A budding dynasty, Middletown boys lacrosse leaves no doubt in repeating as 1A champs

OWINGS MILLS – One year ago to the day, Middletown boys lacrosse needed every second of the 48-minute regulation clock to change the program’s fortunes forever.

The Knights still talk about that game, the eight unanswered goals in just over a quarter of play to give a plucky upstart their first state title.

Fallston talks about that game, too. The perennially powerful Cougars were on the other side of that meltdown. When both teams learned last Friday they would rematch for the Class 1A state championship, the preparations and gamesmanship began immediately.

After 48 more minutes Wednesday, Middletown left no doubt about its status as a budding dynasty.

The Knights romped to an 18-6 win at Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium to win their second consecutive state championship. They rattled off the game’s first nine goals and ensured no comeback was necessary.

“As soon as we found out last week that we’d be seeing them again, we started preparing right away, knowing that they were a great team,” Middletown head coach Dominic Ceresini said. “We just had to come out, play a full game of Middletown lacrosse that we’ve been doing since Feb. 28. That’s exactly what we came out and did.”

Still, this was a new level for the Knights.

The offense, as it has all season, flowed effortlessly, with zippy passes leading to one quick strike after another.

But the defense, which was notably inconsistent early in the season, finally found its top form and smothered one of the state’s more potent and versatile attacks.

“With the offense that these guys can create, if we hold an opponent under 10 goals, we should come out on top,” Ceresini said. “It’s just putting that chip on their shoulder and just playing with that attitude of, no one else thinks you can do it, so go prove them wrong.”

Middletown (14-4) carried that mindset throughout the postseason and let its attack do the rest.

The Knights exploded for seven first-quarter goals against Fallston (16-3), a lead that gradually grew until the final 1 minute, 19 seconds were played under a running clock.

“Our chemistry on the offensive side is just so pure,” senior midfielder Ryan McLister said. “There’s nothing like it.”

It’s a textbook combination of speed, pinpoint accuracy and a plethora of dangerous shooters that can catch opponents off guard from anywhere on the field.

Senior attack Brodie Burdette notched six first-half goals Wednesday and appeared set to challenge the state championship single-game record. Though he didn’t score again, his teammates easily filled in.

Senior attack Myles Sontz had four goals and an assist, while McLister picked up a hat trick and added two assists. Junior attack Connor Herman and freshman attack Landon Poling each scored twice, and junior midfielder Tobias White also scored once.

“All of our guys can take a guy one-on-one,” Burdette said. “When Fallston came out pressuring us hard, that’s our bread and butter. Just take our guy to the goal.”

Those plays start from the faceoff X, manned with aplomb by senior Brayden Soe over the last four seasons.

He helped Middletown win 19 of 27 faceoffs against the Cougars, never letting Fallston maintain extended possession and wearing out its defense.

“Even if you lose the first one, you have so many others throughout the entire game, so focus on the next one,” Soe said. “That’s what I’ve been living through the last four years.”

So too have the Knights at large.

That “goldfish mentality” Soe described has carried Middletown through many an imperfect stretch, whether it’s early-season losses, an outmatched start in a title game or periodic defensive lapses. None of that matters to the Knights.

What’s most important is they overcame those momentary lapses and now have two pieces of hardware to show for it. This time, there was no doubt.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. Not many people get to experience it,” Sontz said. “Our coach said, 'Let’s go make history.' And we made history. Back-to-back, never been done in Middletown history. That’s what we wanted, and it feels damn good.”