Oak Hall Boys Lacrosse Dominates to Win Fourth-Straight District Title
Before the sun set and the game started at 7:30 p.m., there was tension brewing.
The Ocala Trinity Catholic Celtics were waiting next to the field for the Oak Hall Eagles in the 1A-District 4 boys lacrosse tournament title game.
But when the Eagles came out of the locker room with an American flag and an undeniable energy, everyone could feel the tension and were ready for battle.
A shouting match occurred and lasted for nearly a minute when the teams walked onto the field.
The Eagles had won the previous three district titles. In all of them, they defeated the Celtics.
The Celtics were looking for revenge and were willing to do whatever it took to win.
But it was apparent from the start the Eagles were too much to handle en route to a 16-3 win and fourth consecutive district trophy.
After unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called on both teams at the beginning of the game, the Eagles (13-2) took over by scoring on each of their first 11 shots.
“ Good lord. Who knew?” Oak Hall coach Jonathan Montes said. “ I don’t know that we even had to set up an offense for the first couple shots.”
The Celtics led the Eagles in shots 11-8, but were down 8-0 after the first quarter. They didn’t score until their 13th shot in the second quarter.
That was because Eagles goalie Sam Cohn was dominant, saving five shots out of the 12 he faced before the Celtics (11-5) scored.
“ I was happy with my performance, but I mean, it all starts with the defense in front of me,” Cohn said. “ They were great. They were great at their job and they were giving me the shots that I wanna see.”
Oak Hall senior Warren Meisenbach scored a hat trick with more than nine minutes left in the second quarter and junior Kevin Bendekovic collected a hat trick with more than eight minutes to go in the second quarter.
“ I think it’s one of the best offenses we’ve had in a while, and everyone is just so unselfish and works together so well,” Cohn said.
The Eagles led 12-1 at halftime. Then, the Celtics frustration started to show on the field.
The second half was filled with countless penalties and physical plays that resulted in bodies on the ground and multiple stoppages.
The second half featured less scoring, but the Eagles shut the door of any potential comeback with four more goals.
After the game was over, the Eagles collected the trophy and embraced each other. Then Montes turned his focus on the next stage: regionals next week. Oak Hall will host a quarterfinal round Tuesday. The FHSAA bracket matchups will be determined this weekend.
“ We’re not necessarily worried about who we play again,” he said. “We’re focused on us and that’s the only thing we can do.”
Category: High School Sports, Lacrosse, Oak Hall High School
