The entire Blogger system has been down the last 26 hours... talk about crummy timing! The system is finally back up, but Thursday's content has not been restored, so my 4A Championship posting is lost... will try to get posted soon.
Let's get the conversation re-started here!
-- Pope Greyhounds (17-3) @ Lambert Longhorns (20-1) - 7:30 pm
Pope Season Recap - The Greyhounds weren't beaten by a 4A team this season, and the only blemishes on their record were losses to 5A powers Milton 3-7, Alpha 6-9 and Walton 4-11 in the middle of the season. Their best wins in the regular season were SPX, Riverwood, Harrison 13-12 OT, Lovett 7-6 OT, Lassiter and Westy. Their playoff run includes wins over Pace 11-2, Johns Creek 9-6, and Lovett 9-8 in the Semis.
Lambert Season Recap - For the second year in a row, the Longhorns lost only one game in the regular season, with their lone loss at the hands of Northview 5-11 in the 2nd game of the season. Since that loss they have reeled off an impressive streak against the best in GA and other states. Their signature wins include Westy, McCallie (TN), Milton, Lovett, Roswell, Walton, Coppell (TX 14-13 OT), Highland Park (TX 8-7), and Providence (NC). They have been untested thus far in the playoffs with lopsided wins over Greenbrier, McIntosh and Westminster.
It will be interesting to see if this will be a close game or another blowout in a dream season for the Longhorns. The Lambert faithful posted a countdown clock to the Championship after their Semi-Final loss to Lovett last season, so there is no doubt what their goal has been this season. While they have had a truly impressive season with a strong schedule, they haven't really been tested since their Texas trip the first week of April. If Pope can keep this game close, they may have an advantage since they have had to pull out some close games to get to this point. One of these teams will lose their 1st 4A game tonight, and most 4A eyes will be eagerly watching to see if Lambert can finish off this impressive season by securing the title.
Friday, May 13, 2011
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ReplyDeleteReposting comment from Beta26 that hasn't shown up yet.
ReplyDelete"Alright Pope/Lambert write up time.
Pope's season. Some notable wins over Lovett (twice), Westminster (easily), Pius, Harrison and Lassiter (wasn't a close game). Some glaring losses to Milton, Alpharetta and a beating from Walton. Some strong midfield play has made up from some one-player dominated attack play. Defense has been a bit spotty at times but solid goaltending play has cleaned things up. In clutch situations people have stepped up to make big plays. A bit of luck helped against Lovett but there's a LOT of lacrosse talent on the team.
Lamber's season. Notable wins over Westminster (twice), McCallie, Milton (by a pile), Lovett, Roswell, Walton and McIntosh. Seen about 6 of their games. Lots of hustle and not a lot of mistakes. Offense flows well and the ball usually ends up in the net. Defense is athletic and aggressive but goalie-play a bit unorthodox at times. Offense a machine that's gotten better throughout the season. Starts off games on cruise-control then always explodes after some adjustments.
Pope vs Lambert
Goalie play: Pope. Sommerfeldt (AA) has been playing well and will stop most shots outside of 15. Lambert's offense generates TONS of shots from inside 10. Is Pope playing to stop that? Zone?
Attack vs Defense: 2 good defenses here. Lambert's athletic, aggressive. Pope's smart and makes some heads up plays. But, since this isn't about grading a defense by itself you have to take into account attack. Pope's attackman rips up points but isn't going dodge on you...as much as capitalize on you screwing up. Lambert's attack can dodge, finish and get open off ball. While Pope's all state attackman has a good stick and is an auto-finisher. Lambert's attack unit is incredibly solid. So you have a crafty attack (Pope) vs athletic defense (Lambert) and a fast, aggressive attack (Lambert) vs a patient defense (pope). When you put it in that perspective, I think Lambert has the edge on the attack/defense matchups.
Midfield vs Midfield: Lambert has the depth in this department. Because of all of their big wins they've been able to get their 3's+ a ton of reps. Pope has 2 midfields that have played a ton in every game. Pope has the higher end talent in this department but Lambert has the depth and wheels to last. If Holland Frost has a breakout game life will be hard for Lambert to shut him down. If Pope's middies don't get exhausted they have the edge. If Pope's 2 lines start gasping...Lambert will run all over them.
Coaching: Wehman has the kids hearts and minds and Pope is Pope. Pope's players have shown they can show up and win the games by themselves...can they do it against Lambert? I expect adjustments and the like from Lambert so we'll see if the (young) Pope team can adjust on their own. Pope's overcome a ton of adversity, which Lambert hasn't had to do. Still. Lambert.
