Westhill secures first Class L berth since 2011

Westhill’s boys lacrosse team came into this season with a “states or bust” motto, though the Vikings hadn’t been to states in over a decade.

There is apparently no bust in these Vikings. Nasir Thornton’s overtime goal gave Westhill an 11-10 win at Trumbull on Saturday. The Vikings’ seventh win clinches a berth in the CIAC Class L tournament for the first time since 2011.

“It was incredible. It was something I think I really wanted for the kids,” said

Owen Sandoval, Westhill’s acting head coach. “They’re emotional, too. It was a goal of ours from the beginning of the season.”

The Vikings are 7-6 with three games remaining, securing the .400 winning percentage they need to qualify.

From 2012 to 2021, the team went a combined 25111. Its last winning season was 2009, when the Vikings were 12-4 in the regular season. That’s the last time they had more than six wins, too; they qualified at 6-9 in 2011.

“Something we’ve talked about as coaches is the resiliency the guys have had,” Sandoval said. “There’s a different energy than some previous seasons. If we get down by a goal or two, they never let it get to them.”

There’s talent all over the field, said Sandoval, who remains acting head coach since Scott Stone, a National Guardsman, arrived home shortly before the season, Stone said. There’s leadership on defense, and junior Thomas Waterbury, playing goal for the first time, has stood out. James Leydon, a junior, is an offensive catalyst and makes everyone around him better, Sandoval said.

On Saturday, said Sandoval, “we had the ball for the last possession, trying to figure out their zone. Connor Robinson, a sophomore, carried it up the wing and saw Nasir had some space. Nasir, when he got it, filled that space quickly and took the shot.”