First row from left to right – Billy Coyle (MP), Izzy Rohr (EA), Hailey Andress (AIS) and Chris Hervada (HAV). Second row from left to right – Michael Fay (MP), Olivia Dirks (EA), Maria Pansini (AIS) and John Nostrant (HAV) – by Zamani Feelings
By John Knebels, PSD
Rivalries have a rich history and last a long time, sometimes forever.
Or at least it feels that way.
Playing the actual games is like experiencing Christmas morning after months of anticipation; the build-up has been ruminating since the end of the previous season, even further back than that.
Grade school students know about their future high school’s rivalries before they step foot in their new digs. Coaches feel it before, during, and after the event that had been circled on their personal calendars since their athletic directors confirmed the schedule.
In local lacrosse circles, some rivalries are much louder than others.
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Can you say . . . Inter-Academic League?
Crowd wise, there are specifically two clashes that always draw wall-to-wall humanity. For the boys, it’s Haverford School vs. Malvern Prep. For the girls, it’s Episcopal Academy vs. Agnes Irwin. Doesn’t matter where the games are, doesn’t matter when. From the opening face-off until the final whistle, it’s scholastic pandemonium at its finest.
Haverford School vs. Malvern Prep: The teams will first meet on April 6 at Haverford. Three weeks later, they will meet at Malvern. It is likely that the April 27 bout will determine the Inter-Ac champ, perhaps not mathematically, but logically. Such is the divide among the other teams in the league.
At this point, Malvern is the favorite. Ranked 22nd at the end of last year, the Friars have been elevated to 9th in the country by Under Armor/Inside Lacrosse, which governs the always debatable, inexact science of determining which teams are better than others. Conversely, Haverford School dropped from 15th to 17th.
What do those rankings mean? Zilch.
The defending league champion Fords, who last spring lost to Culver Academy (Indiana) in a riveting post-season PAISAA championship, was decimated by graduation. Filling key roles will be senior midfielders Johnny Nostrant and Conner Mosebrook, who returns from a season-long shoulder injury; defensive stalwarts Chris Hervada and Evan Scott (seniors); junior Luke O’Grady; sophomores Ryan Niggeman and Peter Garno; and senior face-off specialist Joel Trucksess.
After years of watching outstanding leadership, Nostrant is looking forward to a more expanded role.
“I do feel like one of the veterans now,” said Nostrant. “That really helps me in leading the underclassmen, and it is going to force me to play with a kind of swagger this year to help our team find its personality and be as successful as possible.”
Haverford School senior, John Nostrant - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
Nostrant, son of coach (and school athletic director) John Nostrant, described the Malvern rivalry as “insanely fun.”
“Those games are always intense, and it always feels good to come out with a win,” said Nostrant. “We’re in a very tough league, and it’s difficult but great for us at the same time because we know we are getting the best every week. That just pushes us to perform and play at a high level.”
Nostrant, the coach, said the players understand and support what’s at stake.
“There is an expectation and a tradition to uphold at Haverford,” he said. “No pressure.”
Haverford School senior, Chris Hervada - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
Hervada agrees.
“I don't think there's any real pressure,” said Hervada. “We're proud about what we accomplished in the past, but we don't focus on it too much. We're focusing on our new team and how we can improve every day to meet our goals.”
Malvern has garnered Hervada’s respect.
“Malvern has been pretty strong recently, which makes it a competitive game almost every time we face off,” he said. “And when it does come time to play, it doesn't matter what the rankings are or what our records are. It’s always a gritty, hard-fought game.”
A half-hour drive away, feelings are comparable, but understandably different. Haverford has dominated over the past several seasons, with six consecutive victories over Malvern, including an epic comeback from four goals down in the final quarter last year.
Malvern Prep senior, Billy Coyle - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
For the Malvern seniors, this will represent their final chance at slaying the Inter-Ac giant.
“The big game feeling intensifies knowing this is your last go-around, but there isn't a more sense of urgency because we have that every year and want and expect to win every game we play every year,” said Coyle. “You really have to embrace it because the memories will last forever.”
The Friars graduated five key starters, but they are loaded with experienced returnees. Coyle joins juniors Scott White and Jack Traynor at attack. Senior Mike Fay and junior Quinn McCahon are top midfielders. Seniors Sam Charlton and Ray Baran man the defense. Senior Mac Updike provides the short-stick defensive midfielder.
