By Wendi Reardon Price
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Clarkston Boys Varsity Lacrosse added three more games to the win column last week over Macomb Dakota, Birmingham Consolidated and Grandville.
Each win was great to the team, but the 14-6 win over Grandville was a huge highlight of the week as the Wolves lost to the same team in the 2022 MHSAA Division 1 Boys Lacrosse Quarterfinals.
“It will be a good battle,” said Brian Kaminskas, head coach for Clarkston, before the game. “They graduated a few key players last year. They are pretty strong on the west side of the state. It is something the guys are excited for. They are a pre-seeded team and in the top eight in the state.”
Ryan Phyle and Gavin Pate each scored four goals during the game. Zaidan Green and Blake Berry scored two goals each and Nick Ferman and Tyler Cray scored one goal each.
Green, Pate and Lucas Diton each had two assists. Cray, Cavanaugh Diton, and Parker Royce each had one assist. Danny Redmond had five saves on the net.

The Wolves defeated Birmingham Consolidated on Thursday, 14-8.
“I expected them to be stronger,” Kaminskas said. “There was something different. We scrimmaged them at the beginning of the year and they were considerably more powerful. I do give credit to the staff we have. Their head coach said he was thoroughly out coached. I give our assistant coaches the credit because they do all the work.”
Birmingham opened with the first two goals. With four minutes left in the first quarter, Royce tied the score at two after Ellis York’s goal 32 seconds earlier.
The Wolves closed the quarter with a 3-2 lead after a goal from Cray, and they continued to hold the lead for the remainder of the game.
Green led with three goals and three assists. Berry had three goals. Royce had two goals and one assist. Ferman and York each had two goals. Phyle had one goal and three assists and Cray had one goals and two assists. Redmond had eight saves.
“The boys are starting to click and come together,” Kaminskas said. “We are quite happy with the progress for sure. It’s always good to beat OAA teams in our division. It keeps on track for another championship. Of course beating Birmingham as strong as we did is a good feeling.”
The Wolves opened the week with a 11-5 win over Macomb Dakota, April 11.
Green led the night with four goals and three assists. Ferman had two goals and two assists.
Phyle had one goal and one assist. Rocco Rinarldi, Royce, York and Berry each scored one goal. L. Diton and Cray each had one assist. Redmond had 11 saves.
Kaminskas added Berry has been great at face-offs with a 90 percent of winning the face-off over Birmingham; 78 percent against Macomb Dakota and 75 percent over Grandville.
“Blake has been nothing short of perfection with what he is doing at face-offs,” he said. “It’s very difficult to lose games when you are winning the ball 90 percent of the time. He’s above and beyond.”
The Wolves opened the week against Rochester Adams. They host St. Mike’s – Toronto on Thursday and Upper Canada College on Friday.
“They play such a different way,” said Kaminskas. “It’s nice to have that exposure to the different style and different things they do. Things we probably won’t see for the rest of the year but in any event you might see something you aren’t used to.”
They head to Lake Orion on Monday, April 24. JV plays at 5:30 p.m., varsity follows.

  Boys Lacrosse, Clarkston Boys Varsity Lacrosse