In reaching the Class 2A state title game, No. 13 Glenelg boys lacrosse hadn’t had to deal with many anxious late moments throughout its impressive postseason roll.
When No. 11 Hereford provided some in Wednesday night’s final at Stevenson University, the Gladiators proved more than ready.
In a deciding two-minute stretch early in the fourth quarter, the Gladiators were collectively at their best. The stretch proved a microcosm of a fine season that was capped with a 10-7 win over the Bulls to bring home the program’s fifth state title.
Senior Tim Iannarino paced the attack with five goals, goalie Zach Coughlin made four of his nine saves in the deciding fourth quarter and the Gladiators’ persistent riding game made a huge impact.
“Just a sense of relief,” Iannarino said. “There’s been a lot of pressure on us building up coming to states because we all knew what we were capable of. But it was whether we were going to show up and perform. And we did exactly that. I just love our team, love the hustle we put into every single practice.”
Glenelg and Hereford, Howard and Baltimore County champions, respectively, both came into the title game playing their best lacrosse of the season. The Gladiators (15-3) outscored four playoff opponents by a 16-5 margin, easily handling two-time defending champion Kent Island, 16-8, in the semifinals.
Hereford (14-4) flexed its muscles with a 9-3 win over 3A state runner-up Towson for the county crown and carried that momentum all the way to Wednesday’s game.
In the fourth quarter, after the Bulls climbed back from a 6-2 first-half deficit to pull within 8-7 on Jordan Bush’s goal with 10:43 to play, the Gladiators also had a one-minute man-advantage penalty and a standout faceoff specialist Cole Wallner to get them the ball.
This time, Chris Iannarino won the game’s most pivotal faceoff, and while the Gladiators were busy killing off the penalty, they ended up with a man-advantage opportunity of their own. In the closing seconds of the penalty, Tim Iannarino, parked on the left side, cranked a shot that made it through Hereford’s backup goalie Jack Williams for a 9-7 advantage with 8:39 to play.
Sharing time at the faceoff circle with teammate Conner Hammond, Chris Iannarino got the call and knew the magnitude of the moment. Wallner had the better of it all game long, but not that time.
“Walking out there I was like, ‘I got to get this, this is important,'” he said. “It just felt good. Winning that faceoff, quick breaking the guy and just getting it out and picking it up.”
Added Glenelg coach Josh Hatmaker: “That was just a huge faceoff win for us — might be a game-winning faceoff win.”
One save from Coughlin was followed by a goal from Chase Buscher to make it 10-7 with 6:41 to play. Coughlin made two more saves before the Gladiators gained possession in the closing minutes to burn off the remaining time.
“I’ve been playing lacrosse since I was four years old and … I’ve played with a lot of them since since they were young. You just dream of this when you’re young and to get to actually do it is just the best feeling,” Coughlin said.
Brandon Klopp scored two goals and added one assist with Buscher scoring twice for the Gladiators, whose last title came in 2019.
Brenden Kittner led Hereford with three goals and one assist, while JP Revitte finished with two goals. The Bulls lost starting goalie Luke Barrett to a broken thumb early in the region playoffs and got fine play from Caleb Bush and Williams in relief. The two combined to make nine saves.
“We made it a point to get steadily better the entire season and did that through the playoffs,” Hereford coach Kyle Leppert said. “We had in some ways one of our best games tonight as far as a collective effort, but we had to stand up against one of the toughest opponents possibly in the entire state.”
Hereford — 2-2-2-1 — 7
Glenelg — 5-1-2-2 — 10
Goals: H — Revitte 2, Kittner 3, Manankil, Bush; G — T. Iannarino 5, Klopp 2, Szczepanski, Buscher 2
Assists: H — Kittner, Manankil, Bush; G — Klopp, Szczepanski, DuBois
Saves: H — Bush 3, Williams 6; G — Coughlin 9
