TOWN AND COUNTRY – Grant Baumstark was not presumed to be the highlight-producing goalie in the boys lacrosse championship game.
But early in the Class 2 title match, the MICDS junior made a jaw-dropping play that set the tone for the remainder of the game.
Baumstark’s interception of a sideline pass, length of the field sprint and perfect assist to Justin Bishop became a signature moment for MICDS in its 11-7 victory over Chaminade Friday at Missouri Baptist University.
MICDS (17-2) won its third consecutive state title and 11th in the last 12 seasons.
Leading 2-1 midway through the first quarter, MICDS employed a ‘10-man ride’ in which Baumstark guarded a player instead of guarding his net. When Chaminade goalie Jake Williams launched a long pass down the sideline, Baumstark emerged out of nowhere.
“I caught it, I saw green grass, and my mind went blank,” Baumstark said.
He weaved through defenders, crossed the midfield stripe and kept running until he spotted Bishop cutting to the net. Bishop delivered the goal, and Baumstark delivered the energy-producing play that MICDS craved.
And Baumstark’s impactful night was only beginning. Moments later, he produced two spectacular saves – a catch in his net as he was running backwards and a save on a breakaway attempt from Chaminade senior AJ Brown.
“Grant Baumstalk had one of his best games of the year. He had some serious saves, potential momentum shifts if he doesn’t step in and make a one-on-zero save,” MICDS coach Andy Kay said.
The goalie best known for making highlight-reel saves was standing at the opposite end. Chaminade sophomore Jake Williams was equally impressive in net, including a sprawling save that denied senior Mikey Gutchewsky midway through the first quarter.
“Jake Williams played absolutely unreal. He’s going to be a problem the next few years,” MICDS senior captain Steele Crissman said.
But in a 13-minute stretch, Bishop unlocked the code to sneaking the ball past Williams.
Bishop scored four goals, and his lightning quick release after a feed from Crissman gave MICDS an early 5-1 lead. During the regular season matchup between the two teams, Williams denied Bishop on four of his five shot attempts, and the MICDS junior sought to figure out why.
“A lot of film,” Bishop said. “I sat in the classroom, studied his game and then tried to perfect the shots I wanted to take against him.”
In terms of point production, Bishop had a slow start to the season, scoring 11 goals in his first seven games including three games in which he was shut out.
“He thought (opponents) were allocating a lot of resources to him, so he was willing to move the ball and sacrifice his points,” Kay said.
But the lack of production eventually wore on Bishop’s confidence.
“I just had to go back to the basics. I watched old games and spent a lot of time analyzing my game to see what I was doing. I started off the season slow, but my goal was to finish the season strong,” Bishop said.
He exploded for four goals in the quarterfinal, four in the semifinal and four more in the championship game, after accomplishing that feat just twice during the regular season.
“He was absolutely electric,” Kay said of Bishop’s playoff performance.
Gutchewsky made it 6-1 with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, and the team that defeated its previous two championship game opponents by a combined score of 32-11 seemed to be cruising towards another romp.
Chaminade needed a spark, and a man-up goal by Ethan Avery provided it. After two stellar saves by Williams, sophomore Peter Glynias scooped up an errant pass and went coast-to-coast to slice the deficit to 6-3.
“We just needed a little bit of confidence. We’ve been in these situations before and we know we can dig our way out of it,” Chaminade coach James Spink said.
Chaminade (13-4) increased its defensive pressure in the second half, creatively sent double teams and traps at the perfect times and climbed back in the game. Goals by James Tighe, Luca Daly and AJ Brown trimmed the deficit to 8-6 after three quarters.
“Chaminade is game. They can look us in the eye athletically and they’re well-coached. They saw what we were doing, made adjustments and certainly, that was a tight one for us,” Kay said.
Out of a timeout, Chaminade made one of its few mistakes in the second half and sent MICDS away in transition with an errant pass. Ian Spakowski finished the fast break and the Rams regained momentum.
Spakowski, who scored twice, was confined to crutches and a wheelchair while dealing with chronic hip inflammation this year. He missed the Rams’ first 11 games and played a modified attacker position instead of his normal, up-and-down the field, midfield spot.
“I’ve been battling it. I couldn’t walk, move or even get up,” Spakowski said. “I’m blessed to be back. I love this sport. I love these guys.”
Other key contributors of championships past, like seniors Peter O’Leary, Graham Faust and Ben Petersen, missed several games throughout the season. Each played through injuries and contributed to the championship performance, as the Rams had their entire roster available for the first time this season.
With MICDS leading 9-7 and the result still very much in doubt, Crissman put the game on his shoulders. He sprinted behind the net, put on the brakes, reversed field and emerged in front to score the game-clinching goal.
“I guess you can call it ‘the finisher move.’ I’ve been doing that move my whole life,” said Crissman, a University of Denver commit.
Crissman, called ‘the quarterback’ by Kay, accumulated four assists and calmly orchestrated the final six minutes for the Rams. For Crissman, the emergence of underclassmen to replace injured seniors helped MICDS reach the finish line.
“We’ve been playing next-man-up mentality, and we had a lot of young guys who were eager to step up,” Crissman said.
Chaminade, making its second championship game appearance and first since 2017, made it clear that the gap between MICDS and the field is closing.
“We fought to the last second. I’m really proud of this team,” Spink said.
Kay added, “It’s great to see what Coach Spink is doing. He’s built a really nice culture and that team is going to be a tough out next year.”
But this year, MICDS proved once again that May is the month of the Ram.
“The Rams have a long history of coming alive in the playoffs, and that’s we did,” Bishop said.
For a photo gallery from this game, click on the link below: