Hearon stellar in net in All-Shore lacrosse game Jackson goalie makes her final high school lacrosse game count

Hearon stellar in net in All-Shore lacrosse game
Jackson goalie makes her final high school lacrosse game count

JACKSON — Jackson High School senior Rachel Hearon made her final appearance in a scholastic lacrosse game one to remember.

Hearon, who anchored the Jaguars’ defense from her goalie position this past season to lead Jackson to a 22-1 mark, which included a Shore Conference championship and a trip to the state finals, made 16 saves to lead Ocean County to a 15-9 victory over Monmouth County in the annual Shore Conference All-Star Lacrosse game Friday night at Jackson High School. It was a vintage performance from yet another Jackson player who made an impact on the Shore Conference lacrosse scene.

"It was nice for her to get a win in her final high school game," said Jackson coach Lori Johnson, who coached the Ocean County All Stars "She played very well in goal. She faced a lot of tough shots and made a number of good saves."

Hearon played the entire game in net. Johnson said the Jackson senior was quite relaxed.

"I think she was really enjoying herself out there," Johnson said. "There wasn’t any real pressure to win. She just wanted to put forth a solid effort in her final high school game."

Hearon wasn’t supposed to be the lone representative from Jackson High School playing in the event. Caitlyn Dragon, who led the Shore Conference in scoring the last two years, Ashley Schrauder, Allison Pingitore and Jacqui Iannone, were all on the roster.

Dragon, Schrauder and Iannone all were vacationing in Cancun, Mexico. Unfortunately, the trio tried unsuccessfully to change their returning flight in time to make the game. Pingitore had a previous commitment and could not attend.

"It’s too bad that I didn’t get one last chance to coach those players in a high school game," Johnson said. "But things come up in life. I understand, but I wish they could have been there. It was a lot of fun."

Ocean County darted out to a 11-4 halftime lead behind the scoring of Jody Homiek and Megan Sweeney.

"We scored a lot of goals early and gave ourselves a nice cushion," Johnson said.

Sweeney, of Monsignor Donovan High School, finished with a game-high five goals and one assist. Toms River South’s Homiek tallied four times and added two assists.

"They both played very well," Johnson said. "Right from the outset our offense seemed to click. We moved the ball around well. Our passing and shot selection was good."