ESD Boys, Girls Take Lacrosse Titles
Even with its decorated history in the sport, ESD might have never experienced a better stretch of lacrosse than the program has seen over the past several weeks.
ESD won both boys and girls state titles on Sunday, in the process gaining revenge on opponents who had beaten them earlier in the season.
The ESD boys broke a fourth-quarter tie and surged past Highland Park 9-6 in the Texas High School Lacrosse League state championship game on Sunday in McKinney.
Jack Loftus and Drew Wasserman posted three goals apiece for the Eagles (19-3), who avenged an 11-9 loss to the Scots during the regular season. Loftus broke a 5-5 tie early in the fourth quarter to put ESD ahead for good.
The Eagles topped Jesuit 5-4 on Saturday in the semifinals and crushed defending state champion The Woodlands 12-4 in the quarterfinals. Both teams also beat ESD during the regular season. In fact, ESD’s run to the title included three straight victories against the only three squads who defeated the Eagles this year.
In the thrilling victory over the Rangers, sophomore Reed Landin scored the game-winning goal with 1:17 remaining off a feed from Loftus.
Under first-year head coach Jay Sothoron, the Eagles earned their fifth THSLL championship and first since 2013. That’s the only other season prior to 2019 that ESD claimed both the state and SPC crowns in the same year. The Eagles took the SPC title last month by topping St. Mark’s.
In girls action, ESD rolled past Kinkaid 14-8 in Sunday’s championship game in Coppell behind six goals from Jay Browne.
Like their male counterparts, the ESD girls bounced back from an 11-10 loss to Kinkaid last weekend in the SPC title game. It was the only loss of the season for the Eagles (19-1).
Earlier in the Texas Girls High School Lacrosse League state tournament, ESD scored a 14-11 victory over Houston Lamar and an 18-7 triumph over St. John’s to advance to the final.
All-state honorees for the Eagles include Browne, Anna Winkeler, Story Langston, and Sam Whiting.
ESD won its only other state title in 2017. Meanwhile, Kinkaid is the runner-up for the second straight year after falling to Hockaday in the championship game a year ago.
