Bishop England girls' lacrosse wins first state title
Finally.
The Bishop England girls’ lacrosse team won its first state championship with a 6-5 victory over Nation Ford Saturday at Chapin High School.
It was BE’s first title in the sport, which was sanctioned by the High School League in 2010. But the Bishops are probably far from finished as Coach Jeff Weiner has put together a juggernaut.
Just what does the future look like for the program, which finished as state runners-up in 2013 and last spring? In the last 20 minutes of the nail-biter, Weiner had eight freshmen and sophomores on the field.
The future is bright, but Weiner and his team wanted to savor the moment.
“This was my third shot at it,” said Weiner, a transplant from up north who has spent years promoting the sport in the Lowcountry as a coach and volunteer. “With this crew, I didn’t think it was our best team talent-wise. But it was our best T-E-A-M. They really worked hard and worked together. There were no egos on this team. We had one common goal, and we achieved it.”
Saturday’s championship was a contrast to both team’s season. Nation Ford and the Bishops both averaged more than 15 goals per game. But it was a struggle and defense once again was the difference. It was the lowest scoring state championship in history.
“It was a defensive effort,” Weiner said. “That’s how we won. Nation Ford did a great job of holding Emma (Pizzo) in check. But we had players step up. Again, it was teamwork.”
Sophomore Ellie Long led the Bishops with three goals. Senior Rachel Banton collected two goals and an assist and the sophomore sensation Emma Pizzo scored once to finish the season with 98 goals – tops in the state.
The score was tied at 2-2 late in the first half when Banton scored with 1:45 remaining to give Bishop England a 3-2 halftime lead. Long made it 4-2 a minute into the second half with her second score of the game. The Bishops maintained a two-goal when Long scored with approximately 20 minutes left in the game.
Nation Ford wouldn’t quit and tied it at 5-5 with just over eight minutes remaining. But Banton scored and the Bishops had that elusive title, holding Nation Ford scoreless the rest of the way.
Saturday’s championship was a close encounter of the best kind. It wasn’t that way last year when the Bishops pounded Nation Ford 15-4 in the regular season.
“They improved tremendously from last year,” Weiner said of the state runners-up. “I told the coach, Í don’t know what you did, but whatever it was you should patent it. That’s how much better they were this year.”
The Bishop England boys’ team also had a successful season, posting a 12-3 record. The Bishops reached the Lower State championship, but dropped a 14-2 decision to eventual state champ Wando.
The Bishop boys defeated Blythewood and Hilton Head to reach the Lower State title match.
LOWER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: REFLECTIONS FROM A FAN
By Jim Greenho
For any of you that are girls’ lacrosse players or fans, last Tuesday night’s Lower State Championship game pitting Bishop England against Wando did not disappoint. I have watched five of these battles for the Lower State title over the years, and the back and forth skill and hustle by both teams has always been very impressive. This year, Bishop England won by a score of 9-6, but I can promise you that Coach Jeff Weiner was not relaxed at all until probably the final minute.
This year’s team was captained by Ellie Petyak and Rachel Banton. Both are four year starters, so these two have been in a number of these hard fought games. When asked how they felt, they were both just so full of smiles and perhaps relief, that those faces said a thousand words. They both agreed that it was a great way to finish an incredible four years on the team, and they both looked forward to the big state championship game they went on to win on Saturday.
Coach Weiner did say that he was not sure just how good this team would or could be as he had to replace a number of all state players who graduated, but with a cast of new freshmen stepping into some very big shoes, the chemistry came together just at the right time. There was some superb goalie playing and an ironclad defense that really sealed it for the Bishops and a terrific effort by the entire team.