Golden boys lacrosse plows past Smoky Hill to advance in 4A state tournament

LAKEWOOD — The light drizzle turned into a winter wonderland during the Class 4A boys lacrosse playoff game Tuesday night at Trailblazer Stadium.

“Around the second half it just got crazy,” Golden senior attacker Boden Price said of the weather that ended with a snow-covered field. “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen, but it was a hell of a game although.”

No. 12-seeded Golden scored five unanswered goals to defeat No. 21 Smoky Hill 9-4, moving the Demons (7-9 record) into the second round of the state tournament.

“Who doesn’t want to play in a lacrosse game like that? That was a ton of fun,” Golden coach Khalid Alshami said. “(Smoky Hill) came out really strong and battled really tough. I think we were able to respond pretty well. That’s what high school sports is all about.”

Smoky Hill (9-7) took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Senior Jason Jaster put in a pair of goals to put the Buffaloes up 2-0 and junior Ty Nibbe gave Smoky Hill a 3-0 lead with 4 minutes to play in the first quarter.

However, Golden freshman Ryan Meyer got a key goal just before the end of the first quarter to cut the lead to 3-1.

“We just started slow,” Price said of the first-quarter deficit. “Once we started playing our game and doing what we do best we started putting them in.” 

Junior McGee Wishart scored midway through the second quarter to bring the Demons within a goal. Price put in his first two goals of the game within a minute of each other to give Golden its first lead at 4-3.

Jaster completed his hat-trick with 34 seconds left before halftime to tie things up 4-4, but it would be the Smoky Hill’s final goal of the game. Golden sophomore Mackinley Nelson-Steinhoff scored with 2.9 seconds left in the first half to give the Demons a 5-4 lead at halftime.

“It was the experience of having those games and having to deal with some adversity,” Alshami said of the Demons overcoming the Buffaloes’ strong start. “Coming out on the wrong end a lot of times this season helped this team grow and learn. Those moments prepared them for tonight.”

Price scored three goals in the second half to finish with a 5-goal night. Senior Joey Filippone added the other Golden goal in the second half as the Demons outscored the Buffaloes 4-0 in the second half.

Golden will face No. 5 Lutheran in the second round Friday, May 8, in Parker. The Lions edged the Demons 7-6 back on April 1 in a non-league game.

“We are excited for the challenge. It’s a good team,” Alshami said of the rematch against the Lions. “They are really well-coached by Coach (Tyler) Snyder over there, but I think we are a good team too. Hopefully we are peaking at the right time and hopefully we give them a good battle and it’s a memorable one.”