CHS Boys Lacrosse 2009 Season Accolades
ALL REGIONAL TEAM 2009
First Team Faceoff: Geoff Pippin
First Team Goalie: Ethan Woods
First Team Midfield: Geoff Pippin
First Team Defense: Nathan Xander
First Team LSM: Patrick Lee
Second Team Attack: Dylan Graves, Sam Stout
Second Team Midfield: Tyler Reed
ALL STATE TEAM 2009
First Team Faceoff: Geoff Pippin
First Team Midfield: Geoff Pippin
First Team Defense: Nathan Xander
Second Team Goalie: Ethan Woods
Cavs earn several TSLA awards
Craig Delk
Herald-Citizen Sports Editor
Saturday, Jun 06, 2009
COOKEVILLE -- Over the past few years, the Cookeville boys lacrosse program has grown to the point where it is noticed on a statewide level.
With three consecutive trips to the TSLA state tournament, the Cavaliers landed three players on the all-state team. Senior defenseman Nathan Xander and junior midfielder Geoff Pippin were named to the first team, while senior goalie Ethan Woods was named to the second team. Pippin made the first team for midfield and for face-off.
In addition, junior long-stick midfielder Patrick Lee was named to the first team all-East Region squad, while junior midfielder Tyler Reed, senior attackman Sam Stout and junior attackman Dylan Graves were voted to the all-region second team.
Xander, Pippin and Woods were excited to find out they were voted to the all-state team.
"It's an honor to be up there with all the best guys in the state," Xander said. "I've just gotta give it to my coaches, because without them obviously I wouldn't have made it this far."
Added Pippin, "I was pretty excited. I was hoping (CHS coach Kurt Snider) was right because he told me he'd be surprised if I didn't do it, so I was really hoping it was actually true."
Woods said he was hoping for a first-team nod, but is honored to be named all-state either way.
"It's a cool thing being named as one of the best players in the state," Woods said. "I was a little disappointed that I didn't get first team, but it was still cool to know that I was up there with them."
Snider said Xander is a player who got better each year with hard work.
"He's been a great kid who has always worked hard on his game," Snider said. "He went to camps in the summer, and just every year he got better and better. He could play in college if he wanted to; he had some offers to play, but none of the colleges who were looking at him had the academic programs he was interested in so he kind of put that first."
Pippin, meanwhile, was a force scoring goals and in the middle of the field afterward, with 30 goals scored and 123 face-off wins. He also controlled 98 ground balls and dished out 12 assists.
"Geoff was one of those guys that really makes coaching fun," Snider said. "To see the transition that they make from their sophomore to junior year, sometimes you really find a passion for the sport and his game really took a huge jump.
"He became a great face-off guy for us," Snider continued. "Derek Malone was a good face-off guy we had, but Geoff took it to another level to be honest with you. He had almost an 80 percent success rate this year. When you get the ball almost every time you face off, it gives you a huge advantage. That was big."
Woods, meanwhile, was a defensive wall for the Cavaliers in goal. He gave up just 4.69 goals per game, with 138 saves and a .693 save percentage.
"From sixth grade on, he really embraced the goalie position," Snider said regarding Woods. "If you get a goalie that's really into it, it's really valuable because we're always trying to coax kids into trying to play goalie. It's probably the toughest position on the field; it takes a lot of nerve to stand in there and have guys throw balls at you 90 miles per hour."
Snider added, "He's another guy who I would love to see play in college, but he academically wanted to go in a different direction. Hopefully, he'll stay in town and help me coach or something like that. He was a great goalie."
The all-region winners also made a big impact for the Cavaliers. Stout tallied 17 goals and 18 assists in 11 games played, while Graves contributed 12 goals and 14 assists.
Reed scored nine goals and delivered five assists, and Lee secured 40 ground balls
Cavs' close out season in TSLA playoffs
Cookeville’s Tyler Reed battles the elements and a Webb defender during the Cavs’ 10-7 loss to the Spartans in Knoxville on Saturday. The loss ended the Cavaliers’ season. (Contributed photo)
May 4 ,2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
KNOXVILLE -- On Saturday, the Cookeville boys lacrosse team made its second trip to Knoxville Webb in a week, this time with hopes of more consistent play and a better outcome. But the Spartans' physical style and determination proved too much, and the Cavs were eliminated from the TSLA playoffs with a 10-7 loss.
