Plymouth secures 3rd straight P-CEP title with 10-9 win over Canton
Plymouth’s Ethan Britton separates the ball from Canton’s Nick Parrish during Wednesday’s exciting 10-0 Wildcats victory.
Plymouth extended its lease to three years on the P-CEP Park boys lacrosse crown Wednesday night, but it took a massive comeback and surviving a late resurgent Canton comeback attempt.
At the end of the day, the Wildcats clawed back from an early 4-0 deficit to claim its third straight P-CEP championship, 10-9, on the night the Cobras were celebrating their seniors.
Plymouth defeated Salem, 7-2, last month, and the Rocks upended Canton, 10-4, last week, so the Wildcats simply needed to win Wednesday to defend its P-CEP title.
A Canton win meant the Park championship would have been decided by a goal-differential tie-breaker in the three Park schools’ intra-P-CEP games.
Plymouth’s first lead didn’t come until the 2:58 mark of the third quarter when sophomore Liam Villalobos popped home a goal from 10 yards out to give the Wildcats an 8-7 edge.
Jack Ditmar scored 38 seconds later for Plymouth and Villalobos added another goal 35 seconds into the fourth quarter to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 10-7 and complete a 6-0 run.
Riveting rally
The Cobras made it interesting down the stretch.
Canton’s Aiden Carroll cut the Cobras’ deficit 10-8 with 9:03 to play. Cobra Chase Hodges scored with 43 seconds left to bring his team to within 10-9.
Canton’s defense forced a turnover in the final 19 seconds, but Jack Lockhart’s last-second attempt to deadlock the game as the clock expired sailed high and right of the net.
The Cobras seized a 1-0 lead just seconds after the final notes of the National Anthem were piped through the P-CEP East Stadium’s sound system.
Nick Parrish, who was one of seven Cobra seniors honored at halftime, staked the hosts to the early lead. Less than two minutes later, Aiden Carroll doubled Canton’s lead to 2-0.
Cobras rolled early
Canton’s goal-keeper made a door-stop save four minutes in and Jack Lockhart improved the Cobras’ lead to 3-0 at the 7:04 mark.
After Canton’s Brady Weller (from Chase Hodges) made it 4-0, the Wildcats netted two straight to end the quarter: Jimmy Cleveland deposited a short-handed goal, and Kristian Knutsen (from brother Chase) scored with one minute remaining in the first quarter to make it 4-2.
(Watch a video highlight of Jimmy Cleveland’s short-handed goal by clicking here.)
Plymouth senior goalie Griffin VanSickle’s sick save with eight seconds left in the first prevented the Cobras from regaining their momentum.
Canton maintained a two-goal lead (5-3) after Plymouth’s Chase Knutesen and Canton’s Carroll exchanged goals.
(Watch video highlights of Plymouth’s Knutsen brothers — Kristian and Chase — combine for two goals by clicking here.)
The Cobras led 7-4 at the half thanks to goals by #12 and Lockhart, which followed a net-finder by Plymouth’s Gavin VanSickle.
Whatever message Plymouth’s corps of coaches delivered at halftime resonated with the Wildcats, who tallied six straight goals to open the second half.
The goal explosion, coupled sticky defense by Ethan Britton, Brady Peregord and Braeden Milliken — not to mention a stellar effort by Griffin VanSickle in net — led to the Wildcats’ well-deserved post-game celebration.
Ed Wright 2can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
