ST. CHARLES – Marquette senior Jimmy Farmer cradled the championship plaque snugly inside his right arm and allowed his mind to drift.
He thought about his sophomore year – a dislocated kneecap, the accumulation of losses, declining team morale and a winless, 0-15 season.
“That was definitely rock bottom,” Farmer recalled.
Marquette now stands atop the lacrosse mountain after defeating Kirkwood 11-10 Friday to win the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association Class 1 championship at Lindenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
“It means everything,” senior Charlie Ingram said. “We worked so hard for this. We’ve been through a lot and worked our way up. This team deserves it.”
Marquette (12-4) certainly had to earn the title after Kirkwood stormed back from a four-goal deficit to tie the game at 10 with 4:29 remaining.
The 2022 Mustangs may have crumbled. The 2024 Mustangs pieced the winning plays together.
First, senior goalie Joey Carson made a stellar stop on Kirkwood junior Kaleb Belcher. Then, after a Kirkwood shot bounced over the net, Carson raced two Pioneers to the end line, lunged forward with his goalie stick and won possession for Marquette.
“Just an effort play. That’s what it takes to win a game like this,” said Carson, who made 17 saves and earned Most Valuable Player honors.
Just 21 seconds after Carson’s mad dash, sophomore Kade McSpadden made the championship-winning play on offense. He emerged from behind the net, jumped, spun and whipped a shot past Kirkwood goalie Jed Holliday to give Marquette an 11-10 lead.
“That was all luck, I haven’t been practicing that,” McSpadden said. “Seeing all my teammates on the bench cheering for me made it the best feeling.”
Prior to the game, Marquette first-year head coach Harry Hildestad implored players to embrace the atmosphere of the championship setting.
“I just told them, “You get one opportunity at a state championship. We might never be back, so carry that energy the instant you hit the turf,” Hildestad said.
The Mustangs did exactly that.
They shrugged off a Kirkwood goal in the opening minute and executed a highlight-reel, tic-tac-toe, length of the field play to tie the score. Sophomore defender Hurley Hayes located senior midfielder Hunter Garton, who delivered a perfect strike to senior attacker Charlie Ingram at the doorstep.
Junior Brendan Kirwan and senior Collin Farrell scored shortly after, and Marquette built a 3-1 lead in the opening four minutes.
“We were just moving the ball, putting (goals) in fast,” Ingram said.
But Kirkwood goalie Jed Holliday made a highlight-reel play of his own. After making a save, Holliday realized the Mustangs were denying his passing options, so he gradually sauntered up the field. His mosey became a trot, his trot became a sprint and when he found himself in front of the Mustangs’ goal, he delivered a perfect shot that sliced the deficit to 3-2.
“That was a heck of a shot by the goalie, bar down,” Carson said.
A play like that may have deflated the Mustangs two years ago.
“I would say it almost did the opposite,” Hildestad said. “Credit to him, he’s a great goalie and that was a great goal, but to see someone come all the way down the field should fire you up, and it motivated them to go back down and score.”
Ingram, McSpadden and junior Jason Morse scored in the final 4:24 and Marquette jumped out to a 6-2 lead after one quarter.
“That (quarter) saved us and helped us get this win,” Hildestad said.
Marquette still held a four-goal advantage midway through the third quarter when Kirkwood made its move. A goal by junior Fielding King and two by junior Cooper Terry sliced the deficit to 9-8 after three. Terry’s fourth of the game tied it at 10 with 4:29 to play.
Kirkwood (12-8) employed a faceguarding defense on both Farmer and Ingram for most of the second half and forced other Mustangs to score. The final three goals for Marquette came from sophomores Caleb Dellett, Ayush Khanna and McSpadden, who delivered the game-winner.
“When Jimmy and Charlie were faceguarded, we were never in a panic, never worried. We knew we’d get it done,” Hildestad said.
Farmer pinpointed how the Mustangs got it done this season by highlighting the impact of their opening two games. First, a 17-5 drubbing at the hands of Eureka on March 5 provided a sense of urgency.
“Against Eureka, we barely got the ball in the second half and it just snapped, ‘We have to go.’”
Three days later, Farmer scored five goals as Marquette defeated a strong Parkway South team 16-12.
“That was one of the most competitive games I’ve ever played in. We thought, ‘We can do this,’” Farmer said.
Marquette (12-4) had a 6-2 record in games decided by four goals or fewer, and the 12 wins were the most in a season since 2014 when the Mustangs finished 16-3.
“It shows the guys in our youth program that it’s possible to be successful playing lacrosse at Marquette,” Hildestad said. “Hopefully, this grows the numbers and we can keep the success going for years to come.”
While Hildestad looked forward to where the program is heading, Farmer reflected on where it came from.
“It’s been a rollercoaster for sure. I’ve been playing for Marquette all four years and given my heart to this sport since third grade. To end my senior year with a plaque in my hand is awesome. It’s a storybook ending,” Farmer said.
Photos at benvessa.smugmug.com.