Friday night’s matchup between the Kettle Moraine and Arrowhead boys lacrosse teams at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium had all the trappings of a sneak peek of the a potential state final matchup. The game featured two perennial Wisconsin powerhouses battling for first place in the toughest conference at the site where the state title game is scheduled about a month from now.
Instead of a nail-biter, however, Kettle Moraine – the No. 5 team in the state – beat top-ranked Arrowhead 18-6, taking sole possession of first in the Classic 8 – Red Conference while sending a message to the rest of Wisconsin that the defending champions aren’t ready to relinquish their crown just yet.
“Last year, we played on this field and we won state, so I love this field,” senior middie Nick Psicihulis said. “This [game] pretty much clinches the [conference] championship if we can just carry it out from here, so this is a great win for us as a team.”
Despite winning the state title in 2016, Kettle Moraine (13-6, 3-0 Classic 8 – Red) lost at Arrowhead (8-2, 4-1) during the regular season. In fact, the Lasers entered the game with a 3-10 record against the Warhawks overall.
“It’s a great opponent and a very emotional game with the KM/Arrowhead rivalry, and they generally have had our number throughout the years, so it was nice to see that tonight,” Lasers coach Michael Stefan said. “With the rivalry, we tried to downplay the emotion because we wanted them to worry more about the game rather than the rivalry. But they were excited and had the whole week to prep for this game.”
That dominance evaporated early in Friday’s game as the Lasers took a 4-0 lead with 3 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first quarter and never looked back. Psicihulis had two assists and a goal during that stretch.
The Warhawks closed to within two goals in the second quarter. Arrowhead started the period with a 3-1 scoring run – including one of Kyle Cissne’s two goals – to make the score 6-4.
However, the Lasers extended their lead to 9-4 heading into halftime and turned up the intensity after intermission. In the second half, Kettle Moraine’s athleticism proved no match for Arrowhead as the Lasers ran through and around would-be defenders to finish the game with a 9-2 scoring run.
Freshman Chris Bender led Kettle Moraine with four goals, and Malloy Murphy added three goals and three assists, as well.
It takes a team effort to get the nonstop clock rolling against your fiercest rival that also happens to be the No. 1 team in the state – and that’s exactly what Stephan got out of the Lasers on Friday night.
“It wasn’t one individual player, but it was 26 of them, so I’m proud of that,” Stephan said. “This game is always one of the biggest of the season not just because of the rivalry, but because of the implications. The conference championship generally has run through Arrowhead the last couple years, and while we’ve been doing well, they’re generally the team to beat.”
Kettle Moraine will host Waukesha next Tuesday for next Classic 8 – Red matchup. Arrowhead hosts Appleton East Saturday.
