Opening Day!  Not on April 1st . . . like that other sport.   Had some nice games in the area . . . Boca-Jensen Beach, West Boca-Wellington, American Heritage-Saint Andrew’s . . . all three of those had a surprising or somewhat surprising score to me. West Boca’s 13-5 win over Wellington was a real eye opener . . . Boca’s win over Jensen Beach 11-5 also surprised me a bit as I thought Boca would be in transition and maybe that transition will speed up some now and the 12-4 SA win over American Heritage Boca showed me AH-B will win some games this year that maybe I didn’t think they could.   And a Top 12 match-up in Parkland . . . With last year’s revelation going against a team that has been pointing for this season for four years . . . and this game for about a year.   For 3 quarters the two teams went at it on equal ground, very little quarter given and very little received.  It was a grind it out effort as neither team yielded much in the way of transition chances.  Clears were heavily contested and the effects of first game jitters were also present.  It didn’t help that on a fairly cold night the game start was delayed nearly an hour due to a miscommunication concerning the referee availability but that was eventually sorted out and the game began close to 8:00pm.  Getting up for your first game is usually pretty easy but that is usually timed for perfection and the mood did dissipate a little during the wait.  But Stoneman has become a bit of a lacrosse-crazed school and the good-sized crowd got immediately into the spirit of things as soon as the game got going . . . they certainly take their cue from Christopher Walken . . . But as the game went on some simple things bubbled to the surface . . . Both these teams are very disciplined on offense and ball movement was paramount in opening up small creases to take advantage of. The Oxbridge defense is going to be a handful for every team they face.  Organized, athletic and mean in the right way. One of the interesting things about this gig for me is that I now get to write about seniors who were freshmen when I first saw them, as their freshmen year was my first.  Full cycle.  In 2013 I saw one of Coach Ross’ first games when he traveled to Saint John Paul II.  After the game I went up to him and asked “who was that #17?”  He stuck out to me because it was like watching a Doberman patrol the front door. We all know who he is now . . . and Colin is going to wreck havoc this season . . . as will ‘little brother’ Brandon, Terrell, Ryan and the rest of the crew.  And Ethan Randell looks primed for a great season too. Stoneman’s Tyler Gaffney can shoot the ball.  Without needing a lot of room. And Coach Burton’s offense is fun to watch, even without transition.  Both teams really know how to share the ball.   But in the end the more experienced team showed why they are Top 10 . . . at least.  A 5-0 fourth quarter on the road to a team that took it to you the previous season at home means one big thing . . . the ‘learning how to win’ button looks to be switched on. And Oxbridge’s opponents better take note.   It took Oxbridge less than a minute to open the scoring as Austin Roca picked up a loose ball on the top left wing, stepping into it and firing home from 10 yards with a right hand low left shot to make it 1-0 at 11:10.  Stoneman evened it at one a little over a minute later as Gaffney found Hunter Bell on the left side from behind the net and Gaffney hit the mid, short side with the right hand.  Oxbridge regained the lead at 8:45 as Riley Smith took a Jack Kilian feed on the low left wing and hit the right upper corner for 2-1.  Stoneman responded 31 seconds later as Gaffney and Bell reversed the passing, with Gaffney going low and at 6:33 Gaffney added to it on EMO as he drifted in from the left wing and found the low left corner for 3-2.  But only 40 seconds later Tyler Jerd tied it up for Oxbridge as his low shot while falling fooled Stoneman goalie Jason Wyner, on an assist from J. Kilian and it was 3-3 about 6 minutes into the game. The defenses settled down and it was about 12 minutes later that Oxbridge went back in front as Robert Bayless converted on a solo shorthand effort, circling the cage and beating a double team to the front of the net, burying the chance with 6:07 left in the second.  Stoneman tied it up again at 4 with 3:52 left as Austin Figas found Max Buckner on a rare fast break on the left wing from the middle and Buckner hit the low left corner from 10 yards out.  With less than a minute to go in the half Oxbridge converted their own EMO as Smith found Nick Ranta in the middle from the left wing and Ranta was able to hit the low right corner while turning to make it 5-4 Oxbridge at halftime.  Randell came up with 11 first half saves to combat the 8-4 margin in turnovers in the half. At 10:58 we were tied again as Gaffney took advantage of a packed back Oxbridge defense and was able to drift in from the left wing and hit the low right side for 5-5.  Then at 9:50 OA took the lead back as Bayless worked the right wing and behind the goal before spotting the cutting Roca in front and Roca went high left for 6-5.  Five minutes later SD evened again as Jordan Schwartz was able to take advantage of a rare alley dodge and bounced one past Randell on the far side for 6-6.  Stoneman then took the lead after the 3rd with 0:55 on the clock as Gaffney took Bell’s feed from behind on the left and again hit the far low side and with the 4th lead change we went to the fourth at 7-6 And Oxbridge’s defense took over.  One shot on goal for Stoneman in the fourth as Oxbridge dominated possession time. First Oxbridge tied the game at 9:07 on EMO, as Bobby Kilian took a Bayless feed on the wing and his left hand bullet found the high, short side for 7-7.  After a few possession changes Oxbridge took control with a 3-goal outburst in 27 seconds to take control of the game.  At 5:57 Bayless cut down the middle and Liam Lisec found him from behind the net, with Bayless easily putting it home.  11 seconds later it was a break off the faceoff as three quick passes found Smith off the left crease with Lisec getting the primary assist and at 5:30 C. Hayek scooped up a loose ball off the faceoff scrum and went straight down the middle, converting with the left hand low and Oxbridge was well on its way. The barrage ended at 4:00 as Smith completed the hat trick on a B. Kilian feed from the left wing and Smith stepped out from left GLE before finding the low left hand side.  Oxbridge was able to run out most of the final few minutes and showed a level of discipline in not going at the net even when open.  Another sign that this year might turn out special. Mental toughness.  In full bloom last night. Both teams learned a lot last night.  As did I.  Neither team is going to fade from view.   Oxbridge is back in action on Friday, traveling to St. Thomas Aquinas in what will be a true measuring stick game so early in the season.  Stoneman travels to Wellington on Friday, looking to get back on the winning side of the ledger.   Team Statistics Faceoffs:  12-11 Oxbridge (no 2nd quarter faceoff) Shots:  33-31 Stoneman Shots on Goal:  20-18 Stoneman Turnovers:  18-12 Oxbridge Penalties:  5-2 Stoneman   Individual Statistics:   Oxbridge Riley Smith  3G/1A Robert Bayless  2G/2A Austin Roca  2G Bobby Kilian  1G/1A Tyler Jerd, Zach Ranta and Colin Hayek  1G each Liam Lisec and Jack Kilian  2A each   Stoneman Tyler Gaffney  4G/1A Hunter Bell  1G/2A Max Buckner and Jordan Schwartz  1G each Austin Figas  1A   Ethan Randell made 13 saves for Oxbridge and Jason Wyner made 7 saves for Stoneman   Thanks to Coach Ross and Coach Burton for talking to me before and after the game.