"This is probably the best overall team we've ever had talent wise," said head coach Kurt Snider, "but we just couldn't seem to put together a complete game when we needed it."
"Today we got caught up in playing their game. They're very physical and we're more of a finesse team. I would call a timeout and get them to settle down and focus, and we'd go out and run our offense and score a goal. But within a few minutes, we'd go right back to playing their physical style, and that played into their hands," Snider said.
"The Webb kids wanted it more. I think we have more individual skill, but it's like Ricco (Webb coach) said, they win with will not with skill. I've got to hand it to them for their effort."
The Cavaliers got off to a good start, controlling ball possession and making good on three of 11 first-quarter shots, while the Spartans proved to be more efficient, scoring twice on seven attempts in the quarter.
Webb outscored Cookeville two goals to one in the second period to tie the game at 4-4 at the half. It was in the second half that CHS came up short.
The Spartans controlled possession much of the third period and took 12 shots, capitalizing on three, to the Cavs' 10 shots and one goal, and Webb took a two-goal lead 7-5 going into the fourth.
The Cavs pulled to within one early in the final frame, but the Spartans responded with three scores and pulled away for the 10-7 victory.
Cookeville was led in scoring by senior attackman Sam Stout, who had three goals and two assists in his prep career finale. Junior Geoff Pippin, the Cavs' leading scorer on the season and dominant face-off specialist, scored two goals and had one assist while winning 12 of the contested face-offs. The Reed brothers, Tyler and Grant, added the remaining scores for the Cavs with one goal each.
Senior goalie Ethan Woods contributed 13 saves in the game while senior defensemen Nathan Xander and Jonathan Bruce had three and four ground balls respectively. Fellow senior Heath Randolph also finished his career contributing as a midfielder to both the offensive and defensive efforts.
"What chokes me up is that these seniors are gone," said Snider. "Ethan is the last of the original players who started with the program in middle school, and I've coached all of these guys all the way through -- Heath, Nathan, Sam, Jon Bruce -- they're all very special to me. It's been a great experience with that group of guys."
"It's a testimony to the program that we're not just turning out good lacrosse players, we've got good kids. I'm very proud of them all," Snider said.
The Cavs finished the season with 8 wins and 5 losses and made the playoffs for the third consecutive year, and the future looks bright. While the team will miss the five graduating seniors, they return more than 40 players from this year's roster. Perhaps another year of maturity and another season to improve already sound stick skills will take them to a state championship next season.
Cavaliers see another close game slip Away
Cookeville's Heath Randolph fires a shot during the Cavaliers' 11-10 loss to Centennial on Tuesday. (Contributed p
hoto)
April 29,2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
FRANKLIN -- The Cookeville High School boys lacrosse team has been haunted by losing close games this season, and Tuesday night's visit to Centennial High School in Franklin was no exception as the Cavs saw the Cougars come from behind in the last two minutes to hand them their fourth one-point loss of the season, 11-10.
"We still don't know how to finish a game," said head coach Kurt Snider. "When you're up two you've got to exhibit patience and take care of the ball, and we didn't do that late in the game."
Assistant coach Jamie Couch agreed, "We had the game, we just didn't finish. We have to win a close game for a change."
The Cavs have outscored their opponents 135 to 66 in 12 games, but their four losses have come by a total of four points.
The Cougars jumped out to the early advantage when their leading scorer Jacob Estrada found the net on their first possession, but the Cavaliers responded when defensive specialist Nathan Xander took the ball "coast to coast" to tie the game at 1-1.
Shortly thereafter, Grant Reed took a pass from Nathan Holland and converted with a shot past the Cougar goalie for a 2-1 CHS lead. Centennial's Dan Fuller tied the game at 2-2 with an unassisted goal before Cookeville ran off three straight goals by Reed, Jamie Chapman and Nathan Fontenot to finish the quarter with a 5-2 lead.
