By Alex Frazier
Meet…Dave Cole
Just how much does Dave Cole mean to the Pennridge lacrosse team?
Consider this.
When Cole suffered a knee injury in the second game of the year against North Penn, Cole finished the game and the Rams eked out a 9-8 win, which made them 3-0.
Cole, however, missed the next six games, while the team turned in a paltry 1-5 record with the only win coming against Central Bucks South.
Ironically, the senior defenseman came back against North Penn, this time helping the Rams to an 11-8 victory.
More important, he ignited Pennridge to wins over archrival Souderton and Central Bucks West to end the league season at 6-6.
“He is the best defenseman I’ve ever coached,” said Pennridge coach Tom Wyatt. “He has the stick-handling skills of an attackman. He has excellent field sense and awareness and understands the ebb and flow of the game. He’s a leader on the field.”
Wyatt also uses Cole in man-up situations.
“That’s how good his stick is,” said the coach.
Having a small team like Pennridge, the loss of a player like Cole is devastating.
While Cole was sidelined, the Rams lost several one-goal games, like the 9-8 loss to Hatboro-Horsham.
“Dave could have been the difference,” said Wyatt.
Even missing so many games, Cole still scored six goals as a defenseman.
“He has every attribute of a defenseman a coach could possibly want,” said Wyatt.
Cole started lacrosse in seventh grade for the Penn Valley Lacrosse Club and moved to Deep Run Valley the following year. He still helps out there coaching.
Lacrosse was a natural for Cole, whose two older brothers Tim, 23, and Sean, 20, had both played.
“These guys really helped me out with lacrosse,” said Cole. “I was just a kid sitting down next to my parents watching them.”
It turns out all three of them were defensemen as well as team captains.
Tim was a “textbook” defenseman, while Sean started out as attack.
At first, Cole picked up the short stick but when Sean switched to defense, his fate was sealed.
In ninth grade, Cole picked up a long stick and felt at home with it.
“It was nice to have my brothers teach me everything I learned,” he said.
The three brothers had always been close, but when Cole’s mother tragically died last April their bond grew even stronger.
“It was a hard situation,” he said. “It was a big motivation and still is. I wear her initials on my helmet. It’s something to play for.”
Cole was particularly grateful of the team’s support.
“It really is a good feeling when you know you have a group of guys that got your back,” said Cole. “It’s comforting.”
Cole also played football but quit in sixth grade because he realized the commitment would be too great in high school. He continued playing basketball through ninth grade, but when he made the Pennridge varsity lacrosse team as a freshman, basketball also went the way of football.
As a freshman he also got to play with Sean.
“We had 100 percent chemistry,” said Cole. “It was like playing in the backyard, but the games actually mattered, which was even better.”
Cole was also a co-captain this year, an experience he won’t forget.
“I love it,” he said. “I’m not one of those vocal, screaming guys, but I do get on the guys if I see potential in them. I’ve had kids on my team call me hero because of what I was dealing with with my mom.
“I feel I can talk to anyone on the team and they will put it all out there for me and the coach. Captaincy has been a treat for me. I didn’t realize how much power I had.”
“He’s an excellent captain,” said Wyatt. “The Chinese philosopher Lao said that a leader is best when people barely know he exists. That’s Dave. He exists in his play and the other players follow suit. When he speaks others listen.”
Next year Cole will attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is undecided on a major but is leaning toward business.
“I decided I wanted a bigger school and a more academically involved school,” he said. “Instead of a private school, I could go to a state school and pick and choose what I think is best. I could have played a lot of Division III schools but I wasn’t too comfortable with the same size student body as high school. I didn’t want to do that again.”
As for lacrosse, Cole has pretty much decided to step back and just play at the club level.
“If club is helping me get through school, which is first always, I can meet a few guys and have a good time,” said Cole. “I definitely feel I’ll miss lacrosse, but I feel like this isn’t the end for me. If it doesn’t work out at IUP, I’ll try to transfer and find a better school for me.”
Cardinals surging – Upper Dublin coach Jon Levine always tells his team that he wants them to be better in May than in March.
And that’s exactly what is happening.
“We’re clicking and doing the right things, and guys are getting used to where other guys are supposed to be,” said Levine. “Defensively we’re learning the schemes better. Instead of everybody doing their own thing, everybody’s working together a little bit more.”
The Cards have endured a number of injuries and suspensions this season and gained experience in the process.
It wasn’t just average players that were affected, but high-caliber.
Several of them came on defense.
“That caused problems,” said Levine.
Young players stepping in also didn’t help.
“We had four or five sophomores start on the offensive end at one point,” said Levine.
A tough schedule at the beginning of the year made for a rough start too.
Twice the Cardinals lost to league champion Plymouth Whitemarsh by a single goal.
Levine cited his three senior captains as helping hold the team together in hard times and helping it move forward.
“They’ve certainly stepped up and taken a leadership role,” he said.
Charles Meinhart and John Quici (who was injured early) have been the heart of the defense.
“Charles is a steady force and does everything you ask of him,” said Levine. And Quici has scored twice for the Cardinals.
Another senior defenseman Max Strotbeck, who was injured in the beginning of the year, has come on strong.
“He guards the best attackman on the other team,” said Levine. “He’s scored two goals also.”
Midfielder Willy Beury is the quarterback of the offense.
“He might not be our leading goal scorer, but he is our leading point scorer,” said Levine. “He commands a decent amount of attention from whomever we play.”
Senior attackman Andy Lunney has also contributed.
“We’re settling in and feeling good where we’re at,” said Levine.
Around the league – Congratulations to Abington, Central Bucks East and Plymouth Whitemarsh for winning their respective conferences. While this is becoming old hat for the Ghosts and Patriots, it’s brand new for PW, though the Colonials have been knocking on the door for a few years.
The American Conference figured to be a four-horse race, but Wissahickon quickly dropped back with a young squad decimated by injuries. But credit the Trojans, who also got better as the season progressed.
As it turned out, the real battle in the American was for second place. Upper Dublin and Upper Merion split games and both lost to PW and had to settle for a tie for second.
The Flying Cardinals face a huge game Friday against Council Rock North. Should they lose that, Upper Merion is likely to have an advantage in seeding for the district playoffs.
Speaking of playoffs, nine SOL teams made the cut last year. They included (seeding in parenthesis) Abington (2), Central Bucks East (4), Hatboro-Horsham (8), Pennsbury (9), Upper Merion (17), Wissahickon (19), Plymouth Whitemarsh (20), Upper Dublin (23) and Council Rock North (27).
Abington (fourth), Central Bucks East (sixth) and Hatboro-Horsham (seventh) qualified for states, but none advanced past the first round.
The district seeding meeting is on Sunday and first -round play is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
SOL Top 5
1. Central Bucks East
2. Abington
3. Pennsbury
4. Plymouth Whitemarsh
5. Hatboro-Horsham
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