Atlee boys lacrosse team ends season with state championship
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — The Atlee boys’ lacrosse team once again made a trip to the state championship series. Except for this time, things went differently from past years. The quarterfinal game against Salem was just one step to the final destination. This game was complete dominance by Atlee from the first quarter all the way to the closing fifteen minutes. The defense and offense were firing on all cylinders. The offensive attack was led by stellar performances from Cam Ash (8 goals) and Kevin Miller (5 goals). These two accounted for half of Atlee’s goals in their 21-11 win over Salem. Cam Ash shared some thoughts on this game: “I always liked Top Gun, and as Maverick said, ‘I like to not think just do.’”
The semi-final game was up next, and it was against a team that you would have thought would have been a troublesome opponent. Atlee faced off against E.C. Glass, who is very familiar with playoffs – even state championship appearances. Well, they came into town not expecting the result that happened . . . Domination, again, is the only way to describe it. Atlee marched in and ended E.C. Glass’ season with a 16-5 win. Two down, one to go!
At last, Atlee was back in the finals. The only thing standing between them and their first state championship was Dominion. Atlee had the pieces in place to win it all; they just needed the same consistency and hard work that the team had demonstrated all season. This year Atlee did just that! Dominion scored the first goal of the game, but then Atlee shut them down and went on an 11-0 run, not allowing Dominion to score another goal until three minutes into the third quarter. From there, it was all uphill for the Raiders as the game got a running clock, which is not common in state final games. Dominion proceeded to tally a few more goals, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Raiders.
Head Coach Fielding Crawford said that this team was a “Swiss army knife,” constantly adapting to challenges that they faced. Coach Crawford knew that this group of young men came to Atlee to win a state championship. “If they played well and consistent, they would bring it home.” They did just that. Atlee beat Dominion 16-4, capping off the season. The final destination had been reached; the Raiders brought home their first State championship after many painful years of coming so close. Coach Crawford also mentioned that it was “a feeling of relief.”
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