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.
