The Meridian High School boys’ lacrosse team was without key contributors Colin Williams and Cruz Ruoff and gave up the first two goals on Thursday night, but they fought back to beat John Champe 15-8.
After his program’s best season in school history last spring, head coach Will Stewart wanted to make sure his Meridian Mustangs would be battle-tested early and often to build on their success in 2026. Meridian’s first four games of the season came against three consecutive Class 6 schools, and then a Class 4 opponent in John Champe on the second night of a back-to-back.
Meridian beat Freedom 11-10 in overtime on Wednesday, but the tireless Mustangs didn’t need any rest to keep their perfect start going. After falling behind 0-2, Lucas Bachman and Hayden Kusic brought the home team back even, and then Keaton Grace gave the Mustangs their first lead later in the opening frame. It was 5-3 after a quarter and 8-4 at the half, with Jack Moore, the overtime hero from the night before, scoring three goals prior to the intermission.
The Mustangs extended their advantage to 13-5 after three quarters before ultimately winning by seven. Moore and Kusic each had four tallies, while Cubban Langford added three and Grace scored twice.
Meridian improves to 4-0 on the season with the win, with all four wins coming against quality non-District opponents.
“We don’t back down from bigger schools,” Stewart said postgame. “This group has a belief in each other and they’re building an identity.” The Mustangs’ gauntlet of a schedule will continue against Fairfax on April 8th. Until then, the boys will be able to get lots of much-needed rest as they enjoy their spring break.
