Whenever the Homestead and Arrowhead boys lacrosse teams square off, it’s bound to be a battle to the end. For three and a half quarters, that’s exactly what was brewing between two of the elite squads from the Classic 8 Conference’s Red Division.
However, the Warhawks pulled away toward en route to a 15-8 victory that saw five ties by the 3 minute, 25 second mark of the third quarter.
“Homestead’s a good team and they were ready for us,” Arrowhead coach Jake Sweitzer said. “They definitely brought it. I thought it was a great, competitive game all the way down to the end.”
Both teams struggled to get into a rhythm in a first half that saw the officials throw a combined 13 penalty flags. Amidst the hankies, the Highlanders (5-1, 1-1 Classic 8 Red) managed to jump out to a 2-0 lead by the 10:17 mark of the first quarter. Arrowhead (4-0, 2-0) responded with four unanswered goals, a run that saw sophomore Will Lauterbach score two of his game-high five goals. The Warhawks took a 5-3 lead into halftime.
“In the first quarter, it was a little hard to get into our rhythm,” Lauterbach said. “But our guys overcame adversity, and it was a team effort. I couldn’t do it without my teammates.”
The teams were neck and neck throughout the third quarter after Homestead tied the game at five with a pair of man-up goals to open the half. The Highlanders and Warhawks traded goals to keep the game tied 8-8 until the 2:51 mark.
But when Arrowhead senior Cole Siepmann put away two of his three goals within about 90 seconds of each other in the final minutes of the quarter, he started a 7-0 run for the Warhawks that put the game out of reach.
“We made some adjustments personnelwise with our matchups, but it was nothing crazy,” Sweitzer said. “We just made sure we were sliding appropriately.”
Considering Arrowhead and Homestead were two of five undefeated teams in the Red Division, Homestead coach Mike LaValle was proud of the effort his Highlanders produced on a cold, damp evening.
“This was a great game between two well-coached, good teams that battled hand in hand,” LaValle said. “The score is not indicative of how the game was played. There are no reasons for anyone to hang their heads.”
For Arrowhead, senior Jack Cieslak added three goals — all in the fourth quarter — and three assists. Homestead was led by seniors Brady Bartz and Julius Kellner, who scored three goals apiece.
Arrowhead hosts Verona in a nonconference game Friday night before hosting Marquette and Kettle Moraine in Classic 8 play next week. Homestead travels to Hudson Saturday before Catholic Memorial comes to visit next Tuesday for a conference match.
Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.
