The game wasn’t supposed to be as close as it was, for a few minutes, but Port Huron boys? lacrosse played Clarkston harder than a second-year program should have against the eighth-ranked team in the state.
The Wolves (4-3) went above .500 again with a 15-5 win over Port Huron Friday. Nicholas Perry scored four goals and Stephen Giannaris also recorded a hat-trick. Matthew McEntee had two goals for Clarkston.
‘Nick (Perry) played very well for us and worked both left and right hands, he scored with both. He did a great job controlling the offense and possessing the ball,? Clarkston coach Brian Kaminskas said.
The Wolves led 5-0 in the second quarter when Port Huron got on the board. Jon Dewey danced through the Clarkston defense while the Wolves were in the penalty and scored at 7:10 of the period. Giannaris and Perry each tallied scores for Clarkston to take a 7-1 lead into halftime.
In the third, Port Huron mounted a modest comeback, outscoring the Wolves 4-2 for the quarter. Clarkston poured it on in the fourth quarter though, and scored six unanswered goals.
‘We were playing our game and trying to go down the bench a little bit and we did a lot better. We were possessing the ball a lot more than we have in the past and making better passes on our clears,? Kaminskas said.
‘We did better on offense than we have in the past. Our starters did fine and when we went down the bench, everyone put the ball in the net.?
‘It’s a tough start. The kids have a lot of heart and they play well. We have our stars and we have the kids who are just learning. Half the kids have never even been on a field before. We played a game last week on an elementary playground on a field we made, it wasn’t even regulation,? said Port Huron coach Tom Moulton.
‘I told them in the huddle (in the third quarter), I don’t care if we lose, just keep playing the way you’re playing.?
Moulton can sympathize with his team’s plight. He was a founding member of a lacrosse team himself at L’Anse Creuse North in 1979.
‘When they were joking about having black and blue jerseys, I told them about our t-shirts we had with black magic marker writing on them,? Moulton said.
The boys were to play Monday night against Farmington. Look for the results at www.clarkstonnews.com. The Wolves travel to Royal Oak Wednesday for a 6 p.m. game and return home to take on none other than L’Anse Creuse North on Thursday at 7 p.m.