Cobb products Bousquet, Sess lead Reinhardt to fifth straight national title
May 18—The Reinhardt men's lacrosse team continued its reign atop the NAIA with an 11-5 win over Indiana Tech on Saturday in the national championship game in Pensacola, Florida.
It was the Eagles' fifth consecutive national title, and a rewarding one in coach Tyler Yelken's first year.
Reinhardt (13-1) led 6-5 at halftime, then outscored Indiana Tech 5-0 in the second half to cap a dominant playoff run with another championship victory.
"We kept the winning tradition going, just from hard work," said Yelken, who previously played and coached for the club lacrosse team at Kennesaw State. "The guys did a really good job of buying into the new system we ran this year. The previous team had six All-Americans who graduated, and nobody gave us a shot. It was really enjoyable to prove everybody wrong and keep the winning tradition alive."
Dillan Bousquet, a Harrison High School alum, and Titus Thind led Reinhardt with three goals apiece Saturday, followed by two apiece for Marietta native Cameron Cochran and Kell High alum Brady Hanak. Cochran also led the Eagles with three assists.
"It felt really good, and it was a great experience, Yelken said. "We are a young team, especially on the offensive side. A lot of these kids have not played much at all. For them to get the limelight, shine and prove everybody wrong, it was fun to watch them grow from last August."
The game-changing effort came during Reinhardt's shutout second half. The Eagles continued a trend of late-game surges after holding Aquinas scoreless over the final 42 minutes of a 14-4 victory in the second round.
Reinhardt goalkeeper Liam Wright was a significant presence throughout the playoff run, and especially in Saturday's title-clincher. Wright had 11 saves on 16 shot attempts, after saving 11 of 15 shots against Aquinas. It also spoke to the Eagles' stifling defense that they allowed significantly fewer shots than they took.
Possession was another difference-maker, with faceoff specialist JR Sess, a former Mount Paran Chrisitan standout, winning in all but two of his opportunities.
"It is a huge advantage," Yelken said. "JR Sess essentially makes it a make-it, take-it style of game for us. He was 17-of-19 in the championship game. When you add 17 extra possessions to a game, it makes it much easier, and it allows the defense to relax a little bit. We can be more aggressive and go after teams."
Reinhardt won 11 straight games to finish out the year, including its run to the Appalachian Athletic Conference title.
Following Saturday's game, the Eagles had five players named to the all-tournament team, including Bousquet, who was the most valuable player.
"I am really proud of our guys who made all-tournament," Yelken said. "We had four All-Americans who were named this week, and I am really proud of what they put in. I feel like we had a few more guys who should have gotten some more recognition, but it also goes to prove how talented the NAIA is in lacrosse and the continued growth of the sport nationwide."
