- Athletics
As the final horn sounded Friday night, a sea of McCallie young men dressed in handsome white lacrosse uniforms trimmed in royal blue joyously stormed Pete and Ralph Potter Field at Spears Stadium, jumping and screaming and wildly celebrating -- for a minute or two, at least -- the Blue Tornado’s fourth straight trip to the state title game.
Then, as Head Coach Eamon Thornton quickly pulled his team together following the 13-1 win over Christian Brothers, it was back to business.
“We’ve got ourselves one more week, baby,” said an excited Thornton. “Let’s get after it.”
One more week to avenge last year’s loss to Memphis University School in the state title game. One more week to avenge a similar loss to Montgomery Bell Academy two years ago, especially since MBA will be this year’s state title game opponent on Friday night, May 16, at 5:30 (EDT) at Nolensville High School. One more week to win the first-ever Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Division II-AA state title, since this is the first year TSSAA is sanctioning the sport.
“This group has really come together,” said Thornton. “They just take it one game at a time. We played a really tough schedule. Lambert (Georgia), Lassiter (Georgia) Christ School (Asheville. N.C.) and ESD (the Episcopal School of Dallas) may all win state championships in their divisions. But it’s made us better. It helped us figure out the pieces.”
The pieces fit perfectly against Christian Brothers from the outset as one might have expected from an opponent that lost 17-1 to McCallie during the regular season. Henry Toole scored the first Blue Tornado goal some 35 seconds into the opening quarter. By halftime the lead was 11-1. At 13-1 in the final half, a running clock began, which at least made it a little quicker for the Purple Wave seniors to get back to Memphis for their Saturday graduation.
“We just do our thing,” said senior goalie D.J. Hall-Horne, who’ll continue his lacrosse career at Montevallo next season. ‘We stay positive. Now we want to win the state.”
Hall-Horne’s expert goalkeeping wasn’t the only mark of excellence against Christian Brothers. Mac Stratton led the Blue Tornado with three goals. Toole, Tyler Gay and Stellan Wright scored two goals each. Nathan Blake, Henry Boyd, Wade Neugebauer and Isaac Mastry added a goal each.
So now they return to the state title game for a fourth straight year, older, wiser and more focused.
“I’ve been on all four teams,’ said Walker Forrester, who’ll play at Centre College next year with his older brother Jack ‘24. “And I think some years we’ve shown up at the title game with McCallie on our chests and thought that was enough.
“This team has more focus and more energy. We’re excited to play for a championship next Friday.”
- lacrosse