High School Lacrosse: Catholic boys grab first district title since 2017, girls go back-to-back

Here's a roundup of Thursday's District Lacrosse Finals from Thursday, April 13, 2023:

Girls

District 1-1A Final

No. 1 Pensacola Catholic 19, No. 2 South Walton 3

Brinley Christiansen ensured her final post-season run with the Pensacola Catholic girls lacrosse team began in a special way.

The senior scored a season-high six goals, all in the first half, to power the Crusaders to an emphatic victory Thursday against South Walton in the District 1-1A championship game at Gorecki LeBeau Stadium.

It gave Catholic (13-4) back-to-back district crowns and hopeful momentum into the state playoffs that begin next week.

“This felt really good to come out here and play our game, “ said Christiansen, a senior, who has helped carry the tradition of success with Catholic lacrosse. “We started really fast. We got on the board really quickly and that’s what help us spring up and got our energy to the point where we going the hold game and didn’t let off the pedal.”

While accelerating to the finish, the Crusaders had seven different players score and the entire roster played. After beating South Walton twice in the regular season, Catholic quickly seized control in this one with seven goals in the first 10 minutes, including three by Christiansen.

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“We really wanted to come out strong and put as many goals as we could and let things settle out,” said Catholic coach Chloe Weinmann. “It keeps the girls excited and the momentum high.

“We got every player on the field. We had a ton of different girls scoring, everyone saw the field and it’s a great opportunity for our girls.”

The next opportunity awaits next week when the Crusaders host a first-round playoff game. The pairings and playoff schedule will be announced by the FHSAA either Friday or Saturday.

Christiansen scored her first goal in a fitting way. She wears No. 21. The goal came with 21:21 left in the first half. It set the tone for a dominating performance by the Crusades, who led 12-1 at halftime and triggered a running clock in the final 25 minutes.

“I think it’s something for the girls as a confidence boost,” Weinmann said. “It tells them you’re the best team in the area and nobody can touch us. Not in this area at least. This gives our girls confidence to say, okay, we’re ready to travel, we’re ready to play better competition.”

Christiansen is the first Catholic girls lacrosse player to gain a Division I college scholarship. She signed with Rieinhardt University in the American Athletic Conference.

Her explosive play Thursday continued when she followed her second goal of the game with another just 18 seconds later as Catholic controlled possession in the ensuing midfield draw.

Sophomore midfielder Julia Frosch scored the first of her three first half goals to give Catholic a 2-0 lead. She made a pair of spin moves to free herself for an open look on goal.

Seven seconds after Christiansen’s third goal, Elia Adams made a charge after getting the ball on the draw and put a shot into the net. Adams then made it 8-0 with 13:10 left in the half.

Adams, Frosch and Christiansen each scored in the final six minutes as Catholic built a 12-1 halftime lead.

In the second half, Sophia Burgess and Susanna Snyder each scored to pad the lead.

Three more takeaways from Catholic’s lopsided win.

Scheduling up

None of Catholic’s four losses were from teams in the Northwest Florida region. Two of the losses were to teams from the Atlanta suburbs. Another was to Jacksonville Episcopal and the fourth to St. Augustine, a team Catholic might face in the region championship.

“They were very tough competition,” Weinmann said. “They were scheduled in as games that were supposed to challenge us and they certainly did. They were losses, but you gotta lose to get better.

“Playing the best competition is really the only way we can get better and bring our game to the next level, where people respect our game when we travel.”

Lasting legacy

Christiansen first discovered lacrosse from a billboard while traveling with her parents in Georgia. The family moved to Pensacola three years ago, then Christiansen transferred to Catholic after a season at Booker T. Washington.

“(Lacrosse) really has made me the person I am today. I don’t know where I would be without it. Because it has not only taught me how to be a good athlete but also how to be a good person and be a leader on the field but outside of lacrosse.”

Christiansen has been one of the area’s best players for her two seasons at Catholic.

“Brinley is someone you notice whenever she steps on the field,” Weinnman said. “She carries the ball well. She takes the draw well, she moves the ball well and plays good defense. She kinda has it all, which is why she is going to play at the next level. She will be our first player.”

Taking next step

Catholic advanced to the region semifinal game a year ago, before losing to St. Augustine. The Crusaders lost 14-9 to St. Augustine on March 10.

“That’s as far as we’ve gone,” Weinmann said. “We’ve continued to improve. I think we’re going to be prepared when we start the first round of playoffs (next week).”

-Bill Vilona

Boys

District 1-1A Final

No. 1 Pensacola Catholic 23, No. 2 West Florida 4

Six years have passed since the Pensacola Catholic boys lacrosse team last hoisted a district title.

Twice during that stretch, the Crusaders had to settle for runner-up honors.

