Starr’s Mill Panthers boys lacrosse dominated the Whitewater Wildcats on Tuesday night, winning 17-3. The win secures the area’s top spot for the Panthers.

Junior Anderson Cardoza led the team with five goals. Junior Taylor Ratinaud scored four times and junior Conor Stone had a hat trick of his own. Fellow juniors Ethan Bramblett, Josh Murdock, and Kaden Smith, sophomore Henry Pettit, and freshman Tanner Via each scored a goal.

Starr’s Mill went up 2-0 in the first three minutes of the game. Whitewater cut the lead in half before junior Anderson Cardoza scored twice and increased the lead to 4-1.   

In the second quarter, Starr’s Mill scored five consecutive goals. Ratinaud scored twice, while Stone, Murdock, and Pettit each added a goal. The Panthers led 9-1 at halftime.

“Rivalry is always good games,” head coach Jeff Schmidlkofer said.“[Whitewater] coach Rod does a good job. They have a good team. We were just a little bit better tonight, a little bit more solid.”

Starr’s Mill netted six goals in the third quarter to seemingly put the game out of reach at 15-1.

In the final quarter, Stone and Ratinaud added to the lead, while Whitewater scored twice. At the final horn, the Panthers defeated the Wildcast 17-3 and sealed the area’s top spot.  

“Our team has been working on moving the ball fast, working off ball, our cuts and just playing together as a team,” Ratinaud said. 

No games are scheduled for the Panthers over spring break. Starr’s Mill hosts McIntosh on April 10.