Somers Boys Lax Edges Granby Memorial, Advances to Class S Title Game

Sports aren’t always easy to figure out.

A senior-laden Somers High boys lacrosse team seemed poised to win the CIAC title last season, posting a 17-0 record in the regular season and winning the NCCC regular season and tournament titles along the way.

But the Spartans were cut down by St. Joseph in the state Class S tournament and their 12 seniors ended their careers with an unceremonious loss.

Fast-forward one year and Somers lost four games, finished third in the league, and did not qualify for the NCCC tournament game.

Yet it’s this year’s sixth-seeded Spartans team that’s going to the state Class S title game, courtesy of a gritty 10-9 semifinal victory over No. 2 Granby Memorial High Wednesday evening in Suffield.

“Last year, when we were in the final four, we had a very talented team,” Somers head coach Ken McCarthy said. “At the end of the Final Four, when we lost that game, we talked to the team and we had to say goodbye the end of our season and the kids all had a chance to talk, I shared my feelings and there were a lot of tears, but it was also healing.

“It was a good thing we did. But I’m so happy that we don’t have to do that right now, because we get to play another game.”

Somers will face No. 1 Joel Barlow (16-2) at Brien McMahon High in Norwalk on June 9 at 11 a.m.

The victory was sweet on a number of levels, as Somers (15-4) also avenged two of those regular season losses that came at the hands of the Bears (14-4).

“Third time was a charm,” McCarthy said. ““The first two times we played Granby, we tried to shoot from the outside. Their goalie, Nick Burgio, is excellent. He stuffed us a bunch of times. We had been working on being patient, moving the ball, let the ball do the work and work for better shots. We seemed to do that.”

Sophomores Johnny Albert and Eddie Hill each scored three goals for the Spartans, while Ryan Lynch and Russell Tyler both scored two goals apiece.

David Gollenberg and Zach Brown each had two goals for Granby Memorial, while Jesse Freedman had a goal and three assists and Gerry Maroney, Casey Buchholz and Brendan Leonardi, Brant Battiston scored once.

For the Bears, it was a case of too many penalties that led to goals for Somers.

“Somers played an outstanding game, but we committed a few too many mistakes to deserve to go on through,” Granby Memorial head coach Dave Emery said. “We knew coming in that we needed to play with our heads, play well mentally and play relatively mistake free. There were just too many penalties. There were just too many man-up opportunities.”

“We talk about it all year long. We’re a pretty passionate group and sometimes that can bubble over and lead you to make mistakes.”

Both teams traded goals throughout the game, slugging it out like the two talented, familiar competitors they were.

Somers built a 5-2 lead on a goal by Lynch at the 9:16 mark of the second quarter. Two of Somers’ goals came when Freedman was flagged for a three-minute, locked-in penalty for having an illegal stick.

“In a contest like this, when you know it’s going to be pretty even, that’s not what you want,” Emery said. “Of course when Somers showed up at us the first time they played us [this year], they had a 3-minute illegal stick penalty. There’s sticks going around now that are acceptable collegiately that are illegal on the high school level. You have to keep taking a tape measure to your stick to make sure one doesn’t creep in.

“That particular stick has been checked almost every game. … I asked to see the ruler at halftime and it was below the minimum. That alone wasn’t the issue. There were a lot of other penalties.”

Regardless, the gap could have been worse, but for the play of Bears goalie Nick Burgio, who had 14 saves on the evening.

“He was just tremendous,” Emery said. “As he has been all through his career. Just a wonderful player.”

Granby Memorial leveled on three consecutive goals by Leonardi, Gollenberg and Brown to tie the game 5-5 at halftime.

In the second half, the two sides proceeded to trade goals - with Somers scoring, then Granby tying the game - four times before Somers took the lead for good at 8-7 on a goal by Hill with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter.

“It seemed like we would have the lead and take control and then we would just give one up to them and then they’d tie it,” McCarthy said. “[The coaches] just told them, ‘They’re going to score goals. we just have to keep going, keep doing what we’re doing.’ Keep playing hard and keep playing smart, that’s our motto and we just had to weather the storm and persevere.”

Russell gave the Spartans some breathing room with a goal with 8:46 left.

“I give them a lot of credit,” Emery said. “They put a lot of pressure on us.”

But Granby Memorial kept clawing back, with Maroney scoring at the 7:37 mark.

Hill appeared to put the game away with 3:34 left by putting Somers up 10-8, but the Bears again refused to go away.

Gollenberg scored his second goal of the game in transition off a gorgeous feed from Freedman to bring Granby Memorial to within one at 10-9 with 1:08 remaining.

That led to a frantic finish, as Granby Memorial tried to get the game-tying goal that never came. The players on Somers bench raced onto the field as time expired, celebrating their trip to the state tournament championship game.

“We’re a young team,” McCarthy said. “I told the kids on the bus, ‘You sophomores, it’s the end of the season you sophomores are now juniors. You juniors are now seniors. And you seniors, you have four days of lacrosse left, so you better work hard and enjoy it. Because you are never, ever going to experience anything like this again.’”

Granby Memorial, for its part, had its most successful season ever, winning the NCCC regular season title and advancing to the state Class S semifinals for the first time in program history.

“In order to be NCCC champions, you’ve got to beat Avon and Somers,” Emery said. “We’re extremely proud of that accomplishment. That was a very special moment for us, because those were two excellent teams.”