ROANOKE, Va. – Our area was full of VHSL Regional lacrosse action Wednesday night as teams battled for a spot in not only their region finals but also the upcoming VHSL State Tournament.
In Roanoke, the Patrick Henry boys battled three-time state champion and runner-up Briar Woods in a home match that proved to be physical from start to finish. For the second consecutive game, the Patriots seniors stepped up when needed most in this game. Weston Totty and Walker Wilkinson set the tone while guys like Brooks Derey, Jack Kenney and Roderick Tasco did the rest. Patrick Henry and Briar Woods went back and forth throughout the name and while the Patriots led 9-7 at halftime, the Falcons netted 3 goals in the first three minutes of the third quarter to take a 10-9 lead.
“They kept their composure in a lot of tough spots in the game with a lot of tough calls and stick penalties, etcetera, but we’ve never wavered and they just hung right in and kept doing what we’re doing all year,” said Patrick Henry head coach Josh Wilkinson.
The Patriots kept battling and went on to a 19-16 victory, clinching a spot in the Region 5D Final where they will play the defending VHSL Class 5 champion Riverside on May 30. With Wednesday nights win, the Patriots also clinched a spot into the Class 5 State Tournament field.
On the girls side of Region 5D, the Patrick Henry girls came up short on the road at Independence, 17-6 in a semifinals matchup.
In Class 4 Region D action, the E.C. Glass boys defeated Salem 10-5 to advance to the Final where it will play the top seed Cave Spring. The Knights defeated Rockbridge County 11-5.
On the girls side of Region 4D, Salem defeated E.C. Glass 13-11 to advance to the Final where it will play top seed Rockbridge County. The Wildcats beat Cave Spring 17-6 in the other semifinal.