Conclusion. It's hard to put a handle on this one b/c my first instinct is "Lambert by a lot" b/c they have all of the pieces and are firing on all cylinders. Pope's been winning on individual effort. This game is eerily similar to Pope/McIntosh 2008 to me. No one's giving Pope a chance, maybe that's all of the fire they need? Thinking Lambert takes this one but this game is a lot tighter than everyone's thinking...but I'm pulling for the underdog."
No dog in the fight, so here's my prediction: Lambert 12, Pope 5. I believe anyone picking Pope, if they were honest, would also admit they were previously picking Westminster over Lambert. It seems to me that those picking Pope are really doing so from a desire to see Lambert lose, and not a honest prediction. Lambert has shown they simply are the best team in Georgia for 2011, regardless of school size.
ReplyDeleteLambert will win 15-5 due to more depth, Pope will be in it for the 1st quarter but then will collapse after that due to depth.
ReplyDeleteI do have a dog in the fight (I love that line). Here's half a prediction. Pope holds Lambert to 10 or less. In our three 5A losses to top teams we gave up an average of 9 goals. In our four wins over top-5 4A opponents we gave up an average of 6 goals. Sommerfield was not only AA and 1st team All State this year but also 2nd team 5A last year. Maples anchors the D and is also AA/1st Team. Frost (AA/1st Team) is usually the most athletic on the field and a fierce defender at middie. Our D is young, but good.
ReplyDeleteAll the pressure is on Lambert to win this game. For Pope, there's zero pressure, zero Lambert intimidation and zero countdown clocks.
ReplyDeleteLook for Pope to keep it close and win it late in the 4th.
For those who think this is "illogical" or "not being honest" you're just fooling yourselves into thinking Pope is going to roll over and hand this game to Lambert. That's just not going to happen.
Good luck to both teams! You both have earned this shot at the championship. May the best team win it all!
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ReplyDeleteLambert fan,
ReplyDeleteWe are coached by a 3 time All-American from the Naval Academy. We respect our opponents,study our opponents and prepare and develop our game plan specific to our opponents.
We have played against AA's and have a few ourselves. We expect a very skilled & ready team from Pope.
Welcome to our house- Listen closely to our final pre-game player chant before the game!
The gas pedal has been on & off all year depending on the team's we have played. Expect the gas to be relentless tonight and the Lambert machine & stadium momentum to be at an unprecedented pitch!
Hold on Pope,you wanted us,now you have us!
Again,listen closely to our player pre-game chant,it says it all!
How are popes middies better lambert has 3 D1 players on the midfield possibly 4 but one doesn't want to play college lacrosse
ReplyDeletePope has to play the Harrison game all over again - they are the only team they have beaten close to Lambert's power level.
ReplyDeleteWalton Harrison and Lambert are the only teams with 97plus ratings they faced. Walton beat them from start to finish. Lambert beat Walton the same way.
Harrison game is the wild card. The Pope that played Walton could see a running clock.
The Pope that played Harrison could be in the fight late.
I give this one to Lambert on coaching. Wheyman can take his kids and beat yours then take yours and beat his. Tonight it is worth 5 goals.
Lambert can be beaten. Cockiness is not a favorable character trait. The best teams are the ones that do not need to say how great they are, they simply show their opponents on the playing field. Lambert has a lot to be excited about. They have put themselves in position to win their first state championship. The same can be said for a talented Pope team. I look for Pope to keep this game closer than most think. The regular season is over and what happened in the regular season has no bearing on this final contest. Show your pride and class, be competitive, but honor the game and your opponents. Good luck to both teams on a terrific season no matter how this one turns out.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and Congratulations to both Lambert and Pope. I tossed a coin and chose to go watch the Lady Hoya Soccer team's championship tonight. I spent a few summers with some of you guys and wanted to pass on best wishes, no predictions. Play well!!!!
ReplyDeleteLambert by 4
ReplyDeleteLambert by 7
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Lambert on a well-deserved state championship. The fourth quarter proved who had the better team. Pope hung tough through three - no regrets after a great season - the best ever for Pope.
ReplyDeleteWell played, Longhorns.
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ReplyDeletePope played a very competitive game early on,which was expected by Lambert.
ReplyDeleteThe Lambert tsmnami hit early in the 4th qtr.
Lambert wins 14-7.
Pope closed to 8-7 in the 3rdQtr and then Lambert said that's enough and pounded Pope into the ground.
Lambert had extra gears and Pope respectfully pushed them to engage and then they witnessed the extra gears. You don't come to the horn and win,it just does not happen!
It was obvious that Lambert did not execute early and Pope deserves credit for that early performance.
