Highland Park Downs Lawrenceville for 2nd Straight Season

By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor

Now the nation knows last year was no fluke.

Senior middie Campbell Powers scored a game-high five goals to lead No. 1 Highland Park to a decisive 12-8 victory over Lawrenceville in the first-ever sporting event to be played at the new Meadowlands football stadium Saturday morning in East Rutherford, N.J.

With the victory, the Fighting Scots (11-1) won their 10^th straight game and knocked off the Big Red for the second straight season. Last year, Highland Park made national waves and put Texas lacrosse on the map when it beat Lawrenceville, 12-11, in overtime.

“It was our biggest game of the year, and I think it was important to follow up on the success we had last year,” Highland Park head coach Derek Thomson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my kids for the way they represented their team and their state.”

Saturday morning’s match-up was the first of four games, two high school and two college, at the Big City Classic. In the second high school game, Haverford School (Pa.) beat Hill Academy (Ont.).

For Highland Park, senior attackman Will Boeing added four points on two goals and two assists, junior attackman Campbell Puckett and junior middie Patrick Campbell each scored twice, and senior middie Josh Francis had a goal to round out the offense.

“The difference of the game was Campbell Powers and Patrick Campbell were dominant at the face-off X,” Thomson said. “Any time you give us a few more possessions than the other team, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

Defensively, senior goalie Jordan Lee saved 12 shots.

Lawrenceville (3-1) suffered its first loss of the season.

Highland Park was in control for most of the morning. The Fighting Scots led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter, 7-3 at halftime and 9-5 at the end of the third quarter.

Highland Park led 11-8 when Campbell scored his second of the game to restore the Fighting Scots’ four-goal cushion with 3:31 remaining.

The win sets up a showdown Sunday afternoon between Highland Park and Haverford (Pa.), a team that has 11 players signed or verbally committed to NCAA Division I programs, Thomson said.

“We came here to play programs like Lawrenceville and Haverford, and we understand the difficult challenge we have tomorrow,” Thomson said. “But my kids have always risen to the challenge.”