TP Dominates LCC 18-4 to win 6th Straight CIF Title.

From Don Norcross, 5/17/24
San Diego Union Tribune

“Torrey Pines routs rival La Costa Canyon for CIF San Diego Section boys lacrosse title“

The most hated CIF San Diego Section boys lacrosse team resides at 3710 Del Mar Heights Road: Torrey Pines High School. 

Winning — and winning and winning and winning — elicits such vitriol.

Well, the Falcons heaped on even more hatred on Friday night at Del Norte High School. Torrey Pines hammered rival La Costa Canyon 18-4 to win its sixth straight Open Division championship.

Of the venom his team draws, Torrey Pines head coach Jono Zissi said: “I think it’s a mixture of envy, sort of jealousy and fear of the unknown.”

Here’s what is known: Torrey wasted no time exerting its will against LCC, then continued playing in a ruthless, cold, no-holds-barred fashion.

Just 104 seconds into the match, Falcons senior midfielder Matthew Mannarino rolled across the center of the field and let loose with a bouncing left-handed shot from 10 yards that split goalie Boaz Brown’s legs for the game’s first goal.

“To start a game off like that, for me, it gets my adrenaline going,” said Mannarino, who’s bound for Rutgers and led Torrey with four goals. “And it gets the team fired up.”

Mannarino (28 goals) is Torrey’s second leading scorer. Barely two minutes later, the Falcons’ leading scorer, John Prior (39 goals), found net. By the end of the first quarter it was 4-0.

With 7:22 to play in the second quarter the lead doubled to 8-0. By halftime it was 11-1.

“Quite frankly, at halftime,” said Mannarino, “I’ve never seen a team so mentally locked in.”

Locked in? Faceoff specialist Foster Huang won the third-quarter draw, cradled the ball down the field and from about 10 yards rifled a shot into the net. Elapsed time: eight seconds. Huang won 22 of 25 faceoffs.

“It’s easy to score when you always have the ball,” said Mannarino.

Here’s how dominant Torrey was:

• With 10:17 to play in the third quarter, Prior put the Falcons up 13-1. The final 22:17 was played with a running clock.

• Lacrosse has been a sanctioned sport in the San Diego Section since 2002. Torrey’s 14-goal romp was the largest ever in a final, beating the previous largest rout of 10 goals.

• LCC had a two-man advantage in the third quarter, and didn’t score.

• No. 1-seeded Torrey finished the season 17-3. All three losses came against teams from outside the section. The Falcons were 12-0 against local teams, outscoring them 195-58.

The loss was a bitter one for LCC (13-6), which played the Falcons much tougher in the regular season, losing 12-8. Torrey Pines has beaten its rival 13 of the last 14 times they’ve met.

La Costa Canyon coach Dallas Hartley returned to lead the team this season after winning four section titles during his run from 2003-10.

“I did a very poor job of preparing my team to have success in this game,” said Hartley. “It has nothing to do with (the players). This one’s on the coach.”

Eight players scored for Torrey. Prior (bound for Army), Ryland Roach (University of Massachusetts) and Ross Jacobsen scored three goals. 

In Tuesday’s semifinals, Torrey Pines twice came from three goals down to beat Bishop’s 11-9. Zissi said his team’s intensity against LCC was a credit to Bishop’s.

Said the head coach, who celebrated his seventh Open title, “It was like, “Guys, no more wake-up calls.’”

As for Torrey playing the villain, Mannarino savors the role.

“I love it. I love it,” he said. “Every game’s the Super Bowl for the other team. I love having a target on my back.”