The second period saw both clubs record two goals each, with both Cavalier scores coming from the stick of sophomore Reed, his third and fourth of the game. The Centennial scores were contributed by Dan Fuller and Arness Holsey, but the Cookeville lead remained at three at the half.
Things began to unravel for the Cavs in the third period when they committed six unforced turnovers and had five failed clears, each time giving the ball back to Centennial. The Cougars offered 13 shots in the quarter while the Cavaliers managed only six, but two of those six found the net for Cookeville and three were scored by Cougar Estrada to pull Centennial within two, 9-7 at the end of the third.
Estrada scored again to open the fourth quarter and pull his team to within a single point at 9-8, but Heath Randolph responded for Cookeville with his second goal of the day to again widen the lead to two at 10-8. With just under four minutes to play, Holsey found an opening in the Cavalier defense and scored to begin the Centennial comeback.
It was attackman Holsey who broke clear again for the Cougars with about two and a half minutes to go, and deliver an uncontested shot on goal to tie the game at 10-10.
Cookeville won the ensuing faceoff, but was unable to capitalize on the possession and with just over a minute to play, Cougar Mike Schwind completed the comeback scoring the game-winner for Centennial.
While it was physical errors that hurt the Cavs in the third quarter, it was mental mistakes that led to their downfall in the fourth.
According to Snider, "We had poor communication defensively" which gave Centennial some open shots.
"I know this is a real disappointing loss for us," Snider said to his team after the game, "but I'm proud of you guys, and I'm proud of the fact that you didn't quit. We can learn from this and be better next time out."
The Cavs were led in scoring by Reed with four goals, followed by Randolph with two. Xander, Chapman, Fontenot and Geoff Pippin contributed one goal each, while Andrew McBroom, Holland and Pippin had one assist each. Defensively, five different Cavs scooped up five ground balls each: Xander, Chapman, Pippin, McBroom and Patrick Lee. Ethan Woods had 13 saves in goal and Jordan Clark had one key save in the final quarter.
The Cavs will likely be the eighth seed in the state tournament which begins on Saturday, May 2, and will play at the No. 1 seed home field which has not yet been determined.
Cavs get big win over Notre Dame
Cookeville’s Boston Maxwell gets ready to scoop up a ground ball during the Cavaliers’ 16-4 win over Notre Dame on Sunday in Chattanooga. (Contributed photo/Stephanie Pippin)
April 27,2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
CHATTANOOGA -- The Cookeville Cavalier boys lacrosse team got back on the winning track in a big way Sunday afternoon, taking a 16-4 decision over TSLA east region foe Notre Dame.
While the Cavs dominated statistics, head coach Kurt Snider is still looking for more consistency from his players.
"At times we looked great today," Snider said. "But we can't seem to put a complete game together. If we play smart lacrosse our fundamentals are down. When we're executing well fundamentally, we seem to make poor decisions. We're capable of putting it all together, and that's what we need Tuesday against Centennial."
Once again, CHS used offensive diversity to put up 16 goals score by nine different players.
"We're getting good balanced offense," said Snider. "When I see assisted goals, that means the guys are seeing field and sharing the ball and executing effectively, and that makes us more difficult to defend."
Junior attackman Dylan Graves led the scoring for the Cavalier offense, with three goals and two assists, and junior midfielder Tyler Reed contributed three goals and one assist.
"I thought Dylan and Tyler both had really good games," said Snider. "We've been working on shooting to the goalie's off hand side, and Tyler did an excellent job with that in the game today. Dylan played smart and saw the field really well today and gave us a good offensive boost."
Defensively, the Cavs were led by junior long pole middie/defender Patrick Lee, who secured nine ground balls on the afternoon.
"P. Lee played the best he's ever played today. He had great scoops and he was smart about what to do with the ball once he got it, and he stayed out of the penalty box. I've been really pleased with his maturation as a player," Snider said.
Cookeville started slowly, but managed three first-quarter goals, one each by Graves, Reed and Nathan Fontenot, while holding the Irish to a single score.
It was Reed, Graves, and Fontenot with scores again in the second period while the Cavs defense shut out Notre Dame, and CHS led 6-1 at the half.
