CARY –  Senior Nick Forbes scored the winning goal in sudden death overtime to lift Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons to an exciting 13-12 victory over Waxhaw Marvin Ridge on Saturday afternoon in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's state men's 1-A/2-A/3-A lacrosse championship at WakeMed Soccer Park.
     Gibbons dominated possession in the overtime, taking several shots and then forcing Maverick turnovers when Marvin Ridge finally got the ball, before Forbes found the back of the net for the game winner. The Crusader standout had a monster game with four goals and seven assists and was named the championship Most Valuable Player.
      Marvin Ridge led 8-6 at halftime but Gibbons scored two goals in the first minute of the third quarter and then took the lead with 7:22 left in the period.  The Mavericks came back to lead by three in the fourth quarter before Gibbons battled back again, getting the equalizer by Mark Schachte on a great pass from Forbes with just 22 seconds remaining to force overtime. 
      For the game Gibbons had 47 shots, 25 on goal, to 32 for the Mavericks with 17 on goal.  Gibbons also had a huge 48-23 edge in ground balls.  
      Another key to the Cardinal Gibbons victory was the play of Stephen Albright on face offs in the second half, as he won 12 of 13 after halftime.
      Schachte scored five goals for the winners, with Forbes assisting on all five of those goals.  Camden Porta led the Marvin Ridge scoring with three goals while Shane Hanlon, Jared Blum and Jack Rich had two each.  Blum also had two assists.
      Gibbons, winning its second straight NCHSAA men’s lacrosse title, ended the season with a 17-4 record and has been in the playoffs in every year the NCHSAA has had lacrosse. The Crusaders also have a postseason record of 17-4 all-time and made their third trip to the championship.
      Marvin Ridge wound up 18-2 in its second straight trip to the finals, having lost to Gibbons 11-8 in last year’s final.
      This was the second year in the six-year history of NCHSAA men’s lacrosse playoffs that there were championships, with a separate 4-A final and then the 1-A/2-A/3-A championship.

NCHSAA STATE 1-A/2-A/3-A MEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK, CARY
                                                     OT
Cardinal Gibbons    3    3    3    3    1– 13
Marvin Ridge           4    4    2    2    0– 12