The Bolles boys lacrosse team finished one win short of a championship.
The Bulldogs came oh-so-close to knocking off dynasty Saint Andrew’s on Saturday but dropped a 9-8 decision in the Class 1A state championship game in Naples. Bolles erased a four-goal deficit with a second-half surge and get right back in the game.
But Saint Andrew’s came roaring back at the finish and denied Bolles one final shot to complete a threepeat. The championship was the seventh for the Scots, the most in state history. Bolles finished its season 22-3.
With 7 minutes, 7 seconds to play, Spencer Surface found Daylin John-Hill near the right side of the net and he fired it in to tie things at 8-all.
The Scots didn’t give up.
Connor Hofbauer took a pass near midfield and took it the rest of the way, whipping it in for a goal less than three minutes later. Bolles got possession back with 43 seconds to go and managed one final shot, although it was deflected. Saint Andrew’s drained the clock after that to ice it.
After taking a 4-3 lead, Bolles gave up five unanswered goals to fall into an 8-4 hole before surging back to tie things on John-Hill’s goal. The Bulldogs’ season marked the best in program history. They’d been to the state semifinals three previous times, but never to the state title game. The Bulldogs’ only loss to a team from Florida was Saturday.