Harris Scores 4 Goals to Lead Saline over Ann Arbor Skyline

Saline's varsity boys' lacrosse team is starting to peak. That was bad news for Ann Arbor Skyline Saturday, as the hometown Hornets won 16-2. Saline improved to 6-2.

Brad Harris scored four goals and added three assists and Colin Cederna scored three goals and an assist.  Tim Hickey and Cam Frotten each scored two goals, with Hickey adding an assist. Also scoring for the Hornets were Brian Merk, James Nichols, Ryan McCall, Michael Andreis and Nick Karapas. Karapas added a single.

Coach Matt Ceo said his team received a great performance from its attack and did a good job winning the battles for ground balls.

"Our attack played very well. Nine goals from our attack is great," Ceo said. "Our goal every game is to win the ground ball battle and we did that today with 43 ground balls, which is a great number."

Ceo said he'd like to see his team win more face-offs and possess the ball more, but he was pleased with his defense.

"Defensively, we communicated better than we did all year, which is huge for us, having a young defense," he said.

Harris opened the scoring with an unassisted goal in the first quarter. Less than two minutes later, Harris set up Nichols for a 2-0 lead. Saline took a 3-0 lead on Hickey's goal, also set up by Harris. Skyline cut into the lead with a goal with 4:15 to play, but the Hornets got it right back 45 seconds later with an unassisted tally by Frotten. Less than a minute later, Cederna set up Harris for his second goal of the game. Saline led 5-1 after the first quarter.

Skyline was much stronger to start the second quarter, but midway through the quarter, Hickey set up Cederna for a goal and a 6-1 lead. It was the first of four goals in 1:09. Frotten scored, from Nichols, and then Cederna scored an unassisted goal. Harris scored from Karapas to complete the barrage.

Harris said the team's offense was clicking because players did a better job moving without the ball.

"Our coach has been stressing off-ball movement a lot. You can't stand still. You've got to keep moving your feet and we did that today. When you do that, it gives you can spread out and move the ball around before the defense can close in on you," Harris said.

Tempers heated up the players started taking runs at each other. Finally, things boiled over and Harris and a player from Skyline were called for unsportsmanlike conduct before the end of the first half.

"Coach wants us to stand up for each other. But you can't go overboard and do something that will get you kicked out of the next game," he said.

The physical play did nothing to slow down Saline, which go unassisted goals from Cederna and Hickey before the end of the half to go up 11-1.

Saline got goals from Merk and Harris in the third quarter, to make it 13-1. Skyline scored late in the quarter to make it 13-2. The Hornets got goals from Karapas, Andreis and McCall in the fourth quarter.

Burd Austin made three saves on five shots for Saline. Max Mortimer played goal in the fourth and stopped the only shot he faced.

Ceo said young team is making great strides.

"What we needed to have happen is that young guys would step up and that's what's happening. Louie Remenapp is one of those guys, a sophomore defender who has really stepped up. Keith Cummings is a longstick midfielder who has really come on," Ceo said. "Our youth is really stepping up and we're getting excited and starting to peak a little bit."

The boys' varsity lacrosse team is home to Dexter Wednesday at 7 p.m.