Greenies Win Lacrosse State Championship Title
For Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach Jeff Miles, winning a state championship was 16 years in the making. When Miles started the Christ School lacrosse program in 2001, they finished their first season 0-6; five seasons later they made the playoffs for the first time. Over the years, Miles steadily built the program, adding a summer lacrosse camp located on Christ School's campus. As a testament to Coach Miles and the excitement about lacrosse in the area, Christ School's Revolution Lacrosse Camp has been sold out for the last nine years. Miles brought together knowledgeable coaches and talented players; many of those campers, won over by the beauty of the campus and the privilege of playing for Coach Miles, chose to attend Christ School and helped build the foundation of a strong lacrosse program. Sixteen years after that first season, persistence and dedication paid off for the 2017 Christ School lacrosse team, who are now State Champions.
The Greenies ran through their first two playoff opponents, defeating Charlotte Christian School 23-5 and Cannon School 14-8. On State Championship day, against #3 ranked Charlotte Country Day, Christ School came out on top 18-2, making Christ School history. With a #1 ranking in North Carolina, the Greenies earned the right to host the playoff run.
In last year's lacrosse state championship game, the #2 Greenies fell just short, losing 9-7 to #1 Ravenscroft. At the conclusion of that game, as the clock ticked off its final seconds, players like Joey Cinque '17, Riley Smith '17, Jonah Roberts '17 and Hunter Vines '18 made a pact that each member of next year's team would work harder and smarter than they ever had before. "Walking off the field after the loss last year is what fed the team this year. We wanted every team to know we are the best team they will face all year," said Will Iorio '17.
"We had a lot of seniors that wanted to win the state championship," said Vines '18. "It has motivated us all to push each other. To achieve what we have, on our home field, it's a testament to all the work we've put in."
Their teamwork, love, and respect for one another, on and off the field, was evident Saturday. Next week, the team will head off to the GEICO National Championship in Washington, DC. The tournament, held at Catholic University (Cardinal Stadium), will feature eight top ranked teams from across the United States. Christ School will play the #1 ranked team in the country IMG at 1pm on May 28. ESPN networks will nationally televise the tournament.