The Cookeville offense opened up in the second half, putting up five goals in both the third and fourth quarters while limiting Notre Dame to two third period and one fourth quarter scores.
Junior midfielder and Cavs leading scorer Geoff Pippin had one goal in each of the final two quarters. Sophomore attackman Jamie Chapman contributed two goals in the third period, and sophomore middie Andrew McBroom scored one in the third as did Graves.
The fourth quarter points were scored by Tyler Reed, his brother Grant Reed, Pippin, sophomore Matt Sliger, and a goal sure to make the Cavs highlight reel scored by senior defender Nathan Xander.
Assists were recorded by Graves (2), Tyler Reed (1), Chapman (1), Pippin (1), Fontenot (1), and Grant Reed (1). Pippin also tallied 13 face-off wins and six ground balls.
The Cavs wrap up the regular season Tuesday night in an important game at Centennial which will determine their playoff fate.
Cavs fall to Webb in nail-biter
Cookeville’s Nathan Holland moves upfield during the Cavs’ 6-5 loss to Webb Knox on Friday. (Contributed photo/Stephanie Pippin
April 26,2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
KNOXVILLE -- If you're on the winning side you call Friday night's matchup between Cookeville and the Webb Spartans an exciting contest, but if you're on the short end of a 6-5 score like the Cavs were, you call the loss a bitter disappointment. Either way, it was close, competitive, and an overall great high school lacrosse game.
"The loss is disappointing and the way we played was frustrating, but it (the game) sure was exciting," said CHS coach Kurt Snider. "I think the telling stat was our 11 turnovers. We didn't catch and throw well, and that hurt us."
Cookeville opened the game exhibiting a patient and settled offensive attack that allowed them to maintain possession and keep the ball away from Webb early on. The Cavs put the first points on the board with 5:11 to go in the first quarter when Dylan Graves found Geoff Pippin cutting to the goal on a give-and-go play, and Pippin fired a shot past the Spartan goalie for a 1-0 lead.
The Cavs increased the lead to 2-0 at the 2:18 mark as senior attackman Sam Stout scored with an assist from Heath Randolph.
"We missed another good scoring opportunity early when we were already up two goals, and we dropped the ball right in front of the crease before getting off the shot. I thought that was a bit of a momentum changer," said Snider.
The Spartans swiped the momentum and got on the board with 51 seconds to play in the first as senior attack Ken Coffey scored an unassisted goal, his first of four on the day.
Coffey added two more scores in the second period while the Cavs failed to capitalize on any of their eight shots, and the Spartans led 3-2 at the half.
CHS never seemed to regroup or return to the patient and efficient offense it utilized earlier in the game. Instead, the third period saw the Webb offense play keep-away, and the Cavs play throw-away, as they committed five turnovers and failed on four defensive clears.
Webb moved ahead 4-2 on a man advantage goal by Chris Reed less than two minutes into the third quarter, but the Cavs pulled back to within one with 4:54 to play in the period on a goal by freshman midfielder Nathan Holland. The Spartans struck back two minutes later on another Coffey goal and led 5-3 going into the last quarter.
Once again CHS cut the lead to one at the 9:30 mark in the fourth when Nathan Fontenot took a pass from Randolph and converted for the score. This time, it was the Spartans' Reed who tallied his second of the game to put Webb up by two at 6-4 with 6:57 to play.
The last two minutes proved to be the most exciting as the Spartans attempted to stall and the Cavs played pressure defense to win possession. With 1:18 remaining, Graves passed to Fontenot in front of the crease and as the Webb goalie came out of the cage to defend, Fontenot found the open net for the score.
Now within one, the Cavs needed possession and a quick goal to force overtime, and while Pippin won the face-off and Patrick Lee secured the ground ball, the Cavs were unable to capitalize on the possession and the Spartans took the win 6-5.
"I think in many ways we're better than they are, we just didn't play like it tonight," Snider said. "We'd like to have another shot at them in the playoffs."
The Cavs' playoff hopes are still alive. They make up a previously rained out region game on Sunday at Notre Dame in Chattanooga and then travel to Franklin for a match-up with Centennial on Tuesday. Wins in both games will guarantee CHS a seventh seed in the playoffs.
