BE girls’ lax team captures fourth state crown – and two state records!

There are certain verities in life. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. You will pay taxes before you die. And, the Bishop England girls’ lacrosse team will reload after heavy graduation losses and win yet another state championship.

That was the case this year and will likely be the scenario in 2020 as the Bishops continue to win at an amazing rate. The Bishops posted a 15-4 victory over Christ Church on Saturday in the Class AAAA state championship to win their 41st straight match and claim a fourth straight crown. Both are state records.

The Bishops were forced to reload this spring after the team went 18-0 in 2018 to win a state crown. They lost five key pieces to the state championship team, including Emma Pizzo, the greatest female player in the brief history of high school lacrosse in the Palmetto State. They also had a goalie this spring who was green, and not just because she wore a BE uniform -- Hailey Hubbard, who moved to the Lowcountry from Texas and didn’t play lacrosse until this spring. But she and the rest of the team responded as the Bishops had one of the most dominant seasons in state history.

This year, the Bishops will lose five players to graduation, including the “Big Three.” They are Morgan Roberts, Grace Ann Carlson and Ava Ward. All three were members of the Bishops’ 200 Club, a small group of players who each recorded a combined 200 points (goals and assists) during their stellar careers.

“We have a winning culture on this team,” said coach Jeff Weiner, whose squad made it look easy this spring. “We work hard, share the ball and the seniors have a task of incorporating the new players into the program. Coming into the program as a freshman can be a little intimidating. But the seniors help smooth the transition.”

It can also be intimidating to the opposition to play the Big Green Juggernaut. The Bishops only seemed to not break a sweat in 2019. Their closest in-state match was a nine-point victory over Wando, and the 11-point margin over the Cavaliers in the title match at Irmo High School was the most one-sided championship match since the High School League held its first championship in the sport in 2010.

The Bishops took 28 shots on goal compared to the Cavaliers’ seven shots. Christ Church focused on shutting down Ward, but Grace Ann Carlson stepped up her game with six goals in her farewell appearance. The school’s salutatorian will attend MIT.

BE fans in attendance reflected at the program’s bright past, present and future. Freshman standout Francis “Frankie” Poch scored four goals to aid the victory.

“Christ Church did a nice job,” Weiner said. “They kept it close. We only led 6-2 at halftime. But I knew we would keep going and eventually figure it out. We have a reputation and our reputation is that we’re very good, play very good defense and take advantage of the other teams’ mistakes.”

Daniel Island Publishing

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Unit 108
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