HOWELL >> The 2024 boys lacrosse season is one Brother Rice is trying quickly to forget about.

After missing out on the state championship game for the first time since the sport was adopted by the MHSAA, the returning Warriors quickly got to work on 2025.

That drive and motivation was needed on Tuesday, as Brother Rice found itself tied 8-8 with Rockford in the D1 state semifinal at Parker Middle School with 2:37 remaining in the game.

Rice turned to one of its seniors in Hansen Polonkey, who came through with the go-ahead goal with 84 seconds remaining. The defense then locked in to hang on to the lead and punch the Warriors ticket back to the state final.

“It’s everything for them,” Chawla said of the returning players to get back to the state final. “It was a disappointing end for them last season. They took it to heart and started working in the offseason right away. We might not have as many big names going to colleges this year, but this team has a ton of heart and there are a lot of guys that really want it.”

Last season was especially tough for Polonkey, who suffered a knee injury and wasn’t even able to help his team on the field during the postseason.

The senior was a major player in the victory, as he got Brother Rice out to a 3-0 lead in the first minute of play thanks to a pair of goals.

Rockford could have been shell shocked, but instead, weathered the Rice storm and came back with a response, scoring two straight to make it a contest.

“Rockford is a tough team. We got a couple of goals in transition, and then they came right back. We knew they weren’t going to give up. They have good players. They came right back at us.”

Rice held a 5-3 lead at the break, but Rockford scored the first two goals of the third to tie the match at 5-5. The Warriors answered with goals from Danny Holt and Jayden Fortino to make it 7-5.

The Rams (16-3) answered again, scoring three of the next four to make it 8-8.

That’s when Polonkey called for the ball and came through with the game-winning goal while on a man advantage.

“I wanted it,” Polonkey said of having the ball on his stick during the crucial goal. “We have had some pretty close games this year and I haven’t been able to get it done. This one was pretty special.”

Polonkey finished with four goals to lead Brother Rice (18-5) in the win.

“He’s an excellent player,” Chawla said of Polonkey. “He lost last season to a knee injury and he’s on a mission. He’s a really, really good player. He comes through in really crucial times.”

Jayden Fortino, another senior, had two goals in the win while senior goalie Payton Fortino had 11 saves.

Rockford was led by Ethan Gregory, who had three goals for the Rams.

Brother Rice advances to Friday’s Division 1 state final at the University of Michigan at 4 p.m. The Warriors will see a familiar opponent in Novi Detroit Catholic Central, which defeated Grand Ledge in the other semifinal, 22-4.

The Shamrocks are the defending state champions and have a pair of one-goal victories over Brother Rice this season. Chawla believes that Tuesday’s win and the way in which it came could be beneficial for Friday’s contest.

“I think this was good for us. I think being in a tight game…look it’s hard when you don’t play much competition, or have these big blowouts for the last five games and then you have to step up to a team like Rockford,” Chawla said. “I need (the team) to think about how they played at the end of the game and the poise we had and how we won the game.”

Friday will mark the 11th time Brother Rice and Catholic Central have met in the MHSAA Division 1 final.