New Trier’s John McCain kisses the first-place trophy, with Colin Kroll looking on. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Tom Herrala shook his head.
It appeared New Trier’s boys lacrosse coach was trying to wrap his head around what his second-seeded Trevians had just collected with a 9-6 defeat of top-seeded Loyola Academy at Stevenson on June 3 — the program’s 12th Illinois High School Association (IHSLA) state championship trophy.
The coach was in awe.
The coach was proud.
“I did not think we’d score nine goals against that defense and against all of their All-Americans,” admitted Herrala, whose squad lost 7-6 to visiting and reigning IHSLA state champion LA in their regular-season meeting on April 29. “And our defense played an unbelievable game, an awesome game.”
Trevians senior long stick middie and Roanoke College-bound Sam Balch, an all-stater, played like an All-American from start to finish on a muggy day in Lincolnshire, deflecting an early Ramblers pass to set a resounding tone and playing inspiring, sticky defense the rest of the way to maintain that tone.
“Sam played like he had a chip on his shoulder, didn’t he?” said Herrala, who guided NT to its third state title in four years. “Small and feisty and tough. He goes out there and takes care of business.”
Freshman Cooper Yaccino was money in goal for New Trier (18-1), which limited LA (17-1) to one goal in the first quarter and two in the second. The 6-foot-1, 140-pounder — a quarterback on New Trier’s freshman football team last fall — came up with big save after big save on a rather big stage. He had been sharing goalkeeper duties with classmate Brian Dolby (the starter in NT’s 16-7 defeat of sixth-seeded Neuqua Valley in a state semifinal on May 31) all spring. But Herrala chose to stick with Yaccino in the second half of the state championship game.
“It was Cooper’s game to win or lose,” Herrala said, alluding to NT’s 5-3 lead at the half. “Quarterback, goalie … you want a kid like Cooper at those positions; nothing rattles him.”
Yaccino was a kindergartner when he handled his first fiddlestick (mini lax stick), given to him by his father, David, a former long pole lacrosse player at Dartmouth. Cooper started out as an attackman and began his journey as a goalie in the sixth grade.
“A goalie on my team had quit,” said Yaccino, a third-year True Lacrosse club player.
NT was up 3-1 in last weekend’s state championship game when Yaccino stopped a zinger of a shot from Ramblers freshman attack Kaden Keller. Shortly thereafter, LA senior attack and DePauw University-bound Quinn Roddy — a US Lacrosse All-American who tallied half of LA’s six goals in the title contest — fired a low shot at Yaccino.
Yaccino denied Roddy.
Two more impressive saves in the third quarter — on a shot by sophomore middie Ned Seaman, followed by a point-blank fastball by Keller — preserved New Trier’s 5-4 lead.
“Amazing; he’s something else,” Balch said of Yaccino. “No way could I do what he does.”
What Trevians sophomore attack Henry Freedman did against the Ramblers: something special. Freedman scored twice in the second quarter, including the goal that gave his crew a 5-3 lead with 42 seconds left in the half, and achieved his hat trick with a goal at the 3:24 mark of the fourth quarter.
Goal No. 3 gave NT an 8-5 advantage.
“Everybody hustled today, and everybody played hard,” said the 5-8, 160-pound Freedman, who played hockey for New Trier White last winter. “One of our better games as a team. [Balch], basically, is one of our main parts on defense, especially in transition, and Cooper kept us in the game with what he did in goal. But this game wasn’t about individual efforts; it was all about what we did as a team.”
NT senior captain John McCain, a tireless middie, scored a pair of goals, with his second capping his team’s output with 39 ticks left in the fourth quarter. Juniors Nick Solomon and Johnny Maday, senior Nelson Gaechter and sophomore Gavin Randle also scored for NT, which lost 10-7 to Loyola Academy in the state championship game last spring in Montini.
Mike Feuer, Andrew Forsyth and Timothy Hackett authored LA’s other three goals on June 3.
“Pretty evenly matched teams,” said Ramblers coach Rob Snyder, whose boys defeated fifth-seeded Lake Forest High School 17-7 in a state semifinal on May 31. “We struggled a little defensively. The main battle was New Trier’s defense against our offense, and New Trier won that one.
“New Trier,” he added, “played faster than we did in the first quarter, and that continued in the second. Third and fourth quarters, we were pressing — a [style of play] that made us work out of our comfort zone.”
Notable: A combined eight New Trier and Loyola Academy players earned US Lacrosse All-America status. NT — Nelson Gaechter (senior attack), John McCain (senior middie) and Nate Carlton (junior defenseman). LA — Quinn Roddy (senior attack), Timothy Hackett (sophomore middie); Kyle Koch (senior defenseman); Luca Lazzaretto (junior defenseman), and Dominic Urukalo (sophomore goalie). …The last school other than New Trier or Loyola Academy to win an IHSLA state championship was Barrington — in 2002. … NT and LA had entered last weekend’s state title game with 11 IHSLA state championships apiece. … LA lacrosse coach Rob Snyder, on Roddy, a Glencoe resident: “Dynamic dodger, fast and athletic.” …. Roddy, on his three years of varsity lacrosse experience: “I feel blessed to have been able to play for this program and with great players.” … NT coach Tom Herrala praised McCain, junior middie Johnny Maday and sophomore middie Brian Sitzer for taking on additional defensive responsibilities in the state championship game last weekend. “Guys were exhausted; guys had left it all on the field,” the coach said. “It wasn’t a perfect game for us, but it came pretty close to being perfect.”
Loyola’s Quinn Roddy (No. 5) scores on New Trier goalie Cooper Yaccino. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
NT’s Carson Oshsenhint tries to break free against LA’s Tim Hackett. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Quinn Roddy of the Ramblers moves past NT’s Michael Sitzer. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Sam Balch of the Trevians (left) takes possession of the ball in front of LA’s Tim Hackett. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Loyola’s Najee Taylor (left) contends with NT’s Christian Hurteau. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
LA’s Tim Hackett (left) works against NT’s Tommy DeFelice. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
New Trier’s John McCain (left) goes up against LA’s Kyle Koch. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
Goalie Cooper Yaccino makes a save. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER