Author: Brian Salgado

by Brian Salgado

Sun Prairie Boys Take 16-Game Winning Streak into Playoffs by Defeating Sauk Prairie

When the Sun Prairie boys lacrosse team was blown out by Middleton on April 1, the Wisconsin high school lacrosse scene may have dismissed the Cardinals’ chances for the 2019 state title.

But by following that performance with 16 consecutive victories, Sun Prairie can confidently shout at the doubters, “April fools!”

Sun Prairie — who is ranked sixth in the Wisconsin Lacrosse Coaches Association poll — concluded its epic 2019 regular-season run by outlasting host No. 2 Sauk Prairie, 9-8, on Monday night during the Amplify Lacrosse Boys Game of the Week.

“After that [loss to Middleton], we sat down and talked about it, and we said that was not how we wanted the season to go,” said Aiden Edison, Sun Prairie’s junior attack who scored five goals for the Cardinals. “We haven’t lost in two months, and now the first season is over. I’d be happy to play Middleton again.”

Sun Prairie (16-1, 9-1 Badgerland Lacrosse Conference) fell behind early as Sauk Prairie (13-2, 9-2) took a 3-1 lead in the first quarter. Edison took over from there, scoring four of his five goals in the first quarter alone to give the Cardinals a 5-3 lead.

“He is clutch, and he has been a real leader for us,” Sun Prairie coach Andy Schantz said. “He was on varsity as a freshman, and finishing is probably the No. 1 thing he had to work on. The strides he’s made in the last two years have been awesome.”

Behind the clutch goalkeeping by senior Karson Sutton — one of the top goalies in the state who will play for Indiana University next year — the Cardinals extended their lead to 9-5 in the fourth quarter. Sutton made a number of acrobatic saves throughout the game, and he finished with 24 saves on the night.

“He makes each and every one of us better in practice because he’s a brick wall in there,” Edison said. “He’s going to Indy next year, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him start.”

The Eagles did manage to cut the Cardinals’ lead to one with 6 minutes, 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter on three unanswered goals by juniors Cameron Logan and Willy Hanson and sophomore Dylan Oas. But the Sun Prairie defense and Sutton stood their ground to walk away with the victory. Logan finished the game with three goals and Oas and Hanson had two apiece.

“Obviously, we had a really rough first quarter, but after that we settled down and only allowed four goals the rest of the game,” Sauk Prairie coach Dylan Baier said. “We’re hungry, I know that. These guys take losses really hard, so we’ll use this feeling of motivation going forward.”

Both teams are off until the state playoffs start next week. The state tournament and invitational brackets will be revealed Thursday.

Each week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

by Brian Salgado

Arrowhead Red Completes Perfect In-State Season with Win over WNS

During the first half of Arrowhead Red’s game against the Whitefish Bay/Nicolet/Shorewood (WNS) girls lacrosse team Monday night, the Warhawks’ undefeated record against in-state opponents appeared to be in jeopardy.

The next 25 minutes proved that was just a fluke.

Arrowhead Red held WNS to just one goal and senior attack Jacklyn Batley scored two of her game-high five goals in the second half to carry the Warhawks to a 10-5 victory over the Wolfpack at Whitefish Bay High School. By winning the CoolStick Girls Game of the Week, Arrowhead Red finished the season undefeated Wisconsin. The Warhawks also claimed their 12th Classic 8 – Black title in 13 years with a 9-0 record.

“We always know whenever we play WNS that they’re going to be ready for Arrowhead,” Arrowhead Red coach Tom Truttschel said.

That was certainly the case in the first half as Arrowhead Red (12-3) received all it could handle from WNS (10-3). The squads entered halftime knotted at four, with Batley leading the Warhawks by scoring three of her five goals for the game.

Senior attack Lindsay Tazalla added two goals for the Wolfpack and assisted on another when freshman middie Olivia Gscheidmeier tied the score with 6 minutes, 28 seconds left in the first half.

“I think we came in obviously knowing that they are a really good team, and we respected that they’re a really good team,” Batley said. “But we also knew that we can push ourselves to be better and that’s what we did today.”

WNS notched one more tie in the second half when senior middie Aubrey McLaren scored her second goal of the game at 17:25 in the second half to bring the score to 5-5. The Warhawk defense took over from there, shutting out the Wolfpack with an impenetrable backer zone defense that minimized the man-to-man mismatches WNS exploited in the first half.

