KAN BOYS: Olathe Wins Kansas State Championship

By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor

Junior attackman Logan Smith scored four goals and added an assist to lead Olathe to a 10-8 victory over Shawnee Mission East in the Lacrosse Association of Kansas championship game Saturday afternoon at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo.

Sophomore attackman Brett Wilson dished four assists to help the Hawks (20-1) win their first state title. Olathe finished the season by winning its final 14 games, and the Hawks went 14-0 against in-state competition.

“As coaches, we decided we needed to push these guys to be the best lacrosse players they could be,” Olathe head coach Joel Henning said. “Life by the inch is a cinch, and life by the yard is hard. We told them to take it inch by inch every day.”

It has been quite a turnaround for Olathe over the past few seasons. The Hawks' only loss this year came against Missouri No. 1 Rockhurst Jesuit, and Olathe even scored a victory over a Missouri Division I team. That would have been unthinkable just a couple years ago.

Olathe went 0-13 in 2006 and 2-11 in 2007 before reaching the first Kansas state championship game last season.

“The biggest difference over the past four years is we’re constantly getting seniors who are leaders, and we’re creating a lacrosse culture on our team,” Henning said. “They’re making this their identity.”

On Saturday, junior attackman Trevor Ecton and senior middie Trey Freeman each added a pair of goals, senior attackman Dan Gallagher had a goal and an assist and senior defenseman Cole Spriggs scored once for Olathe.

Defensively, Cody Leach saved seven shots.

Shawnee Mission East finished the season 12-7, but not before it nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback in the final 12 minutes of the title game.

Olathe led 4-1 at the end of the first quarter, 7-3 at halftime and 9-4 at the end of third quarter.

But Shawnee Mission East stormed back in the fourth. The Lancers scored four consecutive goals to pull within 9-8, the last of which came with just 41 seconds remaining in regulation.

Wilson won the ensuing face-off for Olathe, but the Hawks turned the ball over to give Shawnee Mission East one final chance. But the Lancers turned it over back to Olathe, and Smith fired home his fourth goal in transition with eight seconds to play to seal the Hawks’ third win over Shawnee Mission East this season and the championship.

“I think everybody expected us to run away with it,” Henning said. “It’s good that the competition was good, and we performed under adversity. Shawnee Mission East played a hell of a game. They never gave up.”