Lacrosse nears final stretch

By CT McDonald

There are just more than two weeks left in the lacrosse regular season, and local teams are in high gear as they compete in their few remaining league games.

Chapin’s varsity boys have won all four of their 5A District 4 matchups with another one on tap tonight, Thursday at 7:30 pm at home. River Bluff (RB) is the opponent, and that will leave only Lexington next week to round out the district competition for the season.

While Chapin was at 8-3, 4-0 and on top of the district at midweek, the RB Gators stood at 5-6, 2-2, and the Wildcats were at 7-2, 3-0 at that time.

The Dutch Fork boys — at number three in league wins and losses — are also in the top four in the district, just behind Lexington and just ahead of River Bluff. Blythewood, White Knoll and Spring Valley round out the district.

Dutch Fork and Chapin met in a district matchup two weeks ago, and the Eagles took that one 12-2 after scoring goals in every quarter to the Silver Foxes’ two goals in the first period.

In that game, Grady Brandstatter and Holden Condrey scored four goals, each, for the Eagles, Bobby Larsen scored two, and Issac Marrone and Tyler Green each scored one goal. Owen Salazar recorded two assists, while Will VanVollenhoven and Rutledge Thomas also provided one assist, each.

For Dutch Fork, Garrett Wertz and Will Puckett, each recorded a goal, and Caleb Doty and Michael Chudd, each provided one assist.

The Silver Foxes stood at 6-5, 3-2 as they prepared for the 5A District 4 game at home tonight against Lexington. This will be a matchup between two of the top four teams in the district, and it is Dutch Fork’s final league game of the regular season.

Local girls varsity teams are also heading into the final weeks of their seasons with victories dominating their recorded scoreboards.

Chapin’s girls were undefeated (4-0) in the league as they prepared for their 5A Lower District 5 game against River Bluff at midweek, and Dutch Fork’s girls were at 4-1 in the district with a matchup against league rival Lexington also on the agenda at midweek.

The Eagles and Silver Foxes are at the top of the district with Dutch Fork playing its final league game this week against Lexington, and Chapin taking on the Wildcats next week, on Wednesday, in the final league matchup for both teams.

As with the boys varsity teams, Chapin, Dutch Fork, Lexington and River Bluff are the top four teams, and Spring Valley, Blythewood and White Knoll round out the district.

In 4A girls lacrosse, Irmo’s Yellow Jackets are also nearing the end of the regular season, and they had a game against Mid-Carolina planned for midweek in a rematch with the Rebels whom they defeated 5-4 in double overtime in late February.

Next up, Irmo is set to take on Beaufort on Saturday on the road at noon, and then complete the regular season against league rival A. C. Flora at the Falcons’ field at 6 pm Wednesday, next week.

In addition to their district games, all of these teams have one or more non-league games scattered over the final two weeks of the regular season.