Quantcast
skip navigation

Red Knights take their place among greats

By Loren Nelson, Editor, 06/11/10, 10:06AM CDT

Share

Benilde-St. Margaret's beats Totino-Grace for program's second state title

Best team in the state?

That’s easy.

Why, it is Benilde-St. Margaret’s, of course.

Best team in state history?

Compelling arguments can be made for a handful of dominant state title-winning squads. There can be no winner in that debate, which makes it all the more fun.

At the very least, though, the Red Knights put themselves in the discussion with a 7-3 triumph over Totino-Grace on Friday, June 12, in the Minnesota State High School League championship game at Mounds View High School.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s, which also won the inaugural MSHSL state boys’ lacrosse title in 2007, became the first program to win multiple championships.

Red Knights midfielder Sean O’Toole was a fuzzy cheeked freshman sitting in the stands at Wayzata High School in the spring of 2007. He watched as his brother, Michael, celebrated a state championship.

“This is unbelievable,” O’Toole said. “In 2007, it was the greatest feeling just watching him."
 
And now?

"It’s surreal, just being here," O'Toole said. "I’ve been aspiring to this since my freshman year. I can’t explain it. No words can describe it right now.”

O’Toole, who is headed to Lafayette (Pa.) next season, is one of three Red Knights seniors who have committed to play at NCAA Division I programs.

“There are so many layers to them,” said Totino-Grace coach Justin Hoban, whose Eagles played the Red Knights three times (losing all three) this season. “They are so athletic and they are so fast. And if you break their defense down then (goaltender Thomas Gilligan) comes over to make the save.”

Bailey Dodds, Minnesota’s inaugural Mr. Lacrosse and the state’s runaway scoring leader, scored three goals while being hounded by punishing Eagles’ all-state defenseman Kyle Mork every step of the way.

Ryan Butts, Dodds’ high scoring wingman and a wizard both as a passer and finisher, scored a leaping fadeaway goal, added an assist and had his fingerprints on at least two other Red Knights goals despite being afforded barely enough room to breathe by Joe Hockert, yet another all-state Totino-Grace defenseman.

Considering Benilde-St. Margaret’s had scored no fewer than 10 goals all season before Friday, Mork and Hockert had outstanding games. Sure, Dodds and Butts set off their fireworks, but it wasn’t a game-long display.

“He’s a good player,” Dodds said about Mork while taking a break from the Red Knights’ raucous championship celebration. “You really have to protect the ball and keep your feet moving.”

If the Red Knights proved anything in their final chapter to a championship season, it is that they are far from a two-man show. Taylor Topousis, Charlie Gondeck and Christian Rekow each scored crucial second-half goals for Benilde-St. Margaret’s which led 7-1 entering the fourth quarter.

Gondeck and Gilligan joined Butts and Dodds on the all-tournament team.

“Charlie Gondeck, he played out of his mind,” Benilde-St. Margaret’s coach Colin Mulcahy said. “He played defense, offense. He was a man-down specialist. He was all over the field for us tonight.”

Mulcahy didn’t mention the behind-the-scenes work of juniors Zach Silvestri and Adam Clark, who took either side of the team’s ice water bucket after the game. As obligatory coach dousings go, Slivestri and Clark scored high marks for accuracy.

“It feels so good,” Mulcahy said about the championship, not the ice-water shower.

So how does this championship compare to the Red Knight’s 2007 title.

“2007 that was absolutely awesome,” Mulcahy said. “This feels, amazing.”

Loren Nelson

Loren Nelson

MN Lax Hub Managing Editor

Phone: 612-379-1030 (ext. 126)

Statistics, summary

Photo Gallery

Three Stars

1. Bailey Dodds, B-SM
Another game, another First Star for Dodds, who merely had a hat trick while spending much of the night matched up against perhaps the state's best defenseman in the punishing Kyle Mork.

2. Charlie Gondeck, B-SM
You don't hear much about the Red Knights' midfielders, but Gondeck was superb at both ends of the field and scored the goal of the state tournament when he finished a gorgeous three-way passing play that also involved Bailey Dodds and Ryan Butts.

3. Kyle Mork, Totino-Grace
Big, strong, smart defenseman drew the assignment of shadowing Dodds, the state's scoring leader and inaugural Mr. Lacrosse. Mork responded by holding Dodds to just one even-strength goal.

MSHSL State Champions

2010 -- Benilde-St. Margaret's
2009 -- Minnetonka
2008 -- Blake
2007 -- Benilde-St. Margaret's

Road to the Final

Regular Season Leaders

Spotlight Game Coverage

Most Popular