Author: Brian Salgado

Fast Five: Top Moments from the 2019 Girls Lacrosse Season

There was plenty to be excited about during this year’s girls high school lacrosse season. I was fortunate to have a sideline view for many of the top moments in Wisconsin. Here are my five favorite:

1) Beyond the Game
Lacrosse Vs. Cancer fundraiser kickoff at Arrowhead/Mukwonago game

One of the many reasons I have enjoyed covering high school lacrosse throughout Wisconsin is the community of caring individuals that can be found at every program. On April 16, the girls programs of the Classic 8 Conference drove that point home by launching the inaugural Lacrosse Vs. Cancer initiative, which raised nearly $12,000 over the course of the 2019 season to donate to Gold in September, the childhood cancer nonprofit launched by former Arrowhead lacrosse player Annie Bartosz.

Before the opening draw of the Mukwonago/Arrowhead game at Taraska Stadium, Warhawks coach Tom Truttschel named his nephew, Kevin – who has battled cancer for five years – honorary captain. At the end of the game, Mukwonago coach Shelly Schumacher and the Indians unveiled a golden lacrosse stick that now serves as a traveling trophy awarded to the team who raises the most money for cancer research.

2) Wildcats Get on the Board
University School of Milwaukee 9, WNS 5
Frankly, it was shocking to learn that with everything the USM girls lacrosse program had accomplished since it’s inception in 2009, it still had not earned a conference championship.

Coach Sam Adey and the Wildcats filled that void May 16 with a 9-5 victory over WNS. Freshman Grace Tuttle scored five goals for USM, and freshman Molly Janssen added three more for the Wildcats.

The game also was memorable as it commemorated the lacrosse legacy of Angie Kensinger Webb. Better known as “Coach K”, Angie was the sister of Eliza Webb, who founded the WNS program. Coach K and her husband passed away in a plane crash in April.

The game was named “Play for Coach K!” in honor of one of the biggest names in the Texas lacrosse community. WNS wore ladybug ribbons to represent Coach K’s favorite insect, and USM presented the Wolfpack with ladybug gifts.

3) Best Served Cold
Waukesha 5, Franklin 4 (OT)
It may have taken two years, but Waukesha finally exacted some revenge on Franklin on May 1. Lady Nighthawks sophomore Ariana Hinton put away a free-position goal in overtime — almost the exact same play the Sabers used to knock Waukesha out of the postseason a couple years ago — to earn a 5-4 overtime victory at Franklin.

As clutch as Hinton’s goal was, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity had Waukesha senior goaltender Becca McDaniel not stopped the Sabers’ barrage of shots toward the end of regulation. McDaniel finished the game with seven saves.

4) Perfect Shade of Red
Arrowhead Red 10, WNS 5
Arrowhead Red had another dominant run to their sixth straight Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation state title, which included another perfect in-state schedule and Classic 8 – Black Conference title with a 9-0 record. The Warhawks knocked off WNS, 10-5, May 20 at Whitefish Bay High School. The conference championship was Arrowhead’s 12th in 13 years, as well.

The victory was far from a sure thing, however. WNS – under the leadership of first-year coach Megan Bianco – entered halftime tied with Arrowhead at four goals apiece. The game reached a 5-5 tie with 17 minutes, 25 seconds left to play before the Warhawks defense took over, shutting out the Wolfpack the rest of the way.

5) Sixth Time’s a Charm
Arrowhead Red 11, USM 8
Six consecutive state titles means six rivers of joyous tears, six massive group hugs at the sound of the buzzer, six groups of seniors leaving behind a winning legacy.

By notching the ninth WLF championship in program history, Arrowhead Red hasn’t raised the standard for girls lacrosse in the state — it has become the standard. Whether its a group predominantly composed of freshmen or a squad stacked with experience, coach Tom Truttschel and his staff have developed a formula for success yet to be equaled in the state.

As disappointing as the loss was for USM, the future looks bright for the Wildcats, who will enter the 2020 lacrosse season as one of the favorites to dethrone the Queens of Arrowhead. They had one of the most dominant freshmen duos in the state this year in Tuttle and Janssen, and they’ll have a year of experience under their belt for next year.

