Opening the conference season with a “W” always makes for a warm ride home after spending 48 minutes in blustery and rainy conditions. However, serving up some revenge to the team that beat you to open Classic 8 play a year ago remains a dish best served cold.
The Franklin boys lacrosse team used a furious offensive attack that punished Homestead for its lackluster transition defense and penalties to beat the Highlanders, 20-14, at Sullivan Stadium in Franklin.
“Last year, they beat us in the conference opener, so it was definitely a point of emphasis this year to beat them,” Franklin coach Dave Diehl said. “Our goal is to win the conference, so it was important to start the year right.”
Franklin (4-0, 1-0 Classic 8 Red) led by as many as three goals in the first quarter, and the Sabers took a 10-8 lead into halftime. Sophomore attack Mitchell Kaye led the charge by scoring all five of his goals in the first half. Junior middie Mitchell Hansing added two of his five goals in the first half, as well.
Homestead (1-2, 0-2) managed to tie the game at 10 at 2 minutes, 14 seconds into the third quarter. Junior attack Cole Tietyen scored the second of his three goals before senior attack Andy Buchanan’s second of the game knotted the score.
Shortly thereafter, the Sabers would go on a 10-4 scoring run to pull away from the Highlanders for good. Franklin was aided by a 2-minute, locked-in penalty on Homestead in the third quarter. During that stretch, the Sabers scored three goals, two by Hansing that sandwiched a score by junior middie Braden Schubring. Senior attack Ben Nackel assisted on Hansing’s goals during the penalty, as well.
“We executed the man-up offense we practiced, and they went out and moved the ball well,” Diehl said. “They didn’t force things and were as patient as they needed to be. They waited for the defense and took advantage.”
Senior goalie Nathan Murphy kept the Highlanders at bay with 12 saves in the game, including seven during a vicious third quarter that saw Homestead on the doorstep for at least five close-range shots.
“Murph is a monster – that guy is outstanding,” Kaye said. “He can save them from far out and he can save them from close range as you saw in the third quarter.”
Franklin sophomore Connor Lindsay helped seal the victory with three fourth-quarter goals, as well.
For Homestead, senior middie Johnny Erpenbeck finished the game with three goals. Junior attack Brady Bartz added two goals for the Highlanders.
“It was a good game that was well fought, but we made a lot of mistakes with penalties and in transition,” Homestead coach Mike LaValle said. “Those are things you have to stop. You can’t give up easy goals against a good team.”
Franklin’s next game will be against 2016 state runner up Hudson on Saturday in Wisconsin Dells. Homestead will host Oneida Nation on Friday.
Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.
