Learwood Middle School boys break through, win state lacrosse title

Talk about a fantastic fourth. The Learwood Middle School boys lacrosse team had advanced to the state tournament the last three years only to be eliminated in the semifinals each time by the eventual winner. This year, no one eliminated Learwood. The seventh-seeded Shoremen won the Division 4 state title May 11. The state tournament was sponsored by the Ohio Middle School Lacrosse Association.Learwood (10-2) opened the tournament with a 14-2 win over Miamisburg and a 13-9 win over third-seeded Columbus Academy on May 10. The Shoremen then knocked off top-seeded Chagrin Falls, 7-4, in the semifinals May 11 before downing the second-seeded Columbus Saints, 9-2, in the final later in the day at Dublin Scioto High School. "We were undefeated two weeks before the state tournament but lost a close one on April 30 to Olmsted Falls, 4-2," Learwood coach Cameron Ditty said. "This really served as a gut check for the boys and they really rallied off this loss." Learwood held a 4-2 lead late in the third quarter against the Saints when a pair of goals by midfielder Tobias Noss sparked a five-goal run as Learwood pulled away for the win. "We had a really stout defense all year led by our very experienced goalie Ben Higbie, who averaged around 80 percent saves on the season," Ditty said. "Our closed defensemen, Calvin Gadd and Kevin Bresnahan, did a very good job shutting down the other team's attacks. We matched up very well against team's offensive midfield with short stick defensive midfielders Tyler Peace and Shawn Otting, and long stick midfielders Philip Resovsky and Vincent Arnold. We held most of our opponents to under four goals per game this season. "On the other end of the field, our attack was led by Will Kahelin, who averaged five points (goals and assists) per game. He was a pretty prolific scorer for us when we needed it. He was supported by offensive midfielders Noss and Hank Mendoza. Mendoza really controlled the face-off X against most of our opponents, which really allowed us to control the ball well against teams this season." There are five divisions in Ohio middle school boys lacrosse compared to only two at the high school level. Middle school teams are divided into three regions, unlike four for high school: southern, central and northern. While middle school lacrosse is growing, Columbus remains the powerhouse area. Avon Lake is the only northern team to win a state championship and one of two to make it to the state championship game. Revere made it to the Division 5 state championship but lost. Learwood has fielded a middle school boys lacrosse team since 2013. Ditty has been coach since 2018. Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.