Bruins Boys Lacrosse Topples Rival

Music was blaring in the locker room, and there wasn’t a Broadneck boys lacrosse player who hadn’t been hugged or high-fived as they walked off the field.

The Bruins didn’t win a championship, but it sure seemed that way.

Broadneck rallied from a three-goal second-half deficit to post a 9-6 victory over six-time defending Class 4A state champion and rival Severna Park.

The host Bruins scored six unanswered goals and received a pair from both senior Ryan Salazar and junior attacker Tanner Boone as they stayed a perfect 12-0.

Junior faceoff specialist Graham Hartman won 14 of 18 to play a key role in the win.

“It was a pretty important win and something to feel really good about,” Broadneck coach Jeff McGuire said.

McGuire knows how tough it can be to beat Severna Park (9-3). Broadneck’s win over the Falcons last year ended Severna Park’s 12-game winning streak over the Bruins that started in 2015.

Severna Park coach Dave Earl and his players would love to get another shot at Broadneck — and it could come in the county championship game on May 8 when both teams are expected to meet again.

“We didn’t execute in the second half,” said Earl, referring to his team’s loss to Broadneck. “Defensively, we played great in the first half, but got away from some things. You have to catch and throw, and if you don’t, you are not going to win games.”

Senior attacker Ryan LaRocque led Severna Park with two goals, and teammates Tucker Moran, Jack Fish, Nolan Grizzle and Andrew Myers scored a goal apiece.

The Falcons jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter.

LaRocque got Severna Park rolling when he beat Bruins’ senior Colin Grey (14 saves) with a low shot four minutes into play.

Grizzle capped the Falcons’ flurry of goals by scoring on another low shot with 1:23 remaining on a man-up situation.

“We were running the offense well,” Earl said. “We were taking advantage of the proper matchups. We were shooting well and flying around and shooting the ball well. When you do that, things open up for you.”

Broadneck managed to cut the lead to 5-2 — the halftime score — late in the second quarter as Austin Combs fired a shot past Grey as he fell to the ground.

The Bruins owned the second half, outscoring the visitors 7-1.

Broadneck notched six unanswered goals in the half and Boone made it 6-6 late in the third quarter, scoring on a back-handed shot.

Salazar recorded the game-winning goal midway through the final quarter to make it 7-6 on a feed from Landon Zawartka.

Boone and Ryan Della added insurance goals in the closing minutes to help Broadneck prevail.

“All the games that we have played leading up to this have prepared us for this game,” McGuire said. “We were down to Catonsville by three goals at halftime and we came back to win. That helped us in that game.”