Brother Rice Boys Lacrosse registered their seventh straight MHSAA Division 1 state title Saturday at Birmingham Seaholm’s Maple Field with a methodical pounding of outmanned Ada Forest Hills Eastern-Northern, 15-4.
It was Rice’s largest victory margin since the MHSAA took sponsorship of the tournament in 2005.
The triumph lifted Rice to its 18th lacrosse state championship — its ninth straight — dating back to 1986. Rice last lost in the state title game — its last defeat to a Michigan-based team — in 2002 when Birmingham Unified won the state title in the old Michigan Lacrosse Association.
“We set a bar that’s pretty high for our players and we really push them to get there,” said Brother Rice’s veteran head coach Rob Ambrose. “And, there’s a lot of tradition here. We have a lot of players who come back from college and talk to the kids. So it’s like one big family.
“I’m really happy for the kids — they deserve it. The seniors especially. They have something to take with them now,” he said. “This is big. It’s nine years running now. We don’t talk about it too much, but it’s there. It’s nine straight years without a loss, so the pressure is on.”
Brother Rice had another outstanding season, finishing with a 19-4 overall record.
The Warriors also won the Catholic League crown and the inaugural North American Lacrosse Invitational Tournament which it hosted. They lost to Upper Arlington (Ohio) in the A Bracket of the Midwest Lacrosse Championship game. Rice’s only other losses were to New Trier (Illinois), Hill Academy (Ontario, Canada) and Cincinnati Xavier.
For more: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110619/SPORTS20/106190383
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