The rattling cowbells that accompanied Hereford boys lacrosse’s initial race to an easy Class 2A state quarterfinal win had ceased, replaced by the roars from the Chesapeake bench.
The Bulls didn’t know how they let it happen. A four-goal halftime lead had quickly rocketed to seven in the third. Senior attack JP Revitte slung his second goal in, then unleashed a primal scream and pumped his fist. Nothing the Cougars had done yet had stopped Hereford from running the tempo from every won ground ball, every unfettered shot.
And then, the high from the bubbling blowout crashed all around them. In a few flashes of Cougar-held sticks, daydreams of the state semifinals morphed into nightmares.
When Ryan Kopp’s potential goal that would’ve brought Chesapeake within two, smacked too low to the ground, the Bulls took their chance at salvation. With more than five minutes left, all Hereford could do to cling to its lead — its season — was to keep the ball tucked safely in attacks’ sticks.
And, even with Chesapeake defenders like Nick Paciello stalking each step, the Bulls chewed on enough clock to preserve an 8-6 victory. Just as the final seconds ticked away, and the Hereford sidelines rushed to celebrate, Revitte took a the briefest pause before springing to them, too.
“We were lucky enough to hold it out, with the clock on our side,” Revitte said. “We lost it a little bit there, but we were able to keep it going.”
The Bulls (13-3), who advance to face top-seeded Huntingtown, are not unaccustomed to watching their state hopes vanish in heartbreak fashion. But having a team like Chesapeake shove them back on their heels was a welcome, albeit bitter, wakeup call.
“It just shows how fast it can get away from you, how bad it can get,” Revitte said. “There’s multiple scenarios where that game goes the other way. And we’ll take that to practice tomorrow.”
Chesapeake had 11 scoreless minutes to set the tone against Hereford, until its defenders made their fatal mistake. Not one figure in white chased senior Jay Goetz as a loose ball ricocheted toward midfield. Goetz galloped back into the fray and cleaved through Cougar and Bull alike to, at last, break the ice for a 1-0 lead.
“We just needed that time to feel each other out,” Kyle Leppert said, “and stay patient.”
But there was no need for patience anymore. Brenden Kittner followed up his teammate’s effort less than a minute later and the gates flew open like tornado gusts rushed through. Chesapeake captured faceoffs, took shots, but couldn’t sneak past Hereford keeper Caleb Bush’s blockade. Meanwhile, every one-on-one rocket a Bull launched — whether from Revitte, Kittner or others — hit bullseye.
Opportunities for Hereford continued to mount. When a ball dropped loose, Chesapeake hesitated to chase while Bulls gravitated to it like a magnet.
“Offensively, we were in extended possessions by regaining those ground balls,” Leppert said. “It was vital.”
But down 5-1 at halftime, and 8-1 minutes into the second half, the Cougars could not hesitate any longer. They hunted ground balls, opposing attacks and goal-making shots alike, raising such an electric energy, it sapped Hereford’s away.
The Cougars know how to rally against a sizable deficit. Two weeks ago, Glen Burnie owned a four-goal margin at halftime, just for Chesapeake to turn it around to an 11-10 victory.
Chesapeake gathered three-straight faceoffs and refused to surrender possessions. Kopp, Talan Behler and Nathan Wheeler peppered shots until each secured the goals they sought to bring it within 8-5 shortly into the fourth.
“We definitely picked it up a little bit on them, on the physicality, and that helped us turn the tide,” Chesapeake coach Brian Brown said. “But too little too late. The slow start killed us.”
When Chesapeake dropped to 2A, Brown knew his program had a chance to take a leap. No Cougars boys team had ever won a region title, and two days ago, this one did.
“We had 50 guys playing all year round. This year was good for the program, not just for varsity, but for JV making the county championship. We had a couple slip-ups along the way,” Brown said, “but that got us ready for the battle we had tonight.
“We did what we could, but ultimately fell short to a more seasoned team.”
Hereford — 2 3 3 0 — 8
Chesapeake — 0 1 3 2 — 6
Goals: HF — Revitte 2, Manakil 2, Kittner 2, McGee 1, Goetz 1; CH — Behler 2, Wheeler 2, Kopp 2; Assists: HF — Revitte 1, Manakil 1, Kittner 1, J. Bush 1; Saves: HF — C. Bush 8; CH — Cappe 3
