Check out the Black Bear Lacrosse Club recaps for SOL boys’ lacrosse teams in action. CR South/CB South photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko, and PW/New Hope-Solebury photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for galleries of both games.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
PENNRIDGE 6, SOUDERTON 5
Number 14 secured number 3.
Pennridge goalkeeper Calvin McGuire made a whopping 14 saves, including a remarkable stop in the waning seconds of regulation to preserve Pennridge’s 6-5 advantage over Souderton and earn the Rams their third consecutive National Conference title on Wednesday.
“I saw him coming from the top left and dodging down, and I was like ‘Alright, this is it, I know this guy is going to shoot it,’” McGuire said. “I thought back to what the guy had done earlier in the game and realized he was probably going to try and go low, it was either going to be off-side or down, but it was going to be low. Not that I was going to try and guess on it, but I was waiting for it.
“I couldn’t have done it without my team, couldn’t have done it without my defense, couldn’t have done it without my guys, just so many props to them and I’m so proud of how they’ve done this season leaving me with shots I’m able to save pretty well.”
In a showdown of the two league undefeated squads, the Rams jumped out to a quick lead, scoring the only 2 goals of the first quarter. But Souderton netted 3 unanswered goals in the second to take a 3-2 lead into halftime.
“We were getting the looks on offense, but we just couldn’t finish,” said Pennridge senior LSM Andrew Horensky. “We kind of knew our offense was going to produce, so we just kept doing what we were doing
“They were beating us on all the ground balls in the first half, so at halftime, we said that we needed all the ground balls, and once we started coming up with the ground balls, that’s when we started scoring more goals.”
Pennridge built a lead with 4 goals in the third quarter, then let the defense take care of the rest, holding Souderton to 2 second-half goals and denying the late attempt to knot the score.
“We know we’re going to get that team’s best game,” Pennridge junior Reid Moyer said. “We know we’re circled on everyone’s schedule, so if we get a lead, we have to do whatever we can to keep that lead, and it drives us to play our best game every game.
“We knew when we went down 3-2, we had to come out hard. Every goal, our bench had to get hype, and on the field, we had to get hyped and just show them that we weren’t going to stop.”
Moyer and Kevin Matthews led the Rams with 2 goals each. Souderton was led by the three-point games of Chris Touhey (2 goals, 1 assist) and Ty Sauerwald (1 goal, 2 assists). Peyton Bannak won 10 of 15 face-offs and added 7 ground balls. Goalie Andrew Rivera was credited with 10 saves.
By the numbers: Pennridge: Carson Tormey (2 assists), Rocco Fanelli (2 assists), Kevin Matthews (2 goals), Levi Souder (1 goal), Reid Moyer (2 goals), Ryan Oshea (1 goal), Cole Nitterour (5/13 FO), Calvin McGuire (14 saves).
Souderton: (Chris Touhey (2 goals, 1assist), Ty Sauerwald (1 goal, 2 assists, 1GB), Logan Blair (2 goals, 2 GB), Cameron Ruff (1 assist), Peyton Bannak (10/15FO 7 GB), Alex Benfield (3 CTO, 4 GB), Jackson Hirschmann (1 CTO, 3 GB), Dylan Brun (1 CTO, 1 GB), Max Ryon (5 GB), Andrew Rivera (10 saves)
Pennridge coach Chris Pianko: “A great team win against a really good and aggressive Souderton team. It was a back-and-forth game with a few lead changes. Souderton did a great job throughout, making us have to handle pressure and swarming the ball. We had a few early man-up goals, but the offense didn’t get moving until the third quarter with a few goals off great ball movement.”
—Sealing the win and the title: “The game ended on a great defensive stand with Calvin McGuire making a great save with 7 seconds left to seal the win. An amazing team accomplishment to win 3 conference titles in a row.”
–Three-peat: “I don’t think (the key to repeating) is any one thing, but the kids have bought into what we want the mentality and identity of Pennridge lacrosse to be. We have a great senior class this year, some of whom have had to wait for their opportunity to get onto the field. Carson Tormey, Ryan O’Shea, and Nolan Allen are all seniors that have been stuck behind last year’s really talented senior class. They have all put in a ton of work and seized their opportunity to step into some huge roles for us this year.
