PORTLAND

Christian Glover’s goal with 0.8 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Brunswick High School boys lacrosse team a 9-6 edge over South Portland on Saturday, appeared to give the Dragons all the momentum they needed.

Twelve minutes later, the Dragons walked away with a 13-9 victory for the Class A boys lacrosse state championship over the Red Riots at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

It was the second time in as many years that the two teams met in the final game of the season, but last year it was South Portland (13-2) that prevailed, taking it, 10- 8.

However, with 16 seniors making up a majority of Brunswick’s roster, the Dragons went in with a goal to avenge last season’s loss. Over and above the title win, the Dragons did it without a blemish, going 16-0 overall.

“It’s a surreal feeling right now,” senior captain Cam Glover said after the game. “There was a lot of hard work put into this, 16 guys had a mission after last year, losing to the same team. We knew we had to work hard during the offseason, in-season, every game and one step closer to this, and we succeeded as a team. It was a whole team effort, all 16 guys, whether they were on the field or not, they were cheering. We came out on top and that’s what we wanted.”

“I think our depth played a factor in it and our condition too, we were able to take advantage of it a little bit later into the game,” head coach Don Glover said about the contributing factors of the game. “They’re (South Portland) a skilled team, they prepped for us really well. I think it was our patience and our depth, ball control, we love the transition game so we were able to get into that during the first part of the game as well.”

The Dragon offense had established a reputation of being quick right out of the gate over the course of most of the season, and though the first-quarter score (3-0) was not as dominant as in games past, the control was there.

With 10:29 on the clock, Cam Glover opened up the scoring after soaring across the crease and tossing it in for a 1-0 lead.

It took until just over three minutes remained in the first for the net to be shaken up again, and this time Matt Brooks found TJ Sullivan after looping around the net for a 2-0 advantage. Cam Glover continued the momentum with another tally with only 13 seconds left.

The Red Riots finally found their offensive feel in the second quarter, scoring two goals in 25 seconds, starting with Chris Mitchell’s snipe from 15- yards out in a man-up situation at 10:26, then finding teammate Jack Fiorini to make it a 4-2 contest after Sullivan notched his second two minutes prior.

With more than eight minutes to play in the half, the Red Riots saw one of their own get two one-minute, locked-in penalties as well as an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct. However, South Portland managed to overcome the blow, scoring two of the next three goals to bring it within two at halftime, 6-4.

“We thought that was a great opportunity for us to get the ebbs and flows of the game coming back our way, and it turned out they stung us on the penalty,” Coach Glover said. “But, that’s the nature of lacrosse, it’s back and forth, back and forth.”

Red Riots rally

Much of the third quarter was owned by the Red Riots. Ball control appeared to be in favor of the acting visiting team and in less than a minute starting at the 8: 14 mark, South Portland managed to tie the game at six-all.

Despite a new lacrosse game in the works, Dragons’ senior goaltender Mitchell Smith (eight saves) said all thoughts must be left aside no matter the score.

“You just try not to think of that really,” he said. “ You treat every game the same. You want to go out and get the job done, do your part, and we’ll eventually get to where we want to be and that’s what we did.”

No sooner after the Red Riots had taken the momentum, the Dragons stole it right back, scoring the final three goals of the quarter, including a Brooks wrap-around goal with 28 seconds left and what turned out to be a devastating tally by Christian Glover in the waning seconds of the frame for a 9-6 advantage.

“We were riding the ebbs and flows and it was becoming our momentum at that point and that one was just it, icing on the cake,” Christian Glover said.

It was a back- and- forth scoring affair in the final quarter, with the Dragons taking a 4-3 edge in goals to hold on, giving Brunswick its second state boys lacrosse title in the school’s history.

“We are a family, I would do anything for these guys,” Smith said about what this year has been about. “ I know they would do the same for me. It’s so great, it’s something that we’ve wanted since the beginning of the year, something that we set our mind to. This is definitely the outcome that we wanted.”

With the season coming to a close, the Dragons will see a large component of the team leave their squad to pursue various post- secondary opportunities, but it has become a season that will never be forgotten.

“ What it is, we have 16 seniors and 16 seniors have been working hard since day one, since their youth,” Don Glover said. “That’s a group that was able to pull it together and make things happen.”

Brunswick 13, South Portland 9

At Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland
State Class A Boys Lacrosse Championship
S.Portland—0423— 9
Brunswick —3334—13
Goals — (SP) Chris Mitchell 3, Andrew Whipple 2, Kameron Andrews 2, Jack Fiorini,
Eben Babbidge; (B) Cam Glover 5, Matt Brooks 4, TJ Sullivan 3, Christian Glover.
Assists — (SP) Jack Fiorini 2, Andrew Whipple 2, Chris Mitchell; (B) Matt Brooks,
Josh Dorr.
Shots — South Portland 36, Brunswick 36.
Saves — (B) Mitchell Smith 8, (SP) T-Moe Hellier 6.
Faceoffs — Brunswick 12, South Portland 11.
Records — Brunswick 16-0, South Portland 13-2.
Up next for the Dragons — Brunswick captures State Class A title to complete season.