Lakeville North works overtime to secure first boys lacrosse championship
Lakeville North senior lacrosse midfielder Nate Long measures, as the line in the movie "Rudy" goes, about 5-foot-nothing and a-hundred-and-nothing.
A tractor-trailer with an "Oversized Load" sign on back was needed Saturday to transport his heart back to Lakeville. Long's goal secured the program's first state title with an 11-10 overtime victory against Prior Lake in the state tournament championship played at Stillwater High School.
Long also scored the semifinal overtime winner. Teammate Quinn Power sized up second-seeded North's suddenly clutch closer.
"I'll talk to my dad and he'll say, 'Look at him, he's not the biggest kid, he's a little bit shorter, but then you blink, and he's gone past you,' " said Power, the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year. "He's a guy that bought in and helped contribute any way he could. And he really shined through at the end of the year."
Long's two goals Saturday moved his season total to 10. His first goal tied the game in the first half. His second set off a massive celebration among red-and-white-clad Panthers (17-2) players and fans.
"It means a lot," Long said. "Finishing off my high school season like that is something special. I won't ever forget it."
Lacrosse observers forgot about the Panthers as they stumbled to a 6-8 finish last season. They roared back this spring, defeating Prior Lake 19-12 on May 9 then outlasting stubborn state tournament opponents Cretin-Derham Hall and Shakopee.
The Lakers were no easy out, either. Junior attacker Jack Tocko scored with three seconds remaining and sent the game to overtime. The Lakers (No. 4 seed, 14-5) were playing in their fifth consecutive title game. They defeated Lakeville North for the 2016 championship.
"Faceoffs were big," Prior Lake coach Casey Mithun said. "And Power is an absolute handful. He was the difference-maker in my opinion."
Power, a junior faceoff specialist, took the critical overtime draw looking to exorcise a demon from his past. As a freshman two seasons ago, Power lost the overtime faceoff in a Prior Lake state tournament semifinal victory.
"It was kind of a revenge thing for me," Power said. "I knew I was going to win this one."
