By Owen Ziegler
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On Friday May 23, the Westwood Wolverines boys lacrosse team, coming off a recent crowning as Tri-Valley League champions, the Wolverines hoped to finish off the last game of the season with a major win Senior night, a long standing tradition honoring the seniors commitment to the sport throughout their high school careers. Facing off against the 12-5 Holliston Panthers, the game shouldn't have been easy; but the final scoreboard reading 19-3 in Westwoods favor, showed people a quiet favorite for the playoffs.
The first quarter was tense to say the least, with a result of 2-1, the Wolverines on top. Fans certainly couldn't have predicted the outcome after such a close quarter, but with skillful players like Troy Fredrickson and Jack Roycroft at the helm, the spectators always knew Westwood had it in them.
A huge milestone occurred in the second quarter for Captain Dante Martucci, following Jack Roycrofts 100 goal milestone earlier this season, Dante put his own name in the rafters, with his 100th career point; no small feat. Right as the 2nd quarter commenced Holliston equalized, but were put down by Freshman Will Stuehlers hat-trick. Towards the end of the half, Troy Fredrickson stepped outside his comfort zone with a nice defensive play followed by a goal of his own. And with less than 5 seconds of play left in the half, Goalie Jaden Pollack launched a desperation pass to Sam Cochran, who reaching out,snagged the ball with a one handed grab, then, from the ground, dumped the ball to Troy Fredrickson who, with 0.04 seconds left, sent a one handed, falling shot past the goalkeeper to make the 1st half score 10-2, Westwood in the lead.
The 2nd half was a blur, as Westwood kept piling on the goals. Goals came from Juniors Liam Williams, and Sam Cochran who have continued to prove themselves, and will be a vital asset next season. Along with sophomores Will Sesselman, Greg Walsh and Will Stuehler, who has shown he can play both sides of the ball with his strong hits. But it was ultimately the defense, who was led by players like senior Kyle Harvey and sophomore CJ Hancock, who kept the game in Westwoods hands, preventing any hopes of a comeback. To finish out the game, senior Aaron Wachob drilled a shot in the final seconds to end the score 19-3.
Westwood now faces the playoffs, a daunting task, but nothing the extensive list of veteran players who were celebrated that evening can't handle.
