Last week there were only four teams left in the boys and girls state lacrosse championships. Now there's only one. But for a brief moment one Winter Springs team and two Lake Brantley teams had a glimpse of potential glory, coming just a step short of a championship. 

Peering from behind a grid of titanium strapped to her face, Devon Lang seemed casually at-ease with what lay ahead of her in the quarterfinal round. But behind those wire goggles lurked a certainty of purpose that would propel Lang and the Winter Springs Bears beyond doubt and beyond all odds to make it to the state lacrosse final four. 

They shocked perennial state contender Bartram Trail with a 1-point win in that game, propelling them into a semifinal matchup against Lake Brantley. The only problem was, they had to do it in Patriot country. 

That didn't bode well for the Bears. In two years of sanctioned postseason Florida High School Athletic Association competition, the Patriots had only lost once on their home field. That included two district championships in two seasons and four wins in the state championship series. 

If the Bears managed another miracle, they would have added another black mark for the Patriots, and ensured themselves a ticket to a Saturday-night finale.

But that moment would never come for the Bears, who fell to the Patriots in another nail-biter game that came down to one final point. A 9-8 finish was the lowest-scoring affair of any game in the state series.

And with that win, the Patriots were propelled toward the state championship game. They only had to beat one team, and it was the returning state champs. Vero Beach had rarely lost in the last two years. In the first two games of this year's state championship series they'd won by a combined score of 56-2. 

By Saturday's end, the score seemed a formality. The Patriots couldn't stop the crushing force of a team bound for a back-to-back win. With the score 16-7 on the board, the Patriots found themselves just short of a championship. 

On that same field the same night, the boys Patriots team also faced defeat. They'd battled through three rounds to make it to the state championship, only to come up against another perennial state contender — St. Andrew's.

Once again a Patriots team was forced to play the reigning state champ for the chance at the title. Once again, they fell, this time by a score of 19-5. It was deja vu for the Patriots, who were in the same position last year, also losing to St. Andrew's.