Eastside Boys Lacrosse Falls in District Tournament
Eastside boys’ lacrosse was on an upward trajectory in just its third season since being reinstated. The Rams increased their win total from zero to six over that span, and the program appeared to be on the rise.
On Wednesday night, however, Eastside faced a setback in those plans.
Four seed Eastside, eyeing its first district tournament win since its return, was upset by five seed Newberry in the Class 1A-District 4 Tournament, 5-3, to end its season Wednesday.
The Rams (6-8) had already faced their cross-town rival twice this season, once in the opener and again just two weeks ago, giving them familiarity with the matchup. The schools split the season series, but with Eastside finishing the regular season on a three-game winning streak and Newberry losing their last 10, it was surprising that the Rams suffered the loss.
The Panthers (2-10) controlled the physicality of the game early, scoring three unanswered goals. Newberry caused Eastside to make uncharacteristic mistakes, committing costly turnovers and mishaps that got the Rams in an early hole.
“It came down to fundamentals. We had a lot of missed ground balls, a lot of missed passes and shots that were off goal,” Rams coach Chip Skinner said. “All those things are basic lacrosse skills we train every day and it just wasn’t there today.”
Despite Newberry controlling the tempo of the game, Eastside got its fair share of opportunities in the attack zone, but failed to convert. Senior Elijah Dressel led the strong offense for the Rams, yet couldn’t find the net for the first 20 minutes of the match.
“It was our shot selection,” Skinner said. “Taking a lot of bad shots, going to the middle of the field, drawing the double team and not getting rid of the ball hurt us quite a bit today.”
Dressel and company responded late in the second quarter by scoring two goals in the final three minutes, but the deficit was still two at 4-2 at intermission.
Those bad habits continued for Eastside once the game resumed. The Rams picked up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. With tensions high in a rivalry playoff game, emotions got the best of them.
“Both of those penalties were against younger guys,” Skinner said. “Their emotions tend to run a little bit higher.”
Newberry maintained a two-goal lead, held the ball and wasted clock in the fourth quarter in closing the upset.
Regardless of the season ending the way it did, Eastside boys lacrosse is on the rise. With a relatively young squad, while increasing their win total in each of the last three seasons, a bright future is ahead for the Rams.
“So proud of them,” Skinner said. “They were able to maintain their composure, triple their win total, make it to the districts and even host our first home district game. So it’s back to square one this fall.”
Newberry will play at top seed Oak Hall (11-2) in the district semifinals at 7 p.m. Monday.
Category: Eastside High School, High School Sports, Lacrosse, Newberry High School
