He closed his career on a historic high note — Broadneck was in the final stages of a 16-6 win over Sherwood in the Maryland 4A final, one that clinched the program’s first championship since 1997 and culminated a 20-0 campaign that also set the school’s single-season record for wins.
The Bruins’ win at Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium also marked a measure of vindication after last year’s team made it to the championship game only to lose to Churchill. After that game, Coach Jeff McGuire told his team to remember the feeling of losing and not to be content with just getting to the final.
Many of those players returned and entered the season with a singular focus, one evidenced by their reaction after the Anne Arundel County championship game. Broadneck took down Severna Park in the early May matchup for its first county title since 2001, avenging a loss in the same situation a year earlier.
But after the win, players didn’t throw helmets, sticks or gloves in the air as part of their common celebrations, McGuire said. They had bigger goals in sight.
“This year, kind of a revenge season, check off every single game one at a time until we get here and finally check this one off,” Gray said.
Broadneck led by four midway through the second quarter. But Sherwood scored three straight goals to cut its deficit to two.
Undeterred, the Bruins embarked on a 9-1 run to close the game and secure the championship. The late dominance can be attributed in part to how McGuire’s team practices. The coach changed his format entering the 2023 campaign and modeled it after games. Broadneck started practice with high intensity, then switched to a calmer walk-through midway to simulate halftime before closing with vigor.
The structure paid off with a win that McGuire felt would reverberate through the Annapolis area.
“This is a win for the community,” the coach said. “… There’s a lot of people that back our program. There’s a lot of love at our school, a lot of love put into athletics from our principal, athletic director, our town itself.”
When the final buzzer sounded to close out the win, Broadneck’s goals turned into accomplishments, ones marked by the sight of lacrosse equipment flying into the night sky.