Jun. 12—MIDDLETOWN — As they were being interviewed after Friday’s game, Middletown girls lacrosse players Isabella Ewine and Brynn Hoffman were suddenly summoned to join their teammates.
They would continue answering the reporter’s questions later. In the meantime, they had to go help accept a piece of hardware the two seniors had longed to get their hands on for years.
After the Knights lost regional championship games in 2018 and 2019 and didn’t get to put their talented team on the field for a single game last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Middletown captured its first regional title in six years by rolling to a 23-7 win over Linganore in the Class 2A West Region II final on Friday.
Ewine and Hoffman joined the rest of their teammates for the presentation of the championship plaque, posing for pictures with it as players unleashed loud screams.
“We’re just really excited because this is the first year we’ve won regionals,” Ewine said. “We made it there freshman and sophomore years, and we lost both years. So it was good to have the opportunity after we lost so much. Just to be able to get here and win the game.”
Middletown advances to the state quarterfinals, where the remaining eight Class 2A teams will be re-seeded based on regular-season records.
“We’re so excited to have this opportunity, and I think we’re ready,” Middletown coach Tyler White said.
This was Middletown’s second regional crown, with the first one coming in 2015. Yes, the MPSSAA altered its playoff format last school year, doubling the number of regional champions. Nonetheless, as Friday’s win and the Knights’ 10-0 record indicates, Middletown was a legitimate power — and a hungry one at that — after losing regional finals to South Carroll in 2019 and Century in 2018.
“We haven’t had it in such a long time,” Hoffman said.
When seniors like Hoffman and Ewine arrived at Middletown three years ago, it just seemed like a matter of time. Those two made an immediate impact, earning Frederick News-Post all-county honors as freshmen, and the Knights added more key players over the years.
This year, for instance, an offense that already boasted standout veterans like Ewine, Bailey Broadbent and Alyssa Daley added new weapons like sophomore Ellery Bowman, who had a game-high six goals along with three assists on Friday.
“Our offense is pretty stacked,” said Hoffman, who has earned all-county honors as a defender but also contributes on offense, finishing with three goals and one assist against the Lancers.
Isabella Dos Santos had five goals; Broadbent had three goals; Daley had two goals and two assists; Julia Harris had two goals and one assist; and Vera Wichester Dodman had two goals. Ewing had six assists.
“We’re so balanced,” White said. “It’s nice to have.”
It’s also a handful for opponents to deal with, even solid teams like 7-3 Linganore, which lost twice to Middletown.
“We had a gameplan of when we got the ball, we’re knocking the time down on the clock … giving them less time and opportunities to have the ball down there,” Lancers coach Brooke Wilson said. “Because once they get down there, it’s hard to stop.”
With 9 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first half, Middletown had already jumped out to a 10-2 lead. The Knights like to move the ball quickly around and outscore opponents, and they also had players like Emma Brull who could cause turnovers to thwart Linganore’s attack.
Reese Wallich led the Lancers with three goals. Leah Coletti had two goals and one assist, and Megan Hummel had two goals.