PERRYSBURG — Perrysburg senior midfielder Alexander Birch and junior attack Zachary Schroeder combined to win 12-of-16 draws, but in their lacrosse game against visiting Avon first possession was not enough.
Even though Avon only outshot Perrysburg, 30-23, the Eagles’ defense forced enough turnovers to win easily, 10-3, in a non-league game at Steinecker Stadium Saturday.
Plus Avon senior goalkeeper Case Lowery and freshman goalie Lucas Deacon combined for 12 saves on 15 shots on net by the Yellow Jackets.
Still, Birch’s success on the draw to open each quarter and after each goal should have been enough to keep the Eagles’ offense at bay.
“Birch did a great job,” Perrysburg coach Baily Weatherwax said. “Once he started figuring out the draw a little bit better, it is a chess match out there. I think once he decided to grit down and bear up he was able to get it.”
It was Avon’s defense that turned the trick. In the second half, Avon was able to force 17 turnovers by steals alone, while Perrysburg’s defense had just four steals.
Weatherwax thought the physical play that saw several of his players checked hard into the turf might have been a little too much. The game saw a plethora of two-minute penalties served.
“I think we were just getting a little frustrated all around,” Weatherwax said. “I think first and foremost the refs let it get out of hand right off, and I think we tried to play down to their level a little bit.
“That’s not Perrysburg lacrosse, but we’re over and on to the next one and we’ve got a big league-week next week.”
For Avon, senior Austin Luker had a three-goal hat trick and an assist, junior Logan Conley also scored a three-goal hat trick, freshman Fin Jerdonek scored twice, freshman Will Conley had one goal and two assists, and sophomore Jackson Brokaw had one goal and one assist.
Freshman attack Liam Thompson led Perrysburg with two goals, Schroeder scored once, and senior attack Caden Yarnell and freshman attack Mitchell McKay dished out one assist apiece.
Perrysburg is 1-3 on the season, but the other two losses were to Medina, 9-7, and Ottawa Hills, 13-7. Weatherwax says playing top competition is important for his program.
“Our goal as a program is to be able to compete with some of the big guys down in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton, so being able to play these out of conference games and these regional games is important for the growth of our young guys,” Weatherwax said.
Perrysburg’s lone win came in the Northern Lakes League opener on a goal by Schroeder with one second remaining to defeat visiting Anthony Wayne, 12-11, last Tuesday.
Schroeder may have scored the game-winner, but Weatherwax says credit goes to sophomore defender Caden Salts for forcing the turnover that allowed it to happen.
“My defender, Caden Saltz, did a great job of getting that ball back,” Weatherwax said. “We were able to clear it and get a timeout with about seven seconds left.
“The goal was to clear space and put the ball in Zach’s hands, and then have back side cutters clear more space. If there was a cutter coming up he was going to hit him, but he did the rest himself.”
Thompson led the Jackets in that win with five goals and three assists, Schroeder had three goals and an assist, Yarnell had two goals and an assist, and junior Jack Hammond and junior Grandin LeBoutillier had one assist each.
Birch won 15-of-20 draws, Schroeder won 3-of-5, and junior goalie Nathan Ettores had 10 saves. Thompson and senior Trey Haney had two ground balls each, and Schroeder, sophomore Jonathan Butterfield and junior Nathan Gibbs had two steals apiece.
Perrysburg, which is seeking its fourth straight NLL title, returns to conference play on Monday with a 6:30 p.m. contest at Sylvania Southview. On Wednesday, the Jackets play Bowling Green (3-5) at Bobcat Stadium in a 7 p.m. NLL encounter.
