The Bishop Ireton boys’ lacrosse team won the 2002 Independent Lacrosse Tournament (TILT) Division II Championship on May 18 in Charlottesville.

Ireton, coached by Joe Redding, defeated Virginia Episcopal School (Lynchburg) 17-3 for the state title. It was the Cardinals first lacrosse title since 1987.

Ireton defeated Highland School (Warrenton) 12-11 in the semi-finals and Seton Manassas) 16-9 in the quarterfinals.

"We played very well against Virginia Episcopal," said Redding. "They couldn't stay with our offense and our defense smothered them.

"These three games were the culmination of the entire year," said senior Dan Redding. "Everyone came together and really played their best game versus Virginia Episcopal."

"Our defense really came to play in these three games. I was proud of the fact that I was able to limit their top scorer to just one goal," said senior defender Anthony Cargiulo.

Ireton finished the regular season 11-7 overall (3-4 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. However, after five postseason games, the Cardinals dramatically improved their overall record to 15-8, its best mark in nearly a decade.

In the conference quarterfinals, Ireton, seeded fifth, upended fourth-seeded Bishop O’Connell 9-8 in Arlington.

In the conference semi-finals, Ireton played a valiant game but lost 17-8 to top-seeded DeMatha in Hyattsville. DeMatha defeated St. John’s 17-8 in the title game May 15.

The Cardinals used a combination of skilled veterans and talented underclassmen.

The team’s six seniors -- Redding, Cargiulo, Jack Delaney, James Schieffer, Nick Delaware and Adam Frietas - had a combined 20 seasons of varsity experience. Redding, Cargiulo, Delaney and Schieffer were captains.

Delaney led the team with 66 goals/38 assists. Redding had 46/60 and junior Pat Cicere had 39/18.

The defense was led by junior defender George Giammittorio, Cargiulo and junior Mike Bury.

The trio of James Schieffer, junior Gabe LeMois and sophomore Nino Sita split time and turned in one of the finest seasons at goaltender in Ireton history. Juniors Dave Lynch, Kevin Spaulding and Samson Cheng also logged some key minutes at midfield.

"Once we beat Good Counsel, we knew we could play with just about anybody in the conference," said Dan Redding.

"We started the season with some inexperience, but by the end of the year everything came together," said Delaney. "The highlight of my four varsity seasons was winning the state title."

"The players worked diligently during the off-season in the weight room and with their conditioning," said head coach Redding. "Everyone on the team had a role to play. Everyone knew what their jobs were. The team really blended well together by the midpoint of the season, and by the end of the year things really started to click. There's a lot of very good players returning next season."

Redding said he plans on coaching for a number of years to come.