Churchill knocks out Northwestern in boys lacrosse state quarterfinals
POTOMAC – The Winston Churchill High School boys lacrosse team once again reached the Maryland state semifinals after dominating No. 7 seeded Northwestern of Prince George’s County for a 19-2 blowout victory Wednesday night.
“It was nice to have a victory on our home field for the seniors,” said Churchill head coach Jeff Fritz. “This is the last time the seniors will ever get to play on this field. With that aspect, it was real nice to get the win.”
Both teams scored a goal early, but it was all Bulldogs for the rest of the first quarter as they scored eight consecutive times.
In the second quarter, Churchill scored six more times to take a commanding 14-1 lead at the half.
Four Bulldogs finished with hat tricks as starters Eliot Dubick, Xander Frey and Andrew Murphy scored three times, while Alex Caraballo came off the bench to put up three tallies.
“Proud of the team,” said Dubick. “We have more work to do. Two more games and we’re just going to keep fighting till the end.”
With Churchill up late in the half, Caraballo and other role players entered the game and got some playing time.
“It was good to get everyone involved today,” said Dubick. “A lot of players did score some goals. A lot of players had some assists. All of our goalies made some saves.”
One notable moment in the fourth quarter was when senior defenseman Spencer Nash scored his first goal of his Bulldogs career.
“That felt amazing,” said Nash. “I wouldn’t have wanted to get a pass from anyone but Jack Thompson. Next goal is state championship.”
Other notable Churchill players who put the ball in the back of the net were Colin Moylan, Reed Drummond, Griffin Clarke and Jack Thompson.
The Bulldogs advanced to the Maryland state semifinals, where they will play Sherwood on Saturday, May 21. It will be the third matchup between the two schools this year, with Churchill winning both encounters.
“It’s that time of year where you’ve been working all season for this moment,” said Fritz. “We’re trying to make sure the moment’s not too big for us, and we just have to play the best we can.”
This moment is also special for Dubick, a senior who has been attending games since he was five years old.
“Right now, it’s the last game on this field,” said Dubick. “It would mean the world to me, the Churchill program, Coach Fritz, Coach [Mike] Winter, Coach Fritz’s family, everyone.”
Edgar Coreas-Reyes and Gerson Alvarado scored Northwestern’s two goals. Head coach Bryan Pierre said Prince George’s County is “a little bit behind the rest of the state” regarding lacrosse.
“Year by year, we’re improving to get better,” said Pierre. “I think that’s what it’s about. We’re getting more and more kids to be able to play lacrosse and get out and learn more about lacrosse.”
Photo by Michael R. Smith/The Sports Pulse.
