scorer was offsides by several yards. Then the confusion at the finale, where the referees back-pedaled and gave Watkins Mill another chance to tie the game.

"There was a lot of iffy technicalities—how the rule was enforced, how the rule was read type stuff," Thompson said. "There are always going to be calls missed. You never want to say the officials are the reason we lost the game, and I don’t think they were the reason we lost this game. We had moments where we could have controlled our own destiny."

Though unable to take advantage of last Friday's second chance, the team's core players have rededicated themselves over Spring Break to live up to the promise of a season in which these 16 players have breathed new life into Watkins Mill lacrosse—where their six wins are  more than the program had managed in its two previous seasons combined.

"We knew it was going to be a close game, but we definitely thought we would come out with a win," Drury said. "After the loss, we’re all practicing as much as we can in our free time. We’re all trying to do the best we can with the time we have."

That campaign gets underway on May 2 against Blake at home. After traveling to Springbrook on May 4, Watkins Mill hosts a formidable Poolesville team on May 6. The regular season comes to a close on May 10 with a home game against Paint Branch.

While the Wolverines' six-win start came against teams with losing records, the final three opponents have won three-quarters of their games. The home stretch also offers the chance for a little payback from last season: Blake beat Watkins Mill 17-1 last year, Springbrook won 12-3 and Poolesville won 12-2.

"We’ve got to get better heading into our last games of the year. All of our opponents from here on out are very similar to us, are very similar to Clarksburg," Thompson said. "Blake, Springbrook, Poolesville, Paint Branch: they all have a little bit different strengths and weaknesses, but they all have very solid programs with good athletes and good coaches."

Game Summary

Watkins Mill

Kyle Khuen 3 goals

Tommy Drury 2 goals

D.J. Wess 1 goal, 1 assist

Clarksburg

Brian O’Connor 4 goals

Connor Miller 2 goals

Eddie Echard 1 goal

Taylor Masterson 3 assists

Sean Moylan 1 assist


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