Killer whales often attack in packs, spreading the rewards around for the group.
Cherry Creek tried the tactic Friday night and took the boys state lacrosse championship from two-time defenders Kent Denver with a 9-6 victory at All-City Stadium.
The Bruins played stifling defense in the second half – allowing just one shot on goal – and dug into the depths of their roster after top goal-scorer Spencer Cooperman had been held in check.
“They made the mistake of shutting off our best player, and we just took advantage,” said Cherry Creek’s Ryan Driver, one of three Bruins to score two goals. “It was just awesome.”
Cameron Kerr and Braun Salazar both scored two goals, and Colin Bollins, Steven Lundberg and Ben Tilton added one each.
The key, however, was Cherry Creek’s defense in the second half, which shut down the Sun Devils and allowed the Bruins to rally.
“We went back to team concepts,” Colgate-bound defender Jordan Hendry said. “We played for each other and not for individuals. You cannot play defense thinking, ‘I have to cover my man.’ It’s our men. Everybody helps out.”
Cherry Creek (17-2) won its first title since 2002 and did not lose to an in-state opponent. Kent Denver (15-4) has won four titles since 1999 and appeared in the final the past five years.
Lundberg opened the scoring but Kent Denver took a 6-3 lead in the second quarter, when Josh Reichert connected on his third of three goals.
Despite being outshot 12-7 in the first half, Kerr closed the gap for the Bruins with a goal in the final minutes to make the score 6-4. Kerr then scored the only goal in a methodical third quarter that was controlled mostly by Cherry Creek’s offense.
“Cherry Creek’s athleticism and depth took over in the second half,” Kent Denver coach Tom Graesser said. “They were the much better team in the second half, no question about that. We came out pretty strong but ran out of gas.”
The Bruins dominated the final quarter, starting with back-to-back goals by Driver with assists from Andrew Mc- Kinstry.
Momentum propelled Cherry Creek from there as Tilton followed a goal by Salazar with one of his own to make the score 9-6 with 3:30 remaining.
“They do a nice job on the defensive end, so it is tough to get shots,” Cherry Creek coach Bryan Perry said. “It looks like we are just possessing the ball, but they are working their tails off to get a shot. We knew we had a lot of horses on offense.”
Cherry Creek goalkeeper Mark Stone stopped seven shots, and his counterpart Max Pluss saved nine.
Cherry Creek 2 2 1 4 – 9
Kent Denver 2 4 0 0 – 6
Goals – CC: Driver 2, Kerr 2, Salazar 2, Bollins, Lundberg, Tilton; KD: Reichert 3, Cudahy, Kelsic, Morton. Assists – CC: McKinstry 3, Driver 2, Kerr; KD: Key, Reilly. Shots on goal – Cherry Creek 3-4-3-9-19; Kent Denver 3-9-0-1-13. Saves – Cherry Creek (Stone) 1-5-0-1-7; Kent Denver (Pluss) 1-2-2-5-10.