“We have a great coaching staff with my brother Charlie who helps more than anyone knows, making sure we have practice plans and scouts ready to go and a great defensive coordinator in Stephen Hogan who is always communicating to the defense from the sideline. Rounding out the staff we have Nicholas Fanelli and Adam Fantaskey, who are both alumni of Pennridge that we have coached over the years and watched the program turn around. We couldn’t do it without the staff we have and more so without the kids buying into and listening to the messages and lessons we have had for them over the years.”
On winning the SOL National Conference title:
–Pennridge senior Colin McGuire: “It feels amazing. (In) Pennridge’s history, there have been so many talented teams beforehand, and they’ve been so good with such good players, but they weren’t able to put it together, and something I’m most proud of with our team is how well we mesh. We all make mistakes, we all get down, but we come back together and that’s what puts this group apart, we understand each other, we understand stuff is going to happen, but we all make it work.”
–Pennridge junior Reid Moyer: “It’s fantastic. We’d never been known as a great program until two years ago, which, I don’t think we were expecting to go to states and win SOL, but once we did win the SOL, I think we knew we were going to keep the title and keep on going. Before we started this streak, we were 6-12 and we didn’t really have expectations coming into that year but we started off like 8-0 and when that happened, we all knew this was our game now.”
Up next: The Rams (14-3, 9-0) close out the regular season with a 7 pm Thursday game at Holy Ghost Prep.
Pennridge 2 0 4 0 – 6
Souderton 0 3 1 1 – 5
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 6
In a thrilling conclusion to National Conference play, Council Rock South edged Central Bucks South 7-6 in a pivotal matchup with playoff implications. It was Senior Night for the Titans, who came out energized, scoring in both the opening and final minute of the first quarter to take a 2-1 lead.
The second quarter saw both teams trade goals, with the Golden Hawks holding a narrow 4-3 advantage at halftime. The Titans extended their lead early in the third, scoring two quick goals to make it 6-3 with 6 minutes remaining in the quarter.
With their playoff hopes on the line, the Golden Hawks responded with a dominant defensive stand and an offensive surge. Council Rock South scored 4 unanswered goals, shutting out CB South for the remainder of the game to secure a 7-6 comeback victory.
Senior Joey Smith led all scorers with 3 goals and 1 assist. Owen Dillon added 2 goals and collected 3 ground balls, while Conor McCaffery contributed 2 goals, 1
assist, and 1 ground ball—his second goal ultimately proving to be the game-winner with 3:30 left on the clock.
The Golden Hawks’ defense was instrumental down the stretch, led by goalie Billy Houser with 16 saves, and Harrison Kim (2 ground balls). Houser and Kim were supported by teammates Brody Walker (3 GB), Cole Telegadis (3 GB), Logan Foy (2 GB), Tristan O’Neill (2 GB), Andrew Mannherz (1 GB), and faceoff specialists Jake Baniewicz and Brendan Rooney, each with 1 ground ball.
Up next: The Golden Hawks (9-6, 4-5 SOL) – 20th in the latest District 1 3A rankings -will host nonleague foe Garnet Valley at 7 pm Friday in their regular season finale. The Titans (8-9, 4-5) will host Downingtown East in their finale at 5:45 pm Friday. South is 22nd in what will be a 24-team field.
Council Rock South 1 2 3 1 – 7
Central Bucks South 2 2 2 0 – 6
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 6, PENNSBURY 5
Central Bucks East pulled out a thrilling 6-5 win over Pennsbury in Wednesday’s National Conference clash that held plenty of implications for District playoff seeding.
Evan Riley’s three-point game included a goal and two assists while Thomas Williams and Adam Volm each had two goals. Ben Snyder had eight saves in goal in a winning effort.
Anant Malhi and John Curtis led Pennsbury with 2 goals each.
