High School Lacrosse: Pensacola Catholic boys make area history in Region 1-1A quarterfinal win

Twenty-four hours after the Pensacola Catholic girls lacrosse team advanced to the next round of the state playoffs, it was the boys turn to get in on the fun.

And along the way, the Crusaders made area history.

Leading for nearly the entire night, Pensacola Catholic emerged with a 12-8 victory over Trinity Catholic on Saturday during a Region 1-1A quarterfinal match from Gorecki-LeBeau Stadium.

It is the first regional playoff victory for an area boys lacrosse team. This comes one week after the Crusaders captured their first district title in six years.

"This is the moment that we talked about in the beginning of the year," Pensacola Catholic head coach Garrett Purcell said. "So we just wanted to take that step by winning our division and do what no one has done in the area. From there, it's just gravy. ... To move the needle more for this area, it feels great."

More PCHS: Catholic continues string of state berths after taking Region 1-1A crowns

Districts: Catholic boys grab first district title since 2017, girls go back-to-back

The Crusaders entered Region 1 Bracket as the No. 4 seed while the Celtics were seeded fifth. Pensacola Catholic will next take on top-seeded Bolles at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday from Jacksonville.

The home team took its first lead at 2-1 on a score from Tucker Mixon early in the first quarter. From there, the Crusaders clung to a 7-5 advantage at halftime.

Unlike the girls team who distanced itself from its opponent late in the first half Friday, Pensacola Catholic gained its separation by scoring the first five goals of the second half.

Andrew Frosch got the ball rolling in the third quarter when he delivered a goal in transition. After Frosch assisted on a Benton Lane tally, Mixon got his second of the night, leading to a Trinity Catholic timeout. All three goals occurred in a 62-second stretch.

"They are definitely one of the most physical teams that we played recently," said Crusaders junior attacker Bennett Rauscher, who scored twice. "Just watching film, we figured out that we had to move the ball fast, play fast and play as a team. We definitely had to use that as an advantage."

The Crusaders continued to pour it on as Frosch tacked on another assist on a Harold Mitchell laser from the right side of the 12-meter arc. Mitchell scored again before the Celtics ended the run with a goal by Austin Holder.

Pensacola Catholic sophomore goalie Noah Watkins contributed the final highlight of the third with a beautiful kick save in the quarter's final seconds.

Opting for possession and milking the clock, the hosts were held scoreless in the fourth, but had more than enough to advance.

"The key to victory was definitely teamwork," Rauscher said. "Going in, we've never played this team before, at least I haven't. Not knowing much about them, we just had to play as a team, learn as a team throughout the game and contribute together."

Here are three takeaways from Saturday's performance:

Zone slows down Celtics

While tempers flared during a fourth-quarter skirmish where the players needed to be separated, Purcell and the Crusaders were complementary of their opponent, with the head coach saying "it was one of the most fun games we've played all year."

Purcell also noted Trinity Catholic's athleticism, which was too much for Pensacola Catholic to handle at times in the first half. With that, the home team opted for a halftime adjustment that changed night's complexion. The Crusaders switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone defense.

That change resulted in a series of Celtics turnovers as the visitors struggled to get into the middle of the scoring arc.

"We had some one-on-ones where we were getting beat," Purcell said. "We wanted to come out with a completely different defense to see if we can slow them down. And it ended up working."

Best team in program history?

Following its fourth consecutive win, Pensacola Catholic improved its record to 15-2 this season. The team's only two defeats each were decided by two goals (March 10 vs. St. Augustine, March 31 vs. Gulf Breeze).

The Crusaders matched a single-season program mark of 15 wins previously set in 2017. They can do no worse than equal the 2017 team, who finished that year at 15-3.

Of course, the one feather that the 2023 squad has in its cap is a state playoff victory while the 2017 team fell in a regional quarterfinals. Regardless of when this season ends, Pensacola Catholic has had a season from heaven.

"I knew that these kids can do it," Purcell said. "It's hard to guess how a season is going to go, but it's been five years-plus in the making and it didn't happen over night. I'm just so glad that these kids have put it together in a time where it matters the most."

Catholic vs. Goliath

Pensacola Catholic will need extraordinary effort if it wants to reach 16 wins.

A state semifinalist each of the last two years, Bolles is the favorite to take home the crown in 2023. At 19-2, the Bulldogs are ranked first in Class 1A, second in the state and 11th nationally according to MaxPreps.

The team features four players with at least 50 goals this season and another that's chipped in 49. Juniors Daylin John (66 G, 64 A) and Gavin Boree (72 G, 39 A) pace the team with 130 and 111 points, respectively.

So what is it going to take to nab an upset?

"You got to be great," Purcell said. "They're the top team in the state. You got to be pretty dang close to perfect to pull a win at Bolles. But we have a lot of talented kids that have played a long time. ... We're going to work on it, it's going to be a difficult task, but it's not like these kids couldn't do it."

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.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Boys Lacrosse: Pensacola Catholic notches area first with regional quarterfinal win