Leaf Rakers Following OT Victory in Title Game

Having lost both of its games last week, the beleaguered Leaf Rakers hoped to salvage some pride in today’s fall HOTT Lax finals at Bagley Field.  They did that … and more … upsetting Autumn Rage, 6-3, in the semifinals and coming back from a 3-1 deficit to wing a sudden death overtime heartstopper, 4-3, over the Crunch in the title game to take home the league crown.   Aaron Parrish was the hero in the final, finding the twine from 8 yards out with 2:10 left in the first overtime period to give the Rakers the championship.  Parrish and teammates Zach Duncan and Xavier Smith controlled the ground ball wars in both games, but it was the

Aaron Parrish, #17 for the Leaf Rakers, scored the sudden death OT gamewinner for the Rakers

play of unsung heroes Dylan Trask and Justin Prairie that really helped to turn the tide for the Rakers.  Trask scored two goals each in the semifinal and final, and controlled the key ground ball and was credited with a Blackhawk assist in the sequence that led to Parrish’s game winner.  Prairie had a goal and 3 assists in the final and played tenaciously in the riding game to end up as the top-rated attackman in the league.   Congratulations to Coaches Kevin Bugg and Erick “Boogie” Smith and their players on an outstanding run and the first fall HOTT Lax title!

Autumn Rage’s Marshall Lemmond, the 4-year Blackhawk warhorse, edged out a tough field to finish with the highest HOTT Impact Quotient, repeating his accomplishment from last summer’s HOTT Lax.

Congratulations, too, to Coach Justin Smith, who steered the Crunch to an amazing 6-game undefeated streak and almost came away with the title.  Coach Smith was selected fall HOTT Lax Coach of the Year.

Final stats and standings are posted at http://triadblackhawks.com/?page_id=951.

In one of this fall’s epic HOTT Lax contests, Jaquarre Hailey won a ground ball and scored on a right-handed rocket from 10 yards out to give the Autumn Rage a thrilling 5-4 sudden death overtime victory over the Tailgaters and the top seed in next Sunday’s HOTT Lax Finals.  So close were all teams in the standings — each entered yesterday’s final day of regular season play with identical 3-3-1 records —  that an Autumn Rage loss would have dropped them to a third seed and elevated the Crunch to the top seed.  Current Stats and Standings.  The Rage, led by high-scoring midfielder Chase Mabe and shutdown defender Marshall Lemmond, will play its semifinal against the Leaf Rakers at 4:00 p.m. next Sunday at Bagley.  The other semifinal will feature the league’s best offensive team, the Tailgaters, against the resurgent Crunch, who have gone undefeated in their last five games.  The semifinal winners will play in the title game for the right to hoist the first fall HOTT Lax trophy.

The Triad Blackhawks are pleased to announce the  Hunger Games, a 10 v 10 lacrosse tournament for Adult and High School teams to be held at Cash-Bagley Fields, 4700 Old Hollow Road, Kernersville on Sunday, November 4, 2012.

Each participant will bring a grocery bag of non-perishable food to the tournament, which will then be donated through Help Kick Hunger to the Greensboro Urban Ministry.  There will be a team competition to determine who brings the most donated food to the tournament.

This tournament will be played in lieu of the former Holiday Toy Classic.  While the focus of the tournament is now food rather than toys, the charitable nature of the tournament remains remains alive and well.  In addition to the large amounts of food that will be donated to the needy, the tournament’s net proceeds will be donated to local charities.

Each team will play three games.  As in past years, there will be a skills competition for high school players in the following categories: Shot Speed; Shot Accuracy; Longest Shot; and Ground Balls.

REGISTER FOR THE HUNGER GAMES

The cost of participation is $25 per player if payment is received on or before Saturday, October 6 and $35 thereafter.

For high school teams that wish to register as a team, the cost is $400 if payment is received before Saturday, October 6 and $500 thereafter.

Attackman Cameron Dillon, a rising junior at Northwest Guilford High School, and defenseman Marshall Lemmond, an original Blackhawk and rising senior at Southeast

Marshall Lemmond, Triad Cup, 2012

Guilford High School, were named today as the Blackhawks Co-Players of the Year.  This award is based upon performance and adherence to the principles of the Blackhawks.

Both Dillon and Lemmond have started on the Blackhawks Apache teams the past two summers and were key contributors to Team Apache’s qualification in summer 2011 for the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Championship tournament.

As a result of this honor, the Triad Black Hawk Fund will

Cameron Dillon (in white), Carolina Summer Shootout, 2012

donate $250 to each player’s school or other charity of their choice.  Last year’s award went to Cameron Bradford of Bishop McGuinness.

Here is a snapshot of the accomplishments of Dillon and Lemmond:

Dillon shattered the existing Blackhawks high school House League scoring record this summer with 36 goals and 39 assists in leading Allison’s Assassins to a 15-0 record and league championship.  In summer 2011, Dillon finished 3rd in House League scoring and first in ground balls.

