Boys' lacrosse: Fisher gets the draws, St. Joe's Prep gets the win over Ryan

By his own admission, St. Joseph's Prep junior Daniel Fisher can't play a lick of basketball.

He is, however, familiar with a certain facet of pickup ball, which on Wednesday he astutely pointed out actually applies to his position as faceoff man for the Hawks' lacrosse team.

"I never realized how important it was," Fisher said after the Hawks bested host Archbishop Ryan, 14-6. "You're basically playing make-it-take-it if you have a faceoff guy who can keep winning."

Fisher, who will play lacrosse at Villanova, won all six of the faceoffs he saw in limited first-half action. As a team, the Hawks won 17 of 21 draws at the faceoff X, which meant increased possessions and increased offensive pressure.

As a result, the Hawks (3-1, 2-0) flew to an 8-2 halftime edge, with eight players tallying goals.

Pat Boyd and Finn Monahan led SJP, finishing with three goals apiece, while Brad Ehrlich added a pair. In goal, Sean Lyons stopped eight shots, including four in the third period.

Fisher, who is considered a faceoff-get-off player, typically runs off the field after securing possession. He did, however, manage a second-quarter goal.

"I always took faceoffs even when I was younger, but I was never really a FOGO," he said. "Last year I started getting better over time and I realized how much it truly helps and how much our team is affected by that."

Fellow faceoff man Bernie Halfpenny also won eight draws at X. Ryan (1-4, 0-2), was led by three goals apiece from Austin Slawter and George Weiss.

A physical Prep loss Tuesday to Haverford School meant a few starters saw limited action on Wednesday after the the Hawks took early control.

"Yesterday's loss kind of hurt us," said Fisher, who lives in South Jersey. "We just had to get back on the right track so we can keep rolling on through the rest of the season."

He added: "We have three games this week and another one Friday against Carroll, so we have to keep our guys healthy and ready to go."

That will mean more opportunities for Fisher, who also plays fullback and defensive line on the Hawks football team, to play make-it-take-it.

And at 6 feet and 230 pounds, Fisher welcomes the opportunity, as long as it's not on the basketball court.

"Oh, no," he said, smiling. "I'm atrocious at basketball."

St. Joseph's Prep 5 3 4 2 - 14

Archbishop Ryan 2 0 4 0 - 6

SJP: Pete Gayhardt, Kyle Scheurle, Kevin Stump, Tim O'Brien, Zach Snider, Brad Ehrlich 2, Dan Fisher, Pat Boyd 3, Finn Monahan 3.

AR: Austin Slawter 3, George Weiss 3.

Saves: SJP-Sean Lyons 8; AR-Brody Alloway 11.

cartera@phillynews.com

@AceCarterINQ