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BOYS LAX: A Stunning Overtime Thriller - As Regular Season Nears a Close in the PCL; All Teams Know Where They Stand

By John Knebels, 05/11/23, 9:00AM EDT

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BY JOHN KNEBELS

(Photos & Videos by: Zack Beavers, Donna Eckert, Kathy Leister & Krystal Williams for PSD)

 

PHILADELPHIA – The postseason stage is set.

With the Philadelphia Catholic League boys’ lacrosse playoffs beginning May 15, the six finalists have emerged. The first two receive a bye, and the next four compete in a quarterfinal.

And, though a bit premature to belabor, the District 12 Class AAA will reportedly only receive one bid, which would make the Catholic League championship also serve as a district title if St. Joseph’s Prep, La Salle, or Father Judge compete against each other.

Father Judge flew out of the PCL gates, winning five of its first six before a 15-8 loss to Devon Prep. After defeating Roman Catholic, 11-2, the Crusaders struggled against the league’s top three squads

However, Father Judge’s 6-5 final record was enough to clinch a postseason spot as a five seed and a quarterfinal matchup at Devon Prep.

“Following a humbling defeat (against Council Rock South) in the first game of the season, we went back to basics and re-focused on our core values – respect, details, faith, and family,” said Judge coach Kyle Keblish. “I am proud of the guys for their buy-in and commitment to the brotherhood, and happy that their hard work translated to success on the field.

“But I’m also proud of their grit in tough games that went the other way, like our 5-3 loss to Harriton. On top of all that, I’m proud of how we’re growing the game here at Father Judge. We’ve got the biggest roster we’ve ever had during my tenure – 46 guys – so I’m happy to see this game take root here at Judge.”

Strong individual contributions from senior Sean Childs (29 goals, two assists), senior captain Kyle Sablich (55 groundballs; 32 controls), senior captain Joe Conte (79 groundballs, 39 caused turnovers), and senior captain and goalie Gavin Ammlung (213 saves). 

“Before I give our stars a shout out, I have to acknowledge that lacrosse is a team sport, so the on-field success of individuals is a result of not only their hard work, but also the hard work of their teammates and the overarching willingness to put the success of the team above the success of self,” said Keblish. “It’s an honor to coach these young men, and I’m excited to see where the rest of the season takes us.”

Father Judge Lacrosse in action vs. St. Joe's Prep. (video/ Krystal Williams for PSD)


Father Judge senior captain and goalie Gavin Ammlung had more than 200 career saves. (PSD photo by Krystal Williams)

Devon Prep has clinched finishing as a four seed for a third straight season. At 7-3 and one game remaining, the Tide will face Father Judge in the quarterfinals.

“This season has been a learning experience on many levels,” said Tide coach Mark Consolo. “After graduating six key seniors last year, the void of senior leadership fell on the only returning captain – senior goaltender Cole Brassington. This allowed position battles to open up to a lot of underclassmen, along with a strong junior class, to get accustomed to the varsity level play very quickly. In addition to experiencing a heavy non-league schedule outside the PCL, it’s been nothing but positive learning for the program.”

According to Consolo, Brassington is currently on board to set a program best save percentage, which sits at 10.25. Aided by juniors Harry Friend, and Joe Chomko, sophomore Shane Dugan, and freshman Owen Raymond on defense, Brassington amassed a program record of 22 saves in an 8-5 loss against Lansdale Catholic.

Sophomore Zach Sebra has shined in faceoffs at a 45-percent success rate with more than 110 draw wins.


Devon Prep senior captain goalie Cole Brassington. (Photo by Kathy Leister for PSD)

The Tide’s offense has been paced by junior Eammon Donovan (44 goals, 23 assists), junior Nick D’Allesandro (19, 24), sophomore Ryan Kane (25, 17), freshman Declan Sullivan (28 goals), and junior Nick Walton (7, 22). Junior Teddy Marquet and freshman Evan Young have also helped.

“We look to take the next few weeks one day at a time,” said Consolo. “They want to enjoy the process of being part of a team that has qualified as a fourth seed in the PCL playoffs for three straight seasons now.”

After starting with six straight wins, Lansdale Catholic finished in third place with a 9-2 record. The Crusaders will host six-seed Cardinal O’Hara in the quarterfinals.

