Oak Hall Boys Lacrosse Advances to District Championship
Still stung from a loss to Ponte Vedra to close the regular season April 2, Oak Hall brought its frustration into its first postseason match Monday against Newberry.
Top seed Oak Hall boys lacrosse defeated five seed Newberry 16-0 in the Class 1A-District 4 Tournament semifinals on Monday.
The Panthers (2-11) could not handle the Eagles’ (12-2) size, athleticism and speed from the start. Oak Hall came out blazing, scoring five goals in the first four minutes.
Oak Hall’s early focus was on finding clean attempts on net after poor shot selection against Ponte Vedra. The Eagles shot 50%, scoring six goals on 12 attempts in the first quarter.
“We wanna run our system,” Eagles coach Jonathan Montes said. “The shots will be there if you run the system, you’re willing to move the ball and find the next guy open.”
Executing plays was a major emphasis in practice leading up to Monday’s home game, and it showed. Instead of playing a fast tempo on offense, Oak Hall slowed down in the attack zone, allowing for higher-quality shot opportunities. The reduced tempo favored the Eagles, limiting the Panthers’ offensive opportunities
“We wanted to control the pace,” Montes said. “Part of the concept is to control the ball and take our opportunities when we wanna take them.”
It was a collective effort offensively, as 10 players scored while juniors Kevin Bendekovic and Dominic Moreschi recorded hat tricks.
However, the most impressive aspect of the wire-to-wire victory came on defense. It’s one thing to force a shutout, it’s another to prevent a shot attempt until there were 17 seconds left in the third quarter. The Eagles controlled the defensive end from start to finish, forcing countless Panthers turnovers, never allowing them to come near the net.
“We run a defensive system as part of our program, and everyone has to buy in,” Montes said. “The guys that don’t buy in don’t get on the field, it’s just that simple.”
Oak Hall will host second-seed Ocala Trinity Catholic (11-2) for the district championship at 7 p.m. Thursday. The teams will meet for the fourth consecutive season in the district title game, but Oak Hall remains focused on itself.
“We spend a lot of time worrying about ourselves,” Montes said. “We try to grind it out, giving the hardest practices we can, so when we hit games like this, it’s not as difficult.”
2026 FHSAA Boys Lacrosse District Tournament 1A District 4
Category: High School Sports, Lacrosse, Newberry High School, Oak Hall High School
