Jonathan Alder gets revenge win over Chaminade-Julienne
Jonathan Alder’s boys lacrosse team tasted sweet victory in Dayton during a grudge match against previous opponent Chaminade-Julienne.
The Pioneers pulled off a 12-11 victory during a tournament overtime thriller.
“I’m just so super happy and proud of the way they played tonight,” JA coach Rob Davis said.
“We played really well in the first half,” he said. “Chaminade knew what they had to do to save their season, but we battled through the storm.”
The Eagles got the upper hand on the visiting Pioneers, 7-5, during the regular season. Alder, now at 11-7 on the year, hoped to change that during both team’s first-round playoff contest.
Alder attackman Mason Wolford travels past mid-field with an Eagle defender with him step-for-step.
“We told the boys we are playing these tougher teams because every game is going to be like that,” Davis said.
Chaminade-Julienne (18-0) earned a fourth seed in the Region 7 bracket heading into the first-round contest with Alder taking the ninth seed.
Mason Wolford claimed the first goal for JA in the opening quarter.
The Eagles shot to a 3-1 lead towards the start of the second session.
Wolford later chopped Alder’s deficit to 3-2 via a behind-the-back shot around the 6:30 mark of the second quarter. Just a few seconds later, Wolford tied the game at 3-3 as he concluded his hat trick.
Corey Kingry put Alder in the driver’s seat by scoring with three minutes left in the first half.
The Pioneers break down a huddle during the first half of play against the Eagles.
Wolford claimed two more goals, while Kingry notched one more to put the Pioneers ahead 7-3 at the break.
What started as a friendly rematch turned into a grudge battle in the second half.
Chaminade-Julienne obtained a quick fastbreak, leading to the first score of the half just 15 seconds into the action.
Kingry helped the Pioneers extend their lead, but only after the Eagles notched two more goals to make it an 8-6 stance in JA’s favor.
Alder midfielder Drew Mark increased the Black and Red’s spread to 9-6 with 5:30 left in the third quarter.
The Eagles, however, were far from letting up as they pulled to within 9-7.
The Green and Blue squad got to a one-point deficit (9-8) around the nine-minute mark in the fourth quarter.
Alder’s Aspen Cameron changed that with a goal a few minutes later.
The Eagles were steadfast, however, scoring two goals to tie the game at 10-10 with 3:30 left in the game.
Like a wave striking a surfer, the Pioneers were left speechless after the Eagles came back to score the go-ahead goal.
That gave Chaminade an 11-10 edge with just three minutes remaining in regulation.
“We felt good with our faceoff guys,” Davis said. “Mason Curtis and Wyatt Kaizer did an amazing job winning some of those faceoffs.”
Alder got possession with seven seconds left in regulation.
JA devised a play that gave Wolford the chance to tie the matchup at 11 and send the battle into overtime.
The first team to score during a four-minute overtime period wins.
“We knew they’d be aggressive with their sticks,” Davis said.
Chaminade-Julienne got a fastbreak possession, but senior goalie Mason Arbogast halted an Eagle strike. He then dished the ball to Pioneer midfielders as Davis opted for another timeout to collect their thoughts.
Once play resumed, Kingry found himself in the face of the Eagles’ goalie.
There was just enough space to connect on the final goal of the game as the junior attackman sprinted to the other side of the field to celebrate with Arbogast.
Alder’s Aspen Cameron gets a shot off against an opposing Eagles during the third quarter.
“Best feeling of my life,” Kingry said. “After the final goal, I went right to [Arbogast].”
“He’s a ‘we’ guy not a ‘me’ guy,” Wolford said regarding Arbogast’s level of play.
“We are coming for Watterson.”
The Pioneers are slated for another rematch, this time against Bishop Watterson, which defeated the Pioneers at home 14-8 in late March.
The Eagles are seeded sixth in Region 7.
The matchup is scheduled for Friday at Bishop Watterson with the first faceoff commencing at 6 p.m.
“We are excited to play them,” Davis said. “We feel that this is a really good challenge for us… we want to be at that level.
“That’s why we jumped in and took down the number four seed.”
Jonathan Alder celebrates its second playoff victory in the program’s history.
