By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor

Sophomore middie James “Finn” Wells scored the go-ahead goal with 3:34 remaining in regulation to lift Chaparral to a come-from-behind, 8-7 victory over No. 25 Brophy Prep in an Arizona Youth Lacrosse League Division I game Thursday night.

Wells’ only goal of the game capped a fourth-quarter rally for the Firebirds, who trailed 7-5 at the end of the third quarter and finished the night on a three-goal run to win the inaugural Robby Mayasich Memorial Cup. The trophy, named after the Brophy Prep player who was tragically killed just before the start of this season, will be awarded every year to the winner of the Chaparral-Brophy Prep regular-season game.

“We didn’t want to quit,” Chaparral senior attackman Jeff Petznick said. “We remember how it felt to lose to them last year. We stayed strong, and we knew we could come back.”

Sophomore attackman Ryan Erickson registered a game-high five points on four goals and one assist, Petznick dished four assists and senior attackman Kyle Mason had two assists for the Firebirds (10-1), who beat Brophy Prep in the regular season for the first time since 2006.

Last year, Brophy Prep dealt a favored Chaparral team its only loss on April 22, exactly 365 days ago. The Firebirds, who came back to win the state title last year, returned the favor this season to a favored Brophy Prep team.

“It’s a big rivalry, so it’s a big win from that standpoint,” Chaparral head coach Jeff Guy said. “It’s always a big win when you can beat your rival.”

Wells, senior middie Craig Erickson and Carter Sloan all had a goal to round out the offense for Chaparral, and sophomore goalie Tanner Waggoner saved 13 shots.

In defeat, senior attackman Adam Fishman had a team-high four points on three goals and an assist, and sophomore middie Brock Ghelfi finished with a goal and an assist for Brophy Prep (13-2), which had its 11-game in-state winning streak snapped.

Chaparral led 2-0 at the end of the first quarter, but Brophy Prep controlled the play for much of the next 24 minutes. The Broncos scored three unanswered goals in the second to take a 3-2 halftime lead, and they pushed the spread to 7-5 by the end of the third quarter.

However, that just set the stage for the Firebirds’ clutch fourth quarter.

Ryan Erickson scored to bring Chaparral within 7-6 with 9:24 remaining, Craig Erickson fired home the equalizer with 5:59 to play and Wells made it 8-7 with 3:34 left. Brophy Prep pushed hard for a game-tying goal down the stretch, but the Broncos couldn’t put one past Waggoner -- the young sophomore who has capably replaced Mesa State-bound standout senior Kody Klimes.

Waggoner made two saves to preserve the lead, as the Chaparral defense hung on for the win.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Guy said. “We had to make a little comeback, and the kids responded and put in the goals when we needed them. At the end of the game, the defense stepped up and gave Brophy a tough time getting to the goal.”