Snyder, Saints soar to title

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.

And it was the Saints who came out on top, using double overtime to beat top-ranked Norfolk Academy and capture the VISAA Division I championship. The win marked the program’s first state

championship since 2000.

Senior Harry Snyder provided the late heroics as he notched the sudden-death game-winner early in the second overtime to give STAB the 8-7 victory.

“Andrew McCullough made a great pass, and I was just really wide open and all I had to do was put it in,” said Snyder, who posted a hat trick and had a pair of assists. “We beat two teams we had lost to earlier in the season on the way here, and it’s just awesome.”

En route to the final, the Saints knocked off Flint Hill and Collegiate. The victory was especially sweet after Norfolk Academy beat STAB earlier in the year by one goal.

“You start in February, you talk about getting to this point, and then having it happen is just a great thing for this group of kids,” said St. Anne’s coach Doug Tarring. “You’ve got the two long-standing top lacrosse programs in the state playing against each other, and it’s a tough game to lose and a great game to win. It’s just a great statement about independent school lacrosse in Virginia.”

St. Anne’s (16-5) opened the game with a flurry of goals to take a 4-1 first-quarter lead. Snyder,  tournament MVP Jack Thomasson, Owen Van Arsdale and Scotty Wiseman all scored to help STAB build its lead.

It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to climb their way back, as Tom Rixey scored on a pass from Dylan Denslow to open the second quarter. Eric Gorsline added another, and Norfolk Academy tied the game with 6:04 to play in the first half as Schuyler Beecroft took it in for the finish off a short pass from Ben Clarke.

But the Saints were not fazed, and after a brief timeout, regained the lead on Chapin Speidel’s goal.

“We came out and we knew we had to come out firing, and that’s what we did,” Thomasson said. “We got up 4-1, and I knew from that point, we weren’t going to look back. We never were losing and we worked as a team and got the outcome we wanted.”

The evenly matched teams traded goals to start the second half, but Thomasson gave STAB the edge (7-6) with a goal on a pass from Snyder.

The Saints were called for an equipment penalty at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Bulldogs took advantage. Andy Via scored on an assist from Denslow to tie the game with 11:10 to play.

Both teams put on impressive displays on defense the rest of the way, with Howie Long leading the way for STAB, and Burke Best and Clark Reed putting pressure on the Saints’ attack. Both goalkeepers also had stellar performances — Norfolk Academy’s Charlie Blakely had 12 saves, while STAB’s Austin Geisler finished with 17 stops in his third straight start.

“I think the key actually was getting through the second and third quarter and not giving up a lot of transition goals, because [Norfolk Academy] been a team all year that has scored in bunches,” Tarring said. “We played very good half-field defense, and we’ve had a great week of defense. When you look at the number of goals we’ve given up over three games plus overtime, we’ve only given up 17 goals, which is a tremendous accomplishment.”

The win was especially meaningful for Thomasson, who wrapped up his career at STAB and the second state title of his senior year.

“To come from football, winning the state championship and at the beginning of the lacrosse season, the coaches were saying, ‘This is the year,’” Thomasson said. “I always had it in the back of my mind that this way the year, and this was the group of guys that were able to do it.”

Tarring, in his 30th year as head coach at STAB, spoke glowingly of his 11-member senior class, but holds a special place for Thomasson.

“The seniors were a big part of the whole year — they made a tremendous commitment and they never lost that commitment,” Tarring said. “Jack has had a fabulous career at the school, and everything that happens good to Jack he deserves.
“For Jack in particular, I’m so glad to see all this happen for him. He’s always had to work hard to get what he has and he’s just one of those special kids that you have in a program who you just enjoy and remember them, because those kind of kids don’t come along very often.”