Smithsburg's offense sputters in semifinal loss to Falcons

SMITHSBURG — The Smithsburg boys lacrosse team suffered a reversal of roles in its Maryland Class 2A-1A West semifinal match against Winters Mill on Monday.

Instead of the Leopards weaving their way through the opponent’s hapless defense, it was the Falcons who were doing all of the scoring.

Top-seeded Smithsburg was held to one goal in the first three quarters and fell to fourth-seeded Winters Mill, 16-4.

“(Winters Mill) brought its ‘A’ game and we weren’t quite prepared for it,” said Smithsburg coach Joe Dietrich.

The Leopards (12-3) looked overwhelmed from the start, as their defense was unable to corral the Falcons’ high-powered offense. The trio of Tyler Hutson, Chase Cullison and Spencer Love accounted for 13 of Winters Mill’s 16 goals. Hutson had a game-high six.

“I hope that (Winters Mill) wins states,” said Smithsburg senior midfielder Cullan Ganley, who scored three of Smithsburg’s four goals. “They’re a really good team.”

The Leopards had a burst of life in the final period with three goals, but Winters Mill had the match in hand by then.

The loss may have left a bitter taste in the mouths of Ganley and the rest of the Smithsburg seniors, knowing that this was their final game in Smithsburg purple and gold.

“Looking back, it was nice to get better and better throughout high school and seeing our record continue to improve,” said Ganley. “To progress to our best record my senior year was a great way to go out.”

Following the match, the Leopards came together for one final huddle, where Dietrich supplied some final words of encouragement for his team.

“A 12-3 season is pretty darn good. They did a great job,” said Dietrich. “Our team is classy, they need to be proud. They played with humility and they lost with grace.”