Patriots stand atop Commonwealth

In the Commonwealth District championship, Albemarle was in a dogfight most for the first three quarters against North Stafford, but the Patriots dominated the latter stages of the game to pull away 15-8 on Friday night.
The Patriots (14-2) won at North Stafford, 8-7, in double overtime in the regular season, and it looked as if Friday’s championship game would provide a similar outcome. The Wolverines led 4-3 after the first quarter and 5-4 at the half. Wolverines keeper Benny Ubiles came up big in goal, finishing with 14 saves, and it seemed as if Albemarle would have to earn any ball that got by him.
Albemarle coach Pat McAdams knew the Wolverines would be hungry — not only after the heartbreaking double-overtime loss, but also since the Patriots were virtually unbeatable since becoming a district member.
“Our guys were a little bit under pressure,” McAdams said following the victory. “I thought we executed pretty well in the first half, and North Stafford was matching that, as far as shooting the ball, and they were really pressuring us defensively.”
Albemarle’s Bernie Mowbray scored four goals, all coming in the second half, to lead the Patriots. The junior attacker scored on an assist by Dalton Stokes to tie the score at five apiece just over a minute into a very intense, physical third quarter, and the teams exchanged two goals before Stokes put the Pats ahead for good with 4:30 to play, 8-7.
It was all Albemarle from that point on, as senior midfielder Zach Pitts and Mowbray each scored with under two minutes left in the quarter to set the tone for the duration, as the Patriots outscored the Wolverines 11-3 in the second half. Albemarle ran away with it in the fourth, outscoring North Stafford
5-1, three of those goals assisted by sophomore attackman Billy Crist.
Patriots goalie Gus Cramer struggled a bit in the first half, but came up with some huge saves to keep the lead comfortable and seal the victory.
“Even though a couple goals went in early on him, he didn’t get down on himself, kept his head up, and ended up making some fantastic plays down the stretch,” McAdams said.
Senior Brent Montgomery and Pitts each had a hat trick, and Stokes and Connor McCullough each scored twice as the Patriots continued their streak of winning the Commonwealth title every year since joining the district.
“Our attack guys were a little bit more explosive off the ball in the second half,” said McAdams. “We made some fantastic looks I thought, and we shot the ball a lot smarter. We had a couple of guys that made really timely plays. North Stafford played a great game — they’re a good team.”
The Patriots are used to jumping out to a quick lead, and McAdams saw the advantages and learning experience of being involved in such a hotly contested game.
“It’s good for us,” McAdams said. “They were matching us one for one. Being in those kind of games and learning how to weather that situation, continue to apply pressure, be smart, and not to get carried away or frustrated is just really good for us.”
McAdams and his team are happy to win the district, but are well aware that their ultimate goal of winning a state championship is still attainable.
“It’s certainly a goal [to win the district], not the ultimate goal for this team, but it’s a stepping stone along the way, and there aren’t many of them so this is a big, big game,” he said.
Albemarle’s next obstacle begins on Wednesday night, as the Patriots will host a fist-round Northwest Region game.