Fay, who will head to the University of Notre Dame next year, is highly optimistic.
“We are really excited and hopeful,” said Fay. “We believe we have a lot of potential, so we are focusing on each day and trying to get more prepared with every practice or opportunity we have.
“We lost a lot of great players and leaders from last year, but we also bring back a lot of key players this year and a lot of younger kids are already stepping up, which is great to see.”
Malvern Prep senior, Mike Fay - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
Episcopal Academy vs. Agnes Irwin: Episcopal defeated league champ Agnes Irwin in last year’s PAISAA championship, 8-5, revenge for having lost the Inter-Academic League championship, which is determined by the teams’ regular-season league record. It wouldn’t be surprising if the juggernauts perform similarly. EA was ranked 2nd in the state last year; AI was ranked 4th. This year, uslaxmagazine.com ranks EA 16th in the country and 8th in the mid-atlantic, and Agnes Irwin 17th and 9th, respectively.
The teams will meet at Agnes Irwin on April 4, and at Episcopal on May 2.
Episcopal is constructed of youthful experience. Starting attacker Taylor Lucey (Virginia Commonwealth University) is one of only three seniors on the roster. A bevy of juniors have already committed to college, among them attackers Katie Crager (Georgetown), Olivia Cunningham (Lafayette); midfielders Liv Tuma (Cornell), Bridget Boyle (Drexel); and defensemen Phoebe Christos (Villanova). Freshman midfielder Devon Whitaker is committed to the University of Virginia.
Episcopal Academy sophomore, Olivia Dirks - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
The sophomore class is scarily adept behind midfielder Olivia Dirks, defender Izzy Rohr, and Lindsay Walling, all of whom have determined their future universities. Dirks will attend Penn State; Rohr the University of Pennsylvania, and Walling will go to William and Mary.
Either junior Tess McMullin or freshman Helena Morrison will furnish the goaltending.
“We had so many great seniors,” said Dirks. “While they will be missed, I feel we learned so much from them and we are ready to get the season started. We have great senior leadership and a lot of good, young players.”
Rohr opined that the Churchmen are “very unified.”
“I'm not scared to make a mistake, because I know my team has my back,” said Rohr. “There is some pressure playing for a successful program, but pressure makes you play with more intensity and have a stronger desire to win. We will really work as a unit and not as individuals.
Episcopal Academy sophomore, Izzy Rohr - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
For Agnes Irwin, senior goalie Hailey Andress is no longer concerned about discussing other teams or others’ predictions or expectations. She said her teammates have embraced the same approach – concern themselves with Agnes Irwin, and Agnes Irwin only.
“In the past we've gotten caught up in what other teams are doing, and that's taken a toll on our confidence,” said Andress. “This year we're focused on being as strong as possible, and I don't think there's a team that can stand in our way.”
Sophomore Emily Wills is an exciting attacker for the Owls. The defense is anchored by junior Maria Pansini, senior Emmie Kiely, and junior Brynn Smith.
Agnes Irwin senior, Hailey Andress - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
“We lost six amazing seniors, but I think that loss has only made us stronger,” said Andress. “We are the underdogs again, and that's always when we've performed at our highest. There's been a lot of talk about how we'll never be as good now that the seniors are gone, and I think that kind of talk can be very detrimental to the team.”
Pansini said she regrets losing the PAISAA championship because it disappointed the seniors. But that is in the past.
Now, a different Agnes Irwin team will try to maintain a winning tradition, a jaunt that rides through Episcopal.
“It is different from most games,” said Pansini. “It’s always a competitive match up. We know that we have to work hard and stay focused the whole game because EA will always be a tough team.
“Playing games against national powerhouses like Bishop Ireton and St. Steven & St. Agnes are huge games and bring great things out of our team, but with this rivalry playing EA, we can get just as hyped up as if we were playing the number-one team in the country.
“The past few years we have won one game and lost the other (against EA in Inter-Ac regular season), so we go into every EA game knowing that we will not be able to simply get a win, but we have to earn it through every single play on the field. The nature of the rivalry is tough, but the great thing is that we are all respectful of each other on the field and although there may be aggression, we respect the skill sets and hard work of each other.”
Let the games begin.
Agnes Irwin junior, Maria Pansini - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
(John Knebels can be reached at jknebels@gmail.com.)
