A Humid Houston and tough team in St. John’s was too much for junior Nic Austin and his Tigers. PHOTO BY TROY WALKER
Tiger Lacrosse falls to 6thranked St. Johns
The South Texas leg of the 2019 lacrosse schedule closed for the Tigers with a contest against the St. John’s Mavericks on a muggy Saturday afternoon, April 6, in downtown Houston. Drip returned to the Houston area after splitting games with #5 The Woodlands and beating Seven Lakes in the closing minutes the previous weekend. Facing sixth-ranked St. John’s was a tall order. The Mavericks won 14-11.
Drip struck first, :42 into the game when the junior Cristian Reno connected with junior Nic Austin. The Tigers led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter and that would be their last lead. Reno led all Tiger scorers with 3 goals and 3 assists. Austin ended the game with 2 goals and an assist. Junior Charles Pouland added a hat-trick. Senior goalie Connor Mogen had 12 saves. Senior Logan Heinchon was awarded a highly contested team hammer for gritty play.
When questioned about the tough schedule, Head Coach Bill Cafferata said, “We have been preaching process over results since October. Having one of the toughest schedules in Texas is the process in which we have prepared ourselves for the district and state playoffs. To improve, we had to step up and get out of our comfort zone. We have played 7 of the top 10 teams in the state to get ourselves ready to compete for a district championship and that journey starts this week.”
The Tigers control their own destiny in District play with only two games left again Westlake and Austin High. The top two teams will get first round district playoff byes and an automatic bid to the Super Regionals. Super Regionals consists of the best 12 teams in Texas. The Tigers made it to the final 8 last season.
Junior Varsity ran its undefeated record to 11-0 after blowing out Division 2 varsity St. Michael’s 12-5 on Thursday. Their unbeaten streak came to an end against an also undefeated team in St. John’s, 5-7.
Drip hosts top-ranked Westlake on Friday. It’s Senior Night and the last regular season game at home. Faceoff is at 8:15 PM. Free admission.