By Andrew Zuckerman
After Landon knocked off DeMatha 9-4 Friday afternoon, Bears coach Rob Bordley gathered his team in a huddle and delivered a message that didn't focus on what just transpired, but rather, what was to come in the near future.
"Don't hold anything back," he told his team. "We're on a championship mission."
No. 8 Landon was in championship form in the second half against No. 9 DeMatha, as the Bears rebounded from a lackluster and sluggish first half to outscore the Stags 6-1 during the final 24 minutes. Landon has won 11 of 12 with the only setback being a quadruple-overtime loss to Georgetown Prep, a team it will most likely have to beat to capture that championship it has its eyes on.
Landon's seniors have especially taken Bordley's message to heart, as they don't want to be remembered as the senior class that didn't get a first-hand experience of winning an IAC title. Although the Bears won one in 2005, the vast majority of the seniors were freshmen and playing on JV.
Between 1981 and 2005, Landon won 24 championships in 25 seasons.
"We don't want to be known as the senior class that let it slip," senior goalie Charles "C.T." Fisher said. "We just want to get that championship back."
If Fisher plays as well as he did against DeMatha, Landon will have a good chance to win that coveted title. Fisher kept Landon in the game during the first half, especially the first quarter, as DeMatha controlled possession and dominated the Bears. The Stags out-shot Landon 14-4 in the opening 12 minutes, yet only led 2-1.
Fisher split time earlier in the season, but Bordley said the senior will be Landon's starting goalie in the playoffs.
When the second half rolled around, Landon (15-4) began to ware down DeMatha (11-5). The Stags took some ill-advised penalties, and the Bears capitalized. With the score tied 4-4 late in the thrid quarter, Landon junior Josh Offit fired a shot past DeMatha goalie Ryan Brant, giving the Bears a 5-4 lead.
In the fourth quarter, sophomore Joseph Paoletta scored to put Landon up 6-4, and DeMatha coach Scott Pugh called timeout, but to no avail. Junior Benjamin Eisemann made it 7-4, senior Michael Grossman then scored his second goal of the game and sophomore Harrison Archer finished off the scoring to make it 9-4.
"The second half, things kind of got out of hand," Pugh said. "We had some short possessions on offense that we lost, and they capitalized on them."
The six-goal onslaught turned a close, defensive battle into another Landon win - its ninth in the past 10 years versus DeMatha.
"We're very excited about this win," Bordley said. "I've been coaching for a long time - I don't remember ever coming over here and not having a battle. I can cite games that go back 25 years where it has always been a battle, and it seems to me we've always been behind at some point."
Landon faces Spalding on Tuesday and before the IAC tournament begins. If the Bears can advance to the finals, they could play top-seeded Georgetown Prep and get a chance for revenge after the loss in four overtimes.
But last year, the Bears lost to Georgetown Prep during the regular season and wanted revenge in the IAC tournament. What happened? They got caught looking ahead and lost in the semifinals to St. Albans.
"I'm not going to make that mistake this year," Bordley said, with a chuckle.
As for DeMatha, its six-game winning streak came to an end, but it will still go into the WCAC tournament as the No. 1 seed. And, like Landon, the only thing that matters for the Stags is getting a championship of their own.
"From Day One, that's been our goal," Pugh said. "It's always great to play against a team like Landon, but you can't get too down if you lose to them. We're just looking forward to winning back our league championship."
Landon @ DeMatha boys lacrosse
L - 1 2 2 4 - 9
D - 2 1 1 0 - 4
Goals
L - Michael Grossman (2), Benjamin Eisemann, Harrison Archer, Josh Offit, David Mann, Patrick Keena, David Chakola, Joseph Paoletta
D - Sean McKenna, Mike Smail, Patrick Harbeson, Stephen Tepsick