Cameron Dillon, #171, Triad Cup, 2012

Dillon was the leading scorer on this summer’s Team Apache, recording 20 goals and 5 assists in 14 games of action.  In summer 2011, playing mostly midfield, Dillon scored 18 goals and had 10 assists — leading all midfielders — along with 37 ground balls.

Lemmond, who first played on the Blackhawks U15 team in summer 2009, was a top defender on the Blackhawks “Silver” travel team during summer 2010.  Last summer, as a close defender, he finished third among all defensemen in groundballs.  This summer, he led all close defenders in ground balls and loose balls caused with 19 and 17, respectively.  He became a shutdown defender for Team Apache, often being assigned to the opponent’s top attackman.

Lemmond recently was named the Most Valuable Player in the Blackhawks’ HOTT Lax league, as he led all close defenders in ground balls and all players in loose balls caused.  He even scored a goal and recorded two assists.  His overall contributions to

Marshall Lemmond, Triad Cup, 2012

his Green Machine team led him to receive the league’s highest HOTT Impact Quotient, a measure of overall production in goals, assists, ground balls, and loose balls caused.

Both Dillon and Lemmond are hard-working team players who play with passion, energy, leadership, and good sportsmanship.

Both players made significant contributions to their team’s 4-1 record in last month’s Carolina Summer Shootout hosted by High Point University.

Both Dillon and Lemmond are high-achieving honor students at their respective high schools.

The Blackhawks also named the winners of their traditional Blackhawk awards — based upon attitude, commitment, work ethic, and team orientation — to the following high school players:

• Josh Brown, Southwest Guilford High School
• Matt Miller, East Forsyth High School
• Chase Mabe, Glenn High School
• Jacob Freeman, High Point Central High School
• Zach Duncan, East Forsyth High School
• Zane Wiesman, Caldwell Academy
• John Arrington, Northwest Guilford High School
• Zach Vaughn, East Forsyth High School
• Xavier Smith, Ragsdale High School
• Drew Kwapil, Grimsley High School
• Chris Parris, Reynolds High School
• Jason Nieradka, East Forsyth High School
• Collin Lett, Northwest Guilford High School
• Tyler Bean, Middle College – UNCG
• Ryan McFetters, Grimsley High School
• Michael Maccharoli, Southeast Guilford High School
• Trent Ankenbruck, Northwest Guilford High School

Congratulations to Cameron Dillon and Marshall Lemmond and to all the winners of our Blackhawk awards!

The Triad’s latest and greatest lacrosse opportunity — HOTT Lax — continues in the fall for all high school players.  Registration is now open at ONLINE FALL HOTT LAX REGISTRATION.

The program will be held on Sundays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. beginning on Sunday, September 9 and ending on Sunday, October 21, 2012.

It will be held at Bagley Fields (adjacent to Cash Elementary School 4700 Old Hollow Road, Kernersville).

Registered players will be assigned to teams, which will compete for a championship that will ultimately be decided on the final Sunday of competition.  The rules will encourage fast-paced, unselfish, team-oriented play.  Standings and statistics will be kept.

The program will be limited to the first 100 registrants.  You must be in high school to play.  All experience levels, including new players, are welcome.  Players are expected to attend on a regular basis.

The cost is $85.  All fees are non-refundable.

See you in September!

Undefeated Adult Champions Men in Pink

In each of the three divisions of HOTT Lax on Monday, July 30, Men in Pink took the title over their worthy adversaries. Men in Pink bested Blues Brothers, 7-2, in the Youth final behind attackman Blake Lett and defender Jack Albright; Men in Pink upset Orange Crush, 2-1, in the High School final behind the offensive play of Cole Richardson and a strong defense anchored by goalie Ethan Danser;

Men in Pink, HS Champs

and, yes, Men in Pink used the offensive firepower of Daniel Tichy, Jake Johnson, and Mike Santare and the goaltending of Jonathan Cooper to coast over Green Machine, 11-1, in the Adult title clash after surviving a 7-5 semifinal

Undefeated Men in Pink, Youth Champs

scare against the resilient Blues Brothers.

The following players were named HOTT Lax MVP in each division: Jacob Johnson, Adult; Marshall Lemmond, High School; and Ryan Huth, Youth.

Over 160 players participated in this first season of HOTT Lax, and the action was intense throughout.  Thank you to all who participated, and congratulations to our champs!

The participation and competition in the first HOTT Lax summer series has been outstanding!  A talented group of present and former college players makes the Adult division some of the best and most entertaining lacrosse around.  The High School division features both younger and more experienced players, many of whom will see considerable time on the field this spring.  The Youth division showcases many of our future stars and features a remarkable group of team-oriented, hard-working young players.