However,in the end 14 Goals against an AA goalie from Pope. Adam Seal from Lambert made the goalie from Pope look like a freshman goalie. We learned last year and we taught this year! Adam Seal is a special player and Lambert will not put another Adam Seal on the field next year.
Pope obviously had some special gifted players,but Lambert's 2011 team was loaded and were not going to be denied.
Lambert is now undefeated in 2 years of sanctioned high school play @ Lambert High School. Do yourself a favor don't schedule a game with them at their school,it's not good for your team morale!
Congratulations to these Lambert boys that have been coached personally by a very talented coaching staff since 8th grade. Thank You Coach Wheman,you said if we committed to the program and your wisdom,we would accomplish this goal,you were right.
Thanks for working with our kids! You deserve the credit for our sucess!
The Best Game!! Both teams played great. Awesome Lax. 350 left it was 9-7. Longhorns went on a 3 goal tear started by outstanding D! Pope never gave up. Best championship seen. Way to go Georgia Lax!! Bets on a repeat??? ;)
ReplyDeleteTune it down there Ranger, win or lose, do it with class. I'm going to assume you are probably a 9th or 10th grade student, who is either a JV player or not a player at all. Yes, Adam Seal is a stud of a lax player, but as you correctly noted, he will not be there next year, and those shoes probably will not be filled by any other Lambert player anytime soon, so why is the world would you want to paint a bullseye target on the back of your team. Oh yeah, that's right, because your not on that team. And regarding other teams scheduling Lambert at "the horn", well, your field is 110 yards long, just like the other 63 varisty team's home field. So a take a chill there Brokeback Mountain Ranger boy.
ReplyDeleteFrom a lambert fan, thanks good grief, that is not how Lambert celebrates a win. Pope was terrific tonight, hard fought game. Great crowd support, close to 4K fans tonight. Gotta love GA Lax
ReplyDeleteVery impressive win for Lambert. Not easy,but stick to it focus accomplished the goal!
ReplyDeletePope showed alot of grit,but Lambert was a little stronger in the end.
Great job representing Georgia Lax all year!
I see it mentioned close to 4,000 fans attended the game. Was there an official number announced, or is that someone's guestimate? If someone knows an official head count, please share it. I wish the regular season had more folks attend the lax games. I went to the Milton-Alpharetta end of regular season game, which was a great game and everyone knew it would be a great game, but I bet there was maybe only a 100 to 150 folks at that game.
ReplyDeleteLambert has a 6k capacity stadium. 4.5k the home side, 1.5 on the visitor side. The visitor side was closed since we wanted all fans packed together. The home side was 95% covered. Lines were out to the street to get in. Some fans didn't get through the line until the start of the second Qtr. This was an amazing display of fan support from both teams. The amount of youth players attending and rushing the field at the end was amazing. Great day for GA lax.
ReplyDeleteGame was as good as advertised. Both teams clearly coming out ready to play. Position match ups:
ReplyDeleteGoalie: Pope had the better goalie, period. Lambert MAY have had one goal outside 10 yards. As expected, Lambert had a ton of looks inside and on the doorstep but anything outside was eaten up by Pope's goalie. Pope had several outside shot goals. If you score a goal on the doorstep, that's not the goalie's fault. If you score a 15 yard screen-less shot on the run down the alley, that's not the defense's fault.
Defense/Attack: Was actually a bit closer here than I initially thought it would be. Pope's attack held firm and put up points as did Lambert. Some early matchup errors from Pope gave Lambert a few easy looks that they netted. Some early clearing woes for Pope really caused some some inflicted wounds. Lambert ran into the same boat late in the game when Pope's ride kicked in and Lambert was trapped on D. Pope's D frustrated Lambert's attack more than I expected early on and Pope's attack had a few more goals than I had thought as well.
Midfield: Here's the difference in the game. Pope's 1st midfield line (16, 9, 5) played almost the entire game. 1 midfield. Lambert cycled consistently and they were fresh all game. Unfortunately for Pope these guys got exhausted early on and they never recovered. By the 4th they were running on fumes. The Lambert offensive explosion kicked in @ 8-7 in the mid 4th quarter and it was game over.
Coaching: Lambert using both second half timeouts at the same time while setting up a clear was a bit strange and most likely not planned. Pope running their 1st mids into the ground kept their best players on the field..but at a lower effectiveness level as the game went on. Pope's zone early on was ineffectively run and they stuck with man after that.
Turning point in the game: A non loose ball push call by the refs turned a 9-7 Lambert lead with a Pope possession (possible 9-8 if scoring and Pope had a TON of momentum) into a 10-7 game from the immediately ensuing transition. This was the nail in the coffin for Pope. I'm glad the refs kept their flags in their pockets for the most part. But this one had some pretty bad implications.
