Clarkston’s boys lacrosse veterans are stepping up to lead the team and teach their younger teammates the secrets to their success.
‘The team has progressed to just about where we thought they would be,? coach Brian Kaminskas said.
‘They’re ramping up a little momentum going into the last part of the season and heading into the playoffs.?
The Wolves were set to take on Birmingham to kick off the final stretch. After that match, Clarkston has five of its final six games away from home.
Kaminskas said his team will be well prepared for the playoffs despite having a younger team than in the past.
‘We’re younger, but our talent pool is a little deeper. The guys are playing more confident and they understand the systems a lot better,? he said.
With a hat-trick against L’Anse Creuse North April 26, attacker Chris Salo is now the team’s leading scorer with 14 goals. Playing alongside freshmen, Salo has become a teacher to his wingmen Jon Avery and Andrew Schram.
‘He’s taken control of the attack. He’s done a good job of mentoring the freshmen in dodging and shooting angles,? Kaminskas said.
The Wolves are also getting leadership from senior attacker Stephen Giannaris.
‘He’s really taken on that task, making sure the guys are doing what they should and leaving his footprint there,? Kaminskas said.
Last week started out rough for the Wolves, who finished the week over .500 again, at 6-5.
In a 9-7 win over L’Anse Creuse, the Wolves held a 3-1 lead after one quarter and went up 6-3 going into halftime. The Crusaders mounted a comeback in the third quarter, netting three goals.
‘L’Anse Creuse came out in the third with a little fire and the guys held tight,? Kaminskas said.
The Crusaders? fast-break gave the Wolves difficulty throughout the game, he said.
Salo scored a hat-trick in the game.
‘He exploded and took the team on his shoulders. He was the guy to beat for L’Anse Creuse,? Kaminskas said.
April 25 versus Royal Oak, the game wasn’t nearly as close, a 9-1 Wolves? win. Clarkston broke a 1-1 tie with three goals in the second quarter and four more in the third quarter. Wolves goalie Zach Lewy recorded another victory with a near 85 percent save percentage.
Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Clarkston couldn’t stop Farmington April 23, losing 8-3. Farmington (4-4) held a 5-1 advantage at halftime and the Wolves would not recover.
‘I was really proud of our effort. We played hard and that’s the most important thing for us. We have to bring maximum effort every game in order to be successful and we brought that tonight,? Farmington coach Michael Cahill said.
‘They played a really aggressive defense and played us far away from the net. We have to try and make them pay for playing that aggressively. They were doing a good job. We didn’t get in there as much as we wanted to in the first half.
‘They were denying the passes, so we had to go one-on-one more than we normally do.?
Farmington captain Tim Lehto picked up a hat-trick for the Falcons.
‘Tim is a real talented player, he makes our offense go. The best thing about him is that he looks for the pass more than the shot.? Cahill said.
‘He’s a good dodger and a good feeder, against a defense like this; he’s the guy that’s got to make it happen for us.?
An eight-player scratch list felled the Wolves, Kaminskas said.
‘We played pretty darn good. Our bench is short,? he said.
‘We had to make a lot of last minute changes. I moved a lot of positions around and the guys adapted and they did exactly what we asked them to do.?
‘I was impressed with the play of our longsticks and our goalie. As a whole, defensively we played a pretty good game, even though the score didn’t show it. With all the changes we had to make, we played quite well.?
The Wolves were set to face Salem Tuesday and travel to Lake Orion Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Clarkston is scheduled to take part in the Grosse Pointe South tournament Friday and Saturday.