“We have a few more competitive games to prepare for PCL playoffs,” said first-year coach Jared Mayes.  “Then we're looking forward to competing in the District 12 and PIAA tournaments.”

Mayes lauded his team’s leadership. Senior captains Patch Flannery, Caleb Moister, and Matt Shragher “kept things moving in the right direction.” Junior Dan Curran, also a team captain, “has been excellent at faceoffs, as well as an offensive threat.”  Junior Jack Kennedy “has made great saves in the goal."

“I've gotten fantastic support from the parents and administration as well,” said Mayes. “It's been a great regular season, and we're planning to continue our success.”

Lansdale Catholic in 8-5 win over Devon Prep. (Video/ Kathy Leister for PSD)

Before the final week of their season, Cardinal O’Hara coach Jim DiBattista said the highlight of the season was “controlling our destiny to potentially make the playoffs.” DiBattista said each of those contests would be played “as if they are playoff games themselves.”

Faced with a no-nonsense proposal – play at their optimum down the stretch, or miss the playoffs – O’Hara went 3-0 in a makeshift postseason. The Lions defeated Roman Catholic, squeaked out a 10-9 win at Archbishop Ryan, and overwhelmed host Bonner-Prendergast, 17-4. Their reward is a quarterfinal visit at third-seed Lansdale Catholic.

“It has been a long road for us at O'Hara lacrosse,” said DiBattista. “In 2019, O'Hara won the District 12 Championship under Evan Bonner as the head coach. Then Covid hit and Evan took a job at Arcadia College. 

“In 2021 the team was decimated. Finished the year 0-11 and more importantly only had 14 players play in their last game. My staff and I took over in 2022. We improved to 3-12 overall and 2-9 in the Catholic League, and more importantly, grew to 24 players. This year we have over 40 players.”

Standouts include junior attack Dillon DiBattista (116 goals, 33 assists for his career; 44 goals and 15 assists this year); junior long stick man Michael Kutufaris (more than 100 groundballs, moved into faceoff duty to substitute for the injured regular starter); junior goalie Nick Hanna (three games with more than 20 saves, including a clutch performance in a 9-8 overtime win over Archbishop Wood); freshman midfielder/attack Ryan Crowley (two games of three-plus goals); and freshman attack Andrew Graney (overtime winner versus Wood).

After trailing 9-7 with 3 minutes remaining, O'Hara took the lead with 31.7 seconds remaining, to secure a 10-9 win over Ryan - PSD Video by Zack Beavers

St. Joseph’s Prep came beyond close to winning its first PCL championship in six years last year, falling to La Salle, 8-6, in the championship.

On April 14, the Hawks stunned host La Salle by scoring the game’s first five goals. From that point, however, the Prep couldn’t find its offense while La Salle scored 10 straight goals.

The 10-5 defeat was certainly disappointing, but it reminded the Hawks that they possess what it takes to beat their adversaries.

“I think our guys definitely feel like we can compete with them,” said Prep first-year coach Mark Princehorn. “They gained some confidence from that and we really focused on what we did wrong after building a good lead. Lots of mental mistakes, some fundamental mistakes, but really it was a bunch of young guys making young guy mistakes. Our defense is very young, but we have learned a lot and I feel we have really grown from that experience.” 

For the sixth straight season, the Prep finished with one league loss and received a first-round bye. Barring an upset defeat in the semifinals against the second lowest seed, the Prep should face La Salle in the final.

Hawk standouts such as Hofstra University-bound senior Anthony Laber, Teddy Fenlin, and senior Grant Snyder have paced the offense. The defense is led by Nick Cunningham and Trot Cush, with sophomore Keegan Dunn consistently strong in goal.

“We are playing very well right now, but we need to be at our very best,” said Princehorn. “We had some growing pains early, but it’s been great to see these players come of age.” 

With the playoffs beckoning, La Salle remains the favorite to win a seventh straight title and 26th in the last 30 seasons. The Explorers simply dominated the PCL competition, outscoring their 11 opponents by 178 to 23.