Fast Five: Top Moments from the 2019 Boys Lacrosse Regular Season

Here are five great moments from my time on the boys lacrosse beat in 2019:

1) Pop and Lock Between the Pipes
Sun Prairie 9, Sauk Prairie 8
Across three years of covering high school lacrosse throughout Wisconsin, I have not seen a better goaltender than Sun Prairie’s Karson Sutton. I had heard about Sutton’s prowess as the state’s best goalie since I joined the Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation as blogger and social media manager, but I finally had the opportunity to watch him in person on May 21. He did not disappoint.

In Sun Prairie’s 9-8 victory over Sauk Prairie, Sutton saved 24 of 32 shots with countless saves that made him look more like a breakdancer out of the mid-1980s instead of a high school lacrosse goaltender in 2019. According to MaxPreps, Sutton finished the season with 273 saves, a .714 save percentage and a 6.0 goals against average. He’s attending Indiana University on a lacrosse scholarship this fall.

2) Lightning Strikes
Kettle Moraine 12, Arrowhead 8
Once again, the Kettle Moraine/Arrowhead regular-season matchup had potential postseason rematch written all over it. The rivals were undefeated in Classic 8 – Red play heading into the game on April 17, and Arrowhead was No. 2 behind top-ranked Kettle Moraine in the Wisconsin Lacrosse Coaches Association Coaches Poll.

It was a can’t-miss game for those reasons, and even junior Will Lauterbach – who had taken a crosscheck to the throat the previous weekend when Arrowhead had traveled to St. Louis for a tournament – made a miraculous recovery in time for the opening face off. Lauterback shook off any ill effects of that injury in time to score four goals, matching Kettle Moraine senior Malloy Murphy’s output.

Then Mother Nature had her say in the matter.

Lightning that was too close for comfort forced the game into a delay with 10:23 left to play, and lead official Randy Kohn ended the game about 40 minutes later as a 12-8 Lasers victory.

The lack of a conclusion turned the game into a “what might have been?” debated scenario throughout the 2019 season. Did the Warhawks have one more run in them to tie Kettle Moraine or even take the lead? Would the Lasers have kept Arrowhead at bay and won with or without the lightning? Will there be an underground rematch over the summer to finish out the fourth quarter and determine a true winner? (OK, that’s some wishful thinking from hardcore lacrosse fans.)

3) Break the Scoreboard
Marquette 16, Mukwonago 15
For lacrosse fans who prefer tight scores and defensive battles, this May 3 non-conference showdown was not for you. Marquette and Mukwonago scored early and often, combining for what would be the second-highest goal output of the 2019 season. (Cedarburg beat Kenosha, 20-12, during the regular season. In the playoffs, Kettle Moraine knocked out Appleton United, 21-10.)

The game at Mukwonago saw two five-goal scorers: Sean Duffey for Marquette and Zack Scheunemann for the Indians. Freshman Artemis Kettle also had four goals for Mukwonago in the Indians’ loss.

4) Next Man Up
Middleton 10, Waunakee 8
This Middleton victory saw a little bit of everything — a goal taken off the board for an illegal stick, rivalry-inspired physical play and even a goalie penalty.

The latter pressed freshman Jace Bauer into unexpected action with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter and the Cardinals holding onto a 9-8 lead over Waunakee. As Bauer made his way onto the field, his teammates erupted with support, especially his fellow JV underclassmen.

Bauer’s lone stat for his 1-minute appearance on April 23 was a ground ball he scooped up just outside the crease, but he stayed tough long enough to keep Middleton in the lead until senior Reed Kochan returned to the field.

5) Pump Up the Volume
Marquette 8, Appleton United 3
There were no surprises in this game – despite winning by only five goals, Marquette dominated Appleton United for the most part. What made this May 11 game memorable was the atmosphere Marquette’s game-day personnel created for the non-conference matchup at Journey House Packers Field in Mitchell Park in Milwaukee. There was a house DJ on the field blasting music during every time stoppage and belting out the name of every scorer. The DJ also had some fun with the penalties, alternating between famous theme songs from cop shows like Law & Order as the officials made their announcements.

On a personal note, it was the first lacrosse game for WLF blog’s unofficial intern: my son, Noah. He loved every second of the game, and now every other program will have to provide NBA-level entertainment like Marquette did that Saturday in May to keep Noah hooked on the sport!

