Boys lacrosse: Box Elder swarms Roy 21-6 for region road victory
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- Box Elder’s Isaac Funk (10) cuts against approaching Roy players Kade Stander (9) and Carden Schieb (27) during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Roy High’s Tyler Dickson, left, battles with Box Elder’s Tyson Julander, center, during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Box Elder’s Anson Andersen, left, and Roy’s Carter Brimhall contest a faceoff during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Box Elder players Jantzen Vranes, front, and Isaac Funk celebrate a goal against Roy during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Box Elder’s Spencer Gardner (4) keeps the ball safely away from a challenge by Roy’s Kade Stander during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Box Elder’s Anson Andersen maneuvers up field during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Roy High’s Keldon Robinett springts with the ball during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Box Elder’s Brigham Ferry tosses a pass during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
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- Roy High’s Tyler Dickson rears back to feed the ball toward Box Elder’s goal during a Region 5 boys lacrosse match Friday, March 20, 2026, in Roy.
ROY — On an unusually warm spring afternoon Friday, Box Elder High boys lacrosse coach Tim Martin was searching for a way to take his team’s mind off the heat and focus on the task at hand — a road game against Roy.
“We went and stood in the shade for about five minutes before the game because it shouldn’t be this hot; this is unseasonably warm. They’re dying already in the heat. They’re in trouble when it gets to the 80s and 90s,” Martin said. “So literally we took a little bit different approach to warmups to kind of keep cool and be ready to go.”
Martin’s plan worked to perfection. The Bees scored two goals in the first six minutes and four in the first quarter on the way to a 21-6 road victory in a Region 5 rout of Roy.
“Getting off to a strong start is kind of a focus. We struggle sometimes; we come out really slow and flat, especially in away games, so we wanted some intensity to get things moving,” Martin said.
Senior attacker Isaac Funk scored three of Box Elder’s (4-2, 2-0 Region 5) four first-quarter goals.
“We talked about playing aggressive and moving the ball fast. … We executed that very well,” Funk said. “I was in the right spots; it could have been anyone. It worked out, I guess.”
Roy (1-5, 0-2) finally got on the board with 9:09 left in the half on a goal by freshman midfielder Keldon Robinett, but the Bees expanded their lead to 10-2 at the break.
Robinett scored both of Roy’s first-half goals.
Funk added his fourth goal of the game midway through the third quarter and Box Elder’s lead ballooned to 15-5 after three.
“They moved me to middie so I could try and get some different looks and get some other guys in,” Funk said. “I got a favorable matchup and nobody slid, so it was just open.”
At that point, Martin still had some goals in mind to keep his team on track for the final 12 minutes.
“We have things like goals-against average and goals scored average … trying to be consistent that way,” Martin said. “Let’s keep playing our game, working the ball, looking for people who haven’t scored yet and feed those guys.”
That worked out beautifully. In the end, 12 different Bees scored, led by five from junior midfielder Josh Pugsley, Funk’s four, and two each by attacker Spencer Gardner and sophomore Anson Andersen.
Pugsley’s fifth goal started a running clock early in the fourth quarter and Martin substituted liberally in the final frame.
“We put in some of our bubble players that don’t play as much to get them some time and experience and touches on the ball,” Martin said. “Our subs were still moving the ball around; they know their role.
“You’re not the superstar; your role is one more pass, get the ground ball. Do what you need to do to keep the offense on the field,” Martin said.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior goalie Jett Henrie tended the hive for the Bees.
“They had some goals we let in that they probably shouldn’t have had, but Jett, he’s tearing it up; he’s a really good goalie and we had a good defense that was able to bring the juice,” Funk said.
Junior attacker Tyler Dickson also netted twice for the Royals.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys who are trying to figure how to play lacrosse, and it shows at times,” Roy coach James Dickson said. “You can’t pick the ball up off the turf, have a hard time passing, scooping, that type of stuff. We’re working every day to get better.”
Looking ahead, Box Elder, undefeated in region, has Fremont next and other tough games soon after.
“I thought this is where we would be. Fremont is better than Roy and will give us a better game. Then, the top dogs in region are West Field and Northridge,” Martin said.