The Explorers showed grit in 10-5 win over visiting St. Joseph’s Prep on April 14. After falling behind 5-0, five different players scored a composite 10 goals. Junior Stevie Davis and senior Jack Vandegrift led with three apiece. Junior JV Faliveno notched two. Senior Nole Henry and sophomore Darryl Kuriger added one apiece. Senior Leyton Bracken notched a whopping six assists.

Archbishop Wood’s most crucial loss was a 6-5, overtime decision at Cardinal O’Hara on April 17. Switch that result around, and the Vikings would have finished a playoff-qualifying 6-5 instead of in seventh place at 5-6.

After a 1-6 start, the Vikings finished with a four-game winning streak. After upending host Archbishop Ryan, 9-8, the Vikings beat visiting Bonner-Prendergast, 18-2. Their most exciting game – a 7-6 overtime victory over visiting Conwell-Egan – was followed by a 7-4 win over Archbishop Carroll.

In the seesaw triumph over Conwell-Egan, the Vikings were up two, then down one, and tied the game in the closing minutes on a goal by senior captain and Jackson Foley, who corralled two huge faceoffs down the stretch. In overtime, junior Shane Fiedler (two assists) whipped home the game winner, sending the Wood crowd into a frenzy. 

“It was an exciting game to watch, and it was a very fun win,” said Wood coach Paul McGovern. “They kept their composure. They showed game maturity. They stayed focused.”

With nagging injuries during the season, several Vikings – such as junior goalie Ean Waltrich – were able to garner significant experience. Down the final stretch of the season, previously raw players displayed confidence and fortitude.

Junior Shane Fiedler scored the game-winning goal in overtime as Archbishop Wood edged Conwell-Egan - PSD Video by John Knebels

“It’s about being a band of brothers,” said McGovern. “Pull someone up when they are in a jam, and have someone pull you up when you’re in a jam.”

A ground ball here or a ground ball there, Conwell-Egan could be looking at a postseason spot.

Coming into this campaign having missed the playoffs by one game in consecutive seasons, the Eagles finished 4-7 and two games shy of qualifying. After opening with a win, the Eagles lost 8-7 at Cardinal O’Hara and then 9-7 versus Father Judge; those teams finished sixth and fifth, respectively.

After losing three of their next four, the Eagles defeated Archbishop Ryan, 8-5, and Archbishop Carroll, 10-6. In its penultimate game of the regular season, Conwell-Egan lost a 7-6, overtime heartbreaker at Archbishop Wood.

An elevator ride at Archbishop Ryan has the Raiders at 4-6 with a season ender vs. Devon Prep on May 11. After losing their first three, the Raiders defeated Roman Catholic, Archbishop Carroll in overtime, and Bonner-Prendergast.

The Raiders then dropped close encounters with Archbishop Wood (9-8), Conwell-Egan (8-5), and Cardinal O’Hara (10-9).

But on May 10, the Raiders recorded a signature victory. Despite trailing by 4-1 and 5-2, the Raiders stunned Father Judge, 8-7, on an overtime goal when senior Richie Paczewski set up junior Pat Foy for the game winner.

“The boys played tough all game,” said Ryan coach Shane Taylor. “They never gave up. We have a gritty team that has played like that all year. We play tough and together to the final whistle, and it paid off big time today. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Archbishop Ryan's Game winning overtime goal by junior Pat Foy assisted by senior Richie Paczewski. (Video Courtesy/ Archbishop Ryan Athletics)

Foy had never scored in overtime. He can now check that off his bucket list.

“Our goalie (senior Logan Roberts) made a great save and Richard Paczewski carried the ball down the field,” said Foy. “He gave me a pass and I cut into the middle and put the ball top right. After that it was a dogpile in the corner . . . full of celebration. The whole game was a dogfight and we couldn’t have done it without every single person on the team."

Foy was asked if this was the most thrilling moment of his scholastic career.

“One hundred percent,” said Foy. “I couldn’t have done it without my coach."

Archbishop Carroll’s 2-9 record includes a 6-5 league-opening win at Roman Catholic and a 12-11, overtime loss against Archbishop Ryan. Bonner Prendergast (1-10) defeated Roman Catholic, 8-7, and lost to Archbishop Ryan by the identical score 48 hours later. Roman Catholic (0-11) came close to finishing on top before dropping decisions at Archbishop Carroll, 6-5, and at home against Bonner-Prendergast, 8-7

 

(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)