Alan Swanson is back in a familiar place, despite the fact that just months ago it appeared that the St. Anne’s-Belfield’s baseball coach had hung it up for good.

“He hardly ever talks anymore, but he’d always know how many goals I’d scored and he’d say ‘Four goals?’ or ‘Seven goals?’ and give me a big high-five,” Jack Thomasson said.

It was only fitting that the biggest game of the year for the St. Anne’s-Belfield boys lacrosse team came to an end in thrilling fashion.

Often in important games, it is the senior leaders who will step up and make the big plays. And for St. Anne’s-Belfield in its VISAA Division I semifinal game against Collegiate on Friday, that player was Jack Thomasson.

St. Anne’s-Belfield was missing a major piece of its puzzle Tuesday afternoon with senior goalie Zach Starsia out. But sophomore Austin Geisler, who’d never played a varsity game in his career, filled in admirably in the cage and St. Anne’s rolled to a 16-3 victory over Flint Hill Academy in the TILT state tournament quarterfinals.

After dispatching Western Albemarle on Tuesday, the St. Anne’s-Belfield boys lacrosse team turned its attention to another local rival in Covenant.

St. Anne’s-Belfield seems to have stumbled on to a simple formula that works pretty well. The Saints disposed of Western Albemarle in much the same fashion that St. Anne’s did Woodberry Forest on Saturday - jump out to a big lead, stay patient on offense and let a solid defense take over.

St. Anne’s-Belfield was aware that Woodberry Forest was going to rally after the break. The only question was how close they’d get.