Cavs win on senior night
Cookeville’s Sam Stout looks for an open teammate during the Cavaliers’ 14-1 win over Sequatchie County on Tuesday. (Contributed photo)
April 22,2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
COOKEVILLE -- The Cookeville boys lacrosse team accelerated to a commanding lead early in Tuesday's game against region foe Sequatchie County, then relied on cruise control in the second half to take a 14-1 victory on senior night.
Nine different players contributed goals for the Cavaliers in a very lopsided contest where the entire CHS roster saw playing time against a very young and inexperienced Sequatchie club.
The Cavs dominated ball possession in the first quarter and tallied eight goals on 16 attempts, while limiting Sequatchie to no shots. Jamie Chapman scored three goals in the quarter and had one assist, while Geoff Pippin contributed two goals and two assists, and Dylan Graves scored twice. Sam Stout also had a big first quarter, scoring one goal and contributing five assists.
The CHS dominance continued in the second frame with one goal each by Graves, Nathan Holland and senior Heath Randolph, to give the Cavs a 11-0 lead at the half.
Coach Kurt Snider relied on his younger players in the second half to secure the victory. Three goals were added in the third period, one each by Nathan Fontenot, Grant Reed and Boston Maxwell, to put the Cavs up 14-0 going into the final quarter.
CHS went scoreless in the fourth while Sequatchie offered three shots, converting on one for its lone goal which was scored with :01 to go in the game.
Stout and Randolph, along with fellow seniors Nathan Xander, Jonathan Bruce and Ethan Woods were recognized and honored in pre-game senior night ceremonies as they finish their prep lacrosse careers. Also recognized was assistant coach Jami Couch, who will graduate from TTU next month and leave Cookeville to attend graduate school.
The Cavs travel to Knoxville on Friday for an important region game against Webb Knox. CHS needs a victory over Webb to secure a spot in the TSLA playoffs which begin May 2.
Cavaliers rally before falling to Raiders in OT
Cookeville’s Patrick Lee wins a ground ball against a Baylor defender during the Cavaliers’ 8-7 overtime loss on Thursday at CHS. (Contributed photo/Stephanie Pippin)
April 17,2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
COOKEVILLE -- The Cookeville High School boys lacrosse team battled from behind throughout a physical and intense game Thursday night against Baylor, scoring two goals in the last minute of the contest to force a sudden death overtime. But the Raiders spoiled the Cavalier comeback with a game-winning goal in OT giving the Cavs (6-2) their first region loss, 8-7.
Baylor came into the game touting a potent offensive attack, averaging 14 points per game only to find the going a little tougher against the CHS defense.
"They're a high scoring team and we held them under double digits, so our defense did their job," said coach Kurt Snider. "Offensively we weren't very sharp. We rushed things early on and pulled the trigger too quick which gave them the ball back."
The Raiders jumped out to a quick lead with two goals in the first five minutes of play before Dylan Graves got the Cavaliers on the board with a goal assisted by Geoff Pippin. But Baylor found the net once more in the first to lead 3-1 at the end of the quarter.
The Cavalier offense settled down in the second period and maintained better ball control to help deny the Raiders' scoring opportunities, and with the stiff CHS defense, Baylor was held scoreless in the second while the Cavs Andrew McBroom tallied one goal to pull Cookeville within one at the half.
The Cavs pulled even twice in the third period at 3-3 and 4-4, before Baylor scored the last two goals of the quarter to lead 6-4 at the end of three.
The Cookeville offense outscored the Raiders 3-1 in the final period with the last two CHS goals coming in the final 1:04 of the game to force the overtime.
"We called timeout with about two minutes to go, and I told the team that two minutes is a long time, and not to panic, and they didn't. They came out composed and focused and scored twice to tie the game. I was proud of the way they came back," said coach Snider.
In the overtime period, Baylor won possession on the face-off and never relinquished ball control. With 2:36 to play in overtime, Sam Ector hit a cutting Isaac Garner, who slipped a shot into the goal for the game-winner.