However, moments into Thursday’s District 1-1A championship match, it wasn’t a matter of if Catholic would put an end to that drought. The question was how emphatically would they do it.

Blitzing West Florida in the first half, the Crusaders continued a magical year by capturing their first district title since 2017 with a convincing victory from Gorecki-LeBeau Stadium.

“The kids have put in a ton of work this year. We’ve taken a few punches along the way and we just kept going and getting better from it,” Pensacola Catholic head coach Garrett Purcell said. “It just felt good to put it all together and it was an important day to do it. They played outstanding today for four quarters.”

Catholic was the top seed in the district while the Jaguars were seeded second. Thursday was the second meeting this season between the two teams, with the Crusaders collecting an 18-8 triumph on March 21.

The rematch wasn’t nearly as close as the hosts enjoyed a 20-0 advantage at halftime, enabling a running clock for the second half.

“I’m very thankful. It’s been six years in the making, but I’m very thankful for the opportunity to move on to the (state) playoffs for the first time,” Catholic senior midfielder Andrew Frosch said. “I just want to thank my coaches and my team for getting us here, it’s going to be really fun.”

After Benton Lane opened the night’s scoring, Frosch made it 2-0 in favor of the home team just 61 seconds into the match.

Matthew Davis briefly kept the visitors in it early on following a series of fine saves from point-blank range. He stopped a pair of shots from Bennett Rauscher and another from Lane, but with the Crusaders living in the attacking area, there was only so much the sophomore goaltender could do.

Frosch made it 3-0 after circling around the net before firing a shot past Davis. That goal started a 6-0 run to end the first quarter.

Spreading out the opposing defense, the Crusaders were successful in winning their one-on-one matchups, resulting in drives to the net or passes to open teammates.

“We didn’t execute what we needed to execute tonight,” Jaguars head coach Justin Luciano said. “We knew we needed to have three categories, but we didn’t have those categories on point. That makes all the difference in the world. (The Crusaders) are a good team, they outplayed us.”

Frosch finished with a match-high eight goals while Rauscher and Lane contributed three goals apiece.

Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s District 1-1A Final

‘The trenches are not meant for everyone’

It’s easy to take over a match when you always have the ball.

Pensacola Catholic controlled possession by trouncing the Jaguars on faceoffs. Senior middle Chase Lastowski was responsible for the success in that department, winning the first eight faceoffs of the night.

West Florida did not win a faceoff until there were less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. The visitors only mustered two shots in the opening period.

“You have to focus, you have to be aggressive. The trenches are not meant for everyone and I feel like faceoffs are very valuable to the team,” said Lastowski, who entered the night with a 70 percent success rate on faceoffs.

Purcell added: “Chase is dedicated to the position of knowing what he’s supposed to do and doing it well. … He has been incredible for us this season. When he dominates, we do well, and it was a great night for him to dominate, especially right off the bat.”

Finishing flurry

Even with the onslaught of Crusader goals, the loudest cheer of the night came when Bryson Houdashelt put the road team on the board 70 seconds into the second half.

West Florida’s season likely came to end as the team entered the night ranked 10th in Region 1-1A. But the roars for the Jaguars faithful were for a program that produced a solid turnaround in the second half of 2023.

A loss at Leon on March 22 dropped West Florida’s record to 4-8. The team responded by winning five of its next six matches and added another win via forfeit.

“We played some hard teams this year,” Luciano said. “We wanted to have a balanced schedule, play some good teams and some teams that we knew we could win against. I think we achieved that and our guys are better because of it, but some nights don’t go your way.”

Colton Keglovic chipped in two scores and Kieran Reinsch added another for the Jaguars.

‘The grind continues’

The Crusaders loosened up in between the third and fourth quarter as the result was academic by then.

Players danced in a huddle as the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” blared over the loud speakers while others posed for photos with the team photographer. There was encouragement for the reserves on the field, but the celebration had already begun.

“We wanted to continue to have fun,” Purcell said. “We have been grinding for so long that it was nice to have a point where you’re able to have fun, get guys playing time and be able to take a breath. We didn’t have to wait until the last second to breathe and enjoy it. … The fast start was incredible for us and I’m just glad we were able to have fun playing tonight and not be too tense.”

It’s been that kind of season for Pensacola Catholic, who improved to 14-2 and bumped its goal differential to plus-179 this season. The team’s only two losses came against Gulf Breeze and St. Augustine, suffering a two-goal margin of defeat in each contest.

Likely in line for a No. 3 seed, the Crusaders will host a regional quarterfinal match a week from Saturday.

“The grind continues. We’ll enjoy today and this weekend, but starting Monday it’s back to work to prepare for Saturday,” Purcell said.

-Patrick Bernadeau

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Lacrosse: Catholic boys end long district drought, girls go back-to-back