The Ridge Meadows Burrards once again flexed their lacrosse prowess at the recent Minor Box Lacrosse Nationals, which took place in Saskatchewan.
Male and female teams ranging from U13 to U22 competed, with Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows included on nearly every one of the Team BC squads.
The youngest B.C. teams both saw success at nationals, with the U13 Girls team getting to the finals against Team Ontario, in part thanks to the hard work of Burrards Chloe Johns and Charlotte McNabb, who notched seven and six points, respectively. They were able to grind out a 5-2 win against the Ontario team, giving the young girls the national title.
The U13 Boys team also found themselves in the final against Team Ontario. But unlike the girls, they were unfortunately not able to get the win, instead taking silver after a 5-3 loss, despite points being put up by Burrards Ari Foreman and Ashton Lupul.
It was a high-scoring finale in the U15 Boys gold medal game, with Team BC not quite able to secure the national title after a close 7-6 loss to Team Ontario.
Their U15 Girls counterparts saw the inverse happen in the final match, with Team BC getting the 3-2 win over the Ontario team, thanks to assists from locals Brooklyn Alexander and Ashleigh Rope.
The oldest B.C. boys team also brought home a national title after a tightly contested 7-6 win against Team Ontario, which had to be settled in overtime after Cody Todd put up two goals and an assist to help hold back the U17 Ontario squad.
The U17 Girls also became national champions after a dominant 7-3 win over Team Alberta, which included points from Burrards Cadence Sironen, Ashlyn Laity, Paige Downey, and Kalle Cooper.
The U22 Girls squad didn't fare as well against Team Alberta, suffering a 5-1 loss in the finals, earning them silver.
Ridge Meadows Minor Lacrosse Association president Tyson Craiggs said he was incredibly proud of all of the Burrards who competed in this year's box lacrosse nationals.
"It was a very exciting week of showcasing our Burrards athletes on the national stage," said Craiggs.
"I am very proud to say that in many cases they were the leaders on these Team BC teams. That is a testament to the coaching and leadership we have here in our program."
