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PROVIDENCE â Like there was any ever doubt.
La Salle and Moses Brown are Rhode Islandâs two best boys lacrosse programs for a reason and Tuesday showed just a part of why theyâre in a different stratosphere than the rest of the state and that gap isnât going to shrink any time soon.
Everyone on the planet knew the Rams would have little trouble taking down South Kingstown, but the 12-time defending state champs didnât share the same opinion. La Salle showed some rust early against the Rebels, still managed to build a lead, then grew it its play improved in the 20-2 win.
âItâs simple â theyâre 15, 16, 17 and 18-year old boys. Thatâs no indictment of them, itâs just that these are instant memories,â said La Salle coach Steven OâDonnell by phone after the game. âYou canât take anything for granted. You have to repeat, repeat and repeat again and really know your personnel.â
Across the city, rumblings of a potential upset circled the East Side as Moses Brown hosted Hendricken. The Quakers wasted little time in making sure those thoughts remained a ridiculous idea, dominating from start to finish in a 17-2 win over the Hawks.
âWe all came together really well today,â said Moses Brownâs Reece Chase, who scored three goals and had two assists on Tuesday âWeâve been preparing for the last week for this game and we knew if we came out here all together and played our hardest weâd come out with a win.â
âIt feels good and itâs as good as winning any other game,â MBâs Peter Sarnowski said. âItâs another one behind us and weâre moving on to the next one.â
The next one is the biggest game of the year and has been every year for the past decade.
La Salle has won the last 12 state championships and is favored to win a 13th and that comes with a certain amount of pressure.
But the Rams donât dwell on things like streaks. The team is more focused on trying to be better and preparing for the next opponent.
âWe donât talk about it. Itâs just a given because itâs there,â OâDonnell said. âThereâs always pressure on a young kid, so you donât tell them they have to win because someone won before them.
âTheyâre unique â youâre not the team last year, the team before or the team before that. Youâre independent and whatever you do, you do it for your own legacy.â
Moses Brown also has to deal with the pressure of trying to be the team that ends La Salleâs streak. But much like the Rams, the Quakers do a good job of ignoring the noise and focusing on themselves.
âItâs togetherness. Every time we play well, we play as a team and itâs on all of us to get a good win,â Sarnowski said. âWe treat it as any other game. Weâre going out there to win.
âYou never step on a field wanting to lose so thatâs always the mindset.â
La Salle and Moses Brown met in the regular-season finale that served as a preview to the state championship game.
It showed a lot, namely the gap that existed last season between the two had shrunk considerably. While La Salle openly said it didnât play well, Moses Brown was far from perfect in the 9-6 loss. The game served as an educational tool for both teams and, with coaches as keen and talented as OâDonnell and Moses Brownâs Mike Fraioli, you can expect adjustments to be made off that game film.
âThe desire of Moses Brown to win,â said OâDonnell when asked what stood out in that matchup. âThe will for them to beat us. It was evident from every playerâs perspective, every coachâs perspective. They werenât sitting down. They played hard the whole game, they played physical, they were fast and they were disciplined.
âItâs a message to our team that they were focused on beating La Salle.â
âWe learned a lot, similar to this game,â said Sarnowski, an expert interviewee who says enough without saying too much. â⌠Weâre watching the film and learning so weâre better than last time.â
âTheyâre a very talented team, but we know weâre a very talented team,â Chase said. âWeâre ready for a battle.â
That battle will take place at Brown University over the weekend, on a date the RIIL will soon officially finalize. Whichever day it is, the teams will be ready.
âOur mindset is these next two days, weâre going to prepare as much as we can and play our hearts out,â Chase said. âWeâre all going to come together and whatever happens Saturday across the street will happen and we know if we play as a team, weâll have a shot.â
âEvery game weâre getting the best efforts from every team we play,â OâDonnell said. âWe have to expect Moses Brown will be fully prepared and we have to be prepared also.â
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