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Roswell and Buford didn’t waste any time in putting together a matchup between a pair of defending Georgia state champions.
The Wolves won the Division 3 state title last year in overtime on a goal from Drew Maloney (Team 91 Long Island / Syracuse). The Hornets countered with their second straight state title in Division 2. Naturally, the two decided to link up for a Valentine’s Day showdown this year. It gave both teams the opportunity to lay claim to being the best team in the state.
Roswell didn’t leave any doubt Friday night. Thunder 2026 and Jacksonville commit Kaden Parla was the star of the show. The junior lefty attackman buried seven goals and added two assists to lead the Hornets to a 17-10 rout of the Wolves.
“Seven goals is definitely the best performance I’ve ever had,” Parla said. “I knew I had a good matchup going into the game. I just thought that I was going to have to play well. It was a big game and I just had to do my part.”
“… Knowing We’re the Best Team in the State”
Buford jumped out to a 3-0 lead, led by a picturesque snipe from senior Peyton Riddle. The run startled Roswell a little bit, but Parla knew that the Hornets could cook offensively once it got the ball. Backed by a 18-for-25 day at the faceoff stripe from junior Jack Dowdy, the Hornets dominated possession, and those possessions quickly started to turn into goals.
“We just knew that when we got the ball, they wouldn’t be able to stop our offense,” Parla said. “This definitely does give us a lot of momentum going into the later games of the season, knowing that we’re the best team in the state.”
Junior Jackson Hardwick scored a hat trick and added two assists in the win. Roswell also got two goals and an assist from both sophomore Linkin Miller and sophomore Blake O’Neal. O’Neal also collected six ground balls and won four of seven faceoffs for the Hornets. Roswell is coached by Thunder director Bryan Wallace, who recently found out that he’ll be inducted into the Georgia Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Four-star junior Ohio State verbal Kamden Clack (Team 91 Georgia) paced the Wolves with six goals.
Check out the NLF’s game highlights in the video player above. Highlights are courtesy of Reed Mackey.