Kettle Moraine Joins the Elite High School Programs

It may have taken an extra season, but the Kettle Moraine boys lacrosse program earned its rightful place among the elite programs in Wisconsin Saturday night.

With a 18-6 victory over Middleton at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium, Kettle Moraine joined Verona and Arrowhead has the only programs with three or more state championships.

That’s one way to erase an unexpected early exit from the playoffs completely from a team’s collective memory bank.

“Last season’s semifinal loss (to 2018 champion Verona) has been driving us the entire year,” said senior midfielder Caleb Hotchkiss, who led the Laser attack with six goals on the night. “Us seniors knew it was never going to happen again, so that drove us this playoff season to come home with the championship.”

The class of 2019 leaves behind a legacy of near-total dominance over Wisconsin lacrosse, capped off by Kettle Moraine’s third state title in four years. These seniors also have earned three Classic 8 Conference championships and have won 49 of their last 50 games.

“We’re laying a foundation that has proven fruitful,” said Kettle Moraine coach Michael Stefan, who was named the 2019 US Lacrosse Coach of the Year. “Our future teams and other teams can continue to push the envelope so Wisconsin lacrosse as a whole is constantly improving.”

Kettle Moraine (19-4) built a lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Lasers led Middleton (17-4) jumped out to a 6-2 lead after the first period after Hotchkiss scored three of his six goals in the quarter.

“The offense just worked beautifully,” Hotchkiss said. “Everyone was just moving the ball, drawing slides, so it’s not hard when your teammates give you great shots.

The Cardinals shifted to a more aggressive defense that featured a physical style that sent plenty of their own players and Lasers to the ground countless times.

“We showed them film to reinforce that our strength collectively across the state is our stick skills,” Stefan said. “There are teams that have better athletes than we do, but we can move the ball quicker, so we can play faster and keep the ball in the air as much as possible.”

Middleton’s defensive strategy worked for a bit, but Kettle Moraine’s defense slammed the door on the Cardinals for the entirety of the second quarter.

On offense, senior attack Chris Bender picked up where Hotchkiss left off, scoring four of his six goals in the second quarter to lead Kettle Moraine to a 12-2 halftime lead. When the Lasers went up 16-5, it initiated the running clock.

With a third title on its program portfolio, Kettle Moraine now sits within the lacrosse communities’ elite. There’s no telling where the team can go moving forward.

“This puts Kettle Moraine on the map as far as Wisconsin goes,” Bender said. “It establish us as a dynasty for winning those championships, especially the last four years or so.”

Kettle Moraine Boys Look for Third Title in Four Years Vs. Middleton

The Kettle Moraine boys lacrosse team had an extra 48 minutes to prepare for 2019 after an unexpected early exit from last season’s Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation state tournament. After getting stunned in the semifinals by eventual champion Verona, the Lasers suddenly realized that nothing would be handed to them because of their RPI or ranking.

“It taught us how we have to finish our job and live up to our expectations with our level of play,” Kettle Moraine coach Michael Stefan said. “It was a great growth opportunity for ourselves as coaches and the players to learn that things won’t just happen because we think they will happen. Verona worked harder for those 48 minutes than we did, and now we have an understanding of how fragile those opportunities really are.”

There was no such finish for the Lasers this season. No. 1 Kettle Moraine completed their unblemished Wisconsin schedule with a victory over archrival Arrowhead Wednesday night to earn a trip to tonight’s tournament finale against second-seeded Middleton.

Along with the humbling experience of the 2018 semifinal loss, Stefan said Kettle Moraine (18-4) has benefited from its core players working together within the same offensive system for another year. Senior attack Chris Bender led the offense this season with 81 goals and 118 points, and sophomore middie Nolan Rappis contributed 110 points, as well.

Kettle Moraine (18-4) cruised to another Classic 8 – Red Conference title with a 5-0 record while collecting non-conference victories over highly ranked opponents like Waunakee, Verona and Middleton.

Even though the Lasers beat Middleton by nine goals back in March, Stephan is not taking the Cardinals due to the final score of the teams’ first meeting.

“We played in March, so it doesn’t tell you how the teams are playing in June,” Stefan said. “We’re a different team now than we were then, and we have very skilled individual players who do well in certain matchups.”

