Video: Ryan Sullivan, St. Joe's Prep
By: Mike Livingston, Archbishop Carroll
LANSDALE, PA — It’s a fine line.
That being the sitch St. Joseph’s Prep lacrosse finds themselves in year after year. A sitch that came to light just that much more with a 15-0 win over Lansdale Catholic Wednesday evening in Lansdale.
The Hawks reside and have resided in a tough position for years now, consistently chasing the Philadelphia Catholic League title against reigning champs, La Salle College High School. The Explorers have claimed 25 league titles since the Catholic League introduced the sport in 1993, all while bringing home the last six consecutive titles against The Prep.
The Prep hasn't seen a win over La Salle in the title match since 2015. Ever since, the one goal of the Prep program has been clear - to beat La Salle.
The last time a squad other than La Salle or St. Joe’s Prep took home the hubcap was in 1994 when Archbishop Carroll became the only other school to ever claim a Catholic League boys lacrosse championship.
“For us, we realize the situation we’re in,” said head coach Mark Princehorn. “It comes down to optimizing all the time we have in practice and all those reps we get against each other. Sometimes that competition is the most-fierce you face.”
The “competition,” is no doubt fierce for The Prep. A school with a laundry list of accolades in lacrosse, along with countless players that have gone on to play at the next level. Guys like seniors Luke Bierbach (Hobart) who filled up the scoresheet against Lansdale Catholic and Nick Cunningham (UMass) headline the Prep roster this year. While names like Joe Bogle (Villanova), Kevin O’Brien (Drexel), and Mitchell Lloyd (Maryland) shine a light on the level of competition this Prep club holds themselves too.
SJP in last year's PCL Title match vs. La Salle. (PSD photo by Tommy Muir)
SJP in last year's PCL Championship Game vs. La Salle. (PSD photo by Tommy Muir for PSD)
Under Princehorn, the Hawks have maintained that same level of success they saw before and certainly haven’t lost a step. The team consistently runs their way through the Catholic League slate at 9-1, and work through the league playoffs before a possible championship matchup with La Salle.
“A huge part of our program is our out-of-conference schedule,” said Princehorn. “It’s something we really pride ourselves on and it gives good opportunities for us to gauge where we are as a team.”
The Prep used their out-of-conference slate to their advantage once again this year, scheduling matchups with some of the most competitive clubs in the area including an annual matchup with Garnet Valley, along with games against the Hill School, Springfield Delco, and the four-time defending state champions in Radnor High.
The Hawks came into Catholic League play 3-0 with wins over Garnet Valley, Upper Dublin, and Central Bucks East. While matchups against Springfield, Radnor, and Hill School are still to come.
The Prep indeed started their PCL play strong, dominating in league opener with a 19-0 victory against Bonner-Prendergast on 3/28. According to Princehorn, each game is the same: It’s all about performance.
SJP sophomore Ryan Sullivan interviews Chris Bryan ‘28 after SJP’s dominant win over mbap on 3/28
“When we come into these games nothing changes for us,” said Princehorn. “Regardless if it’s Bonner-Prendie, Lansdale Catholic, or La Salle, nothing changes for us. It’s all about execution, how well can we execute what we want to do against the team presently on the field against us.”
In Wednesday's game that strategy was on full display for the Prep. The Hawks outscored Lansdale 4-0 in each quarter separately, aside from the fourth when they’d score only three to the Crusaders 0.
From the jump the day was led by a pair of Hawk seniors in Bieberbach and goalie Keegan Dunn who is committed Washington College. Bieberbach recorded seven goals and an assist on the day while Dunn recorded a shutout.
Nick Laber, Quinn Gaffney, and Trot Cush all pitched in on the scoring among others.
St. Joe's Prep in game vs. Lansdale Catholic. (video/ Mike Livingston for PSD)
“I think this team is better across the board this season,” said Princehorn. “I think a big part of that is that we’re an experienced group across the board, we have a lot of talent and a lot of underclassmen that are ready to contribute. It’s a good club and I think these guys have really jelled well together and that chemistry is going to pay off.”
For now, the Hawks move to 6-0 (2-0 PCL) on the season as they prepare to face Archbishop Wood this Friday. The Crusaders drop to 2-4 (1-1 PCL) and will prepare for a matchup with Devon Prep on Friday.