SD Prep Sports: Boys Lacrosse

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Posted May 16, 2004

Eastlake High School boys lacrosse coach Doug Murphy, his face bloodied, looked like he had just stepped off a battlefield following his team’s history-making 3-2 victory against Bonita Vista on May 12.

"I was so excited that I forgot they still had their helmets on," the Titan coach said in reference to the dog pile of players that quickly formed at midfield following the final whistle.

The significance of the win was not lost upon any of the large contingent of fans gathered at Rancho del Rey Middle School for the regular season ending contest. The loss to Eastlake was also only the second ever in the Barons’ history.

Bonita Vista finished 7-1 in league play this season, 10-9 overall, to wrap up their third consecutive Metro title. The Barons already had this year’s league championship sewn up entering the final regular season game after defeating Chula Vista 13-0 on May 5 to officially claim this year’s championship banner. Bonita Vista followed with an 8-3 victory against Hilltop on May 10 in a bid to conclude yet another undefeated league campaign.

"We decided the last game to play the way we wanted to this year," said Murphy, whose Titans finished 5-3 in league play, 5-11 overall.

The victory against the Barons also did much to ease the psychological pain incurred by two one-goal losses and two two-goal losses suffered by Eastlake throughout the season.

In the previous game against Bonita Vista, the Titans held a 4-1 lead before eventually succumbing to a 9-6 defeat.

Other narrow losses came against Hilltop (5-4), Fallbrook (5-4) and Santana (6-4, twice). Eastlake also dropped a three-goal match against Preuss (8-5), making the team’s goal of compiling a .500 season closer than the final record indicated.

"We finished with at least one win against every team in our league. That’s the first time we’ve ever been able to do that. A lot of good things were happening on the field," Murphy said.

With Eastlake losing only five players to graduation, what the Titans wrought in their final game this season could only be a springboard for even greater future success.

Freshman goaltender David Johnson was the hero of the match against the Barons by making six saves – many in the heat of close-range battle. "He’s got talent," Murphy said of his netminder.

The Titans built a 3-0 lead – all in the first half – on goals by Matt Scott, Dustin Drees and Anthony Charlton. Scott and Drees both scored in the first quarter to help Eastlake set the tempo of the game with a 2-0 lead.

Johnson preserved his shutout until 8:38 remained in the third quarter when James Arakaki, assisted by James Lawson, got Bonita Vista’s first goal. Arakaki – the Metro Conference’s scoring champion during the roller hockey season – netted his team’s second goal with exactly 2:00 left in the contest.

The game was physical and resembled more of a rugby match at times. The contest, in fact, was stopped with 3:13 left in regulation play when Bonita Vista’s Sean Diaz was knocked unconscious by an ice hockey style hit at midfield. He left the field with a first degree concussion and a jaw injury.

While the Metro Conference continues to grow – Eastlake’s victory against Bonita Vista was proof of that – the game still remains in the embryonic stage in the South Bay. Eastlake finished the season ranked 25^th out of 27 teams in the San Diego Section. League champion Bonita Vista was ranked 22^nd, followed by Chula Vista (5-3, 5-7) at 24^th, Hilltop (3-5, 3-13) at 26^th and Montgomery (0-8, 0-9) at 27^th.

Collectively, the five Metro Conference teams finished 3-25 against non-conference opponents in the 2004 season. Bonita Vista led the local circuit with a 3-8 non-conference showing but  dropped a 12-1 first-round playoff game to fifth-ranked Rancho Bernardo on May 15. The playoff game marked the fifth top 10 matchup encounter for Bonita Vista throughout the season: all losses.

Previously, the Barons dropped a 15-0 decision to eighth-ranked University of San Diego High, then fell 11-3 to sixth-ranked La Jolla before suffering a 10-2 loss to ninth-ranked Bishop’s and 13-1 loss to seventh-ranked San Dieguito Academy.

Torrey Pines (15-1) earned the top section ranking during regular play, followed by La Costa Canyon (15-2), Coronado (14-3) and Poway (10-6). Grossmont Conference champion Monte Vista rounded out the section’s top 10 teams with a 13-4 overall record, 7-1 in conference play.

While the sport continues to build momentum in the area, the Barons remain the standard at which to aim.

"We’re the team everyone goes for," said Bonita Vista assistant coach Chris Boshell, who played the goaltender position for the Barons before graduating last year.

Top returners on this year’s Bonita Vista team included Diaz, a midfielder, and attack men Kevin O’Neall and Adrian Davalos. Other top scorers this season included attack man Chris Hasley and Jan Eckenrod, who lit up the scoreboard early in the season with prolific numbers.

Defensively, the Barons were led by starters Shawn Harris, Chris Vasquez and Justin Hammerschmidt.

(1) Torrey Pines 16, (4) Poway 7

(2) La Costa Canyon 9, (3) Coronado 6

(7) San Dieguito Academy 13, (8) USDHS 4

(5) Rancho Bernardo 12, Bonita Vista 1

(6) La Jolla 9, Granite Hills 7

(9) Bishop’s 15, (10) Monte Vista 3

Metro Conference Parade of Champions

2002: Bonita Vista (12-0)

2003: Bonita Vista (8-0)

2004: Bonita Vista (7-1)