With La Salle, Conestoga, Villa Maria, Springfield (Delco), Harriton and Bishop Shanahan, PIAA state lacrosse championships are a local affair
The championship games are scheduled for Saturday at West Chester East, and two of the four matchups will feature only teams from District 1 and District 12.
The PIAA lacrosse state championships are scheduled for Saturday at West Chester East, and two of the four matchups will feature only teams from District 1 and District 12.
La Salle, the District 12 champ, will take on Conestoga, the District 1 champ, in the boys’ Class 3A title game at 4:30 p.m., and District 1 champ Villa Maria will play District 1 runner-up Springfield (Delco) at 10 a.m in the girls’ Class 2A championship.
La Salle (20-5), which cruised through the Catholic League regular season and won its 23rd league title in the last 27 years, is tested going into the final game. The Explorers trailed District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley, 10-4, heading into the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s semifinal and mounted a comeback by scoring seven straight goals to defeat the Jaguars, 11-10, in double overtime.
The last two of Danny Mallee’s four goals tied and then won the game for the Explorers. He also assisted on Shane Osborne’s goal that cut the deficit to one in the fourth quarter.
The Explorers’ road to the final started with a 5-2 victory over Avon Grove in the first round and continued with an 11-5 win over Springfield (Delco) in the quarterfinals.
Conestoga (21-3) also heads into the boys’ title game after winning a tight contest in the semifinals, beating Radnor, 8-7. Graham Blatchford and Brendan Murphy each scored three goals for the Pioneers in that game.
In the Class 2A boys’ game, set for 2:30 p.m., District 1 champion Bishop Shanahan (21-1) will take on Hershey (19-5), the District 3 champ. The Shanahan Eagles have coasted through the state playoffs so far, with an 18-4 win over Scranton Prep in the first round, a 12-8 triumph over Southern Lehigh in the quarterfinals and a 20-6 rout of Crestwood in the semifinals.
Kyle Gucwa and Bryan Rafferty have been the leading scorers for the Eagles over the last two games. Hershey beat District 1 runner-up Strath Haven, 13-8, in the semifinals.
Girls’ finals
Villa Maria (24-1) and Springfield (Delco) (19-6) met previously in the District 1 final, and the Hurricanes topped the Cougars, 9-8. Villa Maria has been on a scoring rampage since, averaging 20 goals per game in the state playoffs.
Abby Walheim, Bridget Finley, and Margie Carden were the Hurricanes’ leaders in a 21-4 rout of Bonner-Prendergast, a 21-8 win over Lampeter Strasburg, and an 18-10 victory over Archbishop Carroll in the semifinals.
Springfield (Delco) got past York Catholic, 11-10, in the semifinals, and because of weather delays, the Cougars played the first round and the quarterfinal round in two consecutive days. That proved to be no problem as they defeated Saucon Valley and Cocalico by a combined margin of 21 goals.
In the girls’ Class 3A title game, set for noon, District 1 runner-up Harriton (23-2) is to play District 3 champ Manheim Township (22-3). The Rams went into the state playoffs with extra motivation after falling to Conestoga, 11-10, in the District 1 final.
Allie Schwab and Katelin Williams each scored three goals in Harriton’s 13-10 win over Downingtown West in the semifinals. The Rams also defeated Exeter Township and Radnor on their road to the state final.