By the numbers: Central Bucks East: Offense – Evan Riley (1 goal, 2 assists), Thomas Williams (2 goals), Adam Volm (2 goals), Ryan Williams (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 GB), Ryan Atkinson (2 GB), Michael Smallwood (2 GB), Defense – Luke Walters (5 GB, 2 CTO), David Brown (5 GB, 1 CTO), Jackson Jagoda (2 GB, 1 CTO), Luke D’Ambrosio (2 GB), Chris Knepp (2 GB), Ben Bridegum (1 GB), Tristan Smith (1 GB) Rowen Coverdale (8 of 14 face-off wins, 2 GB), Ben Snyder (8 saves)
Pennsbury: Anant Malhi (2 goals), John Curtis (2 goals), Logan Thorne (1 goal, 2 assists), Chris Lynch (1 assist), Charlie Kealy (3/10 FO, 4 GB), Bradley Hill (3/4 FO, 3 GB), Jaden Beach (4 saves).
Up next: East will visit Council Rock North at 5:30 pm Friday in both teams’ regular season finale. The Patriots are 13th in the latest District 1 3A rankings while the Falcons are 16th.
Central Bucks East 2 2 1 1 – 6
Pennsbury 1 1 2 1 – 5
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 6
Last week was a nightmare for Council Rock North.
This week, the Indians are back on track.
Following a three-loss week last week – including a pair of league defeats – the Indians responded admirably, pulling out a critical 8-6 victory over Central Bucks West in Wednesday’s National Conference matchup.
Ben Welwood scored what would hold up as the game-winning goal.
The Indians trailed 1-0 after the first quarter, but refused to put their heads down. Instead, they battled back and earned a hard-fought victory to get back into the win column.
Ryan Schaffer scored 3 goals for the Indians, while Liam Dudley came up clutch with 3 goals and 2 ground balls.
Five different players scored for West, with Ben Greenspan netting 2 goals and adding 1 assist as well as winning 6 of 10 faceoffs.
By the numbers: Central Bucks West: Ben Greenspan (2 goals, 1 assist, 6/10 FO), Michael Rafalowski (3 assists), Liam Grant (1 goal), Caden McCloskey (1 goal), Brad Mulreaney (1 goal), Ethan Schmidt (1 goal), Alex Greenspan (1 assist), Hunter Reed (1 assist), Kevin Mallon (3/3 FO), James Rutenberg (2/3 FO), Kanen Patel (11 saves).
Council Rock North: Ryan Schaffer (3 goals), Ben Welwood (1 goal, 2 GB), Jake Welwood (1 goal, 3 GB), Liam Dudley (3 goals, 2 GB), Chase Klein (1 assist, 2 GB), Peyton Niefer (1 GB), Evan Salvucci (3 GB), Michael Jacoby (1 GB), Chase Jones (1 GB), Owen Rodowicz (2 CTO, 4 GB), Kurkan Arpajian (2 CTO, 3 GB), James Reynolds (5 GB), Jason Boyd (11 saves).
Council Rock North coach John Fitzpatrick: “This was a great team win. We hit rock bottom last week and finally bounced back. We played our best game of the year. To beat a quality team like Central Bucks West on any day is very special day.”
—Props: “Ryan Schaffer led the way offensively. Liam Dudley was clutch. Defensively, Owen Rodowicz and Kurkan Arpajian were super-human. Our goalie Jason Boyd has really turned it on the last week and was a reason we won today. James Reynolds was a Swiss army knife, playing SSDM, close defense, wing on faceoffs, stay on offense.”
Up next: North (6-7, 2-6 SOL) will host Central Bucks East at 5:30 pm Friday to close out the regular season.
Central Bucks West 1 2 1 2 – 6
Council Rock North 0 2 3 3 – 8
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
UPPER DUBLIN 12, WISSAHICKON 6
Early on, Upper Dublin found itself trailing in Wednesday’s game against local rival Wissahickon.
But there’s a reason why the Cardinals came into the game sporting an undefeated American Conference record. The Cards maintained their composure, battled back with 4 goals in the second quarter, then closed out the game with 4 unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 12-6 win and claim the American Conference championship in the regular season finale for both teams.
Nate Brown led Upper Dublin – who had 8 different players contribute to the scoring – with 4 goals and 2 assists.
Tyler Moore led the Trojans with 2 goals and 1 assist.
By the numbers: Upper Dublin: Reece Taylor (2 goals), Nate Brown (4 goals, 2 assists), Reilly McLaughlin (1 goal, 1 assist), Matthew Shohen (1 goal, 1 assist), Michael Pileggi (1 goal), Matthew Miller (1 goal), Ryan Simons (1 goal, 1 assist), Will Hoffmann (1 goal), Chase Foster (2 assists), Aarush Pillai (1 assist, 13/21 FO), Will Hoffmann (1/1 FO), Ben Shervin (5 saves).
