Heading into the fourth quarter of the Section 3 championship game, Bloomington Jefferson’s Ryan Graff was ready to take advantage of any opportunity to end Prior Lake’s season.

The junior attacker, who already had three assists, found one just two minutes into the quarter, scoring his first goal of the game. The lengthy stick handler, who donned all white leggings and socks, fired a shot just from outside the crease, sending the ball past Lakers junior goalie Noah Orham.

Less than a minute later, Graff tallied another goal on a diving shot that sunk Prior Lake and buoyed the Bloomington Jefferson boys' lacrosse program.

The Jaguars secured the section title and earned their first bid to the Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned state tournament with a 9-6 upset of the Lakers on Thursday at Prior Lake High School.

Bloomington Jefferson won two state club championships (2000, 2003) as a member of the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association.

Jaguars coach Scott Cater said Graff’s playmaking ability continues to make a difference on the field, and his five-point effort against Prior Lake (15-1) showed why he is irreplaceable.

“(Graff) not only knows what he is doing with the ball, but what his five teammates are doing without it,” Cater said. “It’s like he’s playing at a Lacrosse 300-level course.”

Graff, who scored a team-high 35 goals in 13 regular season games and was named an All-American by the state boys’ lacrosse coaches association, wouldn’t have been in a position to close out the victory over the top-seeded Lakers if not for a third-quarter offensive explosion from second-seeded Bloomington Jefferson (16-0).

The section championship game got off to a fast start with the Jaguars scoring two goals on their first two shots. But the pace slowed down as neither team could gain an advantage, sending the game into intermission with the scored tied 3-3.

That all changed in the third as Bloomington Jefferson scored four unanswered goals, three off the stick of junior Jay Johnson.

“Jay Johnson is a sniper,” Cater said. “He is a three-sport athlete: soccer, hockey, lacrosse. So when he gets the ball, he wants to shoot.”

It only took the midfielder 1 minute, 7 seconds to score his first goal on a shot he fired from 8 yards out that bounced past Orham.

Seven minutes later, Graff set up Johnson for another goal with a cross-crease pass that left Johnson wide open in front of the net.

Graff then earned an assist as Johnson recorded the hat trick. Graff passed out of a double team just below the crease to an open Johnson, whose rocket from 12 yards out gave the Jaguars a 7-3 lead with 26 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Graff said his trust in his teammates made it easy for him to give up the ball and watch his linemates score.

“(Johnson) brings so many things to this team,” Graff said. “A beautiful overhand stroke, unbelievable speed and his overall intelligence.”

Johnson, who had 11 goals entering the section championship, picked his spots and took advantage of opportunities outside the crease. But the sniper did more than just score, he earned an assist when senior Joey Eggleston buried a shot during the third-quarter scoring run.

Prior Lake attempted to rally in the fourth, as sophomore attackman Carter Collins scored two goals and junior midfielder Ben Ward had one. But Graff’s two fourth-quarter goals gave the Jaguars the cushion they needed to withstand the Lakers’ late comeback.

Collins, Ward and senior attackman Taylor Kropp each had two goals and junior midfielder Matt Denman added two assists for Prior Lake in the loss.

Johnson said he is happy to have survived the section playoffs and is ready to move on to the state tournament, where Bloomington Jefferson is hoping make an extended run.

“We aren’t done,” Johnson said. “We have some tough competition left, but with our squad I think we can do it.”

Four unanswered third-quarter goals, including three from the stick of junior midfielder Jay Johnson, pushed second-seeded Bloomington Jefferson past top-seeded Prior Lake 9-6 in the Section 3 championship game Thursday at Prior Lake High School.

The matchup featured two undefeated teams, but it was the Jaguars who not only escaped with their perfect record intact, but also their first bid to the Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned state tournament. 

Bloomington Jefferson, which won two state club championships (2000, 2003) as a member of the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association, will make its state tournament debut with a quarterfinal game at Minnetonka on June 9.

The Jaguars and the Lakers began the third quarter tied 3-3, but it took Johnson just 1 minute, 7 seconds to end the deadlock. The midfielder fired a shot from 8 yards out, beating Prior Lake junior goalie Noah Orham and putting Bloomington Jefferson (16-0) on the path to the victory.

Ninety seconds later, Johnson recorded an assist on a goal from senior attackman Joey Eggleston and then got to work on his hat trick.

Junior attackman Ryan Graff launched a cross-crease pass to Johnson, who took advantage of being wide open in front of the Lakers’ net by scoring his second goal with four minutes left to play in the period. 

Graff, an All-American selection, also set up Johnson’s third goal. Graff passed out of a double team just below the crease and hit an open Johnson, who fired a rocket from 12 yards out to give the Jaguars a 7-3 lead heading into the fourth.

But Bloomington Jefferson could not just cruise the rest of the way and had to withstand a late Prior Lake rally, as sophomore attackman Carter Collins scored two goals and junior midfielder Ben Ward had one in the final 12 minutes. 

However, Graff thwarted the comeback and capped his night by scoring two goals in the fourth to seal the win.

Graff finished with a team-high five points, while Eggleston had two goals and an assist.

Collins, Ward and senior attackman Taylor Kropp each had two goals and junior midfielder Matt Denman added two assists for the Lakers (15-1) in the loss.

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