Freshman Stangle heroic in upset
Calvert Hall freshman Brady Stangle had never been on Boys’ Latin’s campus, so it was understandable that he had some early nerves starting in goal against the powerful Lakers.
After some unsteady moments, Stangle settled down and came up with 10 huge saves, several from point-blank range. That performance, paired with Virginia commit Truitt Sunderland scoring three goals, including the game-winner with 6:08 left, led the No. 8 Cardinals to an 11-10 upset victory over No. 2 Boys’ Latin on Friday.
“The defense played great and that’s what really helped us,” Stangle said. “I was struggling to see the ball a little in the first quarter and [my teammates] were just hyping me up. It was all positive energy. It was awesome.”
The Cardinals improved to 4-3 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, widely considered the best high school lacrosse league in the nation. Boys’ Latin fell to 5-2 and is clinging to second place in the standings behind undefeated St. Mary’s.
“I just say to everyone who doesn’t know about it, it’s like the NFL,” Calvert Hall coach Bryan Kelly said about the MIAA A Conference. “Everyone is good. It’s challenging. You have to block out the noise the best you can.”
Calvert Hall midfielder Wyatt Hottle gave Calvert Hall its biggest lead at 9-6 with 11:24 left in the third quarter. However, the Lakers answered with goals by Dominic Pietramala and Hopper Zappitello.
Pietramala, a North Carolina commit, is one of the most explosive players in the nation and finished with a pair of goals, but Calvert Hall defenseman JK Kelly did an admirable job marking him.
“He’s competitive, he’s really good,” Kelly said. “We just played as a team and played our system.”
The Lakers tied the game at 9 on a goal by Spencer Ford with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Calvert Hall reclaimed the lead two minutes later on a strike by Shuey Kelly, and Sunderland followed with an empty-net score that provided a two-goal cushion.
Ford scored again for Boys’ Latin with 3:10 left but a costly penalty gave the Cardinals the ball and the chance to run out the clock.
The Cardinals have won three consecutive games after dropping back-to-back contests to St. Paul’s and John Carroll.
“Our offense, our defense, everybody was on the same page today,” Strickland said. “We had a downslope in our season, but now getting these last couple of wins has really been a motivational boost. We just have to work harder.”