Hall hosted Northwest Catholic on senior night in West Hartford, with the Lions handing the Titans their third loss in the past four games.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

It was supposed to be a day of celebration for the Hall Titans boys lacrosse team on Thursday. Thirteen senior players were honored before the game for their efforts, but once the game started it was Hall handing out the gifts.

Time after time Hall squandered opportunities with poor passing and ball handling. “We came out flat and couldn’t catch and throw the ball,” said a frustrated coach Keith Blum after the game.

Northwest Catholic took full advantage of the lackluster play by Hall and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead en route to an 11-6 final. “We always circle this game,” said Lions head coach Scott Kossbiel.

The Titans had turnovers on their first three possessions and Northwest was more than happy to take the ball and score twice in the first 2:13 of the game. “We dug a hole we could not get out of,” Blum said. “I expect more from these guys.”

Hall finally put things together and Michael Griffin-Prado scored his first of the game  from an assist by Connor McHugh at 6:07 to cut the lead in half. But Northwest came back with their third of the period with just over a minute to go as they took advantage of a big advantage in possession time and in connected passes. The Lions started the second with the man advantage and needed just 15 seconds to convert when Griffin Krupp beat Hall goalie Andy McMullon.

The hosts showed some life about two minutes in when Ben Goldstein forced a turnover on defense and the Titans raced up the field with a series of passes. Tommy Finley fed Wells Gengras alone in front and he cut the deficit to 4-2.

“Ben is in a new role for us and I think he is the best long pole I’ve seen. He’s killing it,” said his coach, Blum. Goldstein was one of a few Titan players that made an impression and he did it at both ends of the field all game.

Northwest would respond later in the second when after a timeout they used one long pass to clear the ball and Travis Wilcox found the cutter and fed him for the fifth Lions goal of the game.

Blum’s team picked things up late in the second but Northwest goalie Nick Garilli and his defense were sharp, denying several good chances by Hall – in particular Garilli’s stop on Sawyer Hollander’s long, bounce shot. When it looked like Hall might only be down three at the break, they once again turned it over and with just :20 to go it was Northwest converting  to make it 6-2 at the break. “We have six guys that can all shoot and catch very well,” said Kossbiel.

In the third quarter Hall came out with more fire and showed their skills. McHugh clanked a hard shot off the post, but the Titans regained possession. At 8:39 it was Griffin-Prado again cutting across and getting off the shot in heavy traffic that beat Garilli.

Four minutes later came the strangest goal of the game and maybe the season for both teams. Northwest had possession in their offensive zone and Garilli was getting instructions from one of his coaches. He had moved a few yards out of the goal to better hear what was being said. What he didn’t see was Goldstein coming up with a loose ball and seeing the empty net, firing a 60-yard shot that bounced in for the goal. “We were making some adjustments,” Kossbiel said. “We didn’t see the turnover and Joey was being coached at the time.”

Quinn Polking would get the game’s next goal when the senior took a pass behind the Hall goal and moved to open space in front of McMullon and scored the seventh of the game for Northwest. Polking would later assist on a man-advantage goal at 1:43 for the Lions just 12 seconds into the Titans penalty. After a good start in the third, Hall drifted back into some of their bad habits with bad passes and turnovers.

“Their offense did a better job of possessing the ball,” said Blum of Northwest Catholic. While the offense was clicking, Garilli was playing a solid game in goal making a point-blank save on Drew Manaresi with :15 to play in the third.

Trailing by four to start the final 12 minutes of the game, Hall put on a ferocious charge and pulled within two at 8-6. First it was Drew Sortman winning the face-off for the Titans and Mason McGowan scoring :11 into the period. Less than two minutes later Goldstein intercepted a pass and worked the ball to McHugh who then found Manaresi who would not be denied this time.

Things got a little testy minutes later when Northwest scored to make it 9-6, but Blum asked for a stick measurement on a Lions player. At least one Northwest player had something to say to Blum about the challenge, but in the end the official agreed with the Hall coach, but the goal stood.

The Lions would add two late goals and finish in celebration with the 11-6 win that clinched a post in the state tournament for them.

“I am so proud of the success over the last three to four years,” Kossbiel said. “Those guys may have graduated, but these guys waited patiently for their chance.”

Hall drops to 6-6 with the loss in a game they played without three starters due to injury. “We’re still fighting,” Blum said after the game. They will need that fighting spirit as they close out the regular season and look to build momentum for the post-season. The Titans have three games remaining against Farmington, Simsbury, and then red-hot crosstown West Hartford rival Conard.

Game notes

A moment of silence was held during the pregame ceremonies to honor Lukas Schreiber. The former member of the lacrosse team sadly passed away  last August.

With Hall and Northwest Catholic being located so near one another, it has become a tradition that the visiting side does not even take a bus to the game, but rather simply walks over and back. The rivalry continues to grow and Kossbiel knows  it is only going to continue to grow. “These are two really good teams that have a lot of respect for each other,” he said.

The win moves Northwest Catholic to  7-7 on the season with just two games (Southington and Wethersfield) left to close out the season.

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