As sophomore standout Will Ford takes to the field he has only one thing in mind, “win the clamp”. Pearland’s face off midfielder was tough and quick, but the young sophomore was able to find ways of beating him at his own game. Whether it was an aggressive, defensive, or passive clamp, Ford was able to come up big for the Rangers winning late in the game face-offs to allow his team to start their fourth quarter comeback.

This past weekend the varsity lacrosse team made history beating opponents, Parish Episcopal and Pearland High School in round one and two of the Division 2 state playoffs. This is the first time a San Antonio team has made it to the final four in the state playoffs since the redistricting of teams Texas High School lacrosse teams. The Rangers dominated both opponents through fourth quarter grit, pulling away in the final quarters of the game unfazed.

The Rangers came into round one as a favorite at the number one seed compared to Parish Episcopal at the number five seed, as the Rangers came out with a bang against the Panthers. Senior Jack Bracher exploded with four goals in the first half giving the Rangers a five point lead heading into halftime. The team continued to pile on scores and held Parish scoreless through hard hitting defense and poise, making the team runaway with an 18-6 first round win.

Junior midfielder Jacob Forton said, “We were in their head and more importantly I was in their head every second of the game, making them lose focus… yurd me”

Round two resulted in a dog fight between Pearland and Smithson Valley, with Pearland already beating the Rangers earlier in the fall preseason. Pearland was favored and a strong opponent for the Rangers, holding the team only to three goals in the first half while maintaining a three point lead. The lacrosse team battled back with a series of fast paced scores from attack-men Ian Feely, Aaron Clark, and Daniel Conner giving the team a late lead in the final quarter of the game. Big help was seen through sophomore FOGO Will Ford winning key face-offs and scoring late goals.

“We shrugged off their foul play and just focused on putting points in the back of the net” said senior midfielder Jared Walker.

The team remained poised throughout the entire game even with questionable penalties by the officials and unnecessary checks by Pearland. The team’s fast paced offense and momentum proved to be too much for Pearland as they closed out the game with a 15-10 victory, clinching final four playoff spot.

“This is a huge step for our team and our program. I couldn’t be more proud of this team and what we have accomplished together, we would never be here without the toughness Coach Conner has instilled in us, all of us seniors are forever thankful.” said senior Walker Brown

With these wins the team heads to Dallas to take on powerhouse opponent Klein, who’s state championship hopes fell short a year ago with a final four loss to Highland Park. These two teams have already met during the preseason tournaments such as the Aggieland Classic where the Rangers won in overtime in a highly contested game. The game will be played in the state of the art $70 million dollar stadium, Ron Poe Stadium at 10:30 a.m on May 11th. The winner of this game will play in the state championship the following day against the winner of Prosper High School and Kellen High School.