By Tyler Maheu, Staff Sportswriter
Despite peaking at the right time, the Woodstock boys lacrosse season ended in heartbreak last Wednesday with a 13-12 semifinal loss to the Burr & Burton Academy Bulldogs.
The Wasps took control of the game early, with a 5-0 lead after the first quarter, but the Bulldogs chipped away at Woodstock’s lead. “We started strong, firing on all cylinders,” said head coach Brandon Little. “It was a great first half. Then, in the fourth, we started trading goals, and despite limited time to score, BBA scored to tie it.”
The game then went into overtime, where the referees swallowed their whistles, allowing the boys to play hard. “It went into OT, was a great game, and the teams played amazing; unfortunately, we lost,” said Little. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Woodstock finished the regular season 10-4, and according to Little, they were playing their best lacrosse of the season at the end. “I know it’s cliché, but they were peaking at the right time,” he said. In the first round of the playoffs, Woodstock hosted Middlebury, a team they had split tight games with, winning one 13-11 and losing the other 11-10. But in the playoff matchup, the Wasps dominated.
“The Middlebury win was excellent and really built confidence,” said Little of the 15-7 victory, which saw six different players score. “Against BBA, six different guys scored as well. Then, defensively, the team started to click and were playing better than ever in our last two games.”
A key struggle for the team this year was replacing Broder White, who broke his collarbone and was one of their key defensive midfielders. To fill the gap, Milo Farrington stepped up. “We shortened our middie lineup and all our middies played two-way,” said Little.
While the team didn’t achieve team glory, a large number of Wasps received individual honors. Seven Wasps were named first-team all-league: Kyler Eaton, Asher Emery, Rowan Larmie, Cole Little, Dominic Palazzo, Declan Roylance, and Taylor Underwood. Second-team all-league honors were given to Atlas Jennings. All seven first-team all-league players also received all-state honors, with three on first-team (Emery, Little, Underwood) and four on second-team (Eaton, Laramie, Palazzo, Roylance). Little achieved an even higher individual honor, being named a US Lacrosse All-American.
Coach Little leaves the season impressed with his team’s growth. “To see how far the team came from inside to the final game speaks to their growth and team development,” he said. “We were a .500 team last year, replaced just one kid, and became one of the best teams in the state.”
He praised his outgoing seniors. “This was a special group of seniors, and they all did tremendous work,” he said. “Lacrosse is a short and long season at the same time, and it is very physically taxing on the body. But they kept plugging away. I’m super proud of them.”
