Calvert Hall lacrosse knew it would take a monumental performance to knock out three-time defending champion McDonogh in Tuesday night’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinal.
And the No. 2 Cardinals, rising up during the game’s biggest moments in every facet, showed they had it in them.
A complete team performance was led by their top senior performers.
Attackman Peyton Forte had three goals, faceoff specialist Ben Cuomo won the crucial battle at the X and goalie Brady Stangle made four of his 10 saves in the nervy final minutes.
After Stangle stopped the last shot — coming with 1:11 to play — Calvert Hall took the ball and kept it, sending sticks flying and a mad dash to its goalie to celebrate a sturdy 12-10 win over the No. 4 Eagles at Navy Marine-Corps Memorial Stadium.
Calvert Hall (15-2) will meet No. 1 Spalding — a 12-6 winner over No. 3 Boys’ Latin in Tuesday’s other semifinal — in Friday’s championship game. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Towson University’s Johnny University Stadium.
The Cardinals, who will seek the program’s sixth conference title, will celebrate the big semifinal win for a bit first.
“It’s a blessing. Every single day we’re thankful for going out and we always preach during the playoff season, just one more day and focus on the present moment,” Stangle said. “So going in, doing the little things right and now going into practice tomorrow we’re just going to be focused 100%, bringing our A game and ready for Friday.”
The Cardinals rattled off four straight goals in a 54-second stretch early in the second quarter to build a three-goal lead and never relinquished it.
It took special work in the second half to hold off the Eagles, who got a superb five-goal, two assist effort from senior star Brendan Millon.
With the lead down to 10-9 with 7:09 to play in the game, Ben Hanover found a cutting Jack Williams, who scored a behind-the-shoulder goal in close to make it a two-goal game. Forte padded the lead to 12-9 with 5:41 to play, and then Stangle put in his finest work.
Shots from Eli Schaller, Hunter Metz and Millon were all turned away. And then after Bogue Hahn made it 12-10 with 3:10 left, Stangle had the one final save left on Millon that secured the win.
“It was a great feeling. Beating these guys is no joke,” Stangle said, crediting his defense for their strong play. “We prepared really well and winning this game really means a lot to us.”
As for his play down the stretch?
“I just focused on the present moment,” he said. “I knew one play at a time would do it and got the job done and was super happy how my defense played for me to give me the different types of looks.”
The Eagles gave everything they had in a bid to become the first MIAA A team to win four straight championships. Only McDonogh and Calvert Hall (2017 to 2019) have ever won three straight.
Coach Andy Hilgartner credited the Cardinals for making plays and was quick to praise his senior class of 13 players, a few of whom had the chance to become four-year varsity champions had they completed their season-long goal. Hahn and Schaller each finished with two goals and one assist, senior goalie Aidan Seibel closed out a fine career with seven saves and faceoff specialist Ciaran Sweeney, who valiantly returned after breaking his collarbone early in the season, grinded out a fine effort against Cuomo.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys, couldn’t be more proud of who we are as a program and who our guys are and how they represent our school,” Hilgartner said. “It’s brutal. I’m distraught and to not get these seniors a championship like they deserve is something I’ll hold onto for awhile.”
Next up for the Cardinals is a deep, talented and hungry Spalding team that seeks its first conference title on Friday. The Cavaliers, ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Lacrosse, Inside Lacrosse and Preps Lacrosse, have won 10 straight conference games. That includes a 11-6 win over Calvert Hall on April 22.
“Spalding took it to us pretty heavily the last two years, so hopefully our guys will come back ready to go. But it’s all about us,” Calvert Hall coach Bryan Kelly said. “We just got to be about the process, stay together and play team lacrosse and we’ll do good things.”
Have a news tip? Contact Glenn Graham at ggraham@baltsun.com, 410-332-6636 and x.com/GlennGrahamSun.
Calvert Hall — 3-5-2-2 — 12
McDonogh — 3-3-2-2 — 10
Goals: CH — Botek, Forte 3, W. Schoonmaker, Mitchell, Williams 2, Hanover, Schwanke, Cuomo, Anderson; M — Millon 5, Hahn 2, Schaller 2, Goodman
Assists: CH — Botek, Kelly, Schwanke, Hanover; M — Millon 2, Hahn, Schaller, Metz, Tolker
Saves: CH — Stangle 10; M — Seibel 7