Boys lacrosse: Best of the best reside in the West

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Boys lacrosse: Best of the best reside in the West

by Dan Greenberg | Staff Writer

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There’s no getting around it — Wootton is the team to beat when the boys lacrosse playoffs begin in the 4A-3A West Region this Thursday. Not only are the Patriots unbeaten, they are the defending regional champions.

However, as last year proved, being the favorite doesn’t guarantee dominance. In fact, all three final-four games in the region were decided by just a goal. The Patriots defeated Walter Johnson, 8-7 with Churchill overcoming Whitman, 9-8 in the semifinals. Two days later, Wootton squeaked by the Bulldogs, 8-7.

With seven of the county’s top eight 4A-3A teams in the West bracket, nail-biters may once again prove the rule rather than the exception.

‘‘Right now, Wootton’s clearly the best team, but there are five to six teams right now, easy, that could win it all,” said Churchill coach Jeff Fritz. ‘‘Whitman and Sherwood are both coming on strong end of year, and WJ and Springbrook are right there. It’s almost like, whose goaltender gets hot decides it.”

If defending the net is the key to the playoffs, look no further than the netminder for top-seeded Wootton (13-0 going into Tuesday). Senior Steven Silverberg leads the county with a 75.64 save percentage on the season, allowing only 19 goals, while the Patriot offense has put up a staggering 181 in support. They are considerably better than last year’s regional championship-winning squad.

But No. 2 Springbrook (10-1 going into Tuesday) is better, as well. The Blue Devils won their first 10 games this season thanks to an offense that scored in double figures in each of them. Springbrook was dealt a harsh reality check in a 15-4 loss to Churchill last Thursday, but a chance at redemption would be in the cards should both teams advance past their opening, second-round games.

Indeed, the No. 3 Bulldogs (10-2) may well be the biggest threat to Wootton. Because only win percentage is taken into consideration, regardless of in-county records, Churchill gets the third seed in the bracket because of a loss last Wednesday at Bullis.

That means that they would have to go on the road to win the regional semifinal and final. But for a team that played seven of 12 games away, it doesn’t matter too much.

A team flying under the radar is No. 4 Walter Johnson (8-5 entering Tuesday), which has the potential to win a third regional title in four years. After a slow start to the season, which included a three-game losing streak, the Wildcats have rattled off five victories in six games.

Walter Johnson’s second-round opponent is a familiar foe, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (6-5 entering Tuesday). The Wildcats’ 9-6 ouster of the Barons last week gave them the home-field advantage in the teams’ playoff meeting. But B-CC is an improved team from early on in the season, and could get even better with the return of a healthy Chris Landon, its best defender. After dropping their first three games, the Barons won their next five by a combined 78 goals.

Though only the No. 9 seed, one final team in the mix is Sherwood (6-7 going into Tuesday), which is a lot better than its record. The Warriors have been snakebitten all year, losing an incredible five games by one goal. In fact, in a six-day stretch, they fell to Springbrook, Damascus and Churchill by a single goal each.

Come playoff time, they may be the ones doing the biting.

4A-3A West Region Playoffs

Favorites: Wootton (13-0), Churchill (10-2), Springbrook (10-1)

Contender: Walter Johnson (8-5)

Dark horses: Blair (7-4), Bethesda-Chevy Chase (6-5), Sherwood (6-7)

Players to watch: Ricky Hafer (Wootton, Sr., M), Kyle Hann (Churchill, Sr., A), Adam Brizendine (Springbrook, Sr., A)