Championship rewind: La Salle Academy wins second straight R.I. boys’ state crown

TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 7/15/13

The La Salle Academy boys’ lacrosse team won its second straight Rhode island Division I championship in early June with a 14-3 win over Moses Brown at Brown University.

Brady O’Donnell collected five goals and an assist and Peter DeSimone added four while MVP Joe Manown had two goals and two assists.

The Rams (14-0) finished undefeated for the second year in a row and extended their win streak to 28 games. They have reached the state finals four straight years.

Also for La Salle, Sam James had two goals and an assist, and Mike Catarina had a goal and two assists. Alex Handanyan and Matt Manown had two assists each.

The Rams’ defense was equally strong. All-state Goalie Matt Andrews made five saves. Dan Wise (All-American), John Manown and Bryan Lemos led the defense in front of Andrews and Patrick Foster was dominant at the face-off X.

Senior Brady O’Donnell – the coach’s son – finished with a state record 64 goals and 35 assists and earned All-American honors for the third straight year. O’Donnell is head to Taft Academy as a PG.

Joe Manown, a sophomore, also earned All-American accolades and had 52 goals and 43 assists. Foster, who is headed to RPI, won 70 percent of his face-offs.

“I think the leadership from our older players has helped us get over the hump,” said La Salle seven-year coach Steven O’Donnell, a former Providence College head coach. “These players took the team under their wings.

“Last year when we won we had a few major injuries but guys stepped up and everyone chipped in. This year we had a lot of talent and they continued to play the same way. Again, we had great senior leadership on the team.”

O’Donnell said the team’s undefeated streak has not caused any undue pressure.

“We have been undefeated for two years, but it never came up this year,” he said. “I never heard one kid talk about it.”