PROVIDENCE – Heading to its 16th straight state championship game on Saturday, the La Salle boys lacrosse team was chasing perfection on the field at Brown University.
The Rams didn’t get it – but they still got what they wanted.
For the 11th straight season, La Salle met Moses Brown in the state championship game. This battle was nothing like the regular-season matchup and required La Salle to search within itself to stave off the Quakers’ second-half momentum. The Rams did, played near-perfect lacrosse in the final two quarters and came away with a 15-7 win, earning the program’s 14th straight state championship.
“It definitely feels different this time, being my last year with the boys,” La Salle’s Lachlan Got said. “It’s definitely a special moment. We came out to battle.”
“All the work is just worth it,” La Salle’s Quincy Marino said. “It really is.”
La Salle’s goal for every game is to play perfect lacrosse. The Rams set lofty goals, and when they reach them, it’s not hard to see. La Salle’s 13-4 win over Moses Brown on May 18 was a perfect example.
The first quarter of Saturday’s championship game looked strikingly similar. La Salle dominated possession, executed well on offense and limited Moses Brown in the few possessions it had.
With a 4-1 lead, a Rams’ route seemed inevitable, but the Quakers quickly got things turned around. The return of Jeffrey Larson – who missed most of the season with an injury – helped shore up the Quaker defense and the offense started to click. MB got goals from Ben Magiera and Johnny Cerce to make it 5-4 with 5:23 left before the teams traded goals.
Up 6-5, La Salle got a big boost from a Daniel Reilly score with 18 seconds left and then went into halftime to discuss how things were going to have to be different.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be [like] it was in the last game,” Got said. “MB comes out with a fight in every ‘chip game. We know we had to come out with our A game.
“A lot of penalties and stupid stuff – that hurt us,” Marino said. “At the end of the day, we know who we are. They don’t faze us. We just keep moving.”
La Salle wasn’t perfect in the first half, but it was pretty close in the second. The Rams scored the first two goals of the half, and Moses Brown came back with two more, but getting goals from Marino and Nick Loo in the final 99 seconds made it a four-goal game.
With the clock in their favor, La Salle needed to play smart, and, as it has shown for most of the last decade-plus, that’s what it does best.
It wasn’t a drastic turnaround for the Rams, but the inspired play – especially coming off a halftime speech from head coach Steve O’Donnell – in the final two quarters shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“We had to play our game again, keep on hitting the back of the net,” Got said. “We had to win our matchups and move the ball, and we executed.”
“It always gets us pumped up and reminds us who we are, and we’ve worked hard,” said Marino of his coach’s words at the break. “He reminds us of all the work we put in and no matter how tired we are, they’re more tired than us.”
Moses Brown’s effort was obvious. With only four seniors, the Quakers had youth and inexperience everywhere, and those players grew up in a hurry. The improved play from the May 18 loss to La Salle to what they put on the field was evident.
Ending the season with a defeat wasn’t ideal, but it’ll be a part of the learning process as they return most of the roster. This year ends with a loss, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a success.
“They left it all out on the field, for sure,” Moses Brown coach Mike Fraioli said. “… We only have four seniors, and they’ve been fantastic, and our best defender was out all year. He was able to come back and play [Saturday], which gave us a lot of inspiration.
“I’m very proud of this young team and proud of the four seniors, for sure.”
La Salle has celebrated plenty of lacrosse titles but always enjoys the moment. While everyone else expects the Rams to win, they don’t – and the work they put in when no one’s watching pays off in the one game where everyone is.
“We know if we strive high we’ll get close to that,” Got said. “If we strive low, we won’t be doing anything.”
“Why wouldn’t you strive for perfection?” Marino said. “If you fall short of it, you’ll be pretty damn good.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: La Salle wins 2026 RI high school boys lacrosse state championship
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
