On Saturday, May 21, Academy’s boys lacrosse season came to an end with a disappointing loss to Dublin Scioto in the third round of the Division II tournament as the Irish defeated the Vikes in a 17-11 loss.
Having lost to Dublin Scioto 13-5 earlier in the season, Academy knew it had to bring its A game to beat the talented Irish. But Scioto’s offense once again proved to be too much for the Vikes.
The Irish jumped out to a 8-3 lead over the Vikings, sending the raucous Dublin crowd into a frenzy. Yet the Vikes stormed back, and near the end of the third quarter, the game was tied at 10. The Irish crowd, sensing that the game was slipping away, got behind its team. Scioto fed off the energy, and ripped off 7 straight goals, leaving the Vikes behind. Senior Wills Hutras was huge for the Irish, scoring 7 goals in the win. Otis Klingbeil scored 4 goals for Academy, as his phenomenal career as a Viking came to a close.
It will be hard for the program to reload next season after a great senior class graduates, but Academy’s young talent will soften the blow. Freshmen David Barren, Malcolm Klingbeil, and Billy Bates played significant minutes this year, and they will only get better. Sophmores Karibi Hart, Isaac Schmidt, and juniors Roman Bellisari and Anthony Sugar are other notable players who will be returning next year.
Despite the disappointing loss, the Vikes still had a great year and have many positives to build on next year.