LEBANON — Lebanon High boys lacrosse coach Cole Flannery is a plainspoken man who lets his troops know exactly where they stand.
Which, following Thursday’s 12-6 victory over Hillsboro-Deering, was squarely inside Flannery’s doghouse.
Yes, the Raiders won, but they allowed a five-goal halftime lead to be cut to one early in the fourth quarter. Yes, they held a 33-15 shot advantage, but far too many efforts were flung wide or into the body of hulking Hillcats goaltender Jared O’Connor, who made 12 saves.
And, sure, Lebanon improved to 1-1 in NHIAA Division III after an unexpected trip to last year’s semifinals. If it continues to play as it did against H-D, however, the odds of a return engagement are long indeed.
“It was pretty ugly,” said Flannery, who’s in his third season at the Raiders helm. “Certainly not what I was hoping for. Our guys were looking for the easy goals and were forcing stuff trying to get that.
“They thought they were going to run the table on (Hillsboro-Deering), and that clearly didn’t happen.”
At its best, lacrosse is a passing game. Individual dodges and sweeping shots make the highlight videos, but keeping the ball on the fly and a step ahead of one’s opponent is how games are won. Lebanon appeared consumed with individual play, repeatedly attempting long shots or others from sharp angles while ending possessions quickly.
It was enough to beat the Hillcats, who had only five substitutes on the bench, but it’s unlikely to work against the division’s better teams.
“We won that game because of them, not because of us,” Flannery said. “They had a good goalie and their faceoff guys were legit, but you can’t lose to a team because the other team has a few good players.”
The Raiders are somewhat shorthanded themselves after three senior starters were recently declared academically ineligible for the season. Defenseman Luke Greene, long-stick midfielder Cam Davio and short-stick midfielder Alisdair MacPhail would have all been impact players, and Flannery said he was blindsided by their exits.
“When I found out, it was too late to have a talk with them and that’s a bummer, but it’s their responsibility to pass the classes they need to pass,” said Flannery, a local attorney. “It hurts our depth, but talent-wise, the guys who stepped in for them are as good or better.”
The coach said former goaltender Ethan Esbaugh, a senior, and freshman Otto Bourne have moved up the depth chart and into the midfield with short sticks. Senior Ethan LaHaye and junior Alex Blish are looking strong there with a longer twig in their hands.
Hillsboro-Deering opened Thursday’s scoring, but Lebanon answered with six consecutive goals. The Hillcats pulled within 7-6 with eight minutes to play but seemed to burn themselves out during the comeback effort and surrendered the afternoon’s final five goals.
The Raiders’ Noah Mekus had four goals and an assist, and Griffin Auch had three goals and three assists. Cesar Salcedo had three goals and an assist, and Colin Maher posted two goals and an assist. James Barnett had three saves. Hillsboro-Deering is 0-2 and dropped its opener against Kearsarge by a 16-4 score.
Flannery said his goal this season is for the Raiders to understand their sport well enough to play more of a free-flowing, less-structured style. The former Sharon Academy bench boss isn’t a fan of relying on set plays.
“I want them to see the field and gain the knowledge to be less mechanical and more instinctual for them,” Flannery said. “When this happens, what should you do defensively and what do you need to do to get offensive looks?”
And get out of the doghouse.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.