Hall falls to Ridgefield in the CIAC Class L quarterfinal round, ending a historic season for the Warriors.

By Marlon Pitter

The Warriors’ playoff run came to a bitter end as Ridgefield defeated the Hall High School boys lacrosse team 14-2 in the CIAC Class L quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at home in West Hartford.

“We played against a very good team that played a very good game,” said Hall head coach Ben von Mayrhauser. “That’s one of the top teams in the state. … All credit to Ridgefield and I wish them luck moving forward.”

The Tigers scored seven times in the first quarter, and by halftime the visitors led 12-0, putting the running clock in effect during the second half. Ridgefield scored once more in the third and fourth quarters to go up 14-0.

Ridgefield played as well without the ball as they did with possession. The Tigers pressured Hall in their offensive zone, making it difficult to attempt high-quality shots. The Tigers also maintained a strong advantage on draw controls and time of possession as they pulled away from the Warriors.

Weston Carpenter led the Tigers with four goals, while Greg Getto and John Mathes each notched hat tricks.

The Warriors were shut out for most of the game until Griffin Smith put Hall on the board with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. Jack McHale closed the game with a goal for the Warriors with 2:43 and assisted on Smith’s goal five minutes prior.

The 14-goal deficit, however, was insurmountable against Ridgefield in the fourth quarter.

Despite the margin of defeat, von Mayrhauser said scoring at the end of the game was a microcosm of the character of his team.

“Losing’s not a positive note, but at least we had a little spark of life right at the end,” he said. “That’s who this team was. They fight ‘til the end.”

Hall’s season is over, but von Mayrhauser said he was thankful for his team as he reflected on one of the most successful campaigns in program history, finishing the year with a 13-4 record including postseason play. The team also earned the Ron Barndollar Sportsmanship Award from the Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association “bestowed annually to both a public and prep school whose entire boys lacrosse program, in the opinion of the officials, demonstrates excellent sportsmanship and is deserving of recognition.”

“I just thanked them, honestly,” he said. “All I said was ‘thank you.’ We’re going to have one more practice Monday. We’re going to say everything we need to say then, but right now I just said ‘thank you’ and told them I love them.”

Coach von Mayrhauser believes his players will share the sentiment as well: “Endings are sad, but hopefully we’re gonna walk away with a sense of gratitude for the experience we just had because we had a great year. We learned a lot of lessons, played hard, and this team is a family. I have no regrets.”

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