Plano East head boys’ lacrosse coach Matt Hannah lifts the THSLL Class C state championship in the air Sunday at Highlander Stadium. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
UNIVERSITY PARK – The way the first half ended could have been disastrous for the Plano East boys’ lacrosse team.
With time winding down and Plano East in possession during a tie game, the Panthers not only failed to get a shot on goal, but they also threw the ball out of bounds despite facing no resistance from George Ranch. The Longhorns capitalized, pushing up the field after a quick reset and scoring the go-ahead goal with nine seconds left.
For Plano East head coach Matt Hannah, the timing of the goal was the only upside. The late score gave the Panthers a chance to regroup during the halftime break just moments later.
Thanks to a dominant second half in which the Panthers outscored the Longhorns 8-3, Plano East rallied for a 15-11 victory at Highlander Stadium on Sunday morning to claim the Texas High School Lacrosse League Class C state championship—its first state title since the early 2000s.
Sunday’s win capped off an impressive turnaround for the Panthers. A year ago, Plano East finished with a 4-10 record—though four of those losses were by just one goal.
With an experienced roster of juniors and seniors this season, Plano East overcame those close losses, posted an 11-3 overall record and captured the program’s first state title in two decades.
“The guys have been playing together for a while,” Hannah said. “The juniors and seniors on the team have been playing together for three or four years. We have players that have the ability to take over games, and they just decided that they wanted it this year.”
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