By Mike Waters / Special Contributor
DALLAS — Highland Park boys lacrosse head coach Mike Pressler described the matchup with rival Episcopal School of Dallas as “two heavyweights” getting after it on the field.
“The two best high school lacrosse teams in the state of Texas,” Pressler said after the Scots edged the Eagles, 8-7, in the regular-season finale at Jones Family Stadium.
The highly-anticipated matchup lived up to the hype.
Sewanee signee James Allen scored just 1:01 into the game to stake HP to an early 1-0 advantage.
ESD immediately answered.
Sophomore Wayte McKnight had the equalizer at 9:04 in the opening period, and at the 9:04 mark, junior Jack Coben found the net to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
ESD’s quick-strike attack seemed to have seized on its momentum when McKnight, in flurry of action at a crowded net moments later, punched in another; however, the goal was disallowed.
“It was one of those missed opportunities for us,” said Jay Sothoron, ESD head coach.
HP quickly took control. Defenseman Jackson Bond, a North Carolina signee, ignited the Scots. After making a key steal, Bond raced the length of the field, and drilled in the tying goal with 3:39 left in the opening stanza.
Junior Harrison Brown, a Yale commit, notched consecutive goals, the latter with just 17 ticks left, as the Scots secured a 4-2 lead after an action-packed first quarter.
“That three-goal run was a big key for us,” Pressler said. “It settled us down and stopped their momentum.”
ESD re-energized in the second period, however, when sophomore Asher Lear scored back-to-back goals to even the score at 4-4. Allen regained the lead for Highland Park, scoring on an assist from Brown with 1:30 remaining as the Scots took a 5-4 halftime advantage.
Allen registered the lone goal in the third quarter on an assist from Rollins College signee Carter Sutton for a two-goal Scots lead heading into the final stanza.
The two heavyweights alternated punches in the fourth.
McKnight narrowed the Scots lead to one with an early score. Junior Colton Heinlen, a Monmouth pledge, recorded a pair of HP goals, sandwiched around a Coben tally for ESD. Heinlen’s second goal came with 6:50 remaining and gave the Scots an 8-6 cushion.
ESD’s Josh Logan, a Virginia signee, drilled home a laser from about 30 yards away with 36 seconds left for the final margin.
Allen led the HP attack with three goals, while Brown added two scores and assisted on two others, with Heinlen’s two goals both coming in the fourth period. Bond chipped in with another score.
McKnight, Coben, and Lear each notched a pair of scores for ESD (15-3), with Logan contributing one goal.
“We were able to hold serve there in the fourth period,” Pressler said. “We knew this was going to be a very competitive game coming in.”
Sothoron credited HP with “making more plays than we did”.
“Highland Park had a great game plan,” Sothoron said. “I thought we had a great game plan. Both teams battled and played hard.”
HP (18-1) won its 17th consecutive game with its lone loss a 12-7 setback to Culver Academy (IN) the second game of the season. Culver remains unbeaten and is the top-ranked team nationally by USA Lacrosse Magazine, with the Scots No. 25. HP and ESD are No. 1 and 3, respectively, in the South Region rankings in that same poll.
THE RIVALRY
The last three years have produced some classics between the two rivals in both the regular season and state playoffs.
The team that won the regular season meeting, in each of the past three years, has gone on to win the Texas High School Lacrosse League (THSLL) Class AA state championship.
Last season, HP won 11-4 in the regular season, and then posted an 8-4 victory over ESD in the title game, with Brown earning Offensive MVP with three goals.
In 2024, ESD, after prevailing 7-6 over HP in the regular season finale, claimed an 8-6 triumph over the Scots in the state semifinal en route to a state championship.
Three years ago, HP nipped ESD, 11-10, in a thrilling regular-season ending matchup, and followed up with an 8-6 win over the Eagles in the semifinal that led to a state crown.
Another round of the rivalry could be on the horizon May 10 if seedings hold.
Pressler described the rivalry between the two teams as “friendly and very competitive”.
“These kids from both schools have grown up together,” Pressler said. “It’s very exciting for the programs.”
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this article misspelled the name of a member of The Episcopal School of Dallas lacrosse team. The player’s name is Jack Coben, not Jack Cohen.
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