Undefeated: Broadneck Boys Lacrosse Completes Perfect Season, Captures State Title

The Bruins Beat Sherwood 16-6 To Clinch Their First State Championship In 26 Years

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The last time Broadneck stepped on the field for a boys lacrosse state championship contest, it ended in the heartache of defeat and hopeful plans for a “revenge tour.”

As the clock ticked to all zeroes on Wednesday, the heartache was but a footnote in the revenge tour’s grand finale.

On the back of a relentless second-half effort, Broadneck put away Sherwood 16-6 to complete a perfect season and win the program’s first state championship since 1997.

The Bruins (20-0) led by just two goals early in the second half but closed the game on a 9-1 scoring run in ultimately cruising to victory.

Jackson Shaw scored three goals, Ryan Salazar also scored three and added an assist, and Tanner Boone added two goals and an assist. Brooks Chatlos, Ryan Della and Tyler Hicks also tallied twice, while Braden McCassie and Brayden Schmidt also found the net for Broadneck. Colin Gray added 11 saves.

It seemed like the Bruins’ night early on, when they staked themselves to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter. But Sherwood, making its first state title appearance in program history, hung around and got back within two goals early in the third quarter when they scored twice right after halftime.

But while some might have seen them as an unstoppable juggernaut, the Bruins had faced situations like that twice in its previous three games, against South River in the region championship and Urbana in the state semifinals, to say nothing of their nip-and-tuck battles earlier in the season.

“They come out in the second half, win a draw, and stick one (in the goal) right away, but we’ve been there before,” said Broadneck coach Jeff McGuire. “(The players) never get too low, never too high. … We just played simple lacrosse.”

Even keel went out the window when time expired, as the team sprinted across the field to celebrate with each other and the boisterous throng of family, friends, and fans who made the trek up from the peninsula to Owings Mills.

“Me and (Della) have been on the same BAYS team since we could walk,” Shaw said. “I love playing with these guys; I love this team. I wouldn’t want to win with any other group of guys.”

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