“We practice both a lot, so once we went to backer, we didn’t have those couple mismatches that we had in the first half and really shut them down,” Truttschel said.

As another season comes to an end, Arrowhead Red has earned another No. 1 seed for the state tournament. The freshmen that led the Warhawks to their fifth consecutive state championship — like attack Kylee Manser, who had three goals of her own on Monday night — have another year of experience, making Arrowhead Red as formidable as ever.

“Because those freshmen are now sophomores, they are a little bit more mature in their decision-making, so that helps with less mistakes,” Truttschel said. “They all work together really strongly.”

Arrowhead Red and WNS are off until the postseason starts next week. The brackets for the state and invitational tournaments will be released Thursday.

Every week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select girls lacrosse game in Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from CoolStick.

by Brian Salgado

USM Girls Earn First Conference Title with 9-5 Victory over WNS

For four years, Michaela Fritz and her classmates had to stare at the empty slots on the big board in the University School of Milwaukee’s (USM) gymnasium. One of the top girls lacrosse programs in Wisconsin still had not earned Classic 8 – Red conference title in the otherwise decorated program’s history.

After Wednesday night, however, it’s time to order that “2019” placard.

USM earned its first conference championship with a 9-5 victory over Whitefish Bay/Nicolet/Shorewood (WNS) in the CoolStick Girls High School Game of the Week.

“It’s very exciting, especially coming out with a conference title as a senior,” Fritz said. “It is very good not having that blank board in our gym anymore, too.”

USM (11-1) had a battle on their hands as WNS (11-1) gave the Wildcats all they could handle in the first half. USM scored the first three goals of the game, a span that saw freshman Grace Tuttle score two of her team-high four goals. Freshman Molly Janssen also scored during the run to give USM a 3-0 lead early in the first half.

The Wolfpack responded with a three-goal run of their own. Junior Lauren Flemma scored two of her three goals in this stretch.

The squads traded goals in the latter half of the period until Janssen put away her second of three goals with just 2 seconds left in the first. USM entered halftime with a 5-4 lead.

The second half was all Wildcats. The defense found its way by executing its zone coverage, and freshman goalie Dara Omoloja made save after save to hold WSN to just one second-half goal.

“They have some really talented attackers on WNS that have been playing on varsity a long time,” USM coach Sam Adey said. “Dara just came up so huge today with some big saves. When they scored in a couple free positions, she didn’t let that get to her. For a freshman, she is incredibly composed.”

Before the game, the squads honored Angie Kensinger Webb – better known as “Coach K” – the sister of Eliza Webb, who founded the WNS program. Coach K and her husband passed away in 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 before the opening draw.

“We know it’s fun to be competitive, but this was a reminder that there is always something greater to play for,” WNS coach Megan Bianco said.

USM wraps up its regular season next week with nonconference games against Middleton and Waukesha. WNS concludes its season against Arrowhead on Monday.

Every week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select girls lacrosse game in Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from CoolStick.

by Brian Salgado

USM Defends Classic 8 – Black Title with 9-8 Victory over West Bend

If anyone wrote off the University School of Milwaukee (USM) boys lacrosse team after a handful of losses, it’s time to take the Wildcats seriously once again.

After dropping four in a row, No. 12 USM held off a pesky West Bend squad to claim a 9-8 victory in the Amplify Lacrosse Boys Game of the Week. With the win, the Wildcats defended their Classic 8 – Black Conference title and, more importantly, take plenty of mojo into the final week of the regular season.

“We were on a bit of a losing streak, so it was good to snap that,” USM senior Carson Mogush said. “Our momentum is on the upswing, and we’re going to be a dangerous team in the playoffs.”

USM (8-5, 5-0 Classic 8 – Black) took a 7-4 lead into halftime when Mogush scored his second goal of the game with 2:19 left in the second half.

West Bend (6-7, 2-1) climbed back to within one in the third quarter on goals by senior Ethan Coughlin — who had three scores in the game — and junior Luke Naumann. The Wildcats responded with two goals of their own as senior Ryan Kennedy found the net twice on a pair of passes from Jake Como to give USM a 9-6 advantage. Kennedy finished the game with three goals for the Wildcats.

