LADUE – Eureka goalie Clayton Weckherlin probably had player-of-the-game honors wrapped up already.
The senior netminder pitched a shutout in the first half and stifled numerous John Burroughs shot attempts in the second half.
But when he saw each of his players covered tightly as he tried to make an outlet pass, he changed his status from player-of-the-game to legend.
Carrying the ball in his goalie stick, Weckherlin and his goalie gear lumbered the length of the field, approached the opposing net and dished a perfect assist to Clayton Camby for the goal that punctuated Eureka’s 9-3 victory over John Burroughs in the opening round of the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association State Cup playoffs Monday at John Burroughs School.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what was going on. I just put my head down, sprinted and hoped for the best that I didn’t end up in the hospital,” Weckherlin said.
Eureka (9-12), the No. 9 seed, will travel to No. 1 De Smet for a State Cup quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday at De Smet High.
Weckherlin’s mad dash down the center of the field was not totally spontaneous. A similar situation occurred moments before, when, after recording a save in his catching net, he could not find an available outlet pass and began moving up the field without resistance.
Sensing Weckherlin’s uncertainty, Eureka coach Tim Borroff called a timeout.
“We noticed they were locking everyone but Clayton, and he’s one of our most athletic kids on the team,” Borroff said. “We’ll let him go anytime he wants. He got through, kept going, drew one guy and made the right pass. That was definitely a big play for us.”
It was not Weckherlin’s first dabble with offense.
He also recorded a shot on goal by launching a full-field heave in the closing seconds of the first half that required a catch by John Burroughs goalie Ryder Scully.
Teammates razzed Weckherlin that he should have added a second shot on goal after his full-field sprint.
“Everyone beat me up for not shooting it, but I probably would have shot it wide,” said Weckherlin, who added 10 saves to his gaudy offensive stat line.
Weckherlin’s excellent positioning and the ability of the Eureka defenders to stay connected to the hands of the John Burroughs attackers forced the Bombers into off-target shots and passes throughout the game.
Led by the defensive trio of seniors Liam Kluesner, Andrew Parker and Mason Taylor, Eureka allowed little time and space for the Bombers’ offense to operate. Long possessions spent searching for the right look often resulted in a low-percentage shot or worse for Burroughs.
“The defense played amazing. We were talking and sliding. Earlier in the season, we wouldn’t slide to body. Today, there were people flying everywhere. That’s what I like to see,” Kluesner said.
A big check in the midfield sent senior Nate Bridges for the opening goal in transition, the first of three scored on the move by Bridges, including a nifty behind-the-back goal in the fourth quarter.
And when the Wildcats slowed it down, they used quick ball movement and purposeful player movement to locate the right shooters in the right spots.
Twice in the first quarter senior Connor Quinn found a shooting lane from 15-yards away and launched his heavy shot into the back of the net as Eureka built a 3-0 lead.
“We were helping each other out, playing unselfishly. Other times, we’ve been chasing our own points, but we were trusting each other, making that one-more pass and it opened up easier and cleaner shots,” said Quinn, who added two assists.
The ground ball game also belonged to Eureka. The Wildcats were credited with 24 ground balls, led by the five collected by senior midfielder Mike Rieske.
A ground ball obtained by senior Jonah Fowler led to his first goal, a bar-down laser near the end of the first half. Canby’s retrieval of a shot that clanged off the post led to Fowler’s second goal.
“We had a lot of seniors who stepped up in the moment, and that’s all you can ask,” Borroff said.
John Burroughs (9-10), while not finding success 6-on-6, started to claw back into the game with quick strikes in transition.
A groundball pickup and race to the goal by senior Charlie Dunaway gave the Bombers their first goal more than 30 minutes into the game. Three minutes later, a faceoff win by junior Quinn Dimartini led to the first of two transition goals from junior Will Clarkson.
But Eureka’s unselfish play on offense continued into the fourth quarter, as Quinn located Fowler to put a full stop on the John Burroughs comeback attempt.
Weckherlin raced coast-to-coast to provide the exclamation point.
The victory for Eureka sets up a rematch of an April 1 game that De Smet won 10-5. In that game Weckherlin made 16 saves, and among area teams, only MICDS held De Smet to fewer goals in a game this season.
“We’ve had injuries the whole year and finally we’re all back playing together,” Quinn said. “I’m super-excited for Thursday. I think it will be a good game.”
Ben- Thank you for this perfectly penned article. Your support, recognition and validation of so many athletes, especially those in their senior year, is unmatched and appreciated. You do good!!
Thank you, Nicole!