Defenseman Warren Jeffrey Wins PLL Championship with Utah Archers

DENVER – Storming into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the Premier Lacrosse League’s (PLL) 2024 Cash App Championship, Warren Jeffrey and the Utah Archers defeated Zed Williams and the Maryland Whipsnakes Sunday, Sept. 15.

With a final scoreboard reading 12-8 when the action at Subaru Park came to a close, it was “Moose” and his Utah-based Archers who threw their sticks and helmets in celebration as they captured the summer league’s top honors.

The big-bodied back-ender and his squad had their resilience on display throughout the affair, eventually spotting Maryland a three-goal lead as the Whipsnakes dominated early play. With Matt Moore able to sneak one in for the orange and blue unit with just 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Utah had something to build on.

They went on to allow Maryland to start the second quarter scoring but responded with three-straight tallies, including a two-pointer from Mason Woodward and one-point conversions from Tre LeClaire and Grant Ament.

With the Whipsnakes rounding out the opening half with a two-pointer by Alex Mazzone and a goal from Conrad, Maryland recaptured some momentum heading into the break.

Utah’s Mac O’Keefe got his squad on the board first in the third before Conrad completed his hat trick as the period went on. Moore and Dyson Williams retaliated for Utah to close out the third before seeing LeClair and O’Keefe made it four-straight for the eventual champions.

Zed Williams made his way to the scoring sheet in an attempt to drum something up for Maryland but it was answered two minutes later by Matt Chanenchuk. Completing his hat trick and sealing the final score, O’Keefe cemented the 12-8 final with 49 seconds to play.

Jeffrey himself chipped in two ground balls as a regular in Utah’s defensive scheme Sunday afternoon, helping to limit his Mammoth teammate in Williams to one points (1g, 1a) while allowing just one man to amas four points (TJ Malone: 0g, 4a) and just two players to net multiple goals (Ryan Conrad: 3g, 0a; Adam Poitras: (2g, 0a).

Wielding the long pole for Utah the entire summer, Jeffrey ended the regular season having recorded seven caused turnovers and 15 ground balls and one penalty in 10 appearances.

Williams managed two points (2 2-point goals) in three postseason appearances with the Whipsnakes, building on his 31-point (26g, 3a, 1 2-point goal) regular season campaign.

Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels throughout the weekend as the organization prepares to welcome its next wave of talent via the 2024 NLL Entry Draft presented by Castore.