Rangers Rally Past Rival ESD for State Title
The first state championship for the Jesuit lacrosse team carried plenty of historical significance, but the second time around might be even more memorable.
A year after making history, the Rangers successfully defended their crown by rallying for a 9-8 win over previously unbeaten rival ESD in the Texas High School Lacrosse League title game on Sunday at Rhodes Stadium in Katy.
Daniel Burnum scored the game-winning goal with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter to cap a furious comeback by Jesuit. Burnum scored four goals in the game and added an assist to earn offensive MVP honors.
The Rangers (15-5) trailed 6-1 at halftime before a barrage of eight goals in the second half. Two of those came in the final minute of the third quarter, including a Burnum tally with 0:09 remaining the trimmed the ESD advantage to 7-6.
The Eagles (18-1), who topped Jesuit 7-5 in the regular-season finale in late April, looked as though it might duplicate that feat on Sunday after starting with five goals — from five different scorers — in the first quarter. Jesuit didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 8:15 mark of the second quarter.
Jesuit goaltender Luke Millican — a North Carolina signee — was named the tournament MVP after saving 11 shots against ESD. He also tied a career high with a15 stops in an 8-4 win over Highland Park in the semifinals on Saturday.
Jack Tabor, Trey Wiederecht, Jacob Jackson, Peter Buell, and Grayson Hassell also tallied goals for Jesuit in the championship game.
Duke signee Nakeie Montgomery, Patrick Skalniak, and Brandon Meaux scored twice each for ESD. Michael Colpack and Drew Wasserman also notched goals for the Eagles, who knocked off unbeaten The Woodlands in the semifinals.
The Rangers avenged regular-season defeats in each of their state tournament contests. Against the Scots, Jesuit rallied from an early 3-1 deficit and outscored HP 5-1 after halftime. Jack Tabor scored three times in that game.
Meanwhile, the Eagles had their 18-game winning streak snapped in their second-lowest scoring game of the season. The other was the previous matchup against Jesuit.
ESD was making its fifth consecutive appearance at the state tournament. The Eagles previously defeated the Rangers in the championship game in 2014, which was the last time it was held in the Houston area.
