VIRGINIA BEACH
No one was more thankful for the way the final minute of Tuesday’s Division II state private school boys lacrosse tournament game between Nansemond-Suffolk and Bishop Sullivan Catholic unfolded than Zane Turner.
Just when fourth-seeded Catholic seemed to have things under control, Turner was caught with an illegal stick, resulting in a three-minute penalty that allowed the fifth-seeded Saints to transform a two-goal deficit with 3:05 remaining into a one-goal lead with 1:47 left.
But the irrepressible Reed Looney knotted the score on his sixth goal with 40 seconds to play, then set up Ryan Burke’s fourth goal for the game-winner with 14 seconds remaining as Bishop Sullivan escaped with a 12-11 victory.
“I almost cost us the game,” said Turner, a standout on defense before being sidelined down the stretch. “I knew the stick was illegal. I had broken mine in the (TCIS) championship game last week and I was using a practice stick that the head width is too skinny.
“But I never expected anyone to call me on it.”
When questioned about the sportsmanship of the challenge, Turner refused to criticize Nansemond-Suffolk.
“It could go either way” on whether it was a cheap way to try to win a game, he said. “It was illegal and I’m going out to get a new head tonight.”
Bishop Sullivan coach Mike Burke, who will send his team (15-6) against the winner of the Christchurch-Highland School game in Thursday’s semifinals, was not going to complain about the Saints’ strategy, either.
”I’ve never done it myself,” he said, “My personal opinion is that it is something you do when you are down to your last straw. I can understand why they did it.
“But there was never a doubt in my mind we’d win it at the end if we could just get a stick on the ball. Our attack is too strong.”
Nansemond-Suffolk made the challenge just after Zach Grasman had put the Crusaders ahead by 10-8 with 3:05 left on the clock. It took the Saints (9-7) only a minute and 18 seconds of operating with a man advantage to get two goals from Dana Hunting and one from Will Crenshaw and take an 11-10 lead.
Bishop Sullivan finally gained control of the ball with 1:10 left and that’s when Looney, who is headed to Notre Dame to play lacrosse, made his coach a prophet, netting the tying goal and assisting on the winner.
None of the Crusaders thought they’d have to put together a last-minute rally to beat Nansemond-Suffolk, a team they scored the first eight goals on en route to a 13-9 win in the regular season.
“We came into the game 8-0 against Division II teams and we expected this to be easy,” said Grasman, who had a goal and five assists. “But they really stuck it to us.
“It was really scary playing the last three minutes down a man. We never saw it coming that they’d score three straight goals on us.”
It wasn’t just overconfidence that hindered the Crusaders.
”It was pretty demoralizing losing so bad to Norfolk Academy (17-3 in the TCIS championship game) last week,” said Grasman. “I think some guys quit in that one and it carried over to today.”
Burke is hoping the funk is behind them. With no Norfolk Academy in the field – the Bulldogs are the top seed in Division I – the Division II tournament represents an opportunity for Bishop Sullivan.
“This is a whole new tournament for us,” said the Crusaders coach. “Norfolk Academy is far and away the best team in the state. We can do something in this tournament.”