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It’s #1 vs #2 for the 2012 State Championship
Posted 6/1/2012 8:03:56 AM
by Jamie Considine
#1 seed Loyola Academy Ramblers (15-0) square off against #2 seed Lake Forest Scouts (17-2) in the 2012 IHSLA State Championship finals tomorrow evening at 6:00PM at Palatine High School. This year will mark the seventh straight finals appearance for Loyola Academy, but this time they are looking to regain their championship form after six years of receiving the runner-up trophy. Lake Forest earns its first appearance in the State Championship finals since 1998.
Loyola Academy perpetuates its elite status among Midwest high school lacrosse programs. This year’s team received an Under Armour #5 ranking in the Midwest which encompasses a ten-state region including Michigan and Ohio. They are eight-time IHSLA State Champions which includes a three-year win streak spanning the years from 2002 to 2004. They have had 18 appearances in the IHSLA State Championship finals since 1990.
This year, the Ramblers earned the IHSLA tournament #1 seed for the second year in a row. They defeated #16 Glenbard West in the first round, they beat a strong #8 Lyons Township team in the second round, and they easily handled #4 Wheaton Warrenville South in the semi-finals with a 5-goal win. The Ramblers and the Scouts met once before during the regular season, and Loyola came out on top 7-3.
Lake Forest returns to the State Championship finals after a 14-year drought, but this year’s team can muster up inspiration from tradition. The Scouts were the first ever IHSLA State Champions in 1988 and they earned five state titles in that first decade of Illinois high school lacrosse. En route to the Championship final, Lake Forest easily defeated Hinsdale Central in the first round of playoffs, then dispatched Glenbrook North in the second round, and contained the powerful offense of the Waubonsie Valley Warriors in the semi-finals.
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