Four GHSA lacrosse titles were up for grabs Saturday with Westminster hosting a pair of title games while Milton and Centennial served as hosts for the other two titles.
Class AAAAAA
Girls
Milton 10, Lassiter 7: The three-time defending champion Milton Eagles won the girls Class AAAAAA title Saturday over the Lassiter Trojans. The visiting Trojans jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but Milton would battle back as Maggie Degnan finally scored Milton’s first goal, helping ignite a 4-1 run. Milton goalie Carolina Youngs held Lassiter scoreless for more than 22 minutes before Lucy Mills scored a late goal before halftime for the Trojans. Milton led at the break 5-4 despite just one goal from senior Annie Ruland. Ruland would finish with three goals, tying freshman Jessica Masinko for the team lead. Six different Eagles scored at least one goal as Milton went 10-for-27 against Lassiter goalie Lauren Wetherhead. Youngs finished with 12 saves to help Milton win its eighth title since 2005.
Class A-AAAAA
Boys
Westminster 8, Northview 4: Westminster prevailed over visiting Northview 8-4 to claim the boys Class A-AAAAA lacrosse title Saturday. Northview entered halftime tied with Westminster 3-3, but the Wildcats were able to outscore the Titans 4-0 in the third quarter. Two quick goals helped the Wildcats pull away before Read Ziegler scored by firing a shot past Conner Redmond from 12 yards out. The Wildcats pushed the lead to 7-3 after Blake Davis notched his second goal of the game with 43 seconds left in the quarter. Northview pressed hard and created shots in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats continued to create offensive pressure. Westminster’s Moss Shannon scored on a rebound with 7:41 left. Northview answered with Josh Porter’s third goal of the game, making it 8-4 with five minutes remaining. Westminster’s sophomore goalie, William Hudson, protected the net against Northview’s comeback attempt. He allowed just one second-half goal, and held a team that had averaged 16 goals per game to four. Westminster has now won three boys lacrosse state titles.
Girls
Westminster 15, McIntosh 7: Westminster took out McIntosh to win the Class A-AAAAA girls championship, the fourth straight lacrosse title for the Wildcats. The game opened with host Westminster scoring goals on each of its first five offensive possessions. Freshman Cabel Zakas scored three times in the first half and finished with four goals and three assists for the game. Annie Calfo, Caroline Heys and Ansley Walker all recorded multiple goals for Westminster. McIntosh freshman Abby Ott recorded a hat track, including a buzzer-beater before the half to pull the Chiefs to within three of Westminster, 6-3. Westminster would own the second half, outscoring McIntosh 9-4.
Boys
Centennial 15, Lambert 12: Host Centennial won its first-ever lacrosse title after defeating two-time defending Class A-AAAA champion Lambert in the boys Class AAAAAA final Saturday. After Centennial opened the game on a 3-0 run, the Lambert Longhorns held a 4-3 lead after the first quarter at Centennial’s Fortress. The Knights would storm back with a six-goal run to take a 10-6 lead into intermission. The third quarter would be a defensive battle as Centennial held a 13-9 advantage after the period. Lambert got as close as 13-12, but the Knights stretched the lead back to 15-12 with less than four minutes to play. Centennial was able to run out the clock to preserve the victory. Sophomore All-American Nate Solomon led Centennial with two goals and six assists while Zach Levy, Alex Prescott, Austin Prescott and Brendan Hall each added two goals and one assist. Goalie Joe Delia had 10 saves for the Knights. Lambert was led by Spencer Wilson’s five goals while Sean Carruthers, Matt Geran and Peyton Smith each contributed two goals. Jake Stanford added four assists for the Longhorns.