This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Catholic Memorial.
The back-to-back-to-back Division 2 Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation champion had reached its breaking point after losing 13 seniors in 2016. Countless people suggested that Catholic Memorial coach Mike Hoffman take his team out of the Classic 8 – Red Conference and into a smaller, less competitive league.
But the Crusaders wanted none of that. Instead, they stayed with the big boys in 2017 and adopted a small-ball style of play to compensate for losing a handful of prolific scorers to graduation.
And after defeating DeForest, 7-5, Wednesday night, Catholic Memorial is heading back to the state championship game for the opportunity to win its fourth consecutive title.
“No one expected us to even have a winning record,” Hoffman said. “That motivated these kids because no one gave us a chance.”
Catholic Memorial (13-5) and DeForest (9-8) took a 4-4 tie into halftime. The Norskies finally took a 5-4 lead with about 2 minutes to play in the third quarter. In the fourth, however, the Crusaders brought the defensive chaos they’ve become known for in 2017, scoring four fourth-quarter goals on unsettled plays. Junior middie Colin Stein sealed the victory when his top-shelf score gave Catholic Memorial a 6-5 lead.
On defense, Hoffman credited his long poles – junior Zach Davis, senior Cliff Watson and junior Vinny Haight – for keeping the DeForest offense at bay. The Crusaders managed to squash a 3-minute man-down situation where they limited the Norskies to just two shots.
“Once we got out of that, I knew we were in good shape,” Hoffman said. “We try to hold the opponents to under five or six goals, and we’ll score seven or eight. We’re not going to outscore anybody.”
The victory earned Catholic Memorial a match with Sauk Prairie, who defeated Stoughton to advance to the championship game. The squads met April 1 in Prairie du Sac, where the Crusaders lost 9-7.
The D2 title game will take place at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium in Waukesha at 4 p.m.
