Dixie Heights boys lacrosse coach Chris Shively was perhaps more excited Monday than the players.
“Let’s go!” Shively screamed after the Colonels won the Fifth Region title over Ryle, 16-11. “First-ever banner!”
Dixie Heights will host North Oldham in the state tournament first round at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Ryle (8-10) takes on South Oldham at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Crestwood. The region champ and runner-up advanced to the state tournament.
“These guys have been working hard all year,” Shively said. “And no one deserves it more.”
The Colonels (12-6) and their fans can thank juniors Aiden Wood and Brayden Brzygot. Wood scored six goals, and Brzygot added three goals and eight assists.
What Dixie did certainly required a new adjective. Brzygot’s choice: “adrenalating,” which may have referred to copious amounts of adrenaline.
“I just had so much fun playing with these guys,” Brzygot said. “I mean, this is just a sport I love, and there’s nothing like it, really … it’s the fastest game on two feet.”
Brzygot was proudest of the assists.
“Assists just really shows that you can distribute the ball … give it to your teammates,” he said.
For the first 71 seconds, Ryle overwhelmed Dixie goalkeeper Jacob Meyers. The Raiders’ Charlie Park opened the scoring with 11:19 left, and Konnor Farnsworth followed that with a goal 40 seconds later.
“Ryle’s a very good team, so we knew if we could survive the first five, six minutes, hang tough, we came back,” Shively said.
Dixie survived – and thrived.
Whatever adjustments Shively made after Farnsworth’s goal worked – in a little more than four minutes Wood’s two goals and one each from Eli Lawson and Brzygot put Dixie ahead to stay, 4-2.
Ryle coach Noah Reed thought communication failures on defense didn’t help.
“We threw in a new (3-1-2 zone) defense, and if we spent more time preparing, I think that could’ve been a real turnaround,” Reed said.
Two goals by Ryle’s Lane Rickey, whose four scores led the Raiders, cut Dixie’s lead to 6-4 – just in time to see the Colonels’ Alex Eads, Lawson, Wood and Bryzgot send the ball past Ryle keeper Carter Alsip.
The third quarter featured Ryle’s most prolific run – goals from Farnsworth, Ronin Herbert, Rickey and Jordan Bardfield.
“I believe that the adjustment was just the intensity that the kids found,” Reed said. “They were reminded that an opportunity like this doesn’t come often, and if you really want it, you have to earn it.”
Shively’s solution – go into a tighter packed man-to-man defense in front of Meyers. “And then, when we needed it, we would spread out and play press defense,” he said.
Wood and Lawson scored two goals each in the fourth stanza.
The last adjustment was Dixie’s – Reed said the Raiders weren’t prepared for the Colonels’ holding onto the ball for several stretches.
“In the fourth quarter, I believe that Dixie, they came out with more intensity than we did,” Reed said.
Whatever happens Wednesday, Shively said a greater goal has been achieved.
“This year is putting us on the map, it’s putting Northern Kentucky on the lacrosse map for the state,” Shively said, “and it’s only going to grow the sport.”
PHOTOS: Dixie Heights-Ryle boys lacrosse region championship (provided by Charles Bolton)
COLONELS 16, RAIDERS 11
RYLE — 3-2-4-2 – 11
DIXIE HEIGHTS — 5-5-2-4 – 16
First quarter
R-Charlie Park, 11:19
R-Konnor Farnsworth, 10:49
DH-Aiden Wood, 10:33
DH-Wood, 10:08
DH-Eli Lawson, 9:28
DH-Brayden Brzygot, 6:16
R-Farnsworth, 5:35
DH-Alex Eads, :37.5
Second quarter
R-Lane Rickey, 11:00
DH-Wood, 8:33
R-Rickey, 6:21
DH-Eads, 6:14
DH-Lawson, 2:24
DH-Wood, 2:13
DH-Bryzgot, 1:36
Third quarter
DH-Bryzgot, 10:50
DH-Peterson, 10:26
R-Farnsworth, 9:15
R-Ronin Herbert, 9:07
R-Rickey, 7:05
R-Jordan Bardfield, 4:14
Fourth quarter
DH-Wood, 11:01
DH-Lawson, 10:13
R-Bardfield, 6:08
DH-Wood, 4:15
DH-Lawson, 3:02
R-Rickey, 1:52
Records: Ryle 8-10, Dixie Heights 12-6
All-tournament team
St. Henry – Brady Dickman
Walton-Verona – Keegan Gregory
Covington Catholic – Finn Maddox
Cooper – Ryan Forbes
Ryle – Bryson White and Blake Leiker
Dixie Heights – Brayden Brzygot and Aiden Wood
Most Valuable Player – Brayden Brzygot, Dixie Heights