Rubber Match of the Year

Rubber Match of the Year

MERIDIAN, MI - As the night proceeded at Dewitt High School for the MHSAA Boys Lacrosse Playoffs, the second matchup of the night consisted of conference rivals. The Haslett/Williamston Vikings faced off against the Dewitt Panthers and the winner receives a trip to the MHSAA Regional Championship.

All throughout the field and the game you could feel the intensity between the two teams and the importance of winning this game. From the moment the ball dropped in the middle of the field for the opening face-off, fans knew that they were gonna witness a game for the ages. At that point both teams were in relentless pursuit of winning the game.

The game opened up with Haslett/Williamston scoring back to back goals in less than a minute, creating a hole for Dewitt. This didn't take Dewitt out of focus though as Travis Barr scored 2 goals of his own within 30 seconds of gameplay. By the end of the 1st Half it seemed as if the Vikings were gonna secure the win as they were up 6-3 against the Panthers, but Dewitt wasn't going down that easily.

At the start of the 4th Quarter Dewitt trailed Haslett/Williamston 9-7. This quarter truly separated the boys from the men. The intensity and physicality of the game picked up tremendously as players on both teams were throwing their bodies everywhere, creating big hits and leaving everything on the field. With 8:41 left in regulation of play the Panthers managed to tie the game up 9-9 and didn't slow down there. Within 2 minutes the Panthers used that momentum and took the lead with the score being 10-9 Panthers. With everything going the Panthers way in the final minutes everything seemed over for the Vikings. The players didn't see it that way though.

With 1:09 left in the game, the Vikings caught a break with a penalty for slashing against the Panthers. That gave the Vikings the advantage in the numbers game on the field and they were able to capitalize on that as they scored a goal with 54 seconds left, tying the game 10-10. Then as the final seconds were rolling down the Vikings managed to score one last goal with 11 seconds left on the clock. Securing the lead and the victory for the Vikings.

Although this was only the Semifinals for the Regional Championship, it had a State Championship atmosphere. Not only did this game decide who was going to the Regional Championship, but it was also the deciding factor between the 2 schools as the season series was tied 1-1 before the nights game. Resulting in a thrilling rubber match.

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