Middleton (17-3) certainly turned things around after that season-opening loss to Kettle Moraine, as well. The Cardinals won the Big Badger Conference and defeated non-conference opponents like Stoughton, Neenah and Appleton United along the way. Middleton defeated Waunakee for the second time this season on Wednesday night to advance to tonight’s championship game.

The Cardinals are led offensively by senior attack Kevin Grelle, who has 72 goals and 98 points on the year. Middleton also boasts all-conference senior FOGO Nathan Kapp, who won 74 percent of his faceoffs this year.

While Kettle Moraine will make its third state final appearance in four seasons, this is Middleton’s first trip to the final since defeating Arrowhead in 2015. Overall, this is Middleton’s third state championship game. The Cardinals appeared in the 2003 and 2005 finales, winning the 2003 championship against Verona in four overtimes.

Most importantly for this generation of Cardinals, they want to win the game for coach Sanford Erdahl, the 2019 Big Badger Coach of the Year who is credited for turning the program around since taking the top job in 2017.

“Our coach hasn’t been here since the last time we went to state, so I think we have a dedication to play for Coach ‘Ford,’” Middleton senior defenseman Connor Hellenbrand said.

Arrowhead Red Beats USM for Sixth Consecutive State Title!

It might be difficult for outsiders to find the differences between the six consecutive state title winners the Arrowhead Red girls lacrosse team has produced. But not for coach Tom Truttschel, who has seen all sorts of formulas lead to winning seasons during his time at the helm of the most decorated program in the state.

The answer was easy: this squad will do anything for each other.

“When we sat down in the locker room before the state championship game today, the conversation among the team was, ‘This team is tight,” said Truttschel, who earned his eighth state title as coach and the program’s ninth overall. “We try to have that kind of unity every year. When it comes to battles for this team, they’ll do anything for each other.”

On Friday night, it certainly took a team effort to overcome University School of Milwaukee, 11-8, since the young Wildcats were determined to give the Warhawks everything they could handle.

USM jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 13th minute of the first half with goals by middies junior Audrey Engman and freshman Molly Janssen. Janssen scored another goal with 2:20 left in the half to put the Wildcats up 3-2. She finished with four in the game.

Arrowhead Red took a 4-3 into halftime by scoring two goals in the final 25.3 seconds of the first half. Senior attack Coryn Tormala put away a goal to tie the game at 3 before assisting on senior attack Ellie Bonk’s follow-up goal just 9 seconds later.

Tormala, the Classic 8 Player of the Year, finished the game with three goals and three assists to lead all scorers with nine points.

“Her eyes are quick to react and make the next pass, so she knows when to get the feed into her teammates and takes right shots usually,” Truttschel said. “She’s a star, and she’s the player of the for a reason.”

Arrowhead Red kept the momentum going well into the second half, completing a five-goal run with another Tormala goal at 21:06 in the period to take a 7-3 lead. A combination of stellar defense and an improved performance at the draw kept USM on its heels for a good portion of the second half.

“Initially, we came out and they matched our momentum and we were all very nervous because they are a very good team and we knew that,” Tormala said. “Then during the second half we just capitalized on their mistakes, kept it on offense, spun the ball around and ultimately got some goals.”

The Warhawks led by as many as five goals with 5:55 left to play when sophomore attack Sydney Schultz scored off an assist from sophomore attack Kylee Manser. USM freshman attack Grace Tuttle scored twice within the final 54 seconds of the game, but it would not be enough for the Wildcats.

“I think by the time we turned it on, it was too little, too late,” USM coach Sam Adey said. “But our biggest threats on offense are sophomores and freshmen, who now have a year of experience under their belt.”

If Arrowhead Red is any indication that experience goes a long way — on and off the field. Senior defender Emma Hofman knows the future of the program remains in good hands once she and her classmates move on.

“For me, this is the best [title run] for me because this is my last year,” Hofman said. “But each and every year, I come back to this group of girls who gets to play for these amazing coaches and with each other. It just gets better every year.”

USM and Arrowhead Red Meet Again for Girls State Title

As the Arrowhead Red girls lacrosse team has racked up five Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation state championships in six years, there have been countless strategies employed to slow down the best program in the state.

