Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Boys lacrosse: Devil seniors add division title to resumé

Springbrook 17, Blake 4

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Naomi Brookner⁄The Gazette
Springbrook’s Ben Simmons (left) checks Blake’s Stephen Klinger during Springbrook’s 17-4 home win Monday. With the win, the Blue Devils clinched the Montgomery 4A East Division title, the first for its senior class, including Simmons.
There is work to be done yet for the Springbrook boys lacrosse team, no doubt about it. But after Monday’s 17-4 win over Blake, the Blue Devils’ eighth victory in as many tries this season, the team’s seniors allowed themselves one brief moment to enjoy something they had never accomplished before.

In the last three years, Springbrook finished second, third and tied for second in the Montgomery 4A East Division. But the win over their Northeast Consortium rivals meant the Blue Devils, with one divisional game still to play Saturday, have clinched the title for the first time since any of their players have been in high school.

‘‘We’ve worked hard for it,” said senior Adam Brizendine, one of four Springbrook players to record a hat track Monday. ‘‘This is our year that we’ve been building up for, and it just feels great to finally do it. ... Just being on the verge and finally doing it, it’s a great feeling.”

Brizendine added three assists to his three goals, and his attack partner, junior Michael Winogradoff, had four goals and two assists. Middies Dave Abramson and Ben Simmons, two more members of the Blue Devils’ senior class, had three goals apiece, and Simmons added two helpers.

Springbrook (8-0 overall, 5-0 division) set up its title-clinching win Friday with an 11-10 squeaker over Sherwood. But the Blue Devils are still targeting Saturday’s divisional finale against Damascus, which edged them by a goal in last season’s meeting. Showdowns with two solid teams from the West, Churchill and Quince Orchard, follow before the playoffs begin.

‘‘Damascus is a very big game for us, they beat us by a goal last year; we really want to go hard with them, and that’s our next step,” Springbrook coach Mark Pim said. ‘‘We’re just trying to play our game no matter what is thrown our way and adjust to the challenges that every team is throwing at us. So we’re very excited, but we’re also trying to get better, because there are some teams that are out there on the horizon.”

Add Blake senior Tommy Donaghue to the list of Springbrook believers. With a first-year head coach in Brian Oliver, and without the graduated Pat Baudoin-Rea, a two-time All-Gazette first teamer, it has been a difficult transitional season for Blake (0-8).

The Bengals’ schedule hasn’t helped — Springbrook is the third undefeated team they have faced this season, along with Wootton and Seneca Valley. But after being held to a single goal Monday, Donaghue, Blake’s leading scorer, said Springbrook was the best of the bunch.

‘‘Springbrook this season, they’ll contend,” he said. ‘‘They’ll contend for a region championship. It’s been a tough season. You look at the teams we’ve played, in eight games, they’re probably all in the top 15 public-school teams, maybe top 11 or 12.”

If the Blue Devils are to finish the regional playoffs at the top of that list, it will be because of its seniors. Four members of the class expect to play in college. Simmons (Salisbury University) and defender Jake Farrow (Marymount [Va.] University) are already committed; Brizendine and Abramson are as yet undecided.

Commitment to lacrosse has never been a question for the quartet, or other standout seniors like goalie Kyle King and attackman Tim Roe. They have been building the foundations for this year’s title for four years or more.

‘‘This is a group that has played together, some of them, for six or seven years,” Pim said. ‘‘Definitely in youth league, when they came in as a freshman group, this group of kids that’s seniors have gone to camps, been on other summer teams. They’re working hard; they’re a great group.”

Notes: Carlo Galeano (two), Dan Oliver and Chris Castle scored Springbrook’s other goals. Brian Bruning, Jacob Feldman and Alex Case tallied for Blake.

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