For the second time in three years, our All Star game ended up in Sudden Death Overtime.  Special thanks go out to the coaches for taking the time to make sure a balanced set of teams  was selected.  The level of the play was outstanding, but the balance made it so much more intense. NO ONE wants to lose to their friends, and so the hustle and the focus and the intensity rise quickly. 

The pre-game festivities began with bitter complaints on both sides that the other team had far more talent and the game would be heavily biased against them..  Each team demanded the other team's best players be given over to  their team.  They were told to be quiet and warm up.  No changes were made.  

We divided the squads into  teams  with names reflecting the Native American heritage of the game of lacrosse - the Iroquois and the Onondaga tribes.  Iroquois wore white and the Onondaga blue for today's game.  

The game was played in a stop time, 4 quarter fashion - a normal NFHS High School full length game.  The first quarter started off and the teams were obviously playing at a high level.  Strong defense and measured offense basically kept the lid on the scoring in the early going.  Bailey Lunn from Mountain View High School scored the first of his three goals for the day for the Iroquois to begin the scoring. Bailey's unconventional style has always hidden a great knack for putting points on the Board.  Los Altos High School's Tyler Crissman added another shortly thereafter, and the game was 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.  It looked like a defensive struggle was afoot.   The pace of scoring picked up in the second quarter.  Robert Reynaga got Onondaga on the board, then Kale Lampman ran down to the other end of field and made a rocket shot to put the Iroquois up 3-1.  Palo Alto High School's Evan Wong, assisted by Aptos High School's Aidan Niklaus, brought things closer 30 seconds later, leaving  the score 3-2.  The Iroquois then went on a three goal run - with Bailey Lunn, Sequoia High School's Jake DiTargiani, and Mountain View's Nolan Neagu put the Iroquois in a seemingly commanding 6-2 lead with 2 minutes left in the half.  Aidan Niklaus scored his second goal of the day, to close the gap slightly to 6-3 with 10 seconds in the half.  It was clear the Iroquois were well on their way to victory.  As the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime, several members of the press quizzed the Ononadaga leader Trevor Douglis from Carlmont High School why he had been held scoreless for the first half.  Douglis confidently predicted a hat trick for the game, rising eyebrows and providing possible fodder for post game articles, both positive and negative, depending on the outcome.

The third quarter began, and the defensive battle continued.  Very strong defense on both sides of the ball from Ryan Hood, Sammy Freeman, Alex Cowgill, Cole Mason, Talia Sabbag, and Will Park kept the scoring lid on pretty tight in the third quarter.  The goalies all had an amazing afternoon.  Evan Wong and St Francis's Scott Burfield put 2 up for Onondaga, and Bailey Lunn and Andy Purpura scored for the Iroquois, leaving them leading by 3 at the end of the third quarter.   In previous All Star games, it was not uncommon to see 10+ goals scored per quarter, so this years balanced contest with strong offense and defense was a welcome addition.  

The fourth quarter proved equally intense, but Trevor Douglis finally showed up, putting three goals on the board, realizing his hat trick prediction - the last with 27 seconds left to play, to tie the score 9-9 in regulation.  Aidan Niklaus also added a goal for the Onondaga, and Jake DiTargiani scored his second  for the Iroquois.  

Overtime began with a first of the winter face-off, and fairly quickly midfielder Robert Reynaga finished things off, ending the game as he began it with a goal,  and gave the Onandaga the sudden death victory and their first and only lead of the day, 10-9.

BOX SCORE

Iroquois - 9

Bailey Lunn - 3G, 0A

Jake DiTargiani - 2G, 0A

Kale Lampman - 1G, 0A

Andy Purpura - 1G, 0A

Nolan Nuaga - 1G, 0A

Tyler Crissman, 1G, 0A

Asher Friedman - 0G, 1A

Onondaga - 10

Trevor Douglis - 3G, 0A

Robert Reynaga - 2G, 0A

Aidan Niklaus - 2G, 2A

Evan Wong - 2G, 0A

Scott Burfield - 1G, 0A

Attendance: 136