NEV BOYS: Henderson Upsets Centennial in OT Thriller, 17-16

Brandon Knudson scored the game-winning goal with 2:17 remaining in overtime to give unbeaten Henderson a thrilling, 17-16 upset victory over Centennial in a Southern Nevada Lacrosse Association Division I game Friday night.

Knudson scored a game-high six goals, as Henderson (4-0) beat Centennial for the first time since April 26, 2005. The Bulldogs had won the last eight meetings between the two teams.

“This is a signature win,” Henderson first-year head coach Paul Parasugo said. “To step up and beat a dominant program like Centennial shows that we are a force to be reckoned with. The road only gets steeper. We face Palo Verde next Tuesday. That will be a true measure to show if we are ready to compete for a state title”

Jet Harding finished with six points on four goals and two assists, and he also picked up 10 ground balls. Kieran Eissler had five points on three goals and two assists, and he grabbed 10 ground balls, and Schyler Bloemsma finished with four points on two goals and two assists.

“We really rode Jet and Kieran,” Parasugo added. “They are very much the leaders of this team, and they need to produce for us to be successful. I thought Centennial did their best to try to shut the two of them down, and they still made huge contributions to our winning effort.”

Defensively, Garrett Hoffman had nine ground balls, and back-up goalie Ben Tourek saved 12 shots after relieving injured starter Hutch Hutchenson in the second quarter.

“Tourek is really not a second option; more like option 1A,” Parasugo said. “I think on several other programs, he would be first string, so when he went in, we really did not miss a beat.”

Centennial (5-1) had its season-opening, five-game winning streak snapped.

In a game filled with penalties and man-up advantages, the Cougars led 15-13 in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs came back to score three straight goals in the fourth to take a 16-15 lead.

But Henderson scored the equalizer and forced overtime when Eissler went top-shelf with 26 seconds remaining.

That set the stage for Knudson’s heroics, as the Cougars won the game of the night.

“I like where we are at,” Parasugo said. “The Las Vegas lacrosse season is basically a six-team battle royal. This was just the first round for the heavyweights. If we can build on this, I think that makes us very dangerous come tournament time.”