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Arlington, Kilbourne Meet Again

Jun. 7, 2010

Arlington, Kilbourne Meet Again

Worthington Kilbourne and Upper Arlington meet tonight at Dublin Jerome for the Division I boys lacrosse championship for the third straight year.

Upper Arlington won its eighth state title under coach Ted Wolford in 2008, but then Kilbourne won 7-6 last year for its first title. The rubber match will be preceded by the Division II final at 4p.m. between Jerome and Hunting Valley University School.

"These players all know each other so well, they've grown up around each other and in many cases played on the same teams during the summer or in travel leagues," Wolford said.

"So when we play, they aren't just going off a scouting report. They have the intangible of having physically reached out and gone against each other, which makes it a very different type of ball game.

"Momentum is such a strong factor. It's a matter of coming in, doing your job and trying to get momentum early on. Once you can dictate the flow of the game, good things happen."

For example, Upper Arlington (17-2) took off after an illegal stick penalty in the first half to spark a 16-5 win last month over Kilbourne and first-year coach Drew May. The Wolves (17-5) lost their next game to Mount Lebanon (Pa.) but have since won seven straight.

"I think we've come a long way as a team since then," May said. "I think our guys have played with a lot more confidence, and we have been tested a lot lately."

The Wolves rallied from a halftime deficit to beat Hilliard Davidson, a win that moved them up to the No. 2 seed in their region. They then beat rival Thomas Worthington and, in the state playoffs, beat Sylvania Southview and Medina to earn the spot in the final.

"I think our guys have grown up a lot," May said. "The games against UA and Mount Lebanon exposed some pretty serious flaws, and we've tried to correct them."

UA also has won seven straight games, including a 12-3 win over Mason in a state semifinal. The Golden Bears are solid across the field, with defenseman Joseph Benedick; Kyle Cassady and Spencer Parsons in the midfield, and Cam Williams and Luke Treece working with Alex Powers on the attack end.

Kilbourne will counter with a balanced attack and defense that loves to spring physical midfielders Conor Igoe and Will Campbell. And goalie Cole Horwatt is "a senior who has paid his dues and is very much on a hot streak right now," Wolford said.

But what's the key to winning a second title?

"Stay out of the penalty box," May said. "That's the biggest thing. That clearly was the turning point of the game last time. You can't afford to give a strong team like that any kind of advantage."

By  Tim May, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH