Boys’ Lacrosse: CdM tops No. 1 Knights

TUSTIN — The power axis of Orange County lacrosse finally found the same orbit. And it was Corona del Mar High that captured an earth-shaking 16-13 victory over host Foothill on Saturday night at Tustin High.

The Sea Kings (4-0) and Knights (6-1) have been atop the Orange County rankings for most of the last four seasons, which incidentally marked the same span of time since the two had met on the field.

“It just hasn’t worked out that we’ve been able to play,” said CdM Coach G.W. Mix, whose Sea Kings entered ranked No. 2, behind the Knights, who have six CIF Southern Section titles since 2007. “When you play big games like this, you want to make sure you have plenty of time to be prepared. And the dates and the opportunities we were given to make it work didn’t work for us. But every time we get together, it seems to be a doozy.”

That it was, though Foothill led only once (2-1) and trailed the visitors by five in the third and fourth quarters.

After Foothill scored to pull within 10-8 with 5:06 left in the third quarter, CdM, which earned its only section crown in 2012 when it beat the Knights in the semifinals in their last meeting, scored three straight goals and took a 13-9 advantage into the final 12 minutes.

But after CdM scored two of the first three fourth-period goals to lead, 15-10, with 6:13 left, a four-minute Foothill frenzy cut the deficit to 15-13.

But CdM senior Stephen Von der Ahe intercepted a Foothill defender’s backward pass meant for the Knights’ goalie, and fired it into the abandoned cage with 2:06 left to neutralize the hosts’ momentum and finalize the scoring.

A would-be Foothill goal with 1:24 left was nullified when the Knights were ruled to have too many men on the field, and the Sea Kings controlled play until its sideline charged the field for a spirited celebration after the final whistle.

“It was a really big win for us,” said Von der Ahe, who scored five goals. “We’ve been looking forward to this game for a long time. [The two teams] haven’t played since I was in the eighth grade. It’s especially big for playoff seedings down the road. It could potentially change the season.”

Senior Jordan Greenhall (two goals, five assists and a team-best four ground balls) as well as senior face-off man Jason Simaan, were additional game-changers for the Sea Kings.

Simaan, a 5-foot-9, 155-pounder who has committed to Brown, won 24 of 30 face-offs that initiate play after goals and to begin quarters.

“[Simaan] was a huge difference for us,” Greenhall said. “He’s a warrior and he battles through anything. He’s our all-star.”

Mix also singled out Simaan as a key to the victory.

“Certainly Jason does a great job for us in the face-off, which enables us to possess the ball and be patient,” Mix said. “We’re usually not chasing [the ball], which is nice.”

Junior Ryan Meckler had three goals; and senior Nate Neumann and sophomore Eric Fries had two goals apiece for CdM, for which juniors Will Favreau and Sachin Gokhale each contributed one goal and one assist.

Senior Jack Denning had three ground balls, while junior Jordan Pakzad had two ground balls and several cleared balls.

“We have some good players, some poised kids,” Mix said. “I was pleased with the way we came out. It’s a different environment; a big game in foreign territory, under the lights, which we don’t have at CdM. So, to be able to have success in that environment, I think is a testament to how hard our kids work and how tough they are.”

Senior goalie Nick Guizan anchored the CdM defense, against which six Knights tallied goals, led by senior Kevin Kodzis with four.

“It was two good teams that battled hard and it was a fun game to be a part of,” Mix said. “We could play 10 times and they would probably be 10 pretty good games. We’re certainly happy to be on the [winning end].”