Saint Petersburg Team Wins Championship
Tampa, Florida- The St. Petersburg Dragons claimed the thrown at the “Battle of the Bay” which took place in South Tampa this past weekend. Many of the Tampa Bay area’s boys lacrosse teams attend this invitation only event to compete for the coveted title.
The U12 team had convincing wins over several opponents, however, they had to overcome a three goal deficient at halftime during the championship game which resulted in a tie. The Dragons ultimately won a nail biter in sudden death overtime against an excellent team.
Midfielders Finn Doherty, Hunter Rudisill and Michael Curtis played as prolific as ever throughout the weekend. The boys won the majority of their face offs while hustling from end to end and teamed up with their attack players to put balls into the back of the oppositions’ net. They then hustled to the opposite end of the field to join forces with the defense to help stop balls from being put into theirs’.
Attackman Tyson Asif worked hard throughout the games and finished with an impressive six goals. Aidan Brown, Matt Mills and Michael Curtis protected the cage with precision and won ground balls. Goalie Cole Narkiewicz was a ball stopping machine and played as if his entire team’s ability to play Fortnite rested on his shoulders. His huge save in overtime seemed to defy the laws of physics and lead to Joe Milburn’s viscous shot that won the game for the Dragons in overtime.
I was able to spend some time with the Dragon’s Head Coach, Coach Mo Asif after the game. “As a head coach you try to instill passion for the game into your players. You push them to give their best, and you pull them when they need you. Most importantly you try to build memories that last a lifetime. You try to teach them that life will test you, but you cannot give up and through hard work anything is possible! I am so proud of how these young men overcame adversity, and gave it their all. Head, Heart, Hustle, our mantra this season!”
A large portion of this Championship team will come together again this summer as the Tampa Bay Thunder for the tournament season. Email info@stpetelacrosse.com for more information on joining the St. Petersburg family.