Patriots lacrosse finishes season with state title

May 29, 2026

Pinecrest girls lacrosse capped off a perfect season by winning the program’s first-ever state championship at Lenoir-Rhyne University, defeating Apex 9-7 on Friday.

The Patriots entered the championship game as the top seed in the West with a 21-0 record. On the other side, undefeated Apex came in as the top seed from the East at 20-0. It was a matchup of two unbeaten teams with a title on the line.

Before the game, sophomore Cameron Haracz was recognized with the NCHSAA Sportsmanship Award for Pinecrest, honoring her leadership and character throughout the season.

Apex came out fast, scoring four goals in the opening eight minutes to put Pinecrest on its heels early. After the fourth goal, Head Coach Jackie Page called a timeout to calm her team down.

“I just told them championships are not won in the first quarter,” said Page.

The timeout completely changed the momentum of the game. Coming out of the break, Pinecrest responded with six unanswered goals to take the lead, and they never gave it back.

“I knew we were going to win,” said senior Peyton Page. “It was never a question for me; we just needed to breathe.”

Freshman Virginia Sutton led the way offensively and was named the State Championship MVP after scoring five goals in the win. The award was voted on by members of the media covering the championship game. Peyton Page added one goal, freshman Anna Page scored two, and Eden Whitfield added another for the Patriots.

“I didn’t believe the coach when she came in three years ago and told us we would win a state championship in three years,” said Peyton Page. “Now here we are.”

The title marks the first state championship in school history for Pinecrest girls lacrosse and continues the sport’s rise across Moore County. This title also becomes the third in a row for Moore County.

~Article by Curtis Self, a Sandhills Sentinel reporter and owner of Moore Daily Sports. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.