Stankavage wills Ardrey Kell past Hoggard for 8A boys lacrosse title

HICKORY, N.C. — Someone in the 2026 N.C. High School Athletic Association 8A boys lacrosse state championship was going to emerge as a first-time state champion.

Ardrey Kell received the honors over Hoggard, winning 12-11 in overtime.

The program’s first state championship required a heroic performance from game MVP Cole Stankavage. The junior scored the game-winning goal 55 seconds into overtime, which was his eighth of the game. Stankavage is a 5-star prospect and UNC commit.

• View Photos: Hoggard vs. Ardrey Kell (May 29, 2026). HSOT Insiders can download championship photos for free. Here's how.

Hoggard’s advantage in a chaotic fourth quarter forced the game into overtime. The fourth featured three ties and two lead changes. Hoggard found itself down by as many as two goals with ten minutes left.

Noah Hansen scored one of Hoggard’s most crucial goals of the contest on a shot that gave Hoggard an 11-10 lead with 1:56 left in regulation. The Vikings’ star face-off specialist, Logan Petty, won the ball back after the score, allowing the Vikings to milk the clock. Petty won every face-off on the day, aside from a couple of violations.

"To win a state championship without winning face-offs is grit," Ardrey Kell head coach Tim Price said. "It's just grit."

Ardrey Kell got possession back after a turnover and eventually tied the game once again on a Cole Stankavage goal. The game was locked up at 11-11 with 0:39 left in the fourth. Petty won another face-off, and Hoggard took a timeout with possession and 37 seconds remaining.

Hoggard couldn’t find the net, and Ardrey Kell got extremely close to scoring with a second left on the clock.

Start times revealed for NCHSAA baseball, softball, lacrosse, & girls soccer state championships

In overtime, Petty again won the face-off, but the Knights later secured possession and held it until Stankavage found the right moment to take a shot.

Ardrey Kell's dominant 4-0 third quarter flipped the game on its head after Hoggard had a one goal lead at halftime.

It was the second state championship appearance for the Knights. They previously lost to Cardinal Gibbons in the 2019 4A state championship game. Hoggard, on the other hand, was making its first appearance in a boys lacrosse state championship game.

Box Score

1st Quarter

• 8:34 - JTH goal by Noah Hansen - JTH 1, AK 0
• 7:12 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - AK 1, JTH 1
• 2:27 - AK goal by Drake Joffs - AK 2, JTH 1

2nd Quarter

• 10:57 - JTH goal by Noah Hansen - AK 2, JTH 2
• 10:04 - JTH goal by Noah Hansen - JTH 3, AK 2
• 9:58 - JTH goal by Logan Petty - JTH 4, AK 2
• 9:00 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - JTH 4, AK 3
• 3:59 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - JTH 4, AK 4
• 2:11 - JTH goal by Reed Meyer - JTH 5, AK 4
• 0:31 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - JTH 5, AK 5
• 0:13 - JTH goal by Reed Meyer - JTH 6, AK 5

3rd Quarter

• 7:14 - AK goal by Henry Urban - JTH 6, AK 6
• 5:23 - AK goal by Drake Joffs - AK 7, JTH 6
• 2:16 - AK goal by Henry Urban - AK 8, JTH 6
• 0:07 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - AK 9, JTH 6

4th Quarter

• 11:19 - JTH goal by Dodge Ray - AK 9, JTH 7
• 9:56 - JTH goal by Jackson Burgee - AK 9, JTH 8
• 4:56 - JTH goal by Finn Connolly - AK 9, JTH 9
• 4:13 - JTH goal by Reed Meyer - JTH 10, AK 9
• 4:08 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - JTH 10, AK 10
• 1:56 - JTH goal by Noah Hansen - JTH 11, AK 10
• 0:39 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - JTH 11, AK 11

Overtime

• 3:05 - AK goal by Cole Stankavage - AK 12, JTH 11

Want to get your high school sports news faster? Download the new and improved HighSchoolOT app! You'll be able to find the content you want faster and have access to breaking news alerts.

Download the all-new HighSchoolOT App today