The Pilot News - CMA three-peats at state lacrosse championship

‘We outshot Cathedral in that first game by a significant margin, but we weren’t hitting the net,’ said CMA boys lacrosse head coach Jon Posner. ‘The other thing that was probably even more important was we didn’t have our face-off man Jon Sabo, and I think maybe we won one or two face-offs that game. The second game they hadn’t seen Jon (Sabo). I don’t think they knew who he was, and we won probably 90 percent of our face-offs, which was huge for us because we’d score and then we’d win the ball back. We controlled the ball most of the final game.’
While Sabo dominated the face-offs, second-year junior Brandon Benn exploded with seven goals and two assists to lead CMA’s balanced attack — which also featured three goals apiece by Tommy Ott and Jesse Rabishaw and two by Pierce Leonard — and Connor Eustice held star Cathedral attacker Justin McGinnis to just two goals for the Irish. Benn was named Offensive Player of the Game by the Indiana High School Lacrosse Association for his efforts, and Eustice was tapped as the game’s Defensive Player.
‘Brandon’s play kind of speaks for itself,’ said Posner. ‘He’s an unbelievably talented player. He’s going to Johns Hopkins. He’s our first, which is huge for our program. He plays at a high level and he played his best game Saturday.
‘Connor Eustice held their best scorer, Justin McGinnis... who is one of the leading scorers in the state, to two goals in that final game,’ added Posner. ‘Connor’s defense against Justin was critical in that final game. He shut him down.’
Also at the game, Culver goalie Robb Harrison made eight saves, while Rabishaw assisted on two goals and Leonard, Tim Zacher and Cameron Dabir each recorded an assist.
Posner said rather than any one aspect or player, it was the team play of CMA’s entire squad that made the three-peat championship possible.
‘It was a complete game on all sides,’ he said. ‘Everybody was contributing.’
Winning three straight state championships isn’t easy to do, but it helps when you have 13 All-State players and two All-Americans on your roster.
Both Benn and Ott — honored as the Indiana Player of the Year prior to Saturday’s title game — were named All-Americans by the Indiana Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse, as well as first team All-State selections along with Rabishaw. Sabo, Ryn Everson and Leonard were all given second-team nominations, while a host of other Eagles were tapped for honorable mention. The 13 All-State distinctions surpass a previous program high in a single season, and Benn’s and Ott’s All-American decorations nearly doubled the number of All-American recipients in CMA lacrosse history.
‘I think we have five All-Americans in Culver history, and we’ve had two this year, which we’re really proud of. They’ve put in their work, and it’s good to see them get the recognition.’
It was that mixture of hard work and talent that’s given CMA the success it has enjoyed the past several seasons, success that includes not just this year’s 17-4 state three-peat campaign, but seven state championships in the past 11 year and a current Laxpower ranking of 38th out of 430 teams in the Midwest.
‘This year it was a combination of talent and effort and commitment,’ said the Eagles skipper. ‘It’s worked for us the past three years. We believe that we’re competitive not just in the state but taking them out of state, they’re competing against some of these other teams that have been powerhouses for decades, and it’s incredible.
BOYS STATE LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
At Indianapolis (Saturday)
• CULVER MILITARY 15, INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL 9
CMA stats
Goals: Brandon Benn 7, Tommy Ott 3, Jesse Rabishaw 3, Pierce Leonard 2. Assists: Benn 2, Rabishaw 2, Leonard, Tim Zacher, Cameron Dabir. Saves: Robb Harrison 8, Coltan Armitage 1. Face-offs: Jon Sabo 12-of-26.