Fox rules field in OT

 

 
 
 
 
Terry Fox's Ryland Rees, right, gets low to the ground with a St. Thomas More rival in a recent league battle. Rees was named MVP for the junior A final after leading his team to an overtime win over New West.
 

Terry Fox's Ryland Rees, right, gets low to the ground with a St. Thomas More rival in a recent league battle. Rees was named MVP for the junior A final after leading his team to an overtime win over New West.

Photograph by: Lisa King , NOW

He's usually a stand-up type of midfielder.

But on Friday, Dylan Ladron de Guevara added a bit of John Grant Jr. to his repetoire.

The Terry Fox Ravens player provided the heroics in scoring two late goals to snatch the B.C. High School Field Lacrosse provincial title for Fox in a thrilling 12-11 overtime victory over Claremont.

Undefeated over the past two years, Fox has earned the reputation of a powerhouse by ransacking the regional field circuit.

The final, however, was the first taste against the Victoria school, which boasts an in-house field lacrosse academy.

"They gave us a pretty tough game. We knew going in that their school practiced everyday and was all about field lacrosse," noted Ladron de Guevara. "They've got all the best players from the Island."

It was just another challenge for the strong PoCo crew, who have been groomed through the PoCo Saints' minor program.

Head coach Derek Wintermans said confidence was balanced with some caution entering the final contest.

"I feel like I was given an all-star team to work with, and anything less than a championship would have been disappointing," Wintermans said. "Having said that, we really didn't know what to expect from Claremont."

Fox jumped out to a good lead and were up by five goals early in the fourth quarter, only to see Claremont turn the tables and lead 11-10 with a few minutes left in regulation.

Ladron de Guevara stepped in and scored on an off-hand shot to tie the game.

In extra time, he then circled to the front of the net, took Sam de Groot's pass and sent a spike low that beat the Island keeper.

"I went out there not expecting to shoot, but I took my guy on and scored," the Grade 11 player said of the game-tying tally. "On the winner I got in the right place and got a good pass that I buried. It felt good."

It came midway through the four-minute extra session, so there were a few moments where protecting the lead was the prime task.

"It was all about playing D and when we got the ball we ran around to kill time," said Ladron de Guevara. "It was a pretty crazy game."

Fox had advanced to the final by beating Dr. Charles Best 9-2 earlier in the day.

Coupled with the junior Ravens title win, a 5-4 overtime triumph over New Westminster, the PoCo program had reason to be flying high on Friday.

Dylan Foulds deposited the deciding goal, repeating a feat that he achieved a year ago against the same New West rival. Netminder Will Kinnaird had a tremendous game, stopping four shots in extra time alone.

"It's pretty amazing that Terry Fox was able to win two provincial titles in one afternoon, but I think a lot of the players kind of expected it," noted the coach. "They've been playing like the number-one team, but practicing like the number-two team all season."

The junior MVP was long stick Ryland Rees, while Grade 12 Kyran Clarke was named the MVP for seniors.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Terry Fox's Ryland Rees, right, gets low to the ground with a St. Thomas More rival in a recent league battle. Rees was named MVP for the junior A final after leading his team to an overtime win over New West.
 

Terry Fox's Ryland Rees, right, gets low to the ground with a St. Thomas More rival in a recent league battle. Rees was named MVP for the junior A final after leading his team to an overtime win over New West.

Photograph by: Lisa King , NOW

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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