Lions can’t halt Bulldogs’ state semifinal run

Winston Churchill coach Jeff Fritz played on the first high school boys lacrosse team in Montgomery County in the late 1980s and is now in his 25th year as head coach, so he knows the history of lacrosse around the I-495 corridor better than almost anyone.

He and a few others fought for 10 years for the sport to be recognized countywide at the varsity level, and then 10 more years to get junior varsity programs. But it’s also well known throughout the area and the state that despite significant growth for the sport, no Montgomery County team has ever been the last team standing and won a state championship.

The Bulldogs have been the closest, having won regional titles in six of the last seven years with two appearances in the state final. Both times, however, they were overmatched, first in 2015 against a special undefeated Howard team, and then again last year to Severna Park, another undefeated squad.

“We’ve been fighting for years to get a state championship for Montgomery County. So yeah, we are looking for be the first,” Fritz said. “There’s a lot of pride in it.”

Against Howard in a 4A state semifinal at Gaithersburg on Saturday afternoon, Churchill (16-0) looked like a team that is fed up with falling short. The Bulldogs crushed the Lions, building a seven-goal lead in the first half en route to a 14-4 victory to advance to the final for the second straight year and third time in four years.

They will have a rematch with Severna Park, which beat Eleanor Roosevelt, 17-1, in the other semifinal, at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Stevenson University in Owings Mills.

“I think this is the best team Montgomery County has ever seen,” Fritz proclaimed after the win, “but now we need to prove it at the state level, that we’re contenders with the rest of the state.”

Howard (16-2), which lost for just the second time this spring, and was held to a season-low four goals while allowing double-digit goals for the first time.