Blue Ridge boys lacrosse was short-handed Saturday in a critical matchup against Highland because of certain players with other extracurricular conflicts.
It didn’t show in the final result.
The Barons rolled 21-7 over Highland Saturday, pushing Blue Ridge’s record to 10-2 as the Barons won their fifth-straight game.
Liam Moran, Ty Ewen and Shane Ford all poured in five goals each on the day, with Ewen also dishing out five assists while Ford had four assists and Moran had one helper. Charlie King scored twice and Rhys Rodriguez had a goal and an assist. Adam Thistlewhite, Logan Marshall and Andrew Landman each had a goal with Thistlethwaite also notched two assists.
Blue Ridge built a 10-3 lead in the opening half in part because the offense moved quickly and efficiently, but that group also got help from a defense that wasn’t content to sit back and instead pressured the ball and created a rash of turnovers. That allowed the Barons to control the clock and possession and keep creating on offense.
The Barons came into the week ranked No. 9 in VISAA’s Division I and with three weeks left ahead of that tournament, they’re in playoff position in the 12-team field. Wins over Hargrave and Highland should help solidify that positioning.
Blue Ridge will face Roanoke Catholic on the road Tuesday before playing Benedictine and Bishop Sullivan later in the week.