The Cavaliers were led by Pippin with three goals and two assists. Graves, McBroom, Tyler Reed and Sam Stout added one goal each, and Heath Randolph contributed two assists. The defense was led by goalie Ethan Woods with 22 saves and Nathan Xander with 11 ground balls.
The Cavaliers look to regroup on Saturday when they face a visiting Signal Mountain team at noon at the soccer complex.
CHS overwhelms McCallie
"Cookeville’s Grant Reed (6) tries to get around a McCallie defender during the Cavaliers’ 17-5 win over the Blue Tornado on Tuesday at CHS. (Herald-Citizen Photo/Craig Delk
April 8, 2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
"This win was a milestone for our program," said head coach Kurt Snider. "It's the first time we've beat McCallie at any level of play in the history of Cookeville lacrosse. They have such a good, fundamentally sound program with talented, well trained athletes. It's a good benchmark for us."
Despite a sluggish start and inconsistent play in the first period, the Cavs got out to a slim lead early and built momentum throughout the game to secure the win.
"I don't know whether it was the cold or what, but it took us a while to get going," Snider said. "Later in the game we began to execute well offensively and took advantage of what the defense gave us. Scoring 17 goals kind of speaks for itself."
Jamie Chapman opened the scoring for Cookeville with 9:00 minutes to play in the first period. Geoff Pippin won the ensuing face-off, scooped up the ball and broke away for the Cavs' second score just seven seconds later.
McCallie responded with its first goal at the 5:19 mark to pull within one at 2-1, but CHS's Dylan Graves added to the Cavs lead with a goal with 4:17 to play. The Blue Tornado tallied their second of the game with only :08 to go in the first period to set the score at 3-2 after one quarter.
Stout, Chapman and Andrew McBroom put the Cavs up 6-2 midway through the second quarter before McCallie found the net for its only goal of the period. Nathan Fontenot finished the scoring for the quarter for CHS to set the halftime score at 7-3.
The Cavaliers caught fire in the third period, overwhelming the Blue Tornado on both ends of the field, and outscoring McCallie six goals to one. The dominance continued in the fourth as CHS added four more goals while the defense limited McCallie to a single score to set the final at 17-5.
Seven different players scored goals for the Cavaliers, and nine of the 17 scores were assisted goals.
"That's an excellent indicator of a balanced offense. We're scoring off feeds and beating defenders one on one," Snider said.
Geoff Pippin led the way offensively with four goals, two assists, and an outstanding 17 face-off wins.
"Geoff has that gift of quickness that is hard to beat. His ability to win face-offs and give us ball possession is a huge advantage for us," Snider said.
Chapman scored four times and had one assist. Graves contributed two goals and one assist, while McBroom, Fontenot and Grant Reed scored two goals each. Senior Sam Stout had one goal and three assists.
The defense was anchored by senior goalie Ethan Woods with 15 saves and fellow senior Nathan Xander, who had three takeaways and four ground balls.
The Cavs return to action on Thursday, April 16 when they host region foe Baylor.
Cavs dominate Warriors for first region win
Cookeville’s Jesse Chapman (25) and Nathan Xander (18) move upfield during the Cavaliers’ 15-3 win over West Knox on Friday in Cookeville. (Contributed photo)
April 5 , 2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
COOKEVILLE -- The Cookeville High School boys lacrosse team claimed its first TSLA East Region win of the season Friday night, defeating the West Knox Warriors 15-3.
The Cavs (5-1, 1-0) utilized a combination of pressure defense and good ball control offensively to dominate statistics and hold the Warriors to only three goals.
"The defense was outstanding tonight," said head coach Kurt Snider. "The fact that we limited them (West Knox) to only two shots in the first quarter and 20 in the game is a tribute to our good defense."
"Ethan (Woods) and Nathan (Xander) created fast-break opportunities for us tonight from the defensive end, and Bull (Josh Bruce) and Jesse (Chapman) also had takeaways on defense," Snider said.
The offensive attack was led by junior midfielder Geoff Pippin with four goals and 10 face-off wins, and sophomore attackman Jamie Chapman with four goals and one assist. Sophomore Grant Reed added three goals and one assist, senior Sam Stout scored two goals and two assists, and juniors Tyler Reed and Nathan Fontenot had one goal each. Dylan Graves contributed one assist.
