By Wendi Reardon Price
Clarkston News Sports Writer
The Wolves’ first win over cross town rivals Lake Orion this season sealed the OAA Red championship. The second win over the Dragons last Saturday sealed a trip to the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Lacrosse Semifinal.
“It’s been something we have been working for all season,” said Clarkston Boys Lacrosse Head Coach Brian Kaminskas about making the Final Four after a 16-5 quarterfinal win over Lake Orion. “We talked in April when we first broke the rankings and got up there. I told the guys, ‘You are at the top of the mountain. People are going to be climbing and clawing and trying to pull you off it. Just keep reaching and grabbing and get yourself to the top of the mountain.’ Here we are – there are four teams left. I certainly think and hope these guys are proud of themselves and ready to keep going.”
The Wolves went right to work scoring their first goal in the first nine seconds from Zaidan Green. CHS led 5-2 after the first quarter.

Clarkston scored three goals in the second quarter to finish with a 8-3 lead. The big boost came in the third stanza when they scored seven goals to head into the final quarter, 15-4.
“In games like this, both teams are going to have a little twist especially since we played them earlier in the year,” Kaminskas said. “Both teams are going to have some nuances they are going to try or do something differently. You can’t plan for because it’s not on film. But what we knew of them and what they were doing, we were pretty comfortable with what we were seeing. When those two play it’s going to be a fight. It’s always nice to beat Lake Orion. It’s always nice to be in the Final Four.”
Green led with five goals and one assist. Ellis York scored one goals and had five assists. Nick Ferman scored four goals. Black Berry had two goals and one assist. Tyler Cray scored two goals. Gavin Pate had one goal and one assist. Lucas Diton had one goal. Parker Royce and Ryan Phyle each had one assist.
Danny Redmond had ten saves in the net and Berry won 95 percent of face-offs.
The Wolves won their second consecutive regional title with a 15-1 win over Grand Blanc, May 30.
“It says a lot about this team,” said Kaminskas. “They are hungry, they are good and they want to play ball. What a great thing for these guys. Let’s not forget, the seniors didn’t have a freshman year so they had a lot to prove in three years. I think they are doing it.”
York and Cray each scored four goals and had one assist. Ferman and Green each had two goals and two assist. Berry had one goal and an assist. Pate and Jason Martindale each had one goal and Royce had one assist. Redmond had four saves.
Kaminskas added that playoffs has been a group effort from the team.
“These guys have settled in and said, ‘Let’s play ball,’” he said. “When you look at what our attack, what our defense did, everyone is hitting on all cylinders. I have never had a team like this in almost 30 years of coaching. Our guys were expecting complete and utter domination and that’s what they did. I haven’t seen a team I coached do that since I was at Troy Athens in the 1990s.”
The Wolves (19-2) now play Brother Rice (18-2) in the semifinal game today, June 7 at Troy Athens at 7 p.m.
“They are well coached,” said Kaminskas. “They are a good, smart team. They are just like us. I think it’s going to be a very athletic game. I think it’s going to be a very physical game.”
The winner moves on to the MHSAA Division 1 Boys Lacrosse State Championship to play Hartland or Detroit Catholic Central at Memorial Field in East Grand Rapids on Saturday, 2 p.m.

  Boys Lacrosse, playoffs