Boys’ Lacrosse Tackles Two Tough Teams

Josh Munley

On Wednesday, April 19, and Friday, April 21, the Bel Air Bobcats faced off against two massive tests as they battled New York State powerhouse Shaker and county rival North Harford at Bobcat Stadium.

Shaker High School (Latham, NY) traveled to Maryland for their spring break, looking to play good teams from our area and face challenging teams to push them. That is exactly what they received. The Bobcats and the Blue Bison played a thrilling game with great defense on display from both teams. At the half, the score was all knotted up at threes. The second half saw intense offense and incredible end to end action. However, controversy struck as Shaker’s Michael Stiso dove across the crease, scoring to tie the game at six. After many very questionable referring discussions, the goal stood and Shaker went on to capture the victory 7-6 in OT.

Undefeated in the conference (4-0), the Bobcats welcomed North Harford to Bobcat Stadium just two days after dropping a tough one to Shaker. Despite losing last time out, the Bobcats took the lead and never looked back. Leading scorer Finn Gottschalk found the back of the net five times, leading the Cats to an 8-3 lead at the half. Despite a furious Hawk comeback, the Bobcats held on to win 11-9.

“The Shaker game was exciting and those are the types of games we love to play in. The ending was disappointing and confusing, but I was very happy with the way we competed against a tough team,” says junior Nick Jenkens after the Shaker loss. “Hopefully this game can give us some valuable experience and teach us to keep our cool when things get tough.”

With the win on Friday, the Bobcats remain at the top of the conference with the Cougars of Fallston, each with a record of 4-0. They will face off this Friday at Bobcat Stadium as two powerhouses clashing at the top of the standings.

Senior Aidan Lake spoke out after the North Harford game, saying, “We feel like we played our best lacrosse this week, and came out successful against an always fierce county rival. If we continue to play like that all season, we will continue our success as playoffs approach.”

After a game away from home against C. Milton Wright, the Cats will return home on alumni night, Friday, April 28, to battle ultimate rivals Fallston. This is the biggest week of the season for the Bel Air Boys’ Lacrosse Team, be sure to come out and support!