It may have taken an extra season, but the Kettle Moraine boys lacrosse program earned its rightful place among the elite programs in Wisconsin Saturday night.
With a 18-6 victory over Middleton at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium, Kettle Moraine joined Verona and Arrowhead has the only programs with three or more state championships.
That’s one way to erase an unexpected early exit from the playoffs completely from a team’s collective memory bank.
“Last season’s semifinal loss (to 2018 champion Verona) has been driving us the entire year,” said senior midfielder Caleb Hotchkiss, who led the Laser attack with six goals on the night. “Us seniors knew it was never going to happen again, so that drove us this playoff season to come home with the championship.”
The class of 2019 leaves behind a legacy of near-total dominance over Wisconsin lacrosse, capped off by Kettle Moraine’s third state title in four years. These seniors also have earned three Classic 8 Conference championships and have won 49 of their last 50 games.
“We’re laying a foundation that has proven fruitful,” said Kettle Moraine coach Michael Stefan, who was named the 2019 US Lacrosse Coach of the Year. “Our future teams and other teams can continue to push the envelope so Wisconsin lacrosse as a whole is constantly improving.”
Kettle Moraine (19-4) built a lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Lasers led Middleton (17-4) jumped out to a 6-2 lead after the first period after Hotchkiss scored three of his six goals in the quarter.
“The offense just worked beautifully,” Hotchkiss said. “Everyone was just moving the ball, drawing slides, so it’s not hard when your teammates give you great shots.
The Cardinals shifted to a more aggressive defense that featured a physical style that sent plenty of their own players and Lasers to the ground countless times.
“We showed them film to reinforce that our strength collectively across the state is our stick skills,” Stefan said. “There are teams that have better athletes than we do, but we can move the ball quicker, so we can play faster and keep the ball in the air as much as possible.”
Middleton’s defensive strategy worked for a bit, but Kettle Moraine’s defense slammed the door on the Cardinals for the entirety of the second quarter.
On offense, senior attack Chris Bender picked up where Hotchkiss left off, scoring four of his six goals in the second quarter to lead Kettle Moraine to a 12-2 halftime lead. When the Lasers went up 16-5, it initiated the running clock.
With a third title on its program portfolio, Kettle Moraine now sits within the lacrosse communities’ elite. There’s no telling where the team can go moving forward.
“This puts Kettle Moraine on the map as far as Wisconsin goes,” Bender said. “It establish us as a dynasty for winning those championships, especially the last four years or so.”