The Cavs came out firing on all cylinders and looked as sharp as they have all season. Stout opened the scoring just a minute and a half into the game when he took a feed from Jamie Chapman and fired a shot past the Warrior goalie. CHS found the net five more times on 16 attempts in the first quarter to take a commanding lead 6-0 into the second period.
Cookeville continued to dominate ball control in the second and put four more scores on the board while shutting out the West Knox offense to lead 10-0 at the half.
The Cavs' stingy defense continued in the third frame, limiting the Warriors to just five shots and no goals, while the offense tallied four more goals to widen the lead to 14-0.
CHS struck first in the final period to go up 15-0 before the Warriors finished out the scoring with the final three goals of the game.
Senior John Bruce saw his first action of the season after suffering a pre-season broken hand.
"Getting John back gives us three full midfield lines now, and that helps us a lot as we head into the toughest part of our schedule," said Snider.
The Cavs return to action at home on Tuesday when they take on McCallie.
Cavs Wrap up Spring Break with First Loss
March 27, 2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The CHS boys lacrosse team wrapped up a week in the Florida sunshine with a disappointing 8-7 loss Thursday night to the Clearwater Yellow Jackets.
"Clearwater was a good test for us -- exactly what we needed right now," said head coach, Kurt Snider. "I think if we had played them on Monday night, the outcome would have been different. It's a long week of practices and games and we just ran out of gas."
After arriving in Florida late Sunday, the Cavs played Monday night and were dominant in their 16-8 win over St. Pete, but the week of hard practices seemed to take its toll, and by the second half of Thursday's game against Clearwater, the energy was gone. And while the Cav players were running on empty and trailed in nearly every statistical category, they were in the game to the very end with a chance to beat a very good, and very aggressive Yellow Jacket squad.
"We saw some really good things tonight," Snider said. "We played smart, we moved the ball well, and I think we played well."
Clearwater scored the first goal of the contest on their first offensive possession, but CHS came back with four consecutive goals by Geoff Pippin, Nathan Holland, Sam Stout and Jamie Chapman to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. The teams traded two goals each in the second quarter before the Yellow Jackets bettered the Cav defense for three consecutive goals to tie the score 6-6 at the half.
Cookeville (4-1) scored the only goal in the third period on a picture-perfect fast break led by Tyler Reed, who found brother Grant in front of the crease for the finishing touch, and the Cavs were up 7-6 heading into the final frame. It was the last quarter when the Cavs' fatigue was most apparent, as Clearwater dominated ball possession and out-scored Cookeville 3-1, with the game-winning goal coming with less than a minute to play.
The Clearwater team was led by Matthew Henderson who tallied seven of his team's nine goals, the other two coming from Austin Johnson.
For Cookeville, Grant Reed and Chapman had two goals each, while Nathan Fontenot, Stout, Holland and Pippin each had one goal. Assists were recorded by Dylan Graves (2), Pippin, and Tyler Reed. Ethan Woods had 13 saves in goal. In summing up the week Snider said, "I told the guys tonight after the game, we're a better team today than we were Monday. We're moving the ball better, and our lacrosse IQ improved as the week went on. I thought we improved skill-wise, and now we need to focus on execution and patience."
The Cavs look to get back on the winning track on Tuesday in Chattanooga as they take on Notre Dame.
Cavaliers Dominate Dragons
March 24, 2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A big first half helped the Cookeville boys lacrosse team pick up an impressive win over the St. Petersburg Dragons on Monday night. Propelled by 12 goals in the first two quarters, the Cavaliers cruised to a 16-8 victory. CHS remains in Florida a few more days this week during spring break, and will play Clearwater on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers (4-0) left little doubt about the outcome from the beginning, scoring five goals in the first quarter and seven in the second to break out to a 12-2 advantage. The Cavs added two more goals each in the third and fourth quarters, while the Dragons narrowed the final margin with five goals in the fourth.
