 | | | #20 Chase Hildeburn Photo Andy Scheck
| | | | | | The North Coast Section boys' lacrosse playoffs were underway last week, featuring all three Lamroinda schools. Acalanes played in the division I bracket, while Campolindo and Miramonte competed for the division II title.
Lamorinda faced tough competitors, and both the Cougars and the Mats were ousted in their first game; only Acalanes was able to record a win before dropping in the second round.
Acalanes played its first game Wednesday, May 16, against Clayton Valley High School.
Head coach Brent Ringwood described Acalanes' 13-7 season as "full of highs and lows," but commented that this was a young team and that the season "bodes well for the future."
Ringwood was sure his eighth-seeded Dons could knock off the Eagles. "I'm confident that if we are able to play our game and play at a high level, we'll have a good shot of winning."
Acalanes played as their coach predicted and they beat Clayton Valley, 14-9.
In the second round, the Dons took on top-seeded San Ramon Valley, falling 13-8.
Cross-town rivals Miramonte had trouble in their first game. On Friday, May 18, fourth-seeded Miramonte hosted fifth-seeded Novato. The Mats fought hard but were ultimately stymied by Novato's superior defense.
Head coach William Abriel was unable to attend. Despite missing the first round, Abriel was confident his team would play well. "It makes me very sad not to be with my guys, but this team really runs itself. They're a very mature group [and the] coaching staff is more than capable of handling the game."
Assistant Coach Gary Forman assumed head coaching duties. "They're so well prepared by Coach... we're in auto-drive now," he said.
The first period saw some exciting offensive play, with both teams scoring two goals each. However, the Mats struggled to score in the next two periods.
Cole Aikens, Novato's goaltender, seemed to be in the zone, stopping every shot Miramonte put on the net. Meanwhile, Novato's offense began to take control of the game on the shoulders of Austin Carrow, who would finish the game with three goals.
At the end of three quarters Miramonte trailed, 2-6, but they continued to fight. Despite those shaky second and third quarters, Miramonte was able to pull within two behind a hat trick from Chase Hildeburn, who scored two goals in a stretch of about a minute.
However, with only a minute to play, the Novato lead proved too big a deficit, and Miramonte fell, 6-8. They closed the season with a 14-6 record.
Looking ahead to next season, both Abriel and Forman stated that the team will remain tough behind the leadership of three returning captains.
Campolindo also had trouble in their first match. As the seventh seed, the Cougars traveled to take on second-seeded Piedmont High School on Friday night. Campolindo (11-7) struggled against the Highlanders and fell, 14-7.
Returning 15 players next season, including junior Ryan Ewert, who finished the season with 16 goals and 13 assists, the Cougars have potential to improve in upcoming seasons.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA