The footing wasn’t ideal for Reid White, Western’s resident big man on attack, but that didn’t stop the sophomore or the rest of the Warriors.
“It’s a little hard for him to move in this kind of terrain, but he finds his spots,” said Western coach Brad Haws.
White scored three goals and dished out an assist despite struggling with his footing on a slick, muddy surface at Charlottesville High in an 11-5 Western victory over James River.
He also got some help on offense, with Abbot Wallenborn piling up six total points, with three goals and three assists. Turner Whitworth also had a solid day with two goals and two assists. Owen Wangensteen also had a pair of goals.
Wallenborn shifted from his usual spot on attack to the midfield as Western (11-2) started a little postseason tinkering against the Rapids. He was clearly productive in the spot, and at times it seemed to jumpstart the offense. The junior also nabbed a late ground ball from the wing off of a face-off.
“We’re just trying to throw some different looks at the defenses and make them adjust to us a little bit,” Haws said. “We think Abbot is one of our hardest shooters and he’s not getting step-down looks at attack. It’s not a permanent switch, but maybe we switch it up in the game a little bit.”
Wallenborn’s shift to midfield pushed Wangensteen down to attack, altering the natural rhythm of the offense, but Western handled it well. The Warriors led 7-0 at halftime.
The Warriors, already the No. 1 seed in the Region II tournament, now face E.C. Glass, the only Jefferson District squad that managed to upend Western all season.
“We want another shot at these guys,” Haws said. “We lost to them by one in a rough game down at their place.”
E.C. Glass beat Salem to advance to the final.
