Robinson sophomore Austin Henry (1) scored a team-high three goals during the Rams’ victory over Langley in the 6A boys’ lacrosse state final on June 15. Photo by Craig Sterbutzel.
From 1991-2007, the Robinson boys’ lacrosse team won nine state championships. They were a powerhouse that dominated Virginia lacrosse for nearly two decades. Since 2007, however, this domination has fizzled and the state title has eluded them.
On Sunday night, the Rams were able to get it back by defeating Langley 9-7 in the 6A state championship game at Lake Braddock Secondary School.
“It is unbelievable,” said sophomore Austin Henry, who led the team with three goals in the win. “We brought (the title) back to Robinson, home of the champions.”
The Rams fell behind early, but scored two goals in the final two minutes of the opening quarter to lead 2-1 at the end of the first.
The key for Robinson was its force. The Rams dominated the Saxons physically and never allowed them to get comfortable on the field. Senior Joe Bynum set the tone early for the Rams with a couple crushing checks, and the rest of the team followed suit.
Langley scored again early in the second, but Robinson then strung together three straight goals and went into halftime with a 5-2 lead.
In the third quarter, Robinson came out even stronger, outscoring Langley 4-1, with goals from four different players, giving the Rams a 9-3 lead entering the fourth quarter. Robinson moved the ball well throughout, with everyone getting involved in the action.
Senior goalie Nick Kondracki came up with save after save in this quarter. He looked like a brick wall, and would follow his saves with sprints up the field, showing agility to start the counter attack for Robinson.
Head Coach Matt Curran said of Kondracki: “Quite frankly, we probably don’t get here without how he played in goal all season long for us.”
At the start of the fourth, the lead seemed insurmountable for the Saxons, but they showed why they made it to state title game with four goals of their own, aided by a couple of Robinson penalties, cutting the lead to 9-7 with 3 minutes left in the game.
But once again, the Robinson defense and Kondracki shut the door when they needed it most. Langley was only able to fire off two shots in the closing minutes, even though the Saxons possessed the ball for most of it. Langley simply could not find any openings in the defense and seemed to know a long distance shot was a waste of possession against Kondracki.
As the horn went off to signal the end of the game, the Robinson team threw their equipment up in the sky and rushed Kondracki to celebrate a season well done.
“It feels incredible,” Curran said. “We have worked so hard and we got what we have been after. We had a great group of seniors who really helped lead the way tonight.”
The seniors finished their high school lacrosse careers on the highest of all notes with a memory that will undoubtedly last them a lifetime.