Cardinal Gibbons stuns Hough in NCHSAA 4A boys lacrosse state final
Covid-19 may have postponed their 2020 title defense, but the defending North Carolina 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders remain on top Friday, defeating the Hough Huskies 14-5, in the NCHSAA 4A lacrosse state final.
“Elated” was how Crusaders head coach Gordon Galloway put it after another state championship victory.
“If you know sports and you know great teams. This is a great team,” he said.
“They deserve it,” Galloway said, talking about about the seniors who returned after their lost 2020 season. “You don’t get everything you deserve in life. In sports, you get what you take, and they took it.”
Playing on its home turf, Cardinal Gibbons won its fifth overall title, its third in Division 4A after two in the small school division. The Crusaders won 4A titles in 2016 and 2019. There was no championship last season due to COVID-19.
Of the six different Crusaders to add their name to the scoring column, five of them were seniors. Senior Bryce Wojnovich led the way with five goals. Junior Caden Zadell had three. Hank Kelso added two of his own while Daniel Kelly, Griffin Cooling, and Daniel Enoch all added one.
Hough (13-3) had the momentum early on after senior attacker Ryan Scanlon found space to put the first points on the scoreboard in the first minute of play. Cardinal Gibbons answered back but give up another goal to the Huskies who took their second and final lead of the game in that first quarter.
After a Griffin Cooling score, Cardinal Gibbons struggled to get past Hough’s tough defenders. Caden Zadell ended the drought to tie the score 2-2 to close the first quarter.
Gibbons netted a pair early in the second, one each from Wojnovich and Kelso, before Hough answered back with a strike of its own.
The Huskies tried to regain the lead but two more unanswered goals from Wojnovich gave Cardinal Gibbons a 6-3 lead at the half.
Hough battled back and pulled to within two early in the second half, but Gibbons pushed right back, extending its lead to 9-4 with 12 minutes to play.
Hough sophomore goalkeeper Aidan Lockhart made some impressive stops against the Crusaders in the second half to keep the score close, but after a big hit in the third quaarter, Lockhart went to the sideline, and Cardinal Gibbons took advantage of his replacement.
Even after his return to the field in the fourth quarter, it was just a little too late for the Huskies to make any sort of comeback as Cardinal Gibbons began to close in on a championship The Crusaders scored five times in the final frame while allowing just one more to earn the win.
Three who mattered
Bryce Wojnovich,Cardinal Gibbons: The senior midfielder led the way for a three-goal lead at the half for the Crusaders. He finished the game with five.
Aidan Lockhart, Hough: Against a team known the put up big scoring numbers, Lockhart held his own in the goal making some impressive stops. His presence was missed late in the third.
Caden Zadell, Cardinal Gibbons: The junior attacker finished the game with a hat trick and assist.
Worth mentioning
▪ Cardinal Gibbons has six players committed to play lacrosse at the collegiate level.
▪ This is the team’s fifth championship appearance and victory in the past seven years (Two at 1A/2A/3A, three at 4A).
Scoring Summary
Cardinal Gibbons 2 4 3 6 — 15
Hough 2 2 1 0 — 5
First quarter
H - Ryan Scanlon score (unassisted)
CG - Griffin Cooling score (assisted by David Hart)
H - Peyton Turner score (assisted by Ewan McAloon)
CG - Caden Zadell score (unassisted)
Second quarter
CG - Bryce Wojnovich score (unassisted)
CG - Hank Kelso score (assisted by Trent Orr )
H - Sawyer Hamilton score (unassisted)
CG - Wojnovich score (unassisted)
CG - Wojnovich score (unassisted)
Third quarter
H- Turner score (assisted by McAloon)
CG - Kelso score (unassisted)
CG - Wojnovich score (assisted by Caden Zadell)
CG - Daniel Enoch score (unassisted)
Fourth quarter
CG - Griffin Cooling score (unassisted)
CG - Daniel Kelly score (assisted by Enoch)
CG - Wojnovich score (unassisted)
CG - Zadell score (unassisted)
H - Turner score (assisted by Scanlon)
CG - Zadell score (assisted by Cooling)
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 8:54 PM.
