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Albemarle smashes Stafford

Albemarle High brought back a lot of offensive firepower this season, and it didn’t take the Patriots long to let that show.

In their season opener against Stafford, the Patriots jumped out to an eight-goal lead in the first quarter on their way to an 18-2 victory.

“The critical thing was, being our first game and a lot of nerves, was to be poised,” said Albemarle coach Pat McAdams. “We played with poise, we didn’t lose our heads, we didn’t try and do too much, and, lo, and behold, we had a lot of great goals.”

John Chandler ignited the offense, dishing out five assists while scoring two goals in the first half. The sophomore moved the ball well through the offense, finding teammates throughout the half.

“He’s developed physically and he’s just part of a great unit up there,” McAdams said. “It’s just a matter of everybody finding their rhythm and timing, and we did that today.”

The rest of that attack unit wasn’t too shabby either Billy Crist also got in on the act with a pair of goals and two assists, while Ryan McCollough chipped in two goals and an assist of his own. Crist and McCollough’s goals and assists all came in the first half.

A midfielder though, Jervon Speller, led the Patriots with a hat trick, showcasing improved stickhandling to go with his incredible speed that made him an important defender last year. Turning Speller’s speed into an offensive threat should pay big dividends for an already potent Albemarle squad.

“All I know is I hate guarding him in practice,” said Albemarle’s Dalton Stokes. “He gets a running start and you’re like, ‘who’s got my help.’ He’s improved a lot since last year — this year he’s putting them in on offense. He’s producing, and it’s going to be scary.”

Part of the reason the offense looked so strong is the fact that the Patriots had the ball so much. Stokes and a couple of other Patriots dominated on the faceoff to the tune of a 17-5 advantage in that statistical category. That should help alleviate worries about losing faceoff specialist Ari Eglot to graduation.

“That’s how I made J.V. as an eighth grader, facing off, and I just kept it up,” Stokes said. “Following behind Ari, I picked up a lot from him.”

Albemarle also held a 42-28 advantage on ground balls and took 35 shots to the Indians’ 11. Austin Sigler opened the game in goal and only had to make a pair of saves during his stretch in the cage.

The game served as a strong tune-up for a big-time early season contest this Friday against St. Christopher’s on the road. Taking the field against a solid private school squad should give the Patriots a good idea of where they stand right now.

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