PARKER | The Ponderosa boys lacrosse team may not have the same personnel it had when it won the Class 4A state championship last season, but Grandview still came away pleased with its tight victory over the Mustangs Wednesday.
Coming up with key plays over and over when needed in a see-saw fourth period, the Wolves came away with an 11-10 road victory at Sports Authority Stadium over a team that beat them by four goals a year ago.
Junior attackman Josh Melton put his Grandview team ahead twice in the decisive final period and his goal with 3 minutes, 45 seconds, remaining stood up as the game-winner. Melton finished with four goals and a pair of assists and junior Cooper Snowbarger tallied four goals and three assists for the Wolves, who improved to 6-2 on the season.
Under first-year coach Patrick Chapla, Grandview has already matched its win total for 2014 with seven regular season games remaining.
The Wolves got the win by coming through in the clutch in the fourth period, which began with the teams tied at 7-7.
Knotted up again at 8-8, Melton scored to give Grandview a lead it would hold for just a minute.
Snowbarger scored to give the Wolves a 10-9 edge and the left-handed Melton ripped a shot into the net for his team-leading 25th goal of the season with 3:45 remaining. Grandview held the ball as long as it could, but a turnover led to a rare Ponderosa score on the break and a one-goal game with 1:05 left.
The Wolves successfully kept possession the rest of the game.
Chapla lauded the performance of junior Spencer Ederhoff, a midfielder who was asked to pick up the long stick against Ponderosa and excelled.
Grandview travels to Aspen on Thursday and plays Aspen at 4 p.m. Friday.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW 11, PONDEROSA 10
Score by periods:
Grandview 2 3 2 4 — 11
Ponderosa 3 1 3 3 — 10
Grandview goals: Josh Melton 4, Cooper Snowbarger 4, Ben Warren 2, Ryland Clay; Grandview assists: Snowbarger 3, Melton 2, Dylan Lander, Steven Palmer; Grandview saves: Parker Reid (15 shots on goal-5 saves)