Why Lambert won: Less turnovers between the lines down the stretch. Pope's offense wasn't bad by any means. Lambert protected the ball and capitalized a little better than Pope did on turnovers.
Lambert put in a few at the end of the game when Pope was pressuring to get the ball back instead of just letting the clock run out with the kill-it offense. Pope took the high road and didn't cheapshot or flatten anyone during this, so a tip of the hat for that for class. This was a close game up until 3-4 minutes to go in the ball game, regardless of the final score. Worth the price of admission without a doubt. Lot of talent on the field tonight.
Congrats to the Lambert and Pope parents and players for great seasons and thank you guys for a fantastic state championship game.
ok real facts here..
ReplyDeleteLambert dominated the entire game.. Pope had 6 shots in first half. three goals and one save.. truth be told.. lambert should have won by more than 7 goals...lambert first half goalie was not very good. Still amazing team plays two goalies!
Pope coaching staff showed why they are still laughing stock of coaching community . Calling stick cheak against a Lambert player when score is 3_2!
Pope players , great game, awesome. However, Powers may need to reflect a little in that he is still not that very good two goals against sprayberry is nothing to brag about!
class or no class congrats pope on a great season! you deserve all the credits, regardless if coaching staff are a bunch of bafoons!
should be a great semi final rematch next year if GHSA does not mess up!
good night..
Please delete last message. Let's keep positive chain going. Great game by both teams!!!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the back-to-back times outs by Lambert, that was inorder to avoid a penalty for too many players on the field, they had 11 players out there. Coaches were not happy with that situation, and they surely could have used a second timeout in the middle of the 4th when things were going Pope's way.
ReplyDeleteRegaring crowd size, I was standing way up top and had a good view of the entire crowd, which was good size, but was not 95% stand full. Ends were empty and many gaps throughout. MAYBE there was 75%, maybe. Which would be 3375 fans if that was the case. Wish they would announced an official headcount, as it was a nice size crowd. More folks need to attend the regular season games, as previous was noted. Also, They do need to have minimum of two gates to enter on these championship games, that was an unneeded bottle neck to get in, and a lot of folks missed the first quarter of play, which was a great quarter to watch.
Two post up. Are you calling out a sophomore attackman? Lets see when he is the same age as the rest of the Lambert team.
ReplyDeleteLets see how the Pope team does next year. Their main guys are mostly juniors. If they get some supporting cast they will be back. The team is talented, coach or no coach. Plus they have the feeder teams set up to continue getting good players. They will have to work in the off season to get better due to in season stagnation.
Lambert in my mind is a question mark next year. Did the coaching staff spend enough time prepping the rest of the team or did they just rely the JV to produce the support cast? I think their rising seniors will step up, but is that all they are going to have? A senior class?
Why can't they have a neutral site for the championship games and have the 5A and sub 5A at the same location and day? It would be great to see the support for the sport by the GHSA.
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ReplyDeleteFantastic game by both teams!
ReplyDeletePope should be proud of performance, best of the year!
Looks like Pope, Lovett and Lambert are the front runners for next year! Another blog later!
Largest crowd i have ever seen at a high school lacrosse game! Nice to hear debate about the number in the 1,000's! I heard somewhere around 4,000 total tickets sold or distributed.
looking forward to tonight! More lacrosse!
NCAA all day today!
congrats to Lambert and Pope!
Can someone do a stick check on "shut up"?
ReplyDeleteLambert Juniors like this years seniors have been coached since day 1 under Coach Wheman. The following classes have had other great coaching.
ReplyDeleteLambert will be very strong defensively next year and Goalie play. There will be no drop off in Mid-field play and the depth will remain in this area. I know it's hard to believe but they might be stronger next year,vs this year's team defensively,due to maturity and increased developed depth.
This is their first senior class,so it's hard to tell how unique/special this class is?
However,Lambert will not have 2 All-American caliber attackman next year and that's what been on the field this year(Lefty/Righty).
* My perspective, those attackman (Butz/Seal) are special players and have skills/instincts you don't teach.
You simply don't reload year after year with guys like this,they will be missed!
Lambert has a very good JV team,not fantastic but very good. They do have a lights out Freshman group,but they will need that when they move to the highest classification in 2013 season. My understanding is there will be no changes to next springs season(2012) format,but after that Lambert will likely have the Northviews,Milton,Alpharetta's in their region.
Prediction: Lambert will perform at high level for years to come,maybe repeat next year. However,current sucess, will be tempered(key word tempered) in the 2013 season,as they play the top enrollment schools,night in and night out,which also have developed feeder programs and deep community support.
