Check out the Black Bear Lacrosse Club recaps of Pennridge and Souderton’s wins on Thursday in the District 1 3A second round. Pennridge/CB East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
District 1 6A second round
#4 PENNRIDGE 12, #13 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 6
There were no secrets when the two SOL National foes did battle in Thursday’s second round of the District 1 3A Tournament on Thursday night. On April 23, the two teams did battle with the Rams earning an 8-2 win.
“I don’t know if I’d say it’s an advantage, but we definitely know them well, playing them every year and having the opportunity to play them earlier and doing fairly well,” Pennridge coach Chris Pianko said. “We felt
we could do more of the same, didn’t have a lot that we needed to adjust. We just wanted to make sure we won the matchups when we had the opportunities to and hopefully be able to get up a little bit and get the momentum rolling and hopefully have a pretty good game.”
The Rams had all the momentum in the first half, opening up a 4-0 lead after one quarter and taking a 7-1 lead into halftime on their way to the win.
Rocco Fanelli’s four-goal effort led the Rams’ attack. Sean Leuthe and Reid Moyer both had three-point games. Cole Nitterour had another big night at the X, winning 12 of 19 faceoffs. Calvin McGuire recorded 10 saves in goal.
For the Patriots, Thomas Williams led the way with three goals and reached the career 200-point milestone. Rowen Coverdale also reached a personal milestone, recording his 200th career faceoff win. Ben Snyder had 14 saves in goal.
By the numbers: Pennridge: Rocco Fanelli (4 goals), Kevin Matthews (1 goal), Levi Souder (1 goal), Andrew Horensky (1 goal), Sean Leuthe (2 goals, 1 assist), Reid Moyer (1 goal, 2 assists), Ryan O’Shea (2 goals), Cole Nitterour (12/19 FO), Logan Liberty (0/2 FO), Calvin McGuire (10 saves)
Central Bucks East: Offense: Thomas Williams (3 goals, 1 GB), Michael Smallwood (2 goals, 2 GB, 1 CTO), Evan Riley (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 GB), Adam Volm (2 assists, 1 CTO), Ryan Williams (1 assist, 1 GB), Jack Williams (2 GB), Ryan Atkinson (1 GB). Defense: Ben Bridegum (4 GB, 2 CTO), Tristan Smith (2 GB, 2 CTO), Luke Walters (4 GB), David Brown (1 GB, 1 CTO), Chris Knepp (1 GB, 1 CTO), Jackson Jagoda (2 GB) Rowen Coverdale (9 faceoff wins, 6 GB), Ben Snyder (14 saves)
Pennridge coach Chris Pianko on the game: “In the whole first quarter, Cole Nitterour took all the faceoffs, and he did a great job, winning possessions. Our wings – Andrew Horensky was always out there and Levi Souder, Sean Leuthe, Reid Moyer and Ryan O’Shea – they did a great job getting the ground balls off the faceoffs. Having those possessions was really big to let the offense kind of get rolling. We just did a really good job
finding the back of the net, finishing the shots and the opportunities that we had in front of us, which was really important and something we didn’t do as well the first game, and we were hoping to improve on. I think the kids did a great job coming out of the gate ready to go and had that intensity.”
–Stifling D: “Our whole defense played super well. The final score was 12-6, but we held them to two goals through the third quarter, and most of their goals were man-up off penalties and things like that, so we did a great job winning our one-on-one matchups.
“All of our close D – Tyler Borneman, Chase Clontz, Colin Manville and Andrew Horensky – and our short stick defensive middies – Reid Moyer, Nolan Allen and Kaiden Nguyen – they all did a really good job, making sure they were winning those matchups, creating opportunities once the ball went on the ground. We couldn’t let them have those second chances.”
Up next: Pennridge (16-3, 9-0 SOL) will face yet another familiar foe in Tuesday’s district quarterfinal round when the Rams host #5 Souderton. The Rams eked out a 6-5 win in a classic battle when the two teams met on May 7.
“It’s a similar boat where both teams are pretty familiar with each other,” Pianko said. “It’s going to be a big rivalry game. I think both teams are going to come out swinging, and we’ll see which team takes advantage of some of that in the beginning.
“It was a super close game the first time around. We ended up pulling out the win. I’m sure they’re looking for an opportunity to get some revenge and get a win and make states. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for a really hard-fought battle.”
