Boys lacrosse takes first loss

The Outlaws had a rough week, with a 10-4 loss on the lacrosse field at Ridgeview on Thursday, March 23, followed by a 14-2 loss to Liberty at home a day later.

In Thursday's game, the Outlaws got two goals from Ethan Morgan, and a goal from Bennett Lewis and Tyler Friend. Matt Harris recorded eight ground balls, Sam Mitchell had five, and Ethan Kennedy added four.

Casey Warburton did a superb job in the goal, with 18 shots saved. Willie Stewart played well in the midfield and harassed Ridgeview on the defensive end, and carried the ball to the offensive end. Jackson Rheuben did a solid job in his first action of the year as a long-pole defender.

Coach Paul Patton said, "We had some good shots on goal early in the game and fell into a little bit of a funk and just couldn't get back on track the rest of the game. After two big wins last week, our first loss of the season really taught us a lot about what we need to work on to continue to improve."

A day later, the Outlaws lost to Liberty.

Evan Palmer scored his first goal in high school competition. Sisters' only other goal came from Trey Stadeli. Jude Kokesh-Carhart and Friend recorded four ground balls and Morgan added three.

Matt Harris took over in the box as goalie, and according to Patton did a tremendous job. Harris saved 21 shots and was a vocal leader on defense.

Of the defensive unit, Patton said, "Sam Mitchell, Ethan Kennedy, and Spencer Morgan gave a valiant effort playing without any of the other long-stick back-ups available."

Gabe Patton and Friend were fierce and energetic the entire contest, and battled hard for the face-offs.

Chayce Sproat and Damien Wills played for the first time this season and added much-needed depth to the Outlaws roster. The Outlaws were a little short-handed at the middle position, and Stadeli, Willie Stewart, Kokesh-Carhart and Damien Wills had to run hard up and down the field without much recovery time on the sideline.

Patton said, "Liberty is a big school with a well-established, successful lacrosse program. They had close to 30 kids on their roster, and we played them tough with just 16 kids, so I'm really proud of our boys for the way they competed for the entire game, even though the scoreboard wasn't in our favor."

The Outlaws are now at 2-2, and Patton told The Nugget they are at a critical juncture as they head into spring break.

"If the boys can stay active during their week off, and we can get in a good week of practice during the second week of the break, I think we can set ourselves up to have a very rewarding rest of the season," said Patton.

The Outlaws' next game will be against Churchill at home on Friday, April 7.