Broadneck Hit Early And Often In 15-7 Loss In Class 4A State Final

As he made a pass behind his back to a teammate for an assist late in the game, Winston Churchill’s Eliot Dubick looked like he was messing around in the backyard, not putting the nail in the coffin of Broadneck’s comeback attempt. The Bruins had no answer for the Bulldogs’ offense and especially the wunderkind that was Dubick in their 15-7 loss to Winston Churchill in the boys lacrosse Class 4A state championship at Ridley Athletic Complex on May 26.

Playing in their first state championship game in 25 years, the Bruins were able to score first. But Churchill returned the favor with a haymaker, scoring five unanswered goals. Even once the Bruins scored their second goal, the Bulldogs quickly responded, stealing any momentum the Bruins were trying to build up.

The Bulldogs were able to keep momentum on their side with numerous cross-goal cuts that the Bruins couldn’t stop, leading to several goals. Meanwhile, the Bruins’ offense was anemic as the team struggled to get into any rhythm, with many empty possessions cutting into their comeback attempt. Offensively, the Bruins were led by Jackson Shaw who had two goals and an assist while for Churchill, it was the Eliot Dubick show.

Dubick, a University of Maryland commit, had nine points (four goals, five assists) in the game and finished the season with a ridiculous 73 goals and 93 assists, proving to be the main catalyst for a Winston Churchill team that finished the season 18-0 and became the first Montgomery County school to ever win a state lacrosse title, boys or girls.

For head coach Jeff Fritz, it is the culmination of decades of time and effort. “I got the Churchill job right out of college in ‘94,” Fritz said. “State championship didn’t become a real dream until the early 2000s and the community really bought into that dream. It’s honestly so surreal, something I’ve worked for a real, real long time.”

With the loss, the Bruins finished the season with a 16-4 record, went undefeated in their conference and won their regional championship. “There is a lot for this Broadneck team to hang their hat on, even the hardware that we got tonight, being state finalists,” said Bruins head coach Jeff McGuire. “We made a promise to our seniors just to be champions and we were that. We were the in-county champions, undefeated regular season record in conference, then we were the regional champion. So, these guys can hang their hat on something, and they brought three pieces of hardware back to Broadneck. So definitely a lot to be proud of with this group, really setting the standard for a lot of young guys watching that ceremony because they want to get right back next year. They’re feeling the sting, but they’re going to suck it up and get right back to work tomorrow because that is what our program is all about.”