LAKE PLACID – What do you get when you are able to pick from some of the best young lacrosse players that can be found anywhere, form them into a team and take that team to Lake Placid?

In the case of FCA, the answer is another championship in the 27th annual Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament that’s taking place at the North Elba athletic fields.

On Wednesday, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, or FCA, notched its third 2017/2018 Gold Division title in as many years, topping Sweetlax 16-8 in the matchup between the two top squads in the tournament’s boys scholastic divisions.

FCA, which is mainly comprised of rising high school seniors who have all committed to play lacrosse at the NCAA Division I level, held a 9-6 edge at halftime and then broke the game wide open after the intermission. After a close opening half, FCA notched three unanswered goals to begin the second half and was never threatened the rest of the way.

In five games played since Monday, FCA posted a 5-0 mark while outscoring its opponents 67-10. Over the past three years, the club, which loads up with the nations top young talent each summer, has gone 15-0 and has netted 179 goals while giving up 48.

“Our coach has a great relationship with a lot of players around the country, and a lot of coaches, and he did a did a good job pulling together a great team,” said FCA’s Thomas Tenney, who was named his team’s most outstanding player in the championship match. “I think everybody really loved each other on this team and everybody played really well together. When you win the championship game 16-8, you’re doing something right.

“I only knew a few kids when we first got together this week,” added Tenney, who will attend the Hill Academy in Canada for his senior year and then plans to move on to play lacrosse at the University of Denver. “When there’s this much skill, and a great IQ, it makes it pretty easy for every player to click, and it makes for a really good time, too. We moved the ball, kept our heads up. We’ve just got so much skill on the field, we did everything.”

Drew Wardlow, an assistant coach for FCA who hails from Maryland, said the club began putting this team together during October.

“Our first practice was on Sunday afternoon, our first game was on Monday,” Wardlow said. “All these guys are very good players and we knew it. It was just a matter of becoming a team. We took the team here to win a championship. Our guys are really athletic, they worked very hard. We told the guys that we wanted to be the toughest team every time we went out there. “

In addition to competing, FCA’s players did get to enjoy some time away from the field as a group during their stay in the Adirondacks.

“I think what sets us apart is our off-the-field experience where we focus on character and teamwork,” Wardlow said. “I think that’s really appealing to these kids. We do one or two bible studies a day. We did some cliff jumping, miniature golf. We do team meals together. We stay in the dorms together. I’ve been coming to Lake Placid for 10 years, and we’ve done this every year.”

Wednesday’s game marked the third straight summer that FCA and Sweetlax have collided in the Gold championship game at the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament, with FCA coming away with an 8-7 win in the final a year ago.

FCA left Lake Placid with two titles this year, as the club’s Super Sophomore team also finished at 5-0, including a 15-1 victory over the CNY Roadhawks in Wednesday’s 2017/2018 Silver Division final.

In girls action, the Baby Blues, a team of players who have committed to suit up for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, won the High School Gold Division with a 12-7 triumph over the Incredibles in another championship matchup Wednesday.

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Summit Lacrosse Classic

Scholastic Champions

Boys

2017-2018 Gold – FCA National

2017-2018 Silver – FCA Lacrosse Super Soph

2017-2018 Bronze – Adirondack Northmen

2019-2021 Gold – Sweetlax

2019-2021 Silver – Catamounts Tan

Girls

High School Gold – Baby Blues 4-1

High School Silver – Lady Roadhawks 5-0

High School Bronze – Mass Elite White 5-0

2020-2021 – M&D Black 5-0

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