This past Saturday, the Blackhawks faced off against Hermantown/Proctor High School at Minnehaha Academy in their second game of the season. The Blackhawks, a co-op featuring SPA, partnered with Concordia, DeLaSalle, Minnehaha, St. Agnes, South St. Paul, Nova Classical Academy, New Life Academy, Unity High School and St. Croix Lutheran, lost 7-14.

“Coming into the game, I think we expected to do better than the outcome. But overall, especially compared to the game on Thursday [when] we drove out to Hastings and lost 2-15, it was a big improvement,” SPA sophomore Richard Romans, a fourth-year Blackhawks veteran, said. “The morale was higher, and people were going into it with more energy and confidence.”

Even so, Proctor started out blistering hot, scoring three goals in the first few minutes of gameplay, and putting the Blackhawks on their heels from the jump. At first look, the game seemed to hold the possibility of a blowout. Although the hawks were caught off-guard in these first action-packed sequences, they responded with high energy and were soon able to find their footing. Their defense calmed down, and they began to figure out how to best guard the goal against opposing attackmen.

The rest of the first quarter was decently back-and-forth, though the ball, controlled by Proctor, lingered mostly on the hawk’s half. The Blackhawk’s defense ceded another goal, but their offense quickly responded. Charging the goal, Romans flung the ball toward the left corner of the net, putting the home team on the board. For the first time thus far, the crowd got hyped, and the hawks had high spirits going into the second quarter 1-4.

The second quarter played similarly to the first; Proctor continued to dominate the game in terms of ball control, but the Blackhawks hung tough. Proctor scored five times this quarter, continuing to penetrate deep into Blackhawks territory, but the hawks scored twice, making the most of their shots on goal— one goal each from Romans and junior Gabe Devereux. The score was 3-9 going into halftime.

Having already bagged a two-score game, Romans was proud of his individual performance: “I was actually really pleased with my game. My goal for this year was to just contribute on varsity, and scoring twice was pretty sweet.”

The third quarter was filled with pure intensity and passion, the beginning of which yielded perhaps the most entertaining minutes of the game. Breaking down Proctor’s defense through intricate passing led to two early Blackhawks goals from Devereux and senior Ayden Lysne. The team celebrated each goal excitedly, and the crowd cheered loudly, many home fans standing up to show their appreciation. The score was now 5-9 with half of the quarter still left. Were the tides turning?

Gallery • 21 Photos

Greyson Sale

FACE-OFF. Players from each team prepare for the ref to drop the ball into play.

One thing’s for sure, things were getting chippy, with shoves and checks (when players swing at each other with their sticks— yes, this is legal) coming left and right. Nobody got hurt, even though it seemed like every few seconds another player was sprawled out on the ground.

This aggression was not unusual, however, and –for the most part– is typical of lacrosse. “I think this game was pretty typical from a physical standpoint. Our first game was definitely more physical than this one was, but I would say that this was more chippy than usual,” Romans said. “We kind of have this thing against Proctor. They’re super far away, and they make us drive up there every year, so whenever we play them, you really want to win.”

Proctor clearly felt pressured, and they responded well. Within fifty or so seconds, Proctor scored back-to-back goals with four-ish minutes left in the third quarter. Trash-talk continued in earnest, much of it including harsh language. “I’d eat this kid up,” an opponent said. “Look at the score, bro; you guys are booty,” another said tauntingly. The hawks managed one more goal before the end of the quarter, scored by sophomore Evan Ellison.

With ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, the hawks were called for two penalties and had to play for a minute with only eight players on the field (down two players). Proctor scored on a long shot straight down the middle and into the goal, and then scored again a few minutes later, making the score 6-13.

With four minutes left, the Blackhawks achieved one final goal scored by Lysne on a long shot. Two minutes later, Proctor scored off a fast break.

The final horn sounded, and a Proctor player flung the ball soaring into the air in celebration. On both sides, helmets were quickly tossed off near the team benches, revealing faces drenched in sweat. Despite trask-talk and a heated game, both teams shook hands and offered words of sportsmanship in typical high school fashion.

After two tough losses, Romans maintains high hopes for this season and beyond. “It’s definitely a building year. We got a lot of new people so I think it’s going to be a lot of growth over the course of the season, and especially in the first few practices. As a team, I’m confident that we’re gonna get a lot better.”

The Blackhawks next play against Minneapolis (a co-op of Minneapolis public schools) at 6 p.m. on Apr. 18 at Minnehaha Academy.