The Valencia Vikings boys’ lacrosse team entered Tuesday evening’s contest against Foothill League rival West Ranch High School having never beaten the Wildcats.
After the final whistle blew, the Vikings’ bench ran across the field to celebrate with their teammates after securing an 8-7 victory at West Ranch to stay undefeated on the season.
Valencia High School (4-0, 3-0) senior Luke Huey recorded a hat trick on Tuesday to bring his goal tally through four games up to 12.
“We were getting blown out freshman year for me,” Huey said. “So, the past two years, we’ve been getting closer, but this is our first win against them. It just feels great for all of us seniors, and our guys know how much it means to us, so they like to celebrate with us.”
Valencia head coach Julian Lewis said he remembers losing every game to West Ranch (1-3, 1-1) when he played for Valencia, and the feeling for him on Tuesday was one of excitement.
“It feels good to beat West Ranch, man,” Lewis said. “I’m gonna be honest, like as a long-time Viking, it feels super good. I literally didn’t sleep last night, and I might not sleep tonight. Like, I’m so excited right now. That was the most nerve-wracking game of my career.”
The game was tied after each of the first three quarters, with Valencia leading by two goals early in the first before West Ranch stormed back. Valencia regained its two-goal advantage late in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats ran out of time after cutting the deficit to one with 17 seconds left in regulation.
West Ranch head coach Chris Taylor said he was proud of his defense for sticking with a Valencia offense that was patient and held possession for minutes at a time.
“I’m very disappointed in the outcome,” Taylor said. “Just our offense wasn’t as fluid as we would like for it to have been today. I think our defense played well when you consider the amount of time that we were on defense.”
Valencia senior Derek Grossman and junior Gabriel De Mesa each had two goals on the night while senior Ryan Elshoff had one.
West Ranch had a few good looks on goal throughout Tuesday’s contest that were saved by Valencia sophomore goalie Timothy Avila, who only started playing lacrosse this year.
“He’s definitely a stud,” Lewis said. “This is his first year with our team, and he’s only a sophomore, so he’s definitely stepping up big time for us.”
West Ranch saw senior Jonas Cantu and junior Greyson Foster score twice each. Senior Lessard Ryan, junior Graden Choe and freshman Michael Williams recorded a goal each. Choe and Foster also each provided two assists.
“He’s our scoring leader and assist leader right now,” Taylor said of Choe. “We’re excited about the dual role that he’s taking on, as far as incorporating the assist game to his to his scoring game. And he’s a phenomenal player. Anybody that watches knows he’s a phenomenal player.”
The Wildcats will look to stop their three-game slide when they host Notre Dame on Monday. Their next league match is scheduled for Wednesday on the road at Saugus.
Valencia has a quicker turnaround, hosting San Marcos on Friday. The Vikings’ next league match is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, at home against Saugus.
“We worked so much in the off season, and we’re just keeping that momentum from the start of the season, and we’re just hoping to take over league,” Huey said.
