Hoover Lacrosse Brings Home Sugar Bowl Title
Russell Pate | Hoover Boys Lacrosse
Hammond, LA – The Hoover Bucs Boys Varsity Lacrosse program is bringing another Sugar Bowl trophy home to Alabama. The Bucs rebounded from a slow start to finish 4-2 in the All-State Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic in Hammond, LA and claim the tournament championship.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic, in its 12th year, is a large regional tournament sponsored by the college bowl game of the same name and features teams from all over the southeast.
The Bucs dropped an early Saturday morning game to St. Paul’s of New Orleans 5-2 before the rains came. The rest of Saturday’s play was washed out and the entire tournament was moved to Sunday.
On Sunday, the Bucs played five games, beating Dutchtown (LA) 4-2 and losing to Brother Martin (LA) 4-1 in pool play. But once the seeded tournament began, the Bucs found their groove.
In Round 1, the Bucs beat C.E. Byrd (LA) 5-2 which earned them another shot at Brother Martin in the semi-finals. In the semis, the Bucs’ defense pitched a second half shutout and the Bucs upset the Crusaders 3-2.
On the other side of the bracket, Mobile’s UMS-Wright beat St. Paul’s to set up an All-Alabama final.
In the championship game, UMS-Wright jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. But the Bucs answered quickly and went to halftime with a 3-1 advantage. The two teams played to a second half draw giving the Bucs a 5-3 win and the tournament championship.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this group,” said Bucs third-year coach Conor Conway. “We graduated 17 seniors last year, and we’re going in thinking we’ve got a huge rebuilding job to do. But we’ve got some really talented freshmen and sophomores, who mesh very well with this group of hard hitting, blue collar, upperclassmen that just want to win.”
The Bucs were led in scoring by freshman midfielder Jackson Hirschy with eight goals and two assists. Senior attackman Seth Ward scored two goals in the championship game and finished the tournament with three goals and three assists.
On defense the Bucs were led by All-State defenseman Drew Crumrine who did not allow a single goal all weekend. Junior goalkeeper Jack Majewski, getting his first career start, only gave up three goals per game.
On the Junior Varsity side of the tournament, the Bucs JV squad finished 1-2-1. “We’ve got 15 JV guys that have never touched a lacrosse stick before,” said Conway. “And we love having the new guys. The future looks really good.”
The varsity Bucs’ 2018 campaign begins Friday, February 16th at 7:30 on the road in Huntsville against the Randolph Raiders. The Sugar Bowl champs will christen their new home turf at Buccaneer Stadium Sunday, February 18th at 3:30 PM as they take on the UMS-Wright Bulldogs.
About Hoover Boys Lacrosse
2018 marks the 12th season of varsity play for Hoover Lacrosse. The program was founded and first coached by Chris Cos in 2006. Under Cos’ leadership the team quickly rose to compete at a high level – winning three straight Alabama State Championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, and then adding their state-record fourth title in 2013. Hoover Lacrosse has fielded 3 US Lacrosse All Americans, and had over 30 players go on to play in at the college level (DI, DII, DIII & club). Hoover’s Varsity Head Coach now is the former Bucs defenseman Conor Conway. The Hoover Boys Lacrosse program is a member of the Alabama High School Lacrosse Coaches Association. The Bucs Lacrosse program can be found online at www.hooverboyslax.com or on twitter @hooverboyslax.
Stay up-to-date with Hoover varisty and girls lacrosse throughout the 2018 season at HooverBucs.net – PrepsNet’s home for Buccaneer athletics.
2018 Hoover Bucs Varsity Lacrosse Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2.16 | 7:30 pm | @ Randolph | |
| 2.18 | 3:30 pm | UMS-Wright | |
| 2.25 | 1:30 pm | Huntsville | |
| 2.27 | 7:30 pm | @ Spain Park | |
| 3.6 | 7:30 pm | Briarwood | |
| 3.13 | 7:30 pm | John Carroll | |
| 3.17 | 1:00 pm | @ Homewood | |
| 3.22 | 6:00 pm | @ Vestavia | |
| 4.6 | 7:30 pm | Oak Mountain | |
| 4.8 | 3:30 pm | Prattville | |
| 4.14 | 5:00 pm | Mountain Brook | |
| 4.29 | 2:30 pm | @ Bob Jones |
