MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monongalia County high schools took away three state titles this weekend.
Morgantown high school took away two of those titles. The Mohigans’ girls track team and the girls lacrosse team both beat out the competition. University High boys’ lacrosse team claimed its fourth West Virginia Scholastic Lacrosse Association Division 1 championship in five years.
Steve Blinco, head coach of MHS girls’ track, tested the girls in different ways so when they got to Charleston for the state championship meet, they weren’t afraid.
“They’re a unit that has a lot of grit and a lot passion and desire for the sport,” said Blinco. “We’ve kind of thrown them into the fire and tested them in ways so when they got to Charleston, those nerves wouldn’t be there.”
The 4×100-meter relay team that took the state title home consisted of Justice McDowell, Justice Washington, Domenique Hunter and Jahmia Bridges-Butler. The time was 49.81 seconds — the second year in a row the Mohigans won that race.
The Mohigans’ girls lacrosse team continued the winning streak and pulled a 9-7 victory over Fairmont Senior to earn the title of West Virginia Scholastic Lacrosse Association champions.
The first time since 2008, head coach Suzzie Bane walked away with a title. At halftime, the Mohigans’ were down 3-5.
“Fairmont got a couple of yellow cards, we scored quickly, and then the momentum swayed,” said Bane. “We just put the foot on the pedal and just kept driving.”
MHS took advantage of Fairmont Senior’s penalties, gaining six points, which lead to the girls taking home the title.
On the other side of Morgantown, University High boys’ lacrosse team claimed its fourth championship in five years.
With a 10-5 victory over George Washington, UHS head coach Brian Houk won his first victory with the Hawks.
“There’s been a tradition of success with University lacrosse, and I was just glad to be part of another championship with them,” Houk said. “We game out on fire in the first half, we were following the game plan and everyone was playing hard. But we weren’t going to be completely satisfied until the clock hit zero.”
Leading scorers for UHS were Gavin Yondura and Antonio Mascaro. Junior goalie A.J. Adams had 13 saves from the Patriots. His 13 saves earned him game MVP.
“We knew it was going to be a fight to the end,” said Houk. “We told the guys all year and all week that they had to compete hard for 48 minutes and if they did that they should trust that they’re gonna come out on top. And it worked out for us.”