Calvert Hall rallies to capture the MIAA A Conference lacrosse championship

Cardinals knock off top-ranked Archbishop Spalding in overtime thriller; Saints Peter & Paul spoils Curley's bid for a four-peat in the B Conference

In the first overtime game in MIA lacrosse championship history, Calvert Hall came from behind to knock off Archbishop Spalding, the nation's No. 1 team, 10-9, Friday night at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium. / Derek Toney

There’s a familiar name back atop the nation’s top boys high school lacrosse league.

Friday evening, Calvert Hall College won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference championship with a 10-9 overtime decision over Archbishop Spalding, ranked No. 1 in High School on SI’s DMV Top 25. 

The Maryland public state tournament continued with boys and girls semifinal action.

Here are five takeaways from a busy lacrosse Friday.

“Three-star” Calvert Hall shines bright 

Calvert Hall, playing just five minutes from its campus at Towson University’s Unitas Stadium, where it became the first team to win three straight MIAA A championships, pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in MIAA A finals history Friday. 

The No. 4 Cardinals (16-2 overall) scored the game’s final four goals, completing a run where they ended McDonogh’s bid for an unprecedented fourth straight title in the semifinals and ruined Spalding’s hopes of a mythical national title. 

In 2019, Calvert Hall was ranked No. 1 nationally by Inside Lacrosse after winning the MIAA A crown. The Cardinals’ three-peat (2017-2019) featured arguably the storied program’s greatest teams.

Calvert Hall was in strong position for a fourth straight title, but the 2020 season was cancelled for COVID-19. 

The Cardinals haven’t had the talent of those prior squads, but have remained a force.

“We grind it out…the other ones I felt like we dominated,” said Calvert Hall coach Bryan Kelly. “We don’t have five-star guys on our team. We have a bunch of kids that all bought in and played together and everybody did their job.”

“We just a three-star group,” said Cardinals senior goalie “We’re just a family. Nobody beats our culture.”

Archbishop Spalding’s signature moment turned into a nightmare

Leading by three goals entering the fourth, Archbishop Spalding was poised to claim its first MIAA A championship and solidify its case as the nation’s best squad.

About 40 minutes later, with midnight looming at Towson University, the Cavaliers watched in stunned disbelief as Calvert Hall celebrated victory in the first overtime match in the MIAA A finals’ 32-year history.

“Congratulations to Calvert Hall — they made a few more plays than we did tonight,” said Spalding coach Evan Hockel.

The Cavaliers (17-2), who avenged their only blemish with a semifinal win over Boys’ Latin School in the semifinals Tuesday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, led 9-6 after Ethan Ostrowski’s unassisted tally capped a 6-1 surge from early in the second quarter through the late stages of the third. 

The Cavaliers had a 9-8 lead and possession with less than a minute left in regulation. Grady Swidersky was stripped of the ball from behind by Calvert Hall long stick defensemen Jermaine Anderson, starting a break that was capped with a Peyton Forte’s goal with 13 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

Forte, a Naval Academy pledge, found a cutting Jackson Mitchell down the middle. Mitchell converted and Spalding’s dream season ended on a bitter note.

Spalding, who lost in the 2024 semifinals, fell to Boys’ Latin in the 2021 championship match.

“I’m heartbroken for the seniors, they really worked hard and had a wonderful four years and I’m really proud of them,” Hockel said.

Saints Peter & Paul spoils Archbishop Curley’s four-peat pursuit

With McDonogh going down in Tuesday’s MIAA A semifinals, Archbishop Curley came into Friday’s B Conference final with a chance to become the first program to capture four straight MIAA lacrosse championships.

The wait for that accomplishment, thanks to Saints Peter & Paul, continues. The Sabers ended the Friars’ reign with a 11-9 victory in a match delayed more than two hours because of thunderstorms.

St. Peter & Paul (13-7) lost to Curley during the regular season and in the 2024 title match. Noah Zimmerman scored five goals for the Sabers.

“This year, we’re back, and we’ve got a little bit of experience,” said Saints Peter & Paul coach Freddie Wolters. “We grew from it, and I think they lost 17-18 seniors. So that’s a little different.”

Curley (11-5) led only once, 7-6, early in the third quarter.

“We’re a little disappointed,” Curley coach Matt Ogle said. “We have a good culture at Curley, and we want to win every game. But the Sabres were just a better team tonight. They shot the ball better and we hurt ourselves at times. 

Manchester Valley and Glenelg girls are set for a championship showdown

Manchester Valley’s dominant season continued with a 19-1 victory over C. Milton Wright in the Class 2A state semifinals at Severn Run High in Anne Arundel County, Md. The sixth-ranked Mavericks (18-0) will meet defending state champ and 15th-ranked Glenelg at Stevenson University (date and time to be decided Saturday evening or Sunday).

Glenelg (16-3) advanced with a 18-7 win over Kent Island at Glen Burnie High in Anne Arundel County. Five players scored at least two goals each, led by Graceyn Brown and Kaitlyn Hill.

Hill, a junior attack who’s committed to the Naval Academy, and Brown, a sophomore, each finished with four goals and an assist. The Gladiators outlasted Manchester Valley, 6-4, in last year’s state semifinals.

Severna Park boys’ historic run keeps charging along

Death. Taxes. Severna Park boys lacrosse. The No. 21 Falcons will play for another state title after pounding Linganore, 17-4, in a Class 3A state semifinal contest at Gaithersburg High in Montgomery County, Md.

Severna Park (18-1) will play for Towson for the championship at Stevenson University (date and time will be decided Saturday evening or Sunday). Towson (15-4) defeated Marriotts Ridge in the other semifinal.

The Falcons will seek their ninth straight title and record 14th overall. The Anne Arundel County program last lost a state postseason match May 8, 2015 to South River in the Class 4A/3A East Region I semifinals.