Marshall Sudbury
Lions players come to celebrate with fans after winning THSLL Class A championship.
St. Mark’s defeated Austin High School to win the Texas High School Lacrosse League Class A championship by a final score of 7 – 3. The Lions entered the tournament as the top seed and beat Strake Jesuit (5 – 3) and Memorial High School (12 – 9) to reach the championship game against the Maroons.
Weston Chance scored first for the Lions as St. Mark’s spent most of the first half in the attacking zone, but Austin answered back to tie the game at one going into halftime. Matthew Weir opened the scoring in third quarter and Chance bulldozed over a Maroon defender before adding another goal, making the score 3 – 1 with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Lions’ offense continued to stay hot as Mac Saye scored a few minutes later and then Chance completed his hat trick with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Near the end of the third, Lions goalie William White took a delay of game penalty and had to leave the goal for the end of the quarter. Backup goaltender Graham Smith stepped in and stopped a series of Austin shots as the Maroons tried to take advantage of the freshman goalie.
Emboldened their defensive stops to end the third quarter, Saye and Rocco Renda both added another goal to extend the lead to six with only nine minutes left in the game. The Lions settled into defensive positions as the Austin attackers desperately tried to cut into the lead. White and the St. Mark’s defense were solid as the Lions won 7 – 3. Saye took home offensive MVP, Brenda won defensive MVP, and Chance was named overall Most Valuable Player for the tournament.