This year, in a rematch of last season’s title matchup, the University School of Milwaukee (USM) is bringing a youthful exuberance to throw at the Warhawks.

“We have a lot of younger players who are impact players on the team this year,” USM coach Sam Adey said, whose squad also lost the 2015 title to the Warhawks. “As the season has progressed, they have become more confident and poised on the field, which makes us more dangerous now than earlier in the season.”

It’s hard to imagine a pair of underclassmen more poised and dangerous than freshman Grace Tuttle and sophomore Anna Guttormsom, who will lead the charge to avenge USM’s loss to Arrowhead Red in the 2018 championship game.

The duo combined to score 102 points this season, including 45 goals from Tuttle and another 41 from Guttormson, as the Wildcats earned the Classic 8 – Red title.

When Arrowhead and USM met on May 13, the Wildcats fell behind early and trailed by three goals at halftime in a 9-7 loss. They managed to lose by just two goals, but Adey knows after countless battles with the Warhawks during her 10 years as a coach that you can’t give Arrowhead Red any opportunities like that.

“What we want to do hasn’t changed — it’s about execution,” Adey said. “We did not come out like we wanted to, and we dug ourselves a big hole early in the game. Then we played differently in the second half than we did in the first.”

Even though USM lost its title shot to Arrowhead Red last year, Adey isn’t dismissing the value of the experience her Wildcats gained playing under the bright lights of Schneider Stadium at Carroll University. And for the seven seniors on the squad, knowing this is their last chance for a state title at USM.

“We have a lot of seniors, and most of them are three-sport athletes,” Adey said. “For them, this is mostly their last shot, so there is a real focus for them to win a state title this year.”

For Arrowhead Red, last year’s championship team relied on a bevy of freshmen to bring home the hardware. Now that those players have one more year under their belt, that experience will prove invaluable, as well.

“The freshmen we had last year being sophomores this year, they know how to play with the upperclassmen better,” Arrowhead Red coach Tom Truttschel said.

The Arrowhead Red midfield remains the strength of this team, with All-Americans like seniors Jacklyn Batley and Coryn Tormala leading the way for the Warhawks. Sophomore Kylee Manser led the offense with 40 goals, junior Stephanie Curry had 32 and Tormala added 30 for the Classic 8 – Black champions.

Middleton Boys Earn First Trip to State Finals in Five Years

The Middleton boys lacrosse team’s journey to the 2019 Wisconsin state title game began long before the Cardinals beat Waunakee, 8-6, in Wednesday night’s semifinal game at Breitenbach Stadium.

“We made a lot of changes in the program, starting with the youth program, and the boys have worked hard all offseason to get to this point,” said Sanford Erdahl, Middleton coach and the 2019 Coach of the Year for the Big Badger Conference. “The senior squad that I have is something special, and they have been playing together for a long time.”

The result of this overhaul is Erdahl’s first trip to the state final in just his third year at the helm of the Cardinals, and his seniors are ready to reward him for the turnaround.

“I think we have a dedication to play for Coach ‘Ford,’” Middleton senior defenseman Connor Hellenbrand said. “We’ve been saying, ‘We gotta do it for him.’”

The No. 2 Cardinals will face top-seeded Kettle Moraine Saturday night for the state championship at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium.

First, Middleton (17-3) had to get past Waunakee (13-10), one of the Cardinals’ top rivals in the Big Badger Conference. Although Middleton never trailed in this game, the Cardinals maintained a slim 4-2 lead heading into half after Waunakee sophomore attack Jack Gengler score the second of his game-high four goals with 10 seconds left in the first half.

Then the Cardinals got serious on defense. Middleton pitched a shutout in the third quarter, scoring four unanswered goals in the period to take an 8-2 lead. Senior attack Kevin Grelle — an all-conference first-team selection — scored two of his team-high three goals in the third.

“I had to switch it up a bit as they were keying on me, but my teammates were finding me as I was getting the good looks and putting them away,” Grelle said. Junior middie Drew Teff scored Middleton’s other two goals in the third.

The Warriors wouldn’t go down quietly, however. Waunakee scored four unanswered goals of their own in the fourth quarter to cut Middleton’s lead to two with just 14 seconds left to play, led once again by Gengler, who had two goals in the period.

