Country Day blitzes Cranbrook in Division 2 regional final
PONTIAC » It’s been eight years since Birmingham Detroit Country Day last won a boys lacrosse state championship.
The Yellowjackets may not be saying it out loud, but they are sending a message on the field that eight years is long enough.
Country Day moved a step closer toward competing for its first state title since 2014 on Tuesday night when it stormed past Bloomfield Hills CranbrookKingswood, 17-5, in the Division 2 regional final at Notre Dame Prep.
“We all know our goal. We’re not going to state it, but we are pretty focused on that,” said DCD senior Parker Yearego, who led the Yellowjackets with eight goals and three assists, becoming the program’s single-season record holder for goals with 81 in the process.
Tuesday’s performance wasn’t an anomaly for Country Day (17-2) this season.
Ranked amongst the best in the state overall, DCD plays a relentless style on both sides of the field. It has led to an average of 17.9
goals per game offensively, while giving up an average of just 5.8 per game on defense.
“We are playing our best right now, and that’s certainly always our goal at Country Day,” DCD coach Chris Garland said. “The kids have been putting in the work all the time, in the offseason and during the season. They are a pleasure to coach. They hold each other accountable and listen to the coaching staff. I really couldn’t ask for much more from them.”
Country Day played as advertised from the start of Tuesday’s contest. While the offense needed a few minutes to get started, its defense never allowed Cranbrook
(11-9) to settle in.
The Yellowjackets created ground balls, intercepted passes, and won nearly every scrum for the ball there was while keeping the Cranes on their heels.
“Even if teams try to slow things down, we try to get after them and force them to make plays. That’s our approach from box to box. That’s how we play at Country Day,” Garland said. “We have a lot of depth and our kids are accustomed to playing with that level of effort and determination.”
That style of play eventually led to transition opportunities on offense, not that DCD wasn’t scoring without them.
The fast-paced play applied to the Country Day offense as well. DCD constantly moved the ball when in possession, always looking to make the extra pass. It led to eight different scorers on 11 goals in the opening half. Seven of the 11 goals were assisted.
“On offense, we just kind of gel together, so we know we are all going to get our points,” Yearego said. “We just like sharing the ball and finding success as a group.”
Country Day built an 11-2 halftime lead into double digits early in the second half. Cranbrook would find some success in the third, posting three goals in the period, two of which
came from senior Theo von Staden. However, DCD just kept pushing forward.
As a team, Country Day would finish with 11 assists on its 17 goals. Yearego attributed the offense’s stellar execution to playing against the DCD defense each day in practice.
“I think part of it is that we practice really hard against each other. I get to go against (defenseman) Ryan Lyngklip every day and we just make each other better,” Yearego said. “When we come out (for a match), it’s like we know we’re ready for the challenge and used to any kind of pressure that can come our way.”
Lyngklip and the DCD defense had some help on Tuesday from goalie Max Kunnath, who made seven saves on the Cranes.
Along with Yearego’s eight goals, Caden Daley and Caiden Ramos each found the net twice for DCD. Talon Garn scored and recorded a pair of assists. Shafeek Halabi also had two assists.
“I am really pleased with how the guys performed,” Garland said. “We started a little slow, but we bounced back nicely. It was a total team effort for us.”
Von Staden scored three of Cranbrook’s five goals in the loss. CK goalie Larson Makie faced a lot of shots on the day, and collected 10 saves of his own.
Country Day now advances to Saturday’s D2 state quarterfinal at Troy Athens High School. The Yellowjackets will face the winner of the regional final between Okemos and Bay City Western, at 3 p.m.
DCD has just two strikes against it in the 2022 season.
One of the two losses came against 2021 D1 runner-up, Hartland, 17-16. The other was an 18-10 loss to Forest Hills Central back on March 30.