Wissahickon: Tyler Moore (2 goals, 1 assist), Austin Myers (2 goals), Chase Comer (1 goal, 1 assist), Nolan Pounds (1 goal, 2 assists), Link Matozzo (1 assist), Dan Hussa (7 GB, 2 CTO), Nolan Reilly (9/18 FO), Colin Murphy (1/3 FO), Kyle Crump (8 saves).
Upper Dublin (11-7, 9-0 SOL) is ranked third in the latest District 1 2A rankings while Wissahickon (13-5, 7-2) is 19th in the 3A rankings.
Upper Dublin 2 4 2 4 – 12
Wissahickon 3 1 2 0 – 6
UPPER MORELAND 10, HATBORO-HORSHAM 4
For one half, this was a battle. Upper Moreland headed into halftime with a 4-3 lead over local rival Hatboro-Horsham.
But the Golden Bear offense exploded for 4 unanswered goals in the third quarter to put the game out of reach and take a 10-4 win over the Hatters in Wednesday’s American Conference game.
Kevin Messina led the Bears with 5 goals and 1 assist, while Paul Fell had a goal and 3 helpers.
By the numbers: Upper Moreland: Kevin Messina (5 goals, 1 assist), Paul Fell (1 goal, 3 assists), Judah Wood (2 goals), Kevin Smith (1 goal), Jackson Stuetz (1 goal).
Upper Moreland coach Corey Kelly: “This was a great team win, strong defensive presence, along with 90% faceoff wins.”
Up next: The Hatters – on the bubble at 24 in the latest District 1 3A rankings – will close out the season when they host Cardinal O’Hara at 7 pm today. Upper Moreland will end the regular season when it hosts Lansdale Catholic at 3:45 pm Friday. The Golden Bears are sixth in the latest 2A rankings.
Hatboro-Horsham 1 2 0 1 – 4
Upper Moreland 2 2 4 2 – 10
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 14, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2
(Submitted by Plymouth Whitemarsh boys lacrosse)
In late-season Wednesday afternoon league action, Plymouth Whitemarsh defeated New Hope-Solebury by a score of 14-2. The Colonials received goals from 7 players, including 4 from senior attackman Scott
Margulies and a hat trick from junior midfielder Drew Strohl. Senior attackman Caiden Lesczcynski and junior attackman/midfielder Jack Cooper notched 2 goals each. Senior LSM/defenseman Isaiah Bainbridge also contributed to the scoring, as did senior midfielder Luke LaViola and sophomore midfielder Nolan Schneider.
PW’s defense, led by seniors Bainbridge, Jackson Budin, Dylan Imperial, and Kevin Hegarty, held the Lions scoreless in the second half. The pole trio of Bainbridge, Budin, and Imperial collectively tallied 9 caused turnovers and 16 ground balls.
By the numbers: Plymouth Whitemarsh: Scott Margulies (4 goals, 4 GB), Drew Strohl (3 goals, 1 assist, 1 GB), Jack Cooper (2 goals, 2 assists, 3 CTO), Caiden Lesczcynski (2 goals, 5 assists, 3 GB), Luke LaViola (1 goal, 1 assist, 1 GB), Isaiah Bainbridge (1 goal, 5 CTO, 8 GB), Nolan Schneider (1 goal, 1 GB), Dylan Ippolito (1 assist), Owen Cababe (2 assist, 1 GB), Hayden Domers (1 assist, 1 CTO, 2 GB), Jackson Budin (4 CTO, 4 GB), Dylan Imperial (4 GB), Kevin Hegarty (2 CTO, 2 GB), Luke Wynne (1 GB, 1/8 FO), Kai Silverman (4/11 FO), Mason Best (2 saves, 2 GB), Brian DeVitis (1 save).
Up next: The Colonials (9-8, 8-1 SOL) will visit Lower Merion at 5 pm Friday. The Lions (7-10, 3-6) will visit Archbishop Wood at 6:30 pm Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 6 2 4 – 14
New Hope-Solebury 1 1 0 0 – 2
SPRINGFIELD TWP 7, CHELTENHAM 6
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