TEX BOYS: Highland Park Wins 4th Texas State Championship

By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor

Senior attackman Kevin Fritts registered a game-high four points on three goals and one assist to lead No. 1 Highland Park to a 7-5 victory over No. 5 St. Mark’s in the Texas High School Lacrosse League Division I state championship game Sunday afternoon at House Park in Austin.

Junior middie Chase Prospere and senior attackman Will Ziegler each added three points on a goal and two assists to help the Fighting Scots (18-1) win their second straight state championship. Highland Park also became the second team in the Lone Star State to win four boys lacrosse state titles, having also won in 2008, 2005 and 2004.

“I’m happy for the kids, because they’ve done a great job of taking care of the little things all year,” Highland Park head coach Derek Thomson said. “To see all of our team goals fulfilled is extremely satisfying as a coach.”

DIVISION II: COPPELL ROLLS TO 1ST STATE TITLE
DIVISION III: FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY PICKS UP 1ST TITLE

Junior attackman Cody Crews and junior middie Campbell Powers each scored once, and senior middie Dillon Zweiffel had one assist for Highland Park, which finished the season on a 13-game winning streak.

Defensively, junior goalie Jordan Lee saved seven shots, as Highland Park held St. Mark’s to 12 shots on cage.

With the victory, Highland Park also clinched the Western United States’ No. 1 ranking for the 2009 season, making it the first program from Texas to be named WSL’s top-ranked team.

“I haven’t had the benefit of seeing every team in the West, but with that said, Highland Park is extremely talented,” St. Mark’s head coach Hayward Lee said. “They have very good players who are extremely athletic, and that sets them apart. They constantly put you under pressure to play the game at their tempo.”

This season, Highland Park finished with a 13-0 record against Texas competition, including three wins over St. Mark’s, two wins over No. 21 Dallas Jesuit and one win over No. 17 Dallas Episcopal.

Against out-of-state competition, the Fighting Scots scored victories over national-powerhouse Lawrenceville and Montgomery of New Jersey, Georgia state champion Lovett, St. Charles (Ill.) and Fort Collins Unified (Colo.).

Highland Park’s only loss this season came against nationally-ranked St. Mary’s Annapolis (Md.).

The Fighting Scots’ six out-of-state opponents have a combined record of 82-25, yet Highland Park beat five of them.

“I think we’ve proven with our play on the field that we can play with almost anyone in the country,” Thomson said.

In a losing effort Sunday, junior attackman Charles Branch scored a team-high two goals, freshman attackman Will Perkins had a goal and an assist and junior attackman Jeff Perkins and senior middie Austin Ham each scored once for St. Mark’s, which finished the season 17-4.

Junior middie Elliot Chang-Tung had an assist to round out the Lions’ offense.

In the cage, junior goalie David Christoff saved 16 shots.

St. Mark’s led 2-0 after Branch and Ham scored back-to-back goals in the first quarter, but Highland Park used a 7-1 run over a three-quarter span to take control.

“I felt we had a good game plan in how we were going to attack and defend them, and I was pleased with how we executed that plan to start the game,” Lee said. “Our players really played with a ton of heart. We started running out of gas a bit, and they’re not a good team to run out of gas against.”

Highland Park led 3-2 at halftime and 5-2 at the end of the third quarter before extending the lead to 7-3 after Fritts, who was named the state tournament’s most valuable player, scored with about five minutes to play in regulation.

St. Mark’s pulled it back to 7-5 on goals by Branch and Jeff Perkins, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

“As the game went on, we tightened the screws a little bit, and we did a good job finishing in the fourth quarter,” Thomson said. “All credit to St. Mark’s. I have great respect for their players and their staff. This was a great game by both teams.”

Highland Park (18-1) 1 2 2 2 - 7
St. Mark’s        (17-4) 2 0 0 3 - 5
Goals: HP: Kevin Fritts 3, Chase Prospere, Will Ziegler, Cody Crews, Campbell Powers. SM: Charles Branch 2, Will Perkins, Jeff Perkins, Austin Ham.
Assists: HP: Prospere 2, Ziegler 2, Fritts, Dillon Zweiffel. SM: Will Perkins, Elliot Chang-Tung.
Saves: HP: Jordan Lee 7. SM: David Christoff 16.