On Friday May 17, Loyola-Blakefield met Boys’ Latin in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship game in what became a David and Goliath match. In a well fought battle, Loyola-Blakefield pulled off a miraculous come from behind victory to win 10-9 and take the trophy.
After 18 regular season games, the Boys’ Latin Lakers went undefeated, earning the top rank in the DigitalSports National Lacrosse Rankings. In the playoffs, Boys’ Latin, after getting a bye in quarterfinal, faced and defeated 26th ranked Calvert Hall in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. A win for the Lakers brings them to 20-0 on the season and the first MIAA team to go undefeated since 2006.
Going into the game as the underdog, Loyola-Blakefield did not have the dream regular season. The Dons went 10-8 during the season and squeezed their way into the MIAA playoffs. As the playoffs as the sixth and last seed, Loyola had a long road ahead of them. Handling every challenge exceptionally, the Dons defeated 18th nationally ranked Gilman and 14th ranked McDonogh to make it to the finals. Their excellent playoff run has boosted Loyola-Blakefield to 29th on the national level.
Boys’ Latin jumped out to an extraordinary start, leading 6-0 in the first quarter. Loyola did not give up, and after making a few adjustments, they were able to reduce the Lakers’ lead to a three goal margin by the half at 7-4. The Dons continued to shut down Boys’ Latin’s offense for the rest of the game and continued to find the back of the net. Then, with 1:56 left in the game, Devin McNamara scored to give Loyola-Blakefield a 10-9 lead, their first lead of the game and the final goal of the game.
After the difficult first quarter, Loyola needed a boost to get them back in the game. The defense stepped up in the beginning of the second quarter to shut down the Boys’ Latin offense which was on fire. The Dons held Boys’ Latin to only three goals in the last three quarters of the game.
Spurring from their defense, Loyola’s offense was able to chip away at Boys’ Latin’s lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Dons tied the game at 7 goals each. After the Lakers regained the lead, Loyola’s offense netted three unanswered goals to finish the game.
The Dons’ offense displayed many stars throughout the game. Tim Nordbrook led Loyola with a total of four goals and one assist in the game. Devin McNamara, on Don who scored the game winner, added on two goals and four assists, and Ryan Conrad also had two goals.
The combination of Loyola’s stellar offense and lockdown defense shut down the top team in the nation, handing Boys’ Latin their first loss of the season. Throughout the season, the Lakers have been excellent, defeating 10 nationally ranked teams during their win streak. Their squad is second to none, with 24 Division I commits.
Even with all the talent on Boys’ Latin’s team, nothing could stop Loyola-Blakefield. The Dons were on a miracle playoff run and conquered the lacrosse giants in the final to finish their streak. Friday was a true underdog story and Loyola-Blakefield stepped up to claim the crown.
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