The Glenelg girls’ lacrosse team looked on as the Hereford Bulls streamed from their bench onto the field, running and yelling with happy tears in their eyes.
“We were expecting a pretty competitive [Hereford] team and game, which it was,” Coach Nicole Trunzo said. “We just didn’t finish. Didn’t take care of it on offense. Defense did a great job coming up with a lot of stops, and we just didn’t produce on the offensive end.”
Saturday’s loss ended a defiant run for the Gladiators, who had claimed three straight 2A championships, including a 6-5 victory over the Bulls last year. But an annual shift in postseason format pitted the teams against each other one game before the title this season, and the Bulls took advantage.
Glenelg (14-4) looked composed in confident in the first half, taking a 4-2 lead on senior Emma LeTellier’s goal as time expired before the break. But Hereford (17-0) came storming out of halftime, scoring four goals in a six-minute stretch and eventually taking an 8-5 lead.
The Gladiators battled back. They held possession down 9-8 as the clock ticked under a minute.
“We just knew it was one and done,” Trunzo said. “There was no other option but to catch up.”
They passed the ball around, looking for a chance to push the game into overtime. But a penalty for an illegal cradle gave possession back to Hereford with 12 seconds left, and the Bulls ran out the clock from there.
“We wanted to start off strong and get a lead on them,” senior Emily Nalls said. “Usually we’re more of a second half team and we’re down at the end of the first half a lot. We did achieve that today. If we had just took that and played off of that we could’ve done a lot better.”
Hereford will face South Carroll in the 2A championship Tuesday night.
McDonough falls in 1A semis
For the second year in a row, McDonough made it to the 1A semifinals but fell short of a title appearance. The Rams lost to Baltimore County’s Loch Raven, 16-5, in Havre de Grace.
Saints reclaim VISAA crown
St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes beat Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion Bishop Ireton, 10-6, in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division 1 title game in Highland. The programs have made a tradition of meeting in the state championship, with the Cardinals winning the previous two. The Saints took a 7-2 lead into halftime and hung on to claim the title for the first time since 2016.
