Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
American Heritage-Delray wins first state title
BOCA RATON — May 11, 2018, might go down as the day the American HeritageDelray girls lacrosse dynasty began.
Just four short years after the program’s inception, the Stallions have rapidly ascended to the top of the Florida landscape under coach John McClain.
On Friday night, the nationally ranked Stallions put the finishing touches on their sensational season. Facing Lake Highland Prep in the state title game, Heritage won 10-7 to capture the school’s first championship.
As the final whistle sounded at Boca Raton High School, the players stormed the field, setting off a frenzied celebration. Ranked 5th in the nation by Lacrosse Magazine, American Heritage-Delray finished the season 21-1.
“The school hired me to win championships,” McClain said. “That’s the first one. We got to the [state semifinals] two years ago and fell short. This was a tough game. Lake Highland brought it. It was probably our hardest game in Florida.
“I’m extremely proud of my kids. They were unbelievable the whole entire season.”
Star attacker Caitlyn Wurzburger — the nation’s top-ranked sophomore player — led the Stallions with two goals, three assists on the night. The sophomore Syracuse commit finished the season with 105 goals, 114 assists on the season. After the game, she and a fellow teammate gave her dad Rob — a Stallions assistant — a Gatorade bath to top off the celebration.
“It’s the greatest feeling to know we got this done,” Wurzburger said. “Everyone has worked so hard for this. I’ve played with these seniors since I was in kindergarten and it’s a great way to send them off to college.”
Sophomore Kylie Hazen, a Calvary Christian transfer, scored a team-high three goals in the victory.
“It’s all on the team,” Hazen. “We all just work hard together. I owe all my goals and everything to the team and their hard work. I was having a rough time in the beginning, but I calmed my nerves and my teammates were really supportive and it helped me get through it.”
Despite losing to Heritage 22-9 earlier in the season, Lake Highland Prep hung even with the Stallions for the majority of the first half. The teams were tied 3-3 with just over two minutes to play before the Stallions went on a late run to push the lead to 6-4. In the second half, Heritage pushed its lead to five goals, before the Highlanders scored a pair late.
With the bulk of its contributors back, American Heritage-Delray will be in prime position to continue its run. Wurzburger and Hazen are both sophomores, plus Allegra Catalano (Louisville) and Megan Mangines (Butler) return next year.
“We won a championship, but the work’s just begun,” Wurzburger said. “Now we have a standard to keep. We’re a young team, but we’re here to play.”