FALMOUTH — “Make it, take it,” is usually a term heard in a pickup basketball game.

Spencer Pierce turned Wednesday’s Class B boys’ lacrosse rivalry matchup into something similar.

The deep and talented Falmouth High offense would “make” a goal and Pierce would “take” the faceoff win.

The result was a lopsided first half of possession and scoreboard dominance in Falmouth’s eventual 16-6 win against Yarmouth.

Pierce won the first 11 faceoffs and 13 of 14 in the first half as Falmouth built an 11-1 lead in the teams’ first meeting since the 2016 state championship game won by Falmouth, 13-9.

“All it is is a (ground ball) to start, and when we get those and get the possession I think our offense can take it away,” said Pierce, a junior who began learning the faceoff trade a month into his sophomore season. “All of my credit should go to my wing players. They do a great job of supporting me and getting in there fast to make sure I have the space that I need to work.”

Advertisement

While Pierce praised the work of his wing players, a deep group that includes Nate Arrants, Riley Reed, Brendan Hickey and Tom Fitzgerald, several times he simply won the faceoff cleanly and was able to start a transition opportunity.

“He’s a real tactician, he really is,” said Falmouth Coach Dave Barton of Pierce. “He’s a real student of the faceoff game and we’ve talked time and time again, it’s a growing weapon in this game.”

With plenty of opportunities and possession time, Falmouth’s attack trio of Devin Russell (4 goals), Jack Scribner (2 goals, 2 assists) and Lou Mainella (2 goals, 2 assists) finished plenty of opportunities in their two-plus quarters of work.

“It’s really good to have Spencer winning all those faceoffs to get us the ball and make sure we have the offensive movement we need,” Russell said.

Arrants (3 goals), Fitzgerald (2 goals) and Nick Farnham (1 goal, 1 assist) also had multiple points. Andrew Langdon and Reilly Tucker added a goal each.

Falmouth improved to 5-0. Yarmouth, coming off a 22-5 loss at Brunswick on Saturday, is 2-2. The Clippers have been outscored 27-1 in the first half of their losses.

Advertisement

Falmouth had a 26-6 edge in first-half shot attempts. Yarmouth’s lone goal came in a man-up situation, with freshman Anders Corey scoring off a nice feed from Henry Venden.

In even-strength situations, Yarmouth struggled to gain control. When it did get the ball, Falmouth’s aggressive checking led by long-stick midfielder Reed usually took it right back.

“We have to grow in so many ways,” said Yarmouth Coach David Pearl. “A really important thing is being able to deal with pressure. The pressure of the moment, the pressure of really good players all over you, and the pressure of so many weapons that (Falmouth has).”

MacLean Kirk took the faceoffs for Falmouth in the second half and won four straight as the Yachtsmen built a 15-1 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Yarmouth outscored Falmouth, 4-1. Most of Falmouth’s starters, including goalie Liam Tucker, were no longer playing. Yarmouth senior attack Bill Jacobs moved to the faceoff role and won six of the last seven attempts.

“One thing I love about our guys was they never gave up,” Pearl said. “They started to compete and what we really have to focus on is getting better.”

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.