Spartans rally past Manual to advance in state tourney

Published 10:31 am Sunday, May 18, 2025

By Micheal Compton

The South Warren boys’ lacrosse team was able to take every punch it got from DuPont Manual in Saturday’s state quarterfinal match at South Warren High School.

The Spartans played from behind for the first three quarters, before finally taking control early in the fourth – surviving a late surge to hold on for the 11-10 victory over the Crimsons.

“We were playing very tight to start the game,” SW coach Dale Bird said. “You could tell nerves were a big part of it. … Once we finally took a couple point lead, the boys felt like yeah we can do this. Before it was a mental game.”

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Manual (13-8) wasted little time getting on the board, with Charles Rose scoring 34 seconds into the match. Rose scored again midway through the second to put the Crimsons up two after one quarter.

South Warren (8-5) scored with 10:22 left in the second, when Mason Black drew the keeper out and fired a pass to Haydon Bird who was able to score uncontested. It was the first goal DuPont Manual allowed in four postseason games.

“They keep you from the getting the ball on offense,” Dale Bird said. “They were really successful with that in this tournament. They were successful today. I think we were just able to capitalize a couple of times on some fast breaks. My guys saw the ball get into the back of the net and realized that could happen.”

DuPont Manual only needed 11 seconds to answer, with Liam Johnson scoring off an assist from Yisak Korssa. Austin Kitchens scored with 8:28 left in the half to once again trim the deficit to one, but Johnson scored twice in an 18-second span to push the advantage out to 5-2.

South Warren responded with three goals in the final five minutes of the half – one from Black and two from Haydon Bird to tie it.

“It was really going their way,” Haydon Bird said. “We weren’t getting all the 50/50 balls. The second quarter I wasn’t happy with it and I stepped up and found that extra gear. I wanted to win for me and my teammates. I wanted it for everybody. I couldn’t let us go down like this.”

Once again Manual got the lead back with Roehn Dye scoring with 55 seconds left in the half – allowing the Crimsons to hold a 6-5 halftime lead.

Haydon Bird tied it again in the opening minute of the third, but Manual scored twice to regain an 8-6 advantage midway through the quarter.

The Spartans cut the deficit to 8-7 on a breakaway from Haydon Bird late in the third.

Haydon Bird tied it off an assist from Sid Stewart 34 seconds into the fourth. One minute later, Stewart scored off an assist from Kitchens – giving the Spartans their first lead of the day.

Black and Haydon Bird added goals to push the advantage to 11-8 with 3:17 remaining, but DuPont Manual had one final surge.

Dye scored with 57 seconds left to trim the deficit to two. The Crimsons added another goal with 28 seconds left and had a chance to tie with a shot right at SW keeper Cody Woods, who made the save with four seconds left to allow South Warren to hold on and advance.

“I knew time was winding down,” Cody Woods said. “I knew it was a one-score game. I knew I had to go out there and make a save for the game. I wasn’t really thinking about it at the moment, that it would be the last save of the game, but I saw and looked at the clock when I made it and was like, ‘I just won us the game.’ ”

Woods added the comeback win was a microcosm of South Warren’s season.

“I think it kind of resembles how our whole season has gone,” Cody Woods said. “In the preseason one of our players, one of our starters got hurt. We were looking really good going into the season, had really high hopes, and then we got hurt. We started with a loss at Bowling Green, but we came back and kept fighting and got better. We finally got everyone healthy and came out on top.”

And Saturday’s win is one that Dale Bird believes will be an important moment for this young program.

“Being the first year for KHSAA, I feel like honestly we have to soak it up a little bit,” Dale Bird said. “Right now it really hasn’t settled in that we are traveling north on Monday to go play in the final four. We are a young team and I hope it gives them a ton of energy in the offseason to continue to work and try to get more players to join the program.”

South Warren will face Louisville Trinity in the state semifinals at 4 p.m. CDT on Monday at Collins High School.

About Micheal Compton

I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.

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