The Rush would not go down without a fight, however. A goal by senior Gabe Salinas with 1 minute, 16 seconds left in the third and another by senior P.J. Dahlberg at 7:19 in the fourth brought West Bend within one point once again. With about 5 minutes left in regulation, West Bend sent a flurry of shots toward USM senior goalie Alex Sanchez, who stood his ground for the minute-long onslaught. In fact, it appeared West Bend had tied the game with 3:59 left to play, but the goal was negated by a penalty.

“The barrage was a little bit rough, I’m not gonna lie,” Sanchez said. “But it happens as a goalie, and you try to be there for your teammates.”

USM coach Carl Anderson acknowledged that Wednesday’s victory was not the prettiest way to earn a conference title, but he was happy with the way the Wildcats eventually figured out how to stop the Rush’s offense in the second half.

“They forced us to play outside of the game we wanted to play,” Anderson said. “They forced us into a lot of mistakes, but we were able to respond and hang onto our lead in the end.”

For West Bend coach Emmet O’Malley, keeping pace with USM was a sign the Rush is heading in the right direction.

“We were ranked in the top 10 and we fell a little bit, but we can hang with these teams,” O’Malley said. “We know we should be there, and we have three more games to finish the season strong, so we’re going to ride this wave.”

USM is off until next week when the Wildcats conclude the regular season at Cedarburg and Homestead. West Bend hosts Catholic Memorial Friday and travels to Mukwonago on Monday to wrap up its regular season.

Each week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

by Brian Salgado

Marquette’s Defense Stifles Appleton United in 8-3 Victory

After a week with a sloppy non-conference victory and two Classic 8-Red losses, the Marquette boys lacrosse team could be hitting its stride at just the right time. A convincing win over a top-10 team in the state will do that for a program.

No. 4 Marquette held No. 7 Appleton United scoreless in the first half Saturday afternoon en route to an 8-3 victory at Mitchell Park in Milwaukee in the Amplify Lacrosse Boys Game of the Week.

“Our guys have dialed it in, and we have made some fundamental improvements,” Marquette coach Rich Pruszynski said. “We have focused on making sure the guys are doing the right things at the right times and being smart about the way we play.”

Marquette (8-6) put on a defensive show in the first half en route to taking a 5-0 lead. Sophomore goalie Nick Schmidt saved all four shots by Appleton United (10-3) behind a stout defense led by juniors Gavin Fields and Ryan Hensien. Senior Mitchell Gauthier took over between the pipes in the second half and stopped three of the six shots he faced.

“Nick in the first half did an amazing job did an amazing job just really seeing the ball well and with his outlet passing,” Pruszynski said. “Same things with Mitchell – he did a great job of coming out of the crease and double teamed shots that otherwise would have been goals.”

Senior Sean Duffey put the Hilltoppers on the board at 7 minutes, 20 seconds in the first quarter, and he scored with just 33.7 seconds left in the half for the second of his two goals in the game. He also assisted on freshman Michael Provenza’s goal at 5:32 in the first quarter.

Sophomore Joe Timmins extended Marquette’s lead to 3-0 with a goal early in the second quarter. Appleton United stopped the momentum for the next 10 minutes until Marquette junior Danny Read whipped a behind-the-back, no-look shot into the net with 1:17 left in the half. Duffey’s second goal of the game with 33.7 left gave Marquette a 5-0 lead at halftime.

Appleton United would climb within two goals in the third quarter as junior Andrew Shermerhorn, sophomore Owen Marshall and senior Nate Htwe each scored. But Marquette senior Calvin Schneider converted a goal on a two-man-up situation, and freshman Henry Lerner sealed the deal with two second half goals of his own.

“This was huge because of our last two losses,” Fields said. “We really needed to show the state that we’re a top-tier team and that we deserve to be up there.”

Marquette hosts University School of Milwaukee tonight before facing Sun Prairie at Mitchell Park on Saturday.

Appleton United visits Neenah on Tuesday in a battle of Bay Valley Conference undefeated teams. The squad then travels to Waukesha on Thursday before hosting Franklin Friday.

Each week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

by Brian Salgado

Marquette, Mukwonago Light Up the Scoreboard as Hilltoppers Win, 16-15

It was another unseasonably cool May evening in southeastern Wisconsin last night. Good thing the Mukwonago and Marquette boys lacrosse offenses were on fire.

