The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Home game Thursday at 4 p.m.
By Than Acuff
After falling to Grand Junction earlier last week, the Crested Butte Titans lacrosse team pulled off back-to-back road wins over the Durango Demons Friday and Saturday, March 27-28.
Grand Junction proved too much for the Titans on Tuesday, March 24 jumping out to an 11-2 lead by halftime and finishing with an 18-5 win. Luke Walton and AJ Hegeman had two goals each while Wyatt Cook finished with a goal and two assists.
The Titans regrouped and returned to the road to face the Demons and, despite the long bus ride, opened the game taking a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. They started the scoring three minutes into the game when Cook poked the ball off a Demon player and sprinted up field to feed Walton for the goal. One minute later the Titans struck again when Mario Ladoulis drove with the ball from behind the net and passed out to Hegeman and Hegeman blew through two Demons to fire a shot and score.
The Demons responded four minutes into the second quarter, but Crested Butte answered back with two more goals. Dawson Eastep beat his man one-on-one and when a Demon defenseman slid to pick him up, Eastep dished the ball to an open Cook cutting to the goal for Cook to score. Ninety seconds later Eastep then picked off a clearing pass by the Durango goalie and fired on the empty net for a 4-1 Titans’ lead.
Durango continued to hang on and tied the game 4-4 three minutes into the third quarter, but Crested Butte recharged to score as Donovan Gagen found the net during a man down situation, Charlie Reamer scored from distance a minute later and then Gagen struck again as Crested Butte started rolling. They closed the third quarter with two more goals as the Titans swarmed a ground ball and Gagen took the opportunity to scoop up the ball and score and Everett Maxwell capped the five-goal outburst when he knocked the ball off a Demon player, carried it up field and dished it off to Eastep for Eastep to score for a 9-4 Titans lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“Our defense settled in making really good stops and the offense was flying creating opportunities off of turnovers,” says head coach Carter Brock.
But, in true lacrosse form, the game swung back in Durango’s favor. Cook opened the fourth quarter with a goal for a 10-4 lead, but the Demons rattled off the next four goals to pull back within two of the Titans midway through the fourth.
Walton gave the Titans some breathing room with a goal following a Titans’ timeout, but the Demons answered back, and it wasn’t until Cook scored and then Jacob Frey came up big on defense to set up another Crested Butte goal from Cook to put the final touch on the 12-9 win.
“It was cool to see the boys keep fighting, hold the lead and come out on top,” says Brock.
Crested Butte remained in Durango that night to face the Demons again the next day and the second time around, Durango looked to avenge the previous loss building a 4-2 lead by halftime with Eastep and Cook getting the first half goals for the Titans.
“We made a couple of silly mistakes and Durango was able to capitalize,” says Brock.
Gagen assisted Cook to pull the Titans within one early in the third quarter, but the Demons scored the next three goals before inspired play from the defense and specifically Vinny Sciortino with three takeaways in a row brought the Titans back to life.
“Vinny took flight in the third quarter,” says Brock. “Vinny and the defense brought the fire up.”
Eastep then fed Cook for another goal leaving the Titans down by two at the start of the fourth quarter.
“The boys knew two goals was nothing,” says Brock.
The Titans continued to shut the Demon offense down through the entire fourth quarter while Crested Butte’s offense scored four more goals. Walton set up Cook during a man-up situation in the opening minute and then Eastep fed Cook on the doorstep for his fifth goal in a row tying the game 6-6 midway through the fourth. Crested Butte’s defense and goalie Mason Colucci continued to handcuff the Demons and a goal from Walton and then one from Bennett Crabtree helped finish off the Demons 8-6.
“We had to get into grind mode and Wyatt had the hot hand,” says Brock. “I’m really proud of the boys. It was a good team building, midseason weekend.”
The Titans get a home game this week as they host Montrose on Thursday, April 2 at 4 p.m. and then return to the road on Saturday for a game against Air Academy. The Titans have a couple of players back for their second showdown of the season with Montrose and then Air Academy will be a big test as they were the 4A state runners-up last season and are currently 7-0.
“I’m pumped, it’s like playing the Yankees,” says Brock.
