Oak Park lacrosse team to play for state championship

PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers NO SHIRT NECESSARY-Oak Park goaltender Sam Darrow stops opponents' shots better than anyone in the Conejo Valley. But nobody can stop Darrow from going shirtless at practice. Having conquered Southern California with ease, Oak Park's lacrosse team now heads north with dreams of capturing a state championship.

The Eagles breezed through the Southern California Lacrosse Association (SCLA) regular-season schedule with a perfect 13-0 record. Oak Park's on-field efforts landed the team a No. 1 ranking in the LAXPower.com state lacrosse rankings.

In the SCLA playoffs, Oak Park defeated Westlake in the semifinals and Agoura in the finals to qualify for this weekend's four-team State Club Championship in Palo Alto.

After losing to Agoura by one goal in last season's SCLA title game, Oak Park's 15-7 victory over the Chargers in this year's final was fitting payback, junior attack Blair Bennett said.

"Agoura is a very big rival," Bennett said. "We lost to them last year and we decided we were going to come out and we weren't going to let it happen two years in a row."

PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S FINEST-Above, Blair Bennett charges toward the goal during Monday's practice session. Below, an Oak Park player gets off a quick pass during team drills. Bennett scored five goals and had one assist in the win over the Chargers. Junior midfield Kyle Benton and senior attack Kevin Darcy each added two goals and two assists.

"It's always real physical and real fun when we play Agoura," midfield Chad Costello said. "Any time we play them, it's a fun game to watch and to be a part of."

Oak Park's success this season has been a byproduct of balance, head coach Mike McGovern said.

Defensively, 6-foot-5 senior goaltender Sam Darrow allowed a miniscule 1.23 goals per game during the regular season.

"It's a great balance of kids," said McGovern, a former professional player in National League Lacrosse. "The defense, including our goalie, has just been phenomenal this year."

Seniors Ryan McDonald, Michael Bitar and Mike Parsons, along with Costello, a junior, have been the backbone of the Eagle defense, the coach said.

McDonald, who shares co-captain duties with Darcy, specializes in clamping down on the opposing team's best player. He's also a vocal leader who isn't afraid to get in a teammate's face when they need a little extra motivation.

"I'm like the quarterback of the defense," McDonald said. "I'll match up on all the best players and really just try to let everyone know what they're supposed to be doing to make sure things are executed right."

Oak Park's offense fields four of the top five points-per-game scorers in the SCLA-Bennett (3.67 ppg), Will Clasby (3.54), Benton (3.46) and Cody O'Bryen (3.42).

Furthermore, Darcy ranked ninth in the league with 2.92 points per game during the regular season.

"They've been great this year," McGovern said. "They control the ball. They can run with the ball. They can shoot the ball from anywhere. I've got a lot of offensive weapons."

The team will attend classes Friday and then load into a charter bus for the long drive up to Palo Alto. On Saturday, Oak Park will play the West Valley Red Hawks, a Northern California team, in the semifinals. The state championship game is Sunday.

Darrow said his teammates are fully capable of thriving in an unfamiliar environment and bringing home the championship trophy. And Darrow believes the pressure of winning a state title will allow him to take his own game to new heights.

"I've always lived on pressure, that's why I play goalie," Darrow said. "When the pressure is even higher than normal, I perform better because I have to in order for our team to do well."

None of the local schools that compete in the SCLA are affiliated with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and that's something many of the players, coaches and fans remain unhappy about and would like to see rectified soon.

In addition to bringing pride to his team and to Oak Park, a win at state could help push lacrosse into the forefront of local athletics, and possibly assist the sport in becoming a CIF-sanctioned event in the future, Costello said.

"If we could bring home that title, it would mean a lot for lacrosse in this area and Southern California in general," Costello said. "It would really help the expansion of the sport to get some exposure and some attention."