NAPLES – For much of the second half of the season, the Community School boys lacrosse team often outperformed and managed to will their way to wins against stout opponents.
Saturday afternoon, the dream season ended for a Seahawks team that was looking to become the first Southwest Florida lacrosse program to capture a state title.
Benjamin came away victorious in a hostile environment at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, winning 11-10 to capture their first state championship in program history.
“This is awesome,” Benjamin coach Peter Cordrey said. “They’re great kids. We’ve worked really hard. I think the game was typical of us gutting things out. That was a true gutting out. Of all the games we’ve played this year, that was the toughest one. We don’t win faceoffs a lot, and that’s a big glaring weakness in our game, and their guy was awesome.”
Community School’s hangover from an 11-10 overtime win against then-national No. 1 Saint Andrew’s was short lived. The Buccaneers struck quickly in the first 57 seconds thanks to goals from Ford Cash and Matthew Null. Shortly thereafter, CSN responded with Jaron Wasserman, Isaac Lyon, and Luke Hegarty each finding the back of the net at the 9:26, 9:20, and 6:54 marks of the first quarter.
Entering Saturday, Benjamin’s second halves have been dominant in their last two games, outscoring Bolles 12-2 in the state semi and Lake Highland Prep 4-2 in the regional final. CSN made the Bucs work, only outscoring the Seahawks 6-5 in the second, with Campbell Hogan’s goal at the 4:27 mark of the fourth proving to be the game-winner.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” CSN coach Keith Lee said. “What they accomplished this year, from the last guy on the bench to the first guy starting on the field, it’s the effort they put in for the school. They truly put us on the map, and now the expectation has changed on where we’re going to be every year.”
Coming off a career game with eight goals against Saint Andrew’s, Cal Wyatt struggled to find the cage early but broke through at the 3:10 mark of the third. A save on Wasserman by Benjamin goalie Tatum Little in the fourth quarter when Benjamin was a man down proved to be critical in keeping the Seahawks (19-5) from getting within one goal at 10-8.
“He made that huge stop down there, it was massive,” Cordrey said. “We were sitting on a two-goal lead, and it looked like they were going to put another one in. He made a tremendous save. They would never quit, and it’s a testament to those kids on that team and their coach.”
Down three goals, CSN didn’t fold, as faceoff wins from Isaac Lyon led to goals by Wasserman and Wyatt in the final 3:30, but that’s as close as they’d get. A turnover by Lyon after the Wyatt goal saw Benjamin bleed off just under two minutes of clock, before an offsides call on CSN gave Benjamin the ball back with 30 seconds remaining.
Jayden Vega and Wasserman led all scorers with a hat trick for their respective squads, while Wyatt and Alex Ponchock had a pair. Cole Bryant’s goal from 60 yards out was the highlight goal of the day, catching the Bucs in a 10 man ride with an open net.
For Benjamin, they join Saint Andrew’s as the lone champions from Palm Beach County, while Community School looks to be in the fold of statewide juggernauts from years to come, which began with the formation of a middle school program in 2019.
“It’s a game of runs,” Lee said. “They went on a run in the beginning. We went on a run in the second to make it 5-5 (at half). It was 8-8 in the third, they went on a 3-0 run to make it 11-8, we went on a run to make it 11-10. We had a chance at the end, made a mistake, and that was it.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the kids. Benjamin, they worked their butts off, and onto next year. We’ll take a couple of days off, and get back to work.”
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin . For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Community School of Naples falls to Benjamin 11-10 in Class 1A state championship game
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