Big first half lifts Derryfield boys lacrosse past John Stark
The John Stark High School boys lacrosse team did not have the ball enough to challenge Derryfield School Tuesday. Cougars senior Lee Sipes made sure of that.
MANCHESTER – The John Stark High School boys lacrosse team did not have the ball enough to challenge Derryfield School Tuesday. Cougars senior Lee Sipes made sure of that.
Sipes won 12 faceoffs as Derryfield coasted to a 14-3 home triumph over the Generals. The Merrimack College commit won eight of nine faceoffs in the first half to help the Cougars build an 8-1 halftime advantage.
“He’s been a huge spark for us all year,” Derryfield coach Chris Hettler said. “Anytime you can almost make-it, take-it – you score a goal, you get the next one and go – it starts to break the spirit of the other team and I think that kind of happened a little bit today.”
Sipes’ success in the faceoff circle allowed the Cougars (5-0) to control the pace and dominate possession throughout the contest. The midfielder also chipped in offensively with three goals and an assist.
Hettler described Sipes as a throwback player because of the fact he is not just a faceoff specialist.
“It is rare,” Hettler said. “You look around (Division II) and most of the teams have a faceoff specialist but he comes off the field and he’s not the kind of weapon that Lee is. It’s pretty special to have that.”
Sipes won three of four faceoffs and scored the game’s first goal in the opening quarter to help Derryfield take a 3-0 lead into the second.
John Stark coach Howard Roever said he thought the aura that surrounds Derryfield’s program gave his players some early jitters.
“They’ve been doing what they’ve been doing for five, 10 years now,” Roever said. “I think the kids know about it, hear about it and they take a little while before they get settled in their own skin and they realize that they can actually play with them athletically.”
Aiden Moser’s goal with 8:17 remaining in the first half put the Generals (1-3) on the board and cut Derryfield’s lead to 3-1. The Cougars responded by scoring the final five goals of the half.
John Stark did not score again until Matt Bennetter bested Cougars goalie Avry Truex (six saves) with 6:07 left in the third quarter. Derryfield’s Eric Mayer responded to Bennetter’s tally with two of his own to give the Cougars a 10-2 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Roever pointed to costly turnovers and giving Derryfield too many second and third opportunities as a few reasons for John Stark’s struggles Tuesday.
Bennetter finished with a team-high two goals for the Generals. Teammates Drew McQuarrie and Kayden Easter each logged an assist.
Mayer and teammate Connor Glosner finished with four goals each for the Cougars. Alex Neville, Robbie Dowst and Jon Maclean each chipped in a goal each for Derryfield.
“I was proud of our guys,” Hettler said. “We rode and cleared really well. We created some transition opportunities and then we finally got the ball spinning and got their defense moving and produced some pretty good looks for us.”
