Apex High men's lacrosse: a Cinderella finish

Matt Krombach
Sports Editor

Apex Men’s Lacrosse faced Lake Norman at Cary’s Wake Med Soccer Park for the NCHS Lacrosse Championship on Saturday May 18, 2013.  Three years ago Apex was found on the losing side in an intense battle against Myers Park.  This year’s game came down to one tick left on the clock as senior Derek Sweet scored his fourth goal of the game for Apex’s come-from-behind victory.

Derek Sweet(25) celebrates after his final second goal

“I was hoping I scored with enough time left, but not enough time to let them come back,” said Sweet who will be attending Robert Morris University next year.  “It was the most exciting part of my career by far.”

Apex trailed Lake Norman 8-3 going into the third quarter.  “We needed to settle down,” said head coach John Hayden.  “They cashed in on their opportunities and we needed to play our game better.”  The Cougars went on a 4-1 drive to end the quarter.  “When we got to that point, it was a matter of the kids relying on each other like they had been doing all season,” Hayden said.

“Winning faceoffs were a big deal,” said senior Luke Sieber who will be attending Lynchburg College in Virginia next year.  “They were dominating the game and we had to win faceoffs to get possession.”  Senior Ryan Sullivan and junior Colby Lalicker dominated the faceoffs in the third and fourth quarter and were key players in the momentum swing ending the game with three goals apiece.

The rest of the game came down to the final seconds.  “Derek and I have run that play a million and one times,” said Sieber.  “Once you practice it all season, it just becomes second nature.”  Sieber fed the ball to Sweet and the Cougar Crazies erupted as the Cougars sealed the deal on the state championship.

“It’s the coolest feeling ever,” said Sweet who had 100 plus points in the regular season.  “If someone had told me that this was going to be the outcome of the game, I would have laughed.”  

One thing that Hayden stressed, for the season to result in a successful outcome, was the team’s work ethic. “We wanted to practice well every day,” said Hayden.  “We play in the most competitive conference and there’s not many breaks in our schedule.  So if the kids don’t practice well, we don’t do well.”

“Derek’s and my career came down to that one second,” said Sieber. “It’s a Cinderella story and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my high school career.”