Following a weekend performance that could only be described as dominant, five West Shore athletes and the rest of their Vancouver Island teammates returned from Abbotsford with B.C. Summer Games gold in field lacrosse.
Casey Wilson and Matthew Atkinson from Langford, Brodie Strugnell and Jacob Mellish from Metchosin, and Seve Cordero from View Royal were among the contingent that brought hardware back to the Island.
In their first contest, the Vancouver Island-Central Coast (Zone 6) squad roared out of the gates with a 21-1 win over Cariboo-North East that set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
Next, coach Brian SpavenB次元官网网址檚 group had their closest encounter of the entire tournament, squeaking past Fraser River by an 8-6 count.
B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 show up to play and sort of struggled a bit out of the gate,B次元官网网址� Spaven noted. B次元官网网址淏ut the kids gathered their composure and we were able to win ... they were a solid team.B次元官网网址�
The boys hit their stride in time for the knockout round, as the games started to matter the most.
They took out Vancouver-Coastal by a 22-2 count before besting Fraser River again - this time by a much more comfortable 14-3 margin - to take the top spot on the podium.
In the gold medal game, the Island team came flying out of the gates before hitting a bit of a wall after the gameB次元官网网址檚 midway point.
B次元官网网址淲e fell asleep a little bit,B次元官网网址� 14-year-old Isaac Swan recalled, adding that they gave up a few goals with a crew of three boys looking on from the penalty box.
They quickly bounced back from that setback and cruised to victory from there.
B次元官网网址淲e started focusing again and just didnB次元官网网址檛 let them catch up,B次元官网网址� Swan said.
The gold medal game was a culmination of the teamB次元官网网址檚 collective efforts over the weekend and stood as the clubB次元官网网址檚 most complete game of the tournament.
B次元官网网址淥ur transition was just amazing and our defence played excellent. They did everything that I asked for,B次元官网网址� Spaven said.
In blowout matchups it can be difficult to keep a group of young 13 and 14-year-olds focused on the task at hand, but Spaven says his group stayed mentally strong even when up by significant totals.
B次元官网网址淚 just told them to stay within our plan ... working on plays and working on game things so we can get up for the next game,B次元官网网址� Spaven explained.
Spaven held a handful of practices with his team prior to the Games, but all of the boys were already familiar with one another, having played either with or against each other in the past.
Cordero, a forward, and Swan, a midfielder from Sooke, believe that the teamB次元官网网址檚 success was partly the result of the chemistry and the established rapport they had with each other. Often, the players were able to anticipate exactly what their teammates were thinking, giving them a significant advantage over the competition across all facets of the game.
B次元官网网址淲e can kind of tell what the other guyB次元官网网址檚 going to do before he does it,B次元官网网址� Cordero said.
B次元官网网址淲e know how each other plays and we can expect what each otherB次元官网网址檚 going to do and know where theyB次元官网网址檙e going to be,B次元官网网址� Swan agreed.
As the final minutes ticked away and it became clear that they were taking home gold, the excitement set in for a young group thatB次元官网网址檚 already mature enough to recognize that wins like this donB次元官网网址檛 come around every day.
B次元官网网址淚t was exciting, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 happen a lot so youB次元官网网址檙e kind of pumped when it does,B次元官网网址� Swan said.
B次元官网网址淚t was pretty fun hanging with the team all week and just playing lacrosse,B次元官网网址� Cordero reflected.
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com