Ten different players got in the scoring column for Cookeville. Jamie Chapman and Geoff Pippin each scored three, Sam Stout and Ben Craves added two apiece, and Dylan Graves, Grant Reed, Tyler Reed, Nathan Fontenot, Andrew McBroom and Matt Sliger each found the net once.
Stout and Pippin help set up several goals as well, as Stout had four assists and Pippin two. Ethan Woods had a solid game in goal, collecting 11 saves in three quarters of play. Jordan Clark came on in the fourth quarter and saved four shots.
Pippin won 11 face-offs, and didn't take a face-off in the second half as the Cavaliers played younger players in the final two quarters.
Cavaliers win third straight game
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
HENDERSONVILLE -- The CHS boys lacrosse team won their third straight game Tuesday night taking a 12-3 victory over an outmanned and less experienced Hendersonville Commando squad.
The Cavs dominated play from the start and took a commanding lead giving Coach Kurt Snider the opportunity to get all the CHS players varsity game experience.
"It's good to be able to mix JV and varsity together in game situations," Snider said. "The JV players learn so much faster when they can be mixed in with the more experienced varsity guys. This is exactly what I was looking for today, everyone getting game experience."
What Snider was not looking for was inconsistent play from his Cavaliers.
"It can be frustrating in games like this when you dominate early, then you get sloppy and kind of lose focus. At times tonight it was like we were not really paying attention," he said.
Ten different players scored goals for the Cavaliers. Sam Stout and Nathan Holland each had two goals, while Jamie Chapman, Tyler Reed, Geoff Pippin, Andrew McBroom, Grant Reed, Aaron Bacon, Heath Randolph, and Dylan Graves had one score each. Graves, Randolph, and Pippin each had one assist.
The Cavs fired 39 shots and picked up 46 ground balls in the game while Hendersonville managed just 10 attempts and 27 ground balls.
The CHS team now turns its attention to their Spring Break trip to Florida and two-a-day practices.
Cavaliers give Houston problems
By RICK WOODS
Special to the HERALD-CITIZEN
COOKEVILLE -- Outstanding play by Junior midfielder, Geoff Pippin, and another strong performance by the defense led the Cavalier boys lacrosse team to an 8-3 win over Houston High Sunday afternoon at the Upper Cumberland soccer Complex.
Pippin scored four goals, won seven face-offs, and scooped up seven ground balls to lead the offensive effort for the Cavs, while senior goal keeper Ethan Woods anchored the defense with 14 saves.
"Geoff had a great game," said coach Kurt Snider. "He is the catalyst for our offense - he gets us the ball on the face-offs and initiates the attack. He's gotten off to a great start in our first two games."
The CHS defense held their second straight opponent to just three goals.
"Defenders Nathan Xander and Josh Bruce had the assignment of covering their best players, and really shut them down," Snider said. "Ethan's game in the goal was outstanding. Defense is the strongest part of our game right now."
The Cavaliers struck quickly to open the game, when Pippin took a feed from Sam Stout and fired a shot past the Mustang goalie just 29 seconds into the contest. Late in the first period Pippin tallied another goal, this time assisted by Dylan Graves, to give CHS a 2-0 lead at the end of one period of play.
The Cavs went up 3-0 at the 8:58 mark of the second quarter when Pippin scored an unassisted goal to complete the hat trick. The Mustangs responded just over a minute later as Carr Waters bounced a shot into the net to pull HHS within two points at 3-1.
CHS dominated play in the third period scoring four times on goals by Jamie Chapman, Pippin, Tyler Reed and Graves, while Houston managed a single score by midfielder Mark Morton. The final frame saw each team score once; the Cavs goal coming on a shot by Andrew McBroom, and the Mustangs goal by Waters.
Unlike the first game of the season, the Cookeville offense relied more on passing and team work. Six of the eight Cookeville goals were assisted by good passes from a teammate to the open shooter.
"We are much better offensively when we're moving the ball and hitting cutters," said coach Snider. "Today we did a better job of sharing the ball, and got away from the dodge the defender mentality."
Recording assists for the Cavs were Heath Randolph (1), Graves (3) and Stout (2).
The Cavs travel to Hendersonville Tuesday for a 5 p.m. matchup with the Commandos.