The Hammer drove home an important point for the Smoky Hill boys lacrosse team: this season is different.
A year after a 16-goal loss to rival Eaglecrest with the sledgehammer traveling trophy at stake, the Buffaloes proved to themselves that they’d taken the steps necessary to become competitive.
A rousing 5-4 victory over Eaglecrest on March 27 at frigid Legacy Stadium landed Smoky Hill the Hammer for the first time since 2017 and illustrated a true metamorphosis.
“I think how far we’ve come showed a lot when the game came down to the wire and we were fired up when it mattered,” Smoky Hill head coach Logan Booth said. “It’s a different mentality than in previous years. It was good for them to understand that now, we can hang with certain teams. That is what helped us get the victory in the end.”
It was a true measuring stick moment for the Buffaloes, who 366 days earlier walked off the field after a 17-1 loss to the Raptors and had to hand over the traveling trophy for a seventh straight time.
Senior attackman Max McDougall remembers the defeat vividly.
“Last year was horrific, definitely a rough night for everyone and very defeating,” he recalled. “We had that mentality like we couldn’t compete with them and it crushed us completely. The mindset going into this year was that we are hungry and they’ve taken this from us for too long. We have a group of guys who have already had a historic season and we know our offense and defense can fire on all cylinders. This is our year to do it.”
Indeed it was, as McDougall scored three goals and fellow senior Jason Jaster had the other two, while senior goalie Grady Baker and an experienced defense locked things down on the other end of the field of a game played in cold and gale force winds.
Not ready to let the Hammer go easily, the Raptors roared back from a four-goal deficit to forge a late tie, but the Buffaloes got the go-ahead score and held on to finalize the cathartic victory.
“I remember losing (the Hammer game) freshman and sophomore year and saying ‘we’re going to get it back one day,” Baker said. “That day was this year. I’m so proud of it. We played our butts off.”
Added senior defender Wyatt Foster, a team captain with Baker: “We got obliterated last year — that’s the best way to say it — and getting the Hammer seemed unreachable. It was rough, but when I was out there getting it this year with Grady, it was like all the work we put in…it’s ours now. It was surreal holding it.”
The Hammer victory might have been the biggest highlight of some seasons past for Smoky Hill, but it is just one of them so far this season.
The Buffaloes have chopped down program history in the early going with a 7-2 start that has them already with the most wins since the 2012-13 campaign, which happens to be the last time the program had a winning record and qualified for the postseason.
Both of those achievements are well within range for this Smoky Hill team, which is currently ranked No. 11 in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 4A seeding index (which determines the state tournament field). It’s only two losses through games of April 13 came to 4A Nos. 1 and 2 Lutheran and Air Academy.
Both of those teams are undefeated and the Buffaloes trailed the potent Kadets just 3-2 at halftime before falling 13-2.
Chemistry and experience have loomed heavily in Smoky Hill’s turnaround.
Defense is where both are most obvious this season, as the Buffaloes have an outstanding netminder in Baker (a Carthage College recruit), plus a defensive group of seniors Foster, Luis Macias and Kyle Hess — plus junior long stick middie Asher Cutler — that has an outstanding connection.
The group has yielded an average of 6.7 goals per game this season, which is a marked drop from the bar of 10.2 per game a year ago.
“I’ve been playing with every single defender since I was freshman and that really helps with our chemistry,” Foster said. “We know exactly our playing style and our communication and slides are all on point because we’ve been playing together for so long. It also helps that these guys are my best friends outside of lacrosse, so that helps us succeed on the field.”
McDougall, who is tied with fellow senior Sam Dewit with 20 goals apiece, notes great unselfishness and connection as well on the offensive, which has five double-digit goal scorers thus far.
“We like to let everyone eat,” McDougall said. “Everyone gets a touch, everyone gets to dodge. We don’t have a single person that does everything. It’s a lot of eating and at the same time, it’s a lot of chemistry. I think that’s what sets us apart.”
How it has all come together has the Buffaloes anticipating a postseason reward, though they remained focused on a game to game basis for the remainder of the regular season.
“Making it to the playoffs would be big for this group,” Booth said. “Seeing them believe that we can play with these top teams and that we can make it has been really fun to see.”
Added Baker: “It would mean everything (making the playoffs) and it would be the John Hancock on our season. Twenty-six teams make it to the playoffs and every single one of them earn their way there. We want to be one of those 26.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
