Boys lacrosse begins playoffs
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 11, 2016
The Vashon Vultures high school-age lacrosse team is into the playoffs. The team has one regular season game left, but the league standings are set.
Last week saw two league games, — one loss, followed up by a win. The disappointing loss was on Wednesday, May 4, against Klahowya.
Vashon had a rough game, and the worst part of it was an injury to Jack Kelley. He was head down scooping a ball when an opposing player “cleaned him out” with a helmet-to-helmet collision that was somehow not called for a foul. He was on his feet quickly, however, and was checked by a physician on the sidelines for concussion before being released to play.
Back in the game, he was just not himself, and though he played a bit more, it was not his best game. Klahowya scored twice, and Vashon fell 2-0.
After an evaluation at the island clinic following the game, Kelley is now out for the season due to concussion.
The pressure is now on for the freshmen-dominated team, with Mason Rice slated to step into Kelley’s role.
Rice had an excellent performance in the final league game of the season on Friday, May 6, against South Kitsap. The highlight of this game was perhaps Rice’s “toe drag” move with a long pole. He cradled the ball vertically and whipped the head of his stick down by his feet to get by a defender.
South Kitsap’s goalie kept the away team in the game, but they knew they were out-matched by Vashon, as the Vultures had defeated them soundly earlier in the year.
The Vashon team had a rough third quarter, scoring zero goals and giving up three, but turned the heat on full blast in the fourth quarter. The Vultures put the game away with an offense that used movement, finesse and the brute strength and will of Dawit Tuller-Ross. He has, on several occasions this year, put the team on his shoulders and changed the face of the game. In this case, he made a defensive play, came up with the ball and made a run up-field, facing all of South Kitsap’s players until it was just him and the goalie. He buried the ball in the net, firing up the team, and leading to a barrage of Vashon goals.
The team made quick cuts, beautiful passes and just kept finding the open man. The final score was 16-6, Vashon.
If the Vultures can put together a full game like this fourth quarter, they can go far into the playoffs.
The Vultures have one non-league game left in Port Angeles today, Wednesday, and then will face a strong White River team with 15 seniors in the first round of the playoffs on Friday or Saturday. Looking at the bracket, if they can pass that test and continue playing strong, the rest of the bracket shouldn’t be too tough. Since Klahowya is on the other side of the bracket and looking like the strong team there, if the Vultures want some revenge this year, the only path is via the state championship.
— Greg Martin is the father of two high school athletes.
