YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Lees-McRae men's lacrosse battled Barton this afternoon in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Lacrosse Championship on the campus of Young Harris College. The Bulldogs earned the 15-12 championship victory over the Bobcats.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 4 Barton – 15, No. 2 Lees-McRae – 12
LOCATION: YHC Soccer and Lacrosse Field – Young Harris, Georgia
RECORDS: No. 4 Barton (10-7/5-3); Lees-McRae (11-6/7-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Carter Whissell answered an opening goal by Barton 17 seconds later off a pass from Cayden Onagi. Cole Morris gave the Bobcats the 2-1 lead with a goal at the 5:06 mark of the first quarter.
- Lees-McRae evened the score at 3-3 with another from Morris at the end of the first period.
- The Bobcats regained the 5-4 advantage after goals from Onagi and Adam Ross. Lees-McRae led 5-4 at the halftime break.
- Barton started the second half on a 3-0 scoring run and held the 7-5 lead. The Bulldogs added to their lead and built the margin to 12-7 off a goal from Jimi Carter.
- Lees-McRae trailed by six goals with 2:39 remaining, but the Bobcats cut the deficit in half with 47 seconds remaining at 15-12.
- Barton collected the championship by a final of 15-12.
- Onagi led the Bobcats with three goals and three assists on the day. Ross contributed three goals and one assist. Whissell ended the day with a hat trick.
- Cam Domanowski had two caused turnovers in the contest and Alex Epple made 13 saves in goal.
- Morris, Onagi, and Ross earned All-Tournament Team honors after the championship final.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae concluded its historic season on Sunday and finished the season with the most wins in program history.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
