Falmouth took an early five-goal lead Saturday and went on to claim its first Class B boys’ lacrosse state championship in four seasons.
Louis Mainella, George Gilbert and Devin Russell each scored three goals as the Yachtsmen rolled to a 13-9 victory against Yarmouth at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
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“We knew they were going to come out flying, so we knew we had to get out on them early,” said Jack Scribner, who had two goals and three assists for Falmouth. “We came out with a lot of heart, a lot of passion.”
The Yachtsmen (12-3) scored the first five goals in a four-minute span of the first quarter and Yarmouth never caught up.
The Clippers (11-5) closed within 7-5 with less than five minutes left in the first quarter but got no closer.
“We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter,” Yarmouth Coach David Pearl said. “The game was even, after that but we just couldn’t overcome that five-goal deficit at the start.”
Falmouth, which held a 9-5 halftime lead, took a 13-6 advantage into the final quarter.
Falmouth held the Clippers scoreless for more than eight minutes at the start of the game and for a 14-minute segment of the second half.
“Ultimately we tried to take away their time and space by getting out on their hands and pressuring them,” said Falmouth defenseman Brendan Hickey.
“We know they have a very strong attack, as well as midfield. It was a challenge. (Yarmouth) played great, but we ended up prevailing in the end.”
“Our offense has been prolific, (and) you have to give (Falmouth) a lot of credit,” Pearl said.
During the Class B North tournament, the Clippers outscored their three opponents 57-9.
“I think their (long) poles played very well today,” said Pearl.
The Clippers won 20 of 26 draws but committed 24 turnovers, which enabled the Yachtsmen to regain possession following a lot of those draws.
“We focused on having fun, getting the job done and moving the ball around.” Scribner said. “We didn’t just fly into everything, but we had a patient offense and (waited) for the best look, and we scored a lot of goals.”
To advance to the state final, the Yachtsmen beat Kennebunk and previously undefeated Cape Elizabeth in the Class B South tournament. Both of those teams defeated Falmouth in the final week of the regular season.
“I called them out and they responded,” Falmouth Coach Mike Lebel said of his players. “I told them we needed to be tougher. We needed more guys to step up. We had to react differently in certain situations. They took that and they performed admirably from that point on. They have been working their tails off supporting one another and became closer as a team.”
“We got yelled at a little bit and it stuck with us,” Gilbert said.
“We knew if we bore down a little bit we could win it. We believed in our coach and we did what he said, and it worked out for us. He very much knows what he’s talking about.”
Nate Arrants scored two goals for Falmouth and Henry Norris had an assist.
Andrew Beatty scored five goals for the Clippers. Will Jacobs had a goal and an assist, Matt Beatty, Patrick Grant and Cole Buchanan also scored, and Anders Newberg had an assist.
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