Central Bucks East closed out its season with a 13-6 record overall (7-2 SOL).
Central Bucks East 0-1-1-4 6
Pennridge 4-3-2-3 12
#5 SOUDERTON 9, #12 OWEN J ROBERTS 7
Souderton put its names in the program record books – the first team to earn a win in the second round of the District 1 3A Tournament.
“It’s hard to believe because we’ve had some pretty good teams, but this is the first time we were able to do it,” Souderton junior Max Ryon said. “We had a rough loss in the third game of the season against Perk Valley, but I think that really lit a fire under us and really made us show our true colors and show we have a gritty team and we can come out and play against these good teams.”
Ryon is a seasoned veteran on a squad that has six or seven freshmen on the field at all times.
“To be honest with you – in the preseason, we all had doubts, but when the freshmen started coming to our practices, we saw they could step up to this level and play, and the way we brought them up – we trained them and got them ready to play,” Ryon said. “They’re here, and they’re doing just fine.”
Souderton took a 4-3 lead into halftime and extended that to 7-3 after three quarters with Brody Anderson’s hat trick sparking the attack.
The defense also played a prominent role in the Indians’ strong showing.
“The biggest thing, no matter what, is communication – where you are, who’s ready to slide, who’s ready to make the play,” said Ryon, a key member of the Indians’ stingy defense. “And we can’t get down on each other. No matter what happens, you’ve got to have a short memory, we’ve got to forget plays and just keep going and keep each other up.”
The Wildcats threw a bit of a late scare in the Indians, rallying to pull to within two in a furious fourth quarter comeback attempt, but the Indians prevailed and made program history.
“I think it starts in the locker room – it’s a great group of guys,” Ryon said. “We’re like family. Coach preaches it, we all preach it, and we’re like family. We’re brothers, and I think that makes it also.
“When the defense is doing well, we pick up the offense. If the offense is doing well, it picks up the defense, and we’re just a great whole unit together, and it really helps us be ready for the games and compete.”
In addition to Anderson’s hat trick, Trey Bui’s four-point game led the Indians and included two goals and two assists. Chris Touhey also had a pair of goals.
Peyton Bannak won 11 of 20 faceoffs, and Andrew Rivera had eight saves.
By the numbers: Souderton: Trey Bui (2 goals, 2 assists), Brody Anderson (3 goals), Chris Touhey (2 goals), Ty Sauerwald (1 goal), Liam Murray (1 goal, 1 GB), Oliver Brewer (1 assist), Logan Blair (1 assist), Peyton Bannak (1 assist, 11/20 FO, 7 GB), Dylan Brun (2 CTO, 5 GB), Jackson Hirschmann (2 CTO, 4 GB), Max Ryon (3 GB), Alex Benfield (4 GB), Logan Cornes (3 GB), Andrew Rivera (8 saves, 2 GB)
Souderton coach Craig Hunsberger: “This is huge because it’s the first time Souderton has ever made it through a second round district playoff game, and it will line us up with a rematch against Pennridge, so we’re getting a rematch of a thriller earlier this season.
“This year is extra special because we’re playing with six or seven freshmen on the field all the time, along with a couple of sophomores, and our juniors and seniors tie it all together. It’s been a really special year for us.”
–Defense stands tall: “This year we’ve relied heavily on our defense. In the back, it’s Dylan Brun, Max Ryon and Jackson Hirschmann, and our midfielders are Alex Benfield, Liam Murray Chris Lewis and Logan Cornes and our goalie, Andrew Rivera. Just the tenacity they had throughout the course of the game, holding them to three goals all the way into the third quarter was huge in how they impacted the game. I think the defense is how we swing the momentum in our favor, along with, having Peyton (Bannak) at the face-off X. He’s done a fantastic job for us.”
Up next: Souderton (17-2, 9-1 SOL) will travel to #4 Pennridge for a quarterfinal contest on Tuesday. It’s a rematch of a late-season contest that saw the Rams escape with a 6-5 win.
Neither team will go home with six of the eight remaining teams earning state berths.
“There’s no other team we’d rather play than Pennridge,” Ryon said. “They beat us for the SOL championship by one. It was a great game, a close game, so we wanted to have this chance to come back and just play our hardest and show them what we have.
“We have the playbacks, but right now we’re focused on getting a win and guaranteeing a spot in states.”
Owen J Roberts 1-2-0-4 7
Souderton 2-2-3-2 9
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