Defeating Fort Mill and starting 2-0 in region puts Nation Ford lacrosse on SC radar

The Nation Ford boys’ lacrosse team is off to a great start in its 2021 season.

The Falcons — the preseason No. 8 team among SCHSL 5A teams, per InsideLacrosse.com — are currently sporting an overall record of 4-1, and they are perfect at 2-0 in region play.

Head coach Cory Turner is in his first season at the helm of the Falcons’ program. Turner brings a lot of experience with him: He was recently the head lacrosse coach at Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and before that, he served as an assistant coach at Nation Ford for two years (2012-13) — all the while starting and sustaining the Fort Mill Fury lacrosse program.

Turner said he’s liked what he’s seen from this team thus far.

“This young team has shown very quickly that they are ready for the challenge that lies ahead the rest of this year,” said Turner. “They have worked hard from the opening practice session.”

The Falcons opened the season with a 15-4 loss to Providence Day but rebounded with a 9-6 win over Myers Park. The next two outings produced region victories: They toppled Boiling Springs, 14-4, and then beat 2019 state champion Fort Mill by a count of 13-4. They continued the winning streak by toppling Catawba Ridge, 10-5, this past Thursday night.

The win over cross town rival Fort Mill was huge for the team, Turner said.

“We had gradually improved since we started practice, and the improvement carried into the season,” he said. “The win over a very good Fort Mill team let our players understand that they are capable of doing well. It also gave them a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Turner has been pleased with how well the players have picked up the new system he has installed, he said. The coach said his team’s goal is to win the region and to “work hard every day.”

“Our defense has really played well, and I think that they have surprised people in the early going,” he added. “There is plenty of talent on offense. They are starting to get it together, but that takes time to develop.”

Turner counts on senior Ty Keaton, junior Tyler Demarco and sophomore Owen Ameo for leadership on offense. His top performers on defense are senior George Coffey, junior Callan Sobas and sophomore goalie Owen Collette. He has also gotten good play thus far from senior midfielder Ryan Walczak.

The need for constant change is also evident, Turner said, particularly now that more wins brings a larger target on the team’s proverbial back.

“Most importantly,” Turner said, “we need to continue to work hard. We do not need to get complacent.”