The Hilltoppers managed to outlast the Indians for a 16-15 victory in Mukwonago during the Amplify Lacrosse Game of the Week. Marquette — the No. 4 team in the state, according to the Wisconsin Lacrosse Coaches Association poll — tied its second-highest scoring output of the season to squeak by Mukwonago, who matched its best offensive production of 2019 thus far.

“There were elements of the game that were amazing – our offense was clicking,” Marquette coach Rich Pruszynski said. “There’s something to be said for that. I’m glad we pulled it out. But we didn’t play the type of game we like to play, or the type of game we’re used to playing.”

If you’re a fan of tons of goals and near comebacks, this was the game for you. Marquette (7-4) led by five goals four different times throughout the contest, and Mukwonago (4-7) managed to stay within striking distance until the final buzzer.

Senior attack Sean Duffey put Marquette ahead, 15-11, with 3 minutes, 47 seconds left in the third quarter with his fifth goal of the game. Duffey led all scorers in the game, and he leads the Hilltoppers with 35 goals for the season.

“Sean’s a team leader and captain, but he walks the talk,” Pruszynski said. “He goes out and does what he says he’s gonna do.”

The Indians began chipping away at the Hilltoppers’ lead with a three-goal run, including back-to-back goals from senior Kade Hollern that cut Marquette’s lead to 15-14. However, Marquette senior Calvin Schneider sealed the victory when he scored his third goal of the game with 40.6 seconds left to play. Mukwonago senior Zack Scheunemann scored his fourth goal with 1.7 seconds left to make the score 16-15, but that would be as close as the Indians would get.

“I think these guys will finally be able to see their potential,” Mukwonago coach Alex Kramer said. “We’ve had a lot of close games with top-10 teams this season.”

For Marquette, the tightly contested nonconference game was a good test for the Hilltoppers, who have a difficult week ahead. Marquette will face Arrowhead, Franklin and Appleton United in the next three games.

“I think this was just a kick to our butt, honestly,” Duffey said. “We just can’t make these mistakes like we have. It was a wake-up call, that’s for sure.”

Marquette juniors Robert Schmidt and Daniel Read added three goals apiece for Marquette. For Mukwonago, Hollern finished with four goals for the game, and senior Michael Gindhart added three. Junior David Steinberger scored twice for the Indians, as well.

Mukwonago faces Wauwatosa and Bay Port next week.

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

Each week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

by Brian Salgado

Waukesha Girls Deliver Revenge in Franklin Two Years in the Making

It had been about two years since Franklin knocked Waukesha out of the state tournament on a free-position goal in overtime.

On Wednesday night, Waukesha returned the favor.

After the Waukesha defense and senior goaltender Becca McDaniel fended off countless shots from the Sabers in the final minutes of regulation, sophomore Ariana Hinton extended the Lady Nighthawks winning streak to seven games with a free-position goal in overtime to give Waukesha a 5-4 victory at Franklin in the Cool Stick Game of the Week.

“They knocked us out of the playoffs a few years ago in a similar situation in overtime, so it’s kind of sweet justice from our standpoint,” Waukesha coach Bill Paquin said. “It’s nice when you beat a quality opponent because those are the games you could really build upon. And now you feel like you belong.”

Early on, it looked like surging Waukesha (9-1) would prove too much for Franklin (5-4), who is in the midst of a youth movement. Sophomore Lauryn Lopez put the Lady Nighthawks on the board just five seconds into the game. She finished the game with two goals for Waukesha.

“She has a very bright future ahead of her as a sophomore,” Paquin said. “The biggest difference in her game from a freshman to now is, you’re seeing some of the lax IQ — she knows where to be, when to cut, those types of things.”

Franklin responded with a run of three unanswered goals, including two by junior Lauren Schwartz. The Sabers took a 3-2 lead into halftime, but Waukesha bounced back with goals from Lopez and junior Libby Abts to take their first lead of the game with 15 minutes, 14 seconds left in the second half.

It looked as if the Waukesha defense would pitch a shutout the rest of the way until junior Jillian Krueger deposited a goal with 1:55 left in regulation, tying the game at 4. The Sabers had plenty of opportunities to score again in those final minutes, but the defense – led by senior Kaylee Keller – plus superb goaltending by McDaniel sent the game into sudden victory.