The series concludes this Monday, July 30 with playoffs at Cash-Bagley Fields in three divisions, beginning at 5:30 p.m. for Youth and High School and beginning at 7:00 p.m. for Adult.  In the Youth and Adult divisions, high-powered Men in Pink remained undefeated after Thursday’s games and head into the playoffs as the #1 seeds. Caison Dillon (17 g, 10 a) and tenacious Blake Lett (6 g, 5 a, 10 gbs, 9 lbcs) lead the Youth Men in Pink, while dominating defender Jack Albright (25 loose balls caused, 24 gbs) anchors the stingy pink defense. Midfielder Ryan Huth (6 g, 10 a, 30 gbs) will lead the Blues Brothers into the playoffs.  For the Adult Men in Pink, attackmen Jake Johnson (14 g, 11 a), Daniel Tichy (12 g), and Hugh Fiery (10 g, 56% shooting) lead the potent and balanced pink scoring machine, while Guilford College teammates Trent Evans (11 g, 2 a, 23 gbs) and Dale Wray (24 gbs) have been dominating at midfield.   The top Adult challenger is Green Machine, which lost two games on Thursday in the absence of its top scorer Andrew Allison (11 goals, 65% shooting), who expects to return for the playoffs.  The Green Machine has other weapons in its arsenal as well, including shutdown defender David Robinette and ground ball machine Rob Thomas.

In the High School division, Orange Crush — led by league leading scorer A.J. Hyatt (13 goals, 2 assists, 65% shooting) and ground ball phenom Donnie Proper (league leading 22 gbs) — sustained its first loss on Thursday but remains the top seed in their division.  High School’s Men in Pink, however, have a tandem of strong goalies along with lightning-quick middies Mike Marsden and Cole Eglowstein and scrappy attackman Spencer Dollman (11 gbs, 11 lbcs) and aim to knock Orange Crush off its pedestal. Defender Marshall Lemmond, leading the league with 18 loose balls caused, and middie Chase Mabe (12 goals, 50% shooting),  hope to reverse the Green Machine’s fortunes as they head into the playoffs.  For updated info, go to HOTT LAX Standings & Stats.

ONS U15 Champs

ONS HS Champs

The first annual Triad Cup, benefiting A Stick From Chase, featured four U15 teams on Saturday and seven high school teams on Sunday at Cash-Bagley Fields in Kernersville. Congratulations to Old North State on taking home the Triad Cup on each day of competition, with each of its teams finishing 3-0. On Saturday, ONS beat the Blackhawks Blue team 10-6 for the title, while ONS high school team beat Blackhawks Apache on Sunday, 8-5, to take home the hardware. Over 110 Blackhawks got to participate in the tournament, many for the first time in tournament competition. Many rising 9th graders got to participate for the Blackhawks, as they transition from middle school to high school competition.  The tournament was organized and sponsored by the Blackhawks and A Stick From Chase.  Other sponsors included Action Engravers, Hammerhead Lacrosse, and 6M Sports Lacrosse. Thank you to ONS, Alamance War Dogs, Piedmont Buccs, and South Wake Lacrosse, who in addition to the Blackhawks, made generous donations to A Stick From Chase. Thank you to all participants for a great weekend of lacrosse!

The undefeated Allison’s Assassins survived a scare from Pierce On to take the coveted Fiery Cup, 9-8, in a thriller tonight at Bagley Fields.  Down 5-3 at halftime, Pierce On moved Cameron Bradford to faceoff middie, and his second half domination keyed a comeback that kept the fans on the edge of their seats for the entire second half.  Down 8-7 with 3 minutes remaining, Bradford scored on a laser shot from the left side to tie the game.  On their next possession, however, the Assassins came down and moved the ball quickly from Trent Ankenbruck to Cameron Dillon to Will Abee, who finished from the left side for the game winner with one minute remaining.  Pierce On was unable to find the cage on their last possession, and the Assassins celebrated an undefeated championship season.  For the Assassins, league scoring leader Cameron Dillon had 3 goals and 2 assists, while Aaron Parrish also had 3 goals.  Ankenbruck finished with 2 goals and an assist.  The Assassins were led defensively by Vic Marsden and Brandon Ivey, and were helped with some key saves by first-year goalie Jacob Freeman.   Cameron Bradford and Brian Miller each had 2 goals and an assist for Pierce On, with Justin Prairie adding 2 goals, and scrappy Patrick Conley having 2 goals and 3 assists.  Josh Brown led Pierce On’s defensive effort.

In earlier playoff action tonight, Bro-Guns knocked out Cracker Jacks, while Team Swagg advanced against Honey Badgers.  The Assassins dominated Team Swagg, 15-1, in the semifinal, while Pierce On beat the Bro-Guns, 14-7, to advance to the title game.

Transition, Pierce On vs. Assassins, House League Title Game

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the third summer of Triad Blackhawks House League.  And congratulations to Coach Andrew Allison and his undefeated champions, Allison’s Assassins.

HOTT Lax, the Triad’s new scrimmage series for youth, high school, and college/adult players, opens on Monday evening, July 9, at Cash-Bagley Fields in Kernersville.  Featuring some of the area’s top players, the inaugural season on HOTT Lax promises to provide plenty of lacrosse excitement during the month of July.  For more info, click on the HOTT Lax tab at the top of this page.  Come out and play, or come out and watch!