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Angela Watts of DigitalSports.com talks post-game with Langley senior Alex Devlin just minutes after his game-winning goal against W.T. Woodson.

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There's nothing like a little drama to spice up Senior Night.

And Saxon senior midfielder Alex Devlin -- whose teammates and coaches affectionately refer to as "The Chief" -- was more than happy to provide it Friday night at Langley.

Tied with visiting W.T. Woodson after the Cavaliers had mounted a furious second-half rally, Devlin put the finishing touches on the Saxons' 6-5 victory with a close-range and well-placed shot that slid past the outstretched arms of W.T. Woodson senior goalie Stephen Colangelo, who was simply outstanding in the game's final two quarters, with just 1 minute, 52 seconds remaining.

Langley senior goalie Galen Kuney and the rest of the Saxons' defenders then withstood a barrage of Cavalier shots in the final minute-and-a-half of play to secure the win, which improved the No. 4 Saxons to a perfect 10-0 overall and 6-0 in the Liberty District. No. 9 W.T. Woodson, meanwhile, fell to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the league.

"If I had any hair it would be gone," teased Langley Coach Earl Brewer, whose team held a generous 5-1 lead at half time. "You've got to give W.T. Woodson credit. They are good players and they're well-coached and they didn't quit. I knew they'd make a run, but I also knew we had some tough guys on the field, too.

"And you've got to go to your money man in situations like we had here tonight ... and Alex Devlin is that for us. He's something."

Devlin not only closed out the night's scoring but also opened it as well, netting his first score a mere :24 seconds after the game's first face-off. But he wasn't the only Saxon to shine on Senior Night, as junior attacker Ethan Baily and senior attacker Ryan Ningard each added a pair of goals of their own. 

Langley also got superb play from senior midfielders Matt Cronin, Jeremy Kuney, Charlie Scharfen and Troy Scharfen, longstickmen Robby Bennett and Kas Semancik and defenders Joey Cortina, Brendan Dwyer, Thomas Robinson and Trevor Shafran.

Still, despite the hosts jumping to a 5-1 lead at the break, the tide turned dramatically in the second half. The Cavaliers, who got on the board late in the first half on a goal by freshman midfielder Marcus Berry, added four more unanswered scores over the first 14 minutes of play in the second half. 

W.T. Woodson junior midfielder Tyler Stellwag got it started with back-to-back goals in the third quarter, followed by solo scores by junior attacker Davis Mayberry and senior attacker Paul Tunick that tied the score at 5 with 10:47 left in the final period. And while the Cavaliers' offense began to thrive, their defense also clamped down with exceptional play from midfielders Justin Beveridge and Scotty Williams and defenders Donde Fell, Logan Hancock, Sean Meacham and Stephen Montgomery.

"I've been around a lot of teams and I can tell you that a lot of guys would have folded out there," Brewer told his players as the Saxons huddled together for his post-game address. "But you guys? You guys were as cool as a cucumber. I'm so proud of you.

"You hung in there and you believed in each other ... and I told you that would pay off."

It sure did.

With both sets of boisterous fans on their feet, Devlin's game-winning goal sent the Saxon fans into a frenzy. And the game's final minute-and-a-half of play proved both action-packed and intensity-filled -- an ending that proved both heartbreaking for the visitors and sheer joyous for the Langley faithful celebrating both this year's undefeated team and the career-long accomplishments of the 13 members of its senior class.

"This group of guys, they are special," Brewer said. "I want them to be great lacrosse players, and they are, but more importantly I want them to be good guys, to be gentlemen ... and they are that, too. I'm incredibly proud of them as people.

"It makes me proud as a father, because I consider them all to be family."

No. 9 W.T. Woodson     0  1  3  1 -- 5  
No. 4 Langley               2  3  0  1 -- 6

Goals -- W.T. Woodson 5 (Stellwag 2, Berry, Mayberry, Tunick); Langley 6 (Bailey 2, Devlin 2, Ningard 2).

Email: awatts@digitalsports.com