“My defense did a really good job of getting their sticks in there and tipped some balls away, and I was just getting balls out of the way,” McDaniel said. “We really wanted to put our energy out there and get a good win to keep our winning streak going so we could go into these tougher games energized and ready to go.”

Franklin dropped its fourth straight game during a brutal stretch that had the Sabers playing back-to-back games two weeks in a row against four of the top teams in Wisconsin (University School of Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay/Nicolet/Shorewood, Arrowhead and Waukesha).

“Every team wants to win every game, but ultimately, we grew today with our first overtime game for our younger players on the field,” said Jules Shearer, Franklin’s new head coach who took over for Jill Kyhn. “We have a really young team, and I thought it was exciting that we kept the score close.”

Franklin resumes conference play on Wednesday with a home game against Cedarburg. Waukesha heads to Middleton Monday night for a non-conference match.

Every week, WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select girls lacrosse game in Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from CoolStick.

by Brian Salgado

Middleton Boys Earn First Place in Badgerland with Hard-Earned Victory at Waunakee

A regular-season boys lacrosse game between two top-five teams in the state duking it out for first place in their conference is a recipe for excitement.

Waunakee and Middleton certainly did not disappoint Tuesday night as the No. 3 Cardinals outlasted the No. 5 Warriors, 10-8, in an instant classic at Warrior Stadium.

“It’s always better to beat a rival team in a close game like this when both teams are going hard,” Middleton senior attacker Ayden Henderson said. “And it’s really good to come out on top.”

With the victory, Middleton (6-1, 5-0 Badgerland Conference) now has sole possession of first place in the conference.

Those who came out to Warrior Stadium were treated to a tightly contested matchup that saw three ties and three lead changes.

“It was a well-fought game,” Middleton coach Sanford Erdahl said. “(Waunakee coach) Mike (Reiter) did a heck of a job coaching them up, and it was really fun. I’m really proud of the boys.”

Waunakee (5-3, 3-1) fell behind, 4-1, at 9 minutes, 44 seconds, in the second quarter when Middleton senior attacker Kevin Grelle scored his first of three goals in the game. He followed up a score by Henderson, who dropped his first of three goals just 38 seconds earlier.

But the Warriors rallied to tie the game at 5 when sophomore attacker Clayton Cerett scored his third goal of the second quarter with 3:26 left in the first half. The squads took a 6-6 tie into halftime, as well.

“We have a younger team, and I think once they get an idea that they can do certain things, then their confidence starts to kick in,” Reiter said. “We got a couple goals to keep it close, then we were able to take advantage of some opportunities.”

The Warriors took their first lead of the game in the third quarter, converting on a two-man-up situation before sophomore middie John Kittoe gave Waunakee am 8-6 advantage at the 6:12 mark.

The Cardinals tied the game once again with a man-down goal from sophomore middie Michael Gustafson and the third of the game from Grelle.

In an otherwise even game, the fourth quarter belonged to Middleton. The Cardinals kept the ball away from Waunakee for a majority of the period, and Henderson’s third goal of the game at 11:04 proved to be the difference. Senior goaltender Reed Kochan held off a flurry of shots from the Warriors to close out the victory.

“Reed is, in my opinion, one of the best goaltenders in the state,” Erdahl said. “He keeps his head in the game, and he played a hell of a game.”

Middleton has a pair of nonconference games against Stoughton and Arrowhead to close out this week. Waunakee heads to Madison La Follette Thursday night before competing in the Midwest Lacrosse Championships over the weekend in Milwaukee.

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

by Brian Salgado

Classic 8 Girls Lacrosse Programs Face Off Against Cancer

The Classic 8 Conference is one of the most competitive leagues in Wisconsin girls lacrosse. But this year, the squads have joined forces to take out a common foe.

Led by Mukwonago head coach Shelly Schumacher 20 teams from the Classic 8 Conference have come together to fundraise for Lacrosse vs. Cancer in support of childhood cancer research. Each squad aims to raise $2,000 to donate to Gold in September (G9), the childhood cancer nonprofit launched by former Arrowhead lacrosse player Annie Bartosz, who founded G9 when she lost her twin brother, Jack, to cancer.

“Having teams that would otherwise be rivals all join together for such an important cause is encouraging, but not surprising based on what I know of this amazing group of coaches and players,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher joined G9 in October as public relations and marketing director. This year, she challenged Classic 8 rival Arrowhead to a fundraising contest since Bartosz played for Red coach Tom Truttschel. (Bartosz is not playing lacrosse this year to focus on field hockey now that she has committed to play for Penn on an athletic scholarship.)

