East Ridge and Stillwater Lacrosse Teams Secure Spots in State Tournament

The East Ridge boys lacrosse team is set to make its second consecutive appearance at the state tournament, a historic moment for the school. Their journey to this point was anything but straightforward, culminating in a thrilling overtime victory against St. Thomas Academy in the Section 3 final held at East Ridge High School on Wednesday.

Facing an 11-9 deficit with just a minute left on the clock, East Ridge staged an impressive comeback, scoring two quick goals to equalize. Leo Stalsberg then sealed the win for the top-seeded Raptors, netting the decisive goal only moments into overtime, resulting in a final score of 12-11. Paxton Baron contributed significantly with his third goal of the match, while Bradley Johnson managed to score just eight seconds before the end of regulation.

In a parallel matchup in Section 4, the Stillwater Ponies, also a top seed, triumphed over the second-seeded White Bear Lake with a score of 10-6. This victory marks Stillwater's third consecutive trip to the state tournament and their fifth appearance in the last six years.

The state tournament is scheduled to begin on June 9, with games taking place at Roseville Area High School and White Bear Lake High School. Other notable results from the sections include Wayzata's 10-7 win over Benilde-St. Margaret’s in Section 5 and Edina’s 5-3 victory against Bloomington Jefferson in Section 6.

Farmington also had a commanding 19-3 win over Owatonna in Section 1, while Minnetonka secured their spot in Section 2 with a 7-2 victory against Chanhassen. Upcoming matches include Blaine versus Champlin Park for the Section 7 title and Elk River competing against St. Michael-Albertville in Section 8.