Despite the damp, dreary weather conditions, the RM boys and girls lacrosse teams gathered one last time on the RM turf to play their final game of the year. For some seniors, it would be their last game ever.
No, it wasn’t a playoff game. Instead it was the third annual boys v. girls friendly scrimmage. Although the game was played with accordance to girl’s lacrosse rules, the boys still rallied together to defeat the girls with a final score of 5-1. Unfortunately, the game was called off at halftime after worsening weather conditions forced both teams off the turf. “I think our momentum was starting to pick up,” said senior Clare Hemming when asked whether or not playing full game would have changed the outcome. “It could of made a little difference.”
It was clear from the start that the boys team would face slight disadvantages in the game. By regulation, girls’ lacrosse sticks are much shallower than boys’ lacrosse sticks, making it harder to hold on to the ball. To help balance the game, the boys had to trade sticks with members of the girls’ team. In addition, the boys were missing one of their leading scorers from the regular season, Noah Lee, who wanted it known that “his essence was still there even though he wasn’t there which is why the boys team took dubs.”
To top it all off, the boys were told at the beginning by referee Mullinix, who also happened to be the coach of the girls team, that the boys would have to adhere by the girls rules which included no checking or “raking” the ball.
The girls team also had a few disadvantages as well, mainly the absence of a goalie. Instead of the regular starting goalie, Cam Aaron, in goal today was a recycling bin flipped upside down that had been pulled from the sideline.
The boys opened the game with an early goal from senior Noah Ventimiglia, another one of leading scorers. This was soon followed by a second goal from senior Ben Rosenberg, who will be playing lacrosse for the Coast Guard Academy this coming fall.
It wasn’t until nearly 10 minutes later that senior Sarah Morgan scored the first and only goal of the game for the girls. “I think it was kinda lucky,” Morgan later said. “The boys got a penalty which gave me a free shot so I took it.”
The next two goals for the boys could be considered as a bit of a surprise.
Instead of a goal from the normal attackers, the 4th goal for the boys came from defensive captain Josiah Belfon-Valentine. “We came for blood today, this is a big rivalry for us,” Belfon-Valentine remarked after the game. “We take this game very seriously every single year, we train for months, we just really wanted it.” Belfon-Valentine also noted that the girls did not put 100% into the game in comparison to the film the team had watched to prepare for the game.
The final goal for the boys, which came mere seconds before the whistle blew for halftime, was from junior Archie Carr. This marked Carr’s first goal of the entire season as he was stuck on the bench for a majority of the season after suffering from a grade two separated shoulder. “I just want to thank my mom, dad, Tupac Shakur, me, and my homies,” when asked about the goal later on.
Unfortunately the score would remain at 5-1 as the rest of the game was called off after the weather conditions worsened.
Senior Jack Muha stated that the victory meant “A thousand years of boys lacrosse at RM.” Muha later admitted he wasn’t sure what that meant either however the important fact was that the boys team “didn’t know the game [rules], didn’t know the score, but still dominated.”
Morgan added that the “[girls’ team] would come back with a vengeance and get the [boys team] next year.”
The goalie for girls’ team, which could be credited for at least three saves, was unavailable for comment.
