Jake Mason, Kingsway boys survive overtime against Washington Township
WOOLWICH — Everything was going right to plan. Until it wasn’t.
The Kingsway boys lacrosse team was well on their way to a repeat of a convincing win over Washington Township before the Minutemen scored six straight goals to take a two-goal lead with less than four minutes to play.
The Dragons scored the game’s last three goals, including Reilly Robichaud’s third goal, in overtime, to take an 8-7 South Group 4 first round playoff win.
“Yeah, it was exciting,” Dragons junior Jake Mason said. “We knew we could come back the whole time. We were actually up by like five goals at one point. We actually thought we had it in the second quarter.”
Kingsway did lead by four, 5-1 after freshman Keegan Borkowski opened the second quarter with Kingsway’s fifth straight goal. Then everything went silent, for almost 30 minutes of game time.
“I was just thinking like there have been a lot of times we were like that we're down and we haven't been able to fight back,” Robichaud said. “This time, I was just determined to fight back. I was trying to get the team hyped. It is a playoff game. If we lose, we're done. I really wanted to get out there and get that work done.”
More: South Jersey High School Girls Lacrosse Playoff Preview
More: South Jersey High School Boys Lacrosse Playoff Preview
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Shane Keener scored with 2:33 left and Austin Sperduto forced overtime with 71 ticks left in regulation.
“It was just goal by goal,” Mason said. “We started to win some face offs towards the end of the game. Our defense held strong and started to put it in the back of the net.”
Mason scored twice in the first quarter, when the Dragons looked like they were on their way to matching their 18-5 regular season win over Township. The goals put him at 80 goals for the season, 125 for his two-year varsity career.
“I just love the game,” Mason said. “It's my favorite thing to do. Just having the guys around me and the coaches. Our whole team has come together. It's been such a turnaround for our record. And for me, it's been an unbelievable season.”
People have noticed. More specifically, college coaches. With a year to go, Mason already has his future in place.
“I'm actually committed to Air Force Academy for lacrosse,” Mason said. “I had a great grandfather who was a general in the Air Force. I really had no thought of it. But they came and talked to me over the summer about maybe playing for them. I went out for a visit in October. It was everything I had envisioned in a college. They are a great academic school.”
Despite a family history, Mason never considered the military. Then he did.
“I think there was just a spark,” Mason said. “Usually when you think about the military aspect, you would think it's all shooting guns and combat. There is so much more to it and I'm excited to be a part of it.”
Tom Rimback, sports reporter
Tom Rimback grew up reading the Burlington County Times and Courier Post sports sections and began writing for the BCT in 1996. He has covered everything from Super Bowls and Final Fours to Tri-County Swimming but he’s happiest on a sideline interviewing South Jersey scholastic athletes for the Burlington County Times, the Courier Post and The Daily Journal. Follow him on twitter @RimbackBCT. Email him with story ideas at trimback@thebct.com and, most importantly, support local journalism with a subscription.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Junior Jake Mason helps Kingsway survive a score in lacrosse playoffs
