Up early smoking butts for a Varsity Boys Team Dinner because…they are moving on to the final four! With the games on Friday and the long weekend, it actually feels like forever since they actually played. A quick recap: The Wife and I were doing split-team operations; I was at home with the boys, and The Wife was away with the girls. Unfortunately, the girls’ season is over after they fell to Fuquay-Varina 18-14 in what could have been the worst-officiated game ever played. I don’t want to seem like a sore loser here, but according to all accounts, it was just bad. I can be a bit of a complainer about refs in games, but when it comes from others, you actually put more stock in it. I absolutely hate it for the girls. This loss, however, should not diminish what a great season they had. I couldn’t be prouder of Number 3 and the grit those girls showed all year. While the season may have ended with a bitter taste, the overall accomplishments are pretty darn impressive. They finish the season with a 16-5 record, 2nd in the conference, and an Elite 8 appearance. Not too shabby for a team that lost a lot of seniors and had a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. The future is bright for the Lady Pirates of Topsail!
For the boys, it is a different story as they are moving on to the Final Four after a 9-1 victory over Holly Springs. This was a slow, grinding victory as the Golden Hawks played the tightest imaginable zone I haven’t seen since they first started playing lacrosse in recreation ball 10 years ago. The Pirates dominated the time of possession, continuously probing the zone looking for an opening. They played an extremely patient game and simply didn’t make any mistakes. It was an impressive thing to witness. Up next, Cardinal Gibbons on their turf tomorrow night. If you are an everyday reader, you may recall that in March of this year, we actually played Gibbons to an 11-5 victory! This rematch has all the potential to be one of the greatest games in Topsail Lacrosse and promises to be well worth the price of admission.
Typically, Lunch Box Quotes are notes I include in the kids’ lunches every day. Number 1 gets a text, and 2-4 get handwritten napkins, but with the school year over, we will be searching for consistency and hopefully a routine. Today, all texts.
Visual credits to, Featured Image: The Wife
Quotes: @SusanMcLaughli2 @StoicUbermensch @iamrodneysmith @BearGrylls @KnowsPascal
Quotes:
1. “If all else fails, I will retreat up the Valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger.” – General George Washington at Valley Forge 1777
2. “The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
3. “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.”– Unknown
4. “I have failed more times than I have succeeded. It’s not even close. But you can’t have one without the other.” – Bear Grylls
Bonus Quote: “With its light, truth gives joy to the men who turn to it, and punishes with blindness those who turn away from it.” – St. Augustine
Sources:
#MemorialDay
One of my favorite quotes: “If all else fails, I will retreat up the Valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to tyranny whilst there… pic.twitter.com/Zk3p2MGgn6— Susan McLaughlin (@SusanMcLaughli2) May 25, 2026
“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”
– Marcus Tullius Cicero pic.twitter.com/iC8Z3w0IsK
— Stoic Discipline (@StoicUbermensch) May 25, 2026
“ Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.”- Unknown. You will never be forgotten ! pic.twitter.com/WoN1jsaael
— Rodney Smith Jr (@iamrodneysmith) May 25, 2026
I have failed more times than I have succeeded. It’s not even close. But you can’t have one without the other. pic.twitter.com/LbffjPwjFq
— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) May 24, 2026
With its light, truth gives joy to the men who turn to it, and punishes with blindness those who turn away from it.
-St. Augustine pic.twitter.com/YIBW2MJuum
— Pascal (@KnowsPascal) May 24, 2026