The Hall High School boys lacrosse team hosted Farmington in West Hartford on Saturday morning, coming away with an important win.

By Michelle Bonner (former ESPN anchor) and Grayson Rivers (Hall High School junior and journalism student). Photos by Dave Fried

Following what the players described as an “embarrassing” 16-4 loss to Glastonbury on Thursday, Saturday’s matchup against the Farmington River Hawks (6-4) was poised to be a pivotal rebound game for the Hall boys varsity lacrosse team. The Titans (5-5) had been battered by injuries and illness over the last two weeks, so it was going to take a lot more than resiliency to find the win column.

“We took this game as a rebuttal,” said Hall junior attackman Tommy Finley, who added, “we had an edge coming into the game.” Finley, who made a remarkable return to the field just a week earlier after battling through a broken wrist and ankle for much of the season, contributed four of Hall’s 13 goals.

“I’m excited,” shared Finley. “It feels good to be back – win or not, [it] feels good to play with everybody. This is what I was waiting for.”

The game started with Farmington winning the first face-off and quickly moving down the field. Hall goalie Andy McMullen made a beautiful save on Farmington’s initial shot, but the River Hawks took the early lead finding the back of the net at the 10-minute mark. Despite a barrage of shots by the Titans, it was Connor Russell who finally leveled the score at 1-1.

As the quarter progressed, in what would be emblematic of the entire game with neither team establishing more than a two-goal advantage, both sides traded goals, keeping the score close throughout. Hall senior captain Bode Smith scoring the first of his two goals, while Russell notched his second of the game. Hall managed to pull ahead, thanks to a well-executed play that saw Russell feed Wells Gengras, giving the Titans their first lead of the game, 4-3.

Farmington came out strong in the second quarter, capitalizing on a man-up opportunity to tie the game once again. But Hall responded immediately, with Gavin Sortman winning the faceoff and scoring to put Hall back on top. The back-and-forth battle continued, with Farmington regaining the advantage heading into the break with a 7-5 lead.

“This was a dogfight,” said head coach Keith Blum. “We really needed to slow it down, we were getting beat a lot in transition – every time we took a quick shot, our defense had to get back and it just tired them out.”

Following an impressive save by McMullen at the start of the third quarter, Smith narrowed the gap to one with his second goal of the game at the 11:00 mark. In keeping with the theme of this game, Farmington answered back, again stretching their lead to two goals. Undeterred, Hall rallied, with Finley netting two quick goals to even the score at 8-8. With just over a minute remaining in the third, Sam Weiner gave Hall a 9-8 lead before Farmington tied it up again heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was every bit the nail-biter as the momentum continued to swing back and forth, with both teams trying to show who wanted it more. Farmington took a 10-9 lead with 8:14 to play and gave it right back after Russell again connected with Wells for his second goal of the game.

Tied at 10-10, Farmington called a timeout with 5:59 to play. Just 17 seconds after play resumed, they reclaimed the lead for the seventh time in the game. But a slashing penalty called on the River Hawks gave the Titans a much needed man-up opportunity which they took full advantage of with Connor McHugh finding Smith for his third goal of the game. A turnover by Farmington just over a minute later lead to Finley scoring his third goal of the game.

Hall’s defense held firm in the final minutes of the game, and after another turnover by Farmington with just over a minute to play, Russell notched his third assist, connecting with Finley for his fourth, and the team’s final goal of the game for a 13-11 win.

In just three games since returning to the field, Finley has 9 goals and 2 assists, a stat line his teammate and cousin Connor McHugh has waited for all season. “Having him back has been a blessing – I just love playing with him,” he remarked.

Despite the blood relationship, arguably no one loves playing with Finley more than Russell, whose assist stats have historically found Finley on the receiving end – having seemingly picked up right where they left off before Finley’s injuries. “He’s never changed – same old kid – back at it, hungry, always scrapping for it. He’s always there, especially on the dodge, he’s just always open – he just knows how to get open,” shared Russell.

When asked about the impact of Finley’s return to the lineup, coach Blum emphasized, “more than words can describe. It’s working.”

Having Finley back in the lineup couldn’t have come at a better time as the team lost one of their offensive stars in John Hunt, who broke his thumb last week and is out for the season.

The team was also without Jack DeLoreto Saturday after he suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this week. He is expected to return for Monday’s game against Morgan (2-9).

“We’ve been plagued with injuries and virus bugs the last two weeks, coaches [have been] sick – [we’re] just hoping we are [finally] healthy and getting back to where we should be,” said Blum. Returning to form also includes the coach, who took a ball to the nose during Friday’s practice, believing it might be broken, and was on his way to see a doctor after Saturday’s win. When asked about why he hadn’t gone sooner, he responded, “There was no way in hell I was missing this game.”

Hall can clinch a spot in the state tournament with a win on Monday night.

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