Fallston Girls, Middletown Boys Claim Maryland Class 1A Lacrosse Titles After Weather Delay

Thunderstorms delayed Wednesday’s Maryland public state finals by nearly three hours before Fallston’s girls and Middletown’s boys captured Class 1A championships.

The Fallston girls lacrosse team overcame a long weather delay, Wednesday evening, before defeating Middletown, 11-9, for the MPSSAA Class 1A state championship. | MPSSAA

Weather took center stage on the second day of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) state lacrosse finals Wednesday as thunderstorms forced a near three-hour delay.

The wait proved worth it. When play resumed, the Fallston girls and Middletown boys claimed Class 1A championships at Stevenson University.

Here’s a recap of Wednesday’s action:

Fallston Girls Finish the Job

Warming up on Stevenson’s turf for its 4:00 p.m. match with Middletown, Fallston went from “locked -in” to lockdown as thunderstorms rolled through, leaving both teams sequestered in the locker rooms for several hours.

“Lots of dancing, lots of sitting around, lots of boredom,” said Cougars senior midfielder/draw specialist Olivia Parker.

Despite the long day, the Harford County (Md.) program andswered the bell, several hours later, and ended Wednesday evening with an 11-9 triumph and a second 1A title in three seasons.

Parker, who will play for Wagner College, had game-high five goals for Fallston (16-2 overall), which claimed its fourth title overall. 

A Special Title for a First-Year Coach

The title was special for first-year coach Caroline Abbott, a 2018 Fallston graduate who didn’t experience winning a state title as a player. 

“You want to be able to go out there with them and play,” said Abbott, who won a junior college national title at Harford Community College (Md.) before moving to Mount Olive College. “Obviously, you’re unable to. You can only do so much from the sidelines. But it’s just such a great feeling, because I know I’m guiding them towards their future.”

Middletown Leaves No Drama

After engineering one of the biggest comebacks in recent Maryland public state finals history, Middletown controlled Wednesday's match from the start, rolling to an 18-6 romp over Fallston.

Senior attack Brodie Burdette scored all six of his goals in the opening half for the Knights (14-4), and Myles Sontz added four goals and an assist. Middletown led 9-0 midway in the second quarter.

This Time There Was No Comeback Needed

A year ago, Middletown, trailing Fallston, 8-1, with three minutes left in the third, scored the final eight goals - the last with 9.2 seconds left in regulation - giving its an improbable 9-8 win. 

Middletown never allowed Fallston back into the game.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. Not many people get to experience it,” said Sontz, who will play at Seton Hill University next spring. “Our coach said, ‘Let’s go make history.’ And we made history.”