Waunakee Warriors defeated Hudson Raiders 13-7.  Congratulations Waunakee!

 

 

Wausau Wolfpack defeated Kimberly Papermakers 7-5.  Congratulations Wausau!

USM Wildcats defeated Arrowhead Warhawks 9-7.  Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Cedarburg Bulldogs 7 on their win today over the Wauwatosa Blazers 6

 

The brackets for boys and girls state and invitational will be posted on June 4, 2021 at 5:00 PM.

The WLF is entertaining proposals from WLF Member Organizations to host the 2021 High School State Championships for Girls & Boys on Saturday June 19, 2021

 

Great Opportunity for Clubs and/or Schools to fundraise and bring a Championship Tournament to your area!

Please see below for further information.

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.

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!