Despite the loss, Waunakee coach Mike Reiter has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future. The Warriors have a young core of starters with seven sophomores and a junior who will return for the 2020 campaign, and a run to the state semifinals will prove to be great experience.

“We certainly saw how we can play when we play with purpose,” Reiter said. “In those last 8 minutes, we played like we were not gonna lose and gave it everything we got. That is great to see from a bunch of high school kids.”

Arrowhead Red Returns to State Title Game with Victory Over Franklin

It has been another stellar season for the storied Arrowhead Red girls lacrosse program, who was a favorite to win the Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation state title for a sixth consecutive time and 10th time in 12 years.

However, the youthful Franklin squad had no intention of making it easy for the Warhawks Tuesday night.

Yes, No. 1 Arrowhead Red has advanced to the state title game Friday night against University School of Milwaukee at Schneider Stadium at Carroll University. However, it took withstanding a furious comeback attempt by the fourth-seeded Sabers in the second half of the Warhawks’ 11-8 victory at Taraska Stadium.

“I knew Franklin would be coming ready to play us as they’ve been on the rise as the season has gone on,” Arrowhead Red coach Tom Truttschel said. “But I think that’s a good thing. If you go into the state championship with a kind of walkover-type of attitude, maybe you’re not as prepared. From that standpoint, I like a challenging game so we’re prepared for whoever we play.”

Arrowhead Red and Franklin traded goals early in the first half before the Warhawks’ defense made their stand. The result was a five-goal run that put Arrowhead Red (15-3) up 6-2 with 4 minutes, 46 seconds left in the half.

When Arrowhead Red sophomore middie Abbie Wiese scored her second goal of the game with 13:21 left to play, it gave the Warhawks an 11-4 lead, their biggest of the game.

Franklin (11-5) wasn’t giving up that easily, however. The Sabers started winning more draws and, combined with some unforced turnovers by Arrowhead Red, put together a four-goal run of their own to get within three goals. When Franklin junior attack Jillian Krueger scored her third goal of the game with 49 seconds left to play, though, it was the last gasp for the Sabers.

“Franklin did bring a fight, but we did, too,” said Jacklyn Batley, senior middie who led Arrowhead Red with three goals. “I just think we had more energy and really wanted it.”

As good as the Warhawks have been in 2019 — they won the Classic 8 – Black Conference for the 12th time in 13 years and went undefeated in Wisconsin — they did have their share of challenging games. But having to withstand a late comeback attempt like this en route to the state championship final game can only toughen up and already battle-tested squad.

“Franklin is a great team, so playing teams like them is what’s going to make us so much better,” Arrowhead Red senior defender Emma Hofman said.

The Sabers have plenty of silver linings to take from the scare they put into the Warhawks. For one, Franklin is only losing one player to graduation this year. Coach Julianna Shearer also is excited about the eighth-grade talent pool joining the freshman class at Franklin for the 2020 campaign.

“We’re only losing one girl, so I think our run is just starting,” Schearer said. “Today wasn’t the outcome that we wanted, but I think it’s going to give us good momentum and a good push for next year.”

Arrowhead Boys Hold Off Sauk Prairie, Earn Rematch with Kettle Moraine in State Semifinals

At halftime of Monday night’s quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Arrowhead and No. 5 Sauk Prairie, it looked as if the Warhawks’ dominating first-half performance would keep the Eagles down the entire game.

Sauk Prairie, however, had no plans of going down easily.

Arrowhead moved on to the state semifinals with a 12-9 victory at Taraska Stadium, but Sauk Prairie gave the Warhawks all they could handle with a stifling defense that produced a five-goal run in the second half that ultimately was not enough.

“Great teams just know how to win,” Arrowhead senior attack Will Lauterbach said. “It gave us a nice wakeup call, but you gotta take the punch, have a short memory, get back up and get ready for the next hit.”

Arrowhead (14-6) led by as many as six goals in the first half. The Warhawks had a run of four unanswered goals to take an 8-2 lead, capped off by sophomore midfielder Owen Arnett’s second of three goals for the game. Arrowhead took a 10-4 lead into halftime.

“We had some great vision by our dodgers in the first half,” Arrowhead coach Jake Sweitzer said. “We were attacking some cuts into some lanes really well and hitting on those feeds. Our guys were winning one-on-one matchups and drawing slides, which was awesome.”