Along with their mutual connection to G9, Truttschel instantly agreed to the challenge because cancer has affected him and his family personally. His nephew, Kevin Boeckenhauer, is in the midst of a five-year battle with bone cancer, so Truttschel named him honorary captain of the Lacrosse vs. Cancer’s kickoff game between Mukwonago and Arrowhead. Although Boeckenhauer couldn’t make it to the game Tuesday night, he called the coin toss for Mukwonago via a FaceTime call.

“I just think it’s a cause where everybody has somebody they know among their family or friends who has been affected by cancer,” Truttschel said.

An honorary captainship was one of a handful of ceremonial events Tuesday night at Taraska Stadium. There also were announcements of the new initiative throughout the game. And at the end of Arrowhead’s 17-1 victory, the teams came together for a group photo with the new traveling trophy, designed and built by Mukwonago senior Paige St. Clair. At the end of the initiative, the team that raises the most money will win the trophy — a gold lacrosse stick with every participating program’s name listed — until they are dethroned.

“Every year we try to do a service project, but this one we’re able to incorporate our whole conference,” St. Clair said. “And we’re able to raise money for something extremely meaningful and impact a ton of people.”

Getting an entire conference together to raise funds is a monumental task, but Schumacher wants to aim higher next year. In 2020, she hopes every girls program in Wisconsin participates in Lacrosse vs. Cancer.

To help out you can donate at the Lacrosse vs Cancer web site

 

Lacrosse vs. Cancer

 

by Brian Salgado

Kettle Moraine Defeats Arrowhead in Weather-Shortened Rivalry Battle

When Kettle Moraine and Arrowhead boys lacrosse teams get together, the entire state of Wisconsin knows the game will be a fight to the finish.

But what if there is no finish?

In this weeks Amplify game,  we’ll never know if the Warhawks had one last scoring run in them as the Lasers take a 12-8, weather-shortened victory over the Warhawks that was concluded with 10 minutes, 23 seconds left to play due to lightning in the area.

“It’s a little funky with the weather situation — the game doesn’t feel complete, but I’m glad we’re on the positive end of it,” Kettle Moraine coach Michael Stefan said.

Before the skies lit up, Malloy Murphy was shooting bolts for the Lasers. The senior attacker scored five goals for Kettle Moraine (8-1, 3-0 Classic Eight – Red).

“Our three attacks (Murphy, Chris Bender and Nolan Rappis) work really well together and they have great chemistry, so it’s not a shock Murphy scored that much,” Stefan said.

Arrowhead (4-3, 1-1) jumped out to a 5-4 lead with about 2 minutes left in the first quarter, with junior Will Lauterbach scoring three of the Warhawks’ five goals during that stretch.

The fact Lauterbach was available for this game – and, frankly, the rest of the 2019 season – is a credit to modern medicine. According to Arrowhead coach Jake Swietzer, Lauterbach took a vicious high cross check to the throat during the Warhawks’ trip to St. Louis earlier this month, which resulted in a trip to the hospital by ambulance. However, without any structural damage, he managed to fit in enough rehab and therapy to be ready for the big game against his school’s biggest rival.

“He played pretty well tonight and, fortunately, we didn’t lose Will, who is a great kid,” Swietzer said.

With 1:36 left in the first quarter, the Lasers started a 4-0 run to take the lead for good. Malloy scored three of the goals, and Rappis added the fourth.

“They’ve been producing at a high rate, and their secret sauce is the chemistry that they have together,” Stephan said.

Arrowhead would pull within one goal with 1:31 left in the second half, but Kettle Moraine scored twice more in the final minute of the half to go up two before halftime.

Swietzer admired the fact Arrowhead never quit, even when they were down four with just over 10 minutes left to play before Mother Nature stole the show. Like the rest of us, he can only wonder what that final quarter had in store.

“It was a great game, and I would love to have finished this one,” he said. “It’s like sitting through a movie then missing the ending.”

Kettle Moraine heads to New York this week to take on St. Michael’s College of Ontario in Rochester on Friday before visiting Victor on Saturday. Arrowhead travels to Franklin for another conference tilt tonight.

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.