Midwest Region Games of the Week, May 14-17

By Eric S. Smith

Postseason play is abundant in this week’s LaxPower high school lacrosse games of the week in the Midwest. Texas has reached its state semifinals, while Indiana is just getting their playoffs underway. Also, the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association is having their annual championship tournament this weekend in Ohio, and it promises some great games between some of the best teams the Midwest has to offer. Also on tap are a few big late-season clashes in Illinois and Michigan.

May 15

Worthington Kilbourne Wolves, OH (State PR: 99.20 Rank: 1) vs. Brother Rice Warriors, MI (State PR: 99.00 Rank: 1)

The Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association tournament is set this weekend for Friday and Saturday on the campus on Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, OH. This game is one of the semifinal matchups in the “A” bracket and is a rematch of earlier in the season when the Warriors knocked off the Wolves, 13-10. Both offenses can score almost at will, while the defenses haven proven they can shut down opponents. But if the first meeting is any evidence this will be a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair. The Wolves are averaging 15 goals per game and are led by Austin Wright, Kevin Mack, Pat Riffee and Drew Roper. The defense has been strong and has given up double-digit goals only once. The bad news is that was their only loss and it came against Brother Rice.

The Warriors also possess a high-octane attack and register 13.4 goals per game. They are led by two All-Americans, attackman Nick Dolik and middie and face-off specialist Danny Henneghan. On the defensive end of the field Brother Rice will turn to All-American goalie T.J. Yost to try and stop Kilbourne’s onslaught. This should be an explosive and exciting matchup. The winner will advance to Saturday’s final.

Upper Arlington Golden Bears, OH (State PR: 98.71 Rank: 2) vs. Western Reserve Academy Pioneers, OH (State PR: 97.45 Rank: 4)

This Buckeye State clash is the other MSLCA semifinal. The winner will meet the winner of Worthington Kilbourne/Brother Rice for the championship. The Golden Bears are 3-1 in the last four meetings between these two squads. Upper Arlington has played tough defense all year, but comes into the tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Golden Bears are led by defender Phil Gross and goalie Ted Dugger on that end of the field. The offense is paced by Alex Drake and middie Kyler Cooper.

For the Pioneers’ offense, which has averaged 12.7 goals per game, it all starts with Cornell-bound attackman Jake Thompson. The offense will be crucial, as the defnse may have some trouble with Drake and crew. But the defensive unit has been solid for Western Reserve. Its goals-against average is a bit high at 8.3, but that number is slightly inflated because of the difficult schedule it plays. The best defender for the Pioneers is Jack Rogan and he will be a key if they are to uphold their top seed and take the title this weekend.

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