DURHAM – Climb on board a bus, ride halfway across the state, and show no adverse effects from a 230-mile trip. Leave No Doubt.
Make a 16-2 team look completely pedestrian on its home field. The same team that spoiled your Senior Night. Leave No Doubt.
Reignite the flame of one of the greatest dynasties in North Carolina high school lacrosse with a fourth state championship and first since 2019. Leave No Doubt.
It’s one thing to adopt a slogan, put it on t-shirts, even hand out a L.N.D. chain after every win. It’s another to show up and Leave No Doubt like Christ School did Saturday at Durham Academy. The NCISAA Division I state trophy now resides again in Arden, back where it belongs after a definitive 12-4 win.
“You say it so many times throughout the year and you do mean it,” Coach Patrick Haley said.
“But the boys really started to live by (Leave No Doubt) and to have it end that way for these guys, I think just makes every bit of work we put into who we are and how we play worth it and shows that it works. It was awesome to see it come together like that. Our first two games in the playoffs, we won by one (goal). I think the coaching staff knew and the boys deep down knew that we were better than one-goal wins in those two games. But going into a championship game, anything can happen. And the fact that they rose to the occasion, were who they were, and won the game in that fashion just shows their mettle.”
In his coach’s words, University of Denver recruit Caden Paradine ’25 picked “a really good game to have one of his best games.” Five goals off the stick of Caden were all earned, including the last one with 3:30 to go, where he started motioning to a ring finger in celebration. The feeling was completely redemptive. It was May 2 when Durham Academy beat the Greenies on their Senior Night, 7-6.
“Caden is one of the most talented offensive players I’ve ever coached,” Coach Haley said.
“When he is dialed-in and focused, there’s no one in the state better than him on the offensive side of the field.”
Nate Wilberding ’25 and Thomas Flores ’27 each scored twice for the third-seeded Greenies (14-5) who led the top-seeded Cavaliers 4-0 at the end of the first quarter, 7-2 at halftime, and 8-3 at the end of the third quarter. It was a good omen when Liam Burnett ‘28 made it 1-0 at the 9:17 mark of the first quarter – the freshman also had the first goal in the state semifinals (Wednesday’s 8-7 overtime win at Charlotte Country Day). Palo Miles ‘27 added a goal and Drew Merchant ‘26 ended things with goal No. 12 with 1:36 remaining.
Twelve is a number that will forever live on in Christ School lore – the same number worn by Forever Greenie RJ Fox ’25 – and players were strictly ordered not to shoot from that point on. As fate would have it, 12 is also the same number of goals Christ School scored in the first game after RJ passes (a 12-5 home win over Greater Atlanta Christian on April 13, 2024) and a game earlier this season dedicated to his memory (12-11 over McCallie School on March 29).
“Leave No Doubt” first became a slogan associated with Christ School lacrosse in 2017.
Eight years ago, that team was coming off a bitter loss in the previous state-championship game and sought fuel for motivation for every day, for every rep. As they say, the rest is history – the Greenies reeled off three consecutive state championships and probably would have won in 2020 if COVID-19 hadn’t cancelled the season.
The faceoff specialist for those three teams was Sean Dow ‘21, and his younger brother, Jameson ‘27, stepped into the starting role as Christ School’s goalkeeper this spring. He and Noah Wood ’25 shared time on Saturday.
Noah is one of 14 seniors who graduated Sunday. The others are Caden, Nate, Elijah Graziosi '25, Joe Gilliam '25, Carter Sherwood '25, Wells Edwards '25, Serg Kitt '25, Tucker Semans '25, Xander Ring '25, Jake Landis '25, Thomas Johnson '25, Hunter Sanford '25, and Nolan Miller '25.