But Sauk Prairie (14-3) made the necessary adjustments and almost advanced to the state semifinals as a result. After giving up Arnett’s third goal of the game with 8 minutes, 25 seconds to go in the third quarter, the Eagles stymied the Warhawks and went on an five-goal run of their own, climbing to within two points of Arrowhead with just 3:57 left to play.

The momentum shifted for Sauk Prairie in third quarter when junior attack Cam Logan and sophomore middie Dylan Oas scored on back-to-back man-up situations. Junior middie Riley Jelinek scored two of his game-high four goals during this stretch, as well, including a quick score off a stolen pass right in front of the Arrowhead goal. Jelinek also assisted on the fifth goal of the run scored by junior attack Willy Hanson, which cut Arrowhead’s lead to 11-9.

Sauk Prairie had another man-up situation with 2:23 left to play, giving the Eagles the opportunity to move to within just one goal. However, the Warhawks killed the power play, and junior Will Lauterbach scored his third goal of the game with 3 seconds left to play to seal Arrowhead’s trip to the semifinal game at Kettle Moraine on Wednesday night.

“Sauk Prairie has some really great attackmen who play hard,” Sweitzer said. “If we keep driving and keep doing what we’re supposed to do, the second half is a different game. But credit to Sauk Prairie — they made great halftime adjustments and came out and executed in the second half, but just came up a little short.”

The ferocious comeback could be an indicator of things to come for this youthful Sauk Prairie squad. All of the Eagles’ starters will return in 2020, and Sauk Prairie coach Dylan Baier believes next year’s team has the makeup of a championship contender.

“I just told them in the huddle, ‘We’re taking the whole thing next year, there’s no question about it,’” Baier said after the game.

Defending Champion Verona Upsets Marquette

No boys lacrosse team wants to deal with adversary throughout the regular season. However, Verona is developing a penchant for peaking when it counts — the second season.

Almost a year after the Wildcats won six of their final eight games en route to the state championship, 10th-seeded Verona upset No. 7 Marquette, 10-7, at Packers Field in Mitchell Park in Milwaukee on Friday night. The victory sends Verona to the next round of the state tournament. On Monday, the Wildcats will visit No. 2 Middleton, who defeated Hudson, 7-6, in overtime.

“I think this team is now finally seeing itself a) be healthy and b) come together,” Verona coach Nate Lutterman said. “We always try to aim our seasons to make sure that we’re peaking toward the end. We’ve never valued regular-season wins as much as some other teams. We want to work on our core product and make sure we are complete come playoff time.”

So far, the formula is working for a second year in a row. Verona (9-7) is riding a three-game winning streak and is two victories away from returning to the state finals. And if the Wildcats’ defense continues to step up like it did last night, there’s no telling how far Verona can go.

Marquette (10-8) trailed Verona, 4-2, going into halftime, but the Wildcats’ defense held the Hilltoppers scoreless for more than 8 minutes in the third quarter. Verona scored four unanswered goals during that span.

“On defense, two of our long poles — Drew Dingle and Ollie Gauthier — did an excellent job on Sean Duffey, who is an excellent player for Marquette,” Lutterman said. “That was the big difference-maker for us in the game.”

Offensively, senior attack Graham Jeske lead Verona with three goals, including one during the four-goal stretch that put the Wildcats in control for good.

“He’s been our go-to guy all year,” Lutterman said. “He’s getting a lot primary matches and getting a lot of quick slides, and he’s still been very effective, and that’s been enormous for us.”

Marquette made a final push for a comeback in the fourth quarter as the Hilltoppers scored three straight goals to cut Verona’s lead to 9-6 with 9:30 left in the game. Duffey scored two of his game-high five goals during that stretch.

However, junior middie Keegan Lindell scored his second goal of the with 9:22 to play to keep momentum in Verona’s favor. Junior middie Xavier Howard finished the game with two goals for Verona, as well, and sophomore goalie Luke Quakenbush notched 10 saves.

These players specifically represent the youth movement Verona has had to rely on after the Wildcats lost 11 seniors from the 2018 championship squad.

“We’ve had a lot of juniors step up and a couple sophomores, and it has been really fun to see,” Lutterman said.