It's just lacrosse,not black magic,your large schools know where to go to develop their young talent and have the money and player numbers to create the depth you need to compete with Lambert! Lambert is at the high end of the enrollment ladder for their current classification and have a very talented coaching staff with committed players.
If your program has 20-22 players you will never beat schools like Lambert,that is why the classifications for Lacrosse need to change. I think both schools-Lambert & Pope will be moved up into the highest classification when that is finalized.
Congratulations to the Lambert program for their hard earned Championship!
Lambert fan - don't count out Westminster. Ever! Souza is arguably the best coach in GA. My prediction is Lambert doesn't win their region next year. Johns Creek takes it as they started 6 sophomores this year and are well coached. Lambert graduates 4 or 5 all-state players
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean Lambert is for sure the best team in Georgia...Whats your take?
ReplyDelete4a fan.. Lambert DOES return 4 all state players though.
ReplyDeleteHookem Horns,
ReplyDeleteJohns Creek has an excellant young team and you are very good now!
Westminster,your coach is great,the team depth & talent varies and is the question mark.
You don't win titles anymore with this 1AA or 2 AA's,or 3AA's,you have to have the numbers(depth).
I believe Westminster & Lovett will regain dominance in 2013,they will not be in the large school classification,like Pope,Lambert,and possibly Johns Creek. Westminster & Lovett don't have the enrollment numbers to support moving up! They will play those big schools,but won't have to beat them for a state title.
Why don't we just give Lambert and Pope the credit that they deserve for great seasons. I think these posts are humorous. In a week we have gone from why Lambert wouldn't win this year to why they won't win next year. This is History folks. Lambert was 21-1 this year and got it done on the field. The debate is over. Give them credit. Pope also had a terrific season, and should be given credit. End of story!
ReplyDeleteSilent Observer well said agreed!
ReplyDeleteOk, Lambert returns the following:
ReplyDelete3 senior attackmen and a ton of young talent (sophomores and juniors)
6 of the starting 9 midfielders(2 all state)
2 LSM's
3 Dee Poles (2 all state)
1 Goalie, played every game
They will definitely miss their seniors no doubt about it, but i expect them to still be a very good squad!
I do agree that Lovett and Pope will be strong contenders as will Johns Creek!
silent observer - everyone's talking lax, don't read if u don't like
ReplyDeletelonghorn dad - how do u say Lambert returns 3 senior attackmen? they lose 2 all-americans. everybody returns that many players but how many starters r coming back?
lambert will be good but not nearly as dominant as this senior group
for those who have interest, Forsyth County News article on the Lambert game, which will be printed in Sunday's paper, reads as follows:
ReplyDeleteThrough three rounds of the state playoffs, Lambert’s top-ranked boys lacrosse team was firmly in control, rolling over opponents while making it look easy.
The final step wasn’t going to be that simple.
After trailing by as many as four goals, No. 2 Pope fought back to within a single score in the fourth quarter during Friday night’s Class A-AAAA championship game at the Horn.
The Longhorns responded to the challenge with a flurry of late goals, eliminating any suspense and clinching Lambert’s first state title in any team sport with a 14-7 victory.
“[Pope] had a great team, they really did,” Lambert coach Rich Wehman said. "They had a very good team, and they wouldn’t go away.
"They made it really hard for us, and our kids just kept battling and found a way in the fourth quarter to get it done.”
The Longhorns attack was paced by Adam Seal (five goals and one assist).
Connor Butz and Brady Wilson (two goals apiece) and Zack Price (two goals and one assist) also had multiple goals for Lambert, while Cory Phillips and Ted Ryan each scored once.
Timmy Geran tallied one goal and three assists.
The game was played in front of a full house, with a crowd estimated between 3,500 and 4,000 packing the home side bleachers.
Once the final seconds expired, Lambert’s players threw away their sticks and crowded together, while hundreds of students rushed the field to celebrate.
While Lambert’s players have built toward this title since middle school, it was also a long time coming for Forsyth County.
Local schools have won championships in cheerleading, literary and one act play in the last decade, but Friday marked the first time a Forsyth County team brought home a GHSA title in a traditional sport since North Forsyth’s baseball and softball teams turned the trick in 1998.
Ranger, I play attack for lambert... thanks for the motivation.
ReplyDeleteWings, I am a Close D pole for lambert. I doubt your on the team
ReplyDeleteHey Lambert Guys!!!! Get off the blogs and get to work for next year. We have a target on our backs.
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ReplyDeleteLambert actually has more D1 players this year then last year in their senior class. Is there any chance yall could see lambert repeating.
ReplyDeleteI want the lax chatter to happen again.