Petaluma tops Casa in classic lacrosse collision

The two North Bay League heavyweight lacrosse teams stood toe-to-toe and slugged it out for 48 dizzying minutes last week, with Petaluma the last puncher standing in an 18-17 decision over rival Casa Grande.

Ian Lynch scored the winning goal for Petaluma with exactly one minute showing on the Casa field clock.

His goal culminated a thrilling evening of give-and-take lacrosse, with neither team ever managing to gain more than a four-score advantage in the intensely played high-scoring affair.

“That was an iconic lacrosse game,” said Petaluma coach Kevin Louchis. “It is what lacrosse is all about.”

The win improved Petaluma to 6-3 on the season, but most importantly was its fourth without a loss in NBL play. Defending league champion Casa Grande is 9-3 on the season, but 1-1 in league play.

A key to the Petaluma win was the outstanding play of senior Isaiah Blomgren, who is headed to Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland after completing his final year of prep soccer.

Blomgren scored five goals for Petaluma, but more importantly, won a huge majority of the face offs, giving the Trojans possession after almost every goal, no matter which team scored - and there were a lot of goals.

“We wanted to control the tempo of the game,” said Louchis. “We wanted to play a controlled game. I thought if we could hold it to a 10-goal game we could have a good chance of winning.”

The two teams combined for 20 goals - in the first half.

Blomgren not only initiated, but he was in the middle of most of the Trojan assaults.

“He gives us so much,” Louchis said, “He must have won more than 80 percent of the face offs and he scored and assisted. He played almost the entire game. It is hard to take him out.”

The win was the first for Petaluma over its rivals after six consecutive losses to the Gauchos, and it felt good.

“This was the biggest high school game of my life,” said Blomgrem. “The biggest difference this time was that we controlled the pace of the game.”

He explained there was no real secret to his success on face offs. “I just practiced hard and I am blessed with natural athleticism,” he said.

Blogrem led the way, but many Trojans contributed. Dominic Butts matched his teammate with five goals. Issac Lynch scored three goals and brother Ian Lynch added two, as did Austin Frank and Justin Turner.

While Petaluma had an oh-so-slight advantage on the scoreboard, there was, perhaps, even less of a differential on the field.

Josh Garcia scored five goals for Casa Grande, with Ian Mckissick, who seems to have been starring for the Gauchos forever but is still just a junior, added four. Logan Fabiani added three, Dominic Giomi and David Grant two each and Dylan Guth and Logan Rogers one each.

The game was a race right from the start. Petaluma scored the game’s first two goals, but Casa fired back and, at the end of the first period, the Trojans led, 4-3. The scoreboard seemed to blink continuously in the second quarter, and when the teams finally stopped for a mid-point rest, Casa was in front 11-9.

Midway through the third period, it looked as though Casa Grande might finally take charge, opening up the game’s one and only four-goal lead at 14-10. But the gap was quickly closed by the charging Trojans, and early on in the last round, it was a new game at 15-15.

Not one penalty was assessed on either team through the first three periods.

That changed in the final quarter, with both teams often playing a man down and, at times, both playing without a penalized player at the same time. The penalties did not detract from the frenzy of the final round.

With both teams shrugging off mental and physical exhaustion, what it finally came down to was Lynch’s goal with the clock showing 1:00.

Casa Grande made one last assault that was repulsed by Petaluma defenders, and the Trojans celebrated while the Gauchos regrouped in anticipation of a second meeting with their rivals when the teams meet again April 19 on Petaluma’s new field.