Seahawks spread the love in 11-8 boys’ lax victory over Delmar
Flipping the script on the ancient battle of felines and raptors, it was the Seahawks pouncing on the Wildcats 11-8 during the Henlopen South boys’ lacrosse battle April 10.
Delmar struck first following a series of unforced errors by Sussex Academy which needed some patience before getting the horses running. Seahawks coach Andrew Fox said the loss 16-7 loss to Milford before spring break was a catalyst for change.
“We have a super young team starting four freshmen, an eighth grader and four sophomores,” he said. “We only really played two seniors with serious playing time. The Milford loss put us in a situation where we're not getting so impatient.”
Senior Michael Hoffert got on the board first for Sussex Academy and would end the game with another goal and a team-high three assists. Winning five of the seven first-quarter face-offs, freshman Jack Meszaros made sure the Seahawks had plenty of chances to equalize and the Seahawks eventually took a 4-2 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
“Jack owns the position, he faces off 100 times in practice, by himself, off the field and in different situations,” Fox said. “He is a physical kid who likes contact and isn’t afraid of it.”
“My coaches and my dad told me never to give up and just keep going at your man,” Meszaros said.
Meszaros continued to help his team by winning 80% of the second-quarter face-offs as the Seahawks took a commanding 7-3 lead into the half.
Contributions from freshmen Carter Nemcic and Gideon Sammons throughout the contest spaced the defense out forced it to respect their shots. This allowed sophomore Chase Ballinger room to dodge and gave junior Ben Warren space to operate on the crease.
“Practice is paying off,” Sammons said. “We put in a lot of work during spring break and it showed in this game.”
Despite losing the second half 5-4, Sussex Academy did enough in the first half to secure an 11-8 win and stave off a late fourth-quarter comeback from the Wildcats.
Warren, Ballinger and Nemcic each ended with two goals, while Sammons completed his hat trick and added an assist.
“We’re not looking to just take the ball to the goal and score,” Sammons said. “We allow the ball to move around and once it finds that stick ... we make sure to bury it in the back of the goal.”
The freshman believes their handle makes a huge difference when facing bigger teams.
“If you do well, practice hard and work those stick skills every single day, it’ll show in games, especially against bigger guys,” Sammons said.
Sussex Academy’s sophomore goalie, Jackson Hagy recorded 10 saves.
