Thanks to Jeff Horowitz for the team photo The last step is sometimes the steepest.  Stoneman jumped that last step last night and sent notice that they are now a contender.  Last year Boca Raton took down Ponte Vedra in their first game and that portended the season to come.  With this win Stoneman Douglas is looking to inherit that mantle. And now February 18th becomes must-see lacrosse.  At Jupiter . . . looking for confirmation.  Don’t look ahead.  Stoneman came into the season off a nice 10-6 record last year but the schedule was a little light, which is why they were considered for Top 20 but not ranked preseason.  This year that was ameliorated, with SA, Jupiter, Gulliver and Ransom added to Oxbridge and University. Good timing.  Now we’ll see. But certainly Top 20 for now.

Last night Stoneman converted and SA did not.  the statistics were pretty much similar but Stoneman put their chances away and SA did not. And although the statistics were close it was clear that one other factor that I don’t keep count of made a huge difference.  Stoneman just wanted it more . . . and it showed in ground balls, particularly of the 50/50 kind.  Almost all of those were won by Stoneman and those extra possessions helped a lot and also showed in igniting a number of transition opportunities that SD buried.  Add in a sophomore FOGO in Kevin Horwitz who not only held his own but won the battle 12-10 against his practice teammate and a solid performance in net from junior Jason Wyner and you have much of the story.  Another part of that story was that the Stoneman attack was able to break down the Saint Andrew’s defense a number of times to get inside looks and finished them.  All the strategic goals set by SD Coach Ryan Burton came to fruition and his team played their roles to the hilt.  And now SA needs to look within to pull out what is there, and do it quickly, because the schedule doesn’t give them much room to breathe. Would like to mention that before the game Katie Stadler sang a very nice version of the national anthem!

 The game was pretty much back and forth for the first quarter and a half.  Stoneman took the early lead at 9:43 as Blake Israel scored unassisted on a right alley dodge, finishing low to the far side and also drawing a penalty on the play.  SA tied it up at 7:34 as Davis Diamond shot from the left wing about 10 yards out and hit the low, short side.  Just 40 seconds later SA took their only lead of the game as Nick Diamond took Addison Lutes’ right goal line extended pass while cutting down the right side and he hit the low left corner for 2-1.  Stoneman then scored twice within 42 seconds to regain the lead.  Hunter Bell tied it at 6:24 unassisted, cutting in from the left wing and getting to the crease before finishing.  Then Max Buckner took a Tyler Gaffney feed from behind the net, cutting down the right alley and hitting net to make it 3-2 after one. SD stretched the lead to 4-2 at 10:48 as returning All-American defender AJ Ferraro took off from his own end and beat two defenders down the middle before bouncing one in about 5 yards straight out.  But SA got that one back right away as Alex Newhouse popped the next faceoff forward and flung it left low side to make it 4-3.  Newhouse was called for an unsportsmanlike on the celebration and Stoneman went man up.  SA’s Davis Diamond took advantage of a shorthanded possession during the penalty to tie it at 46 seconds later as he dodged past two defenders before making his way to the open crease area and finished underhand.

  But Stoneman responded with a run of their own to take back momentum.  Israel scored his second unassisted at 6:00 on a right alley dodge past two people and finishing low short side.  At 4:45 Gaffney scored on EMO from an Austin Figas feed along the left wing and he fired into the high, far corner.  Then Ferraro ended the run at 3:34 with an excellent give and go with Gaffney and he finished from straight on to push it to a 3-goal lead.  SA came right back 26 seconds later as Addison Lutes took Peter Dykas’ left wing feed from behind the goal and fired into the far corner.  But following a penalty right after, Stoneman regained the 3-goal margin with 2:09 left as Bell curled from behind the net to the left of the cage before going underhanded.  And just 11 seconds later Braden Mygatt made it 9-5 from Israel as his shot from the middle kicked up into the top corner of the net.  Dykas got that one back with 37 seconds left in the half as he dodged to the middle from the right wing and finished left-handed to end the scoring rampage. During the second quarter Ferraro received a three-minute un-releasable for a high hit, a penalty that would come back to consequence later in the game.  Stoneman was able to kill that penalty off and certainly gained momentum from that effort as they held the Scots off the sheet on EMO.

 Stoneman basically put the game away in the third quarter as they outscored SA 3-0 to take a 12-6 lead after three.  Figas scored at 9:48 from Israel on a step down rocket from the top left wing into the high short side.  At 4:08 Israel scored unassisted as he beat the goalie from straight away and at 2:37 Ryan Brodskey scored down the left side, dodging to the crease.  Later in the third Ferraro took his second major and was ejected from the game due to the 5 minute total rule. Again Stoneman killed off the penalty, helped partly by SA taking it’s own penalty during the time.  And at 9:47 Bell scored from Gaffney, which was followed by Bell scoring his fourth unassisted and it was now just a matter of playing it out.  SA’s Dykas scored with 3:27 left unassisted and the game ended with SD earning what was probably the biggest win in their program’s history. Stoneman returns to action on Friday, hosting Wellington while SA hosts Oxbridge on Friday in a game that will provide no easier challenge for them.

  Writer’s Note:  Before I get to the statistics I need to make a point and then I’ll get off my high horse.  AJ, you are a SPECIAL talent who has not only shown so much but still has another gear you can strive for.  But to get there you need to also take that last step, just like your team did last night.  For the sake of your team and the sake of all of us who love this sport and want to watch you this year and the next four years, please take that last step.  The Armed Forces used to have that saying ‘Be All You Can Be’.  Take it to heart.  Because you can, not because I am saying this.   Team Statistics   Faceoffs:  Stoneman 12-10 Shots:  SA 35  –  Stoneman 30 Shots on Goal:  SA 18  –  Stoneman 18 Turnovers:  SA 19  –  Stoneman 18 Penalties:  SA 7  –  Stoneman 5   Individual Statistics   Stoneman Blake Israel  3G/2A Hunter Bell  4G Tyler Gaffney  1G/3A AJ Ferraro  2G Austin Figas  1G/1A Max Buckner, Braden Mygatt and Ryan Brodskey  1G each   Saint Andrew’s Peter Dykas  2G/1A Davis Diamond  2G Addison Lutes  1G/1A Nick Diamond and Alex Newhouse  1G each   Stoneman goalie Jason Wyner made 11 saves and SA goalies Andrew Busel and Harris Feldman combined for 4.   Thanks to both Coach Burton and Coach Seaman for talking to me before and after the game!