Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ lacrosse teams in action Thursday. CB West/CB East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, and CR North/CB South photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f900124885 Photos of Souderton/North Penn courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for galleries of all boys’ lax games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f900124885
Wissahickon/Quakertown photo courtesy of Kim Supko. To view a gallery of photos, please click on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p461117717
(UD photos provided courtesy of Shannon O’Sullivan/UD lacrosse)
National Conference
Central Bucks West 9, Central Bucks East 4
There are few rivalries in local high school sports like Central Bucks East vs Central Bucks West. Year after year, no matter which sport, no matter the records, a battle between these neighborhood nemeses is always a highlight of the season.
And while every league game is important, these matchups always bring a little more anticipation beforehand, a little more celebration afterward.
But with both East and West jockeying for position near the top of the National Conference standings, there was a lot on the line when the two teams clashed on Thursday.
And there was a lot to celebrate after the Bucks pulled out a 9-4 victory, their first win over their rivals in several years and East’s second league defeat of the season.
“The past two years, we haven’t won this game,” said West junior Matt Jacobsen. “This is a game we all circle on our calendars. I know a lot of guys on that team, and I know a lot of players on our team know some of the players on that team, so it just makes it even more personal.
“It’s a big rivalry game. Everyone gets up, everyone comes out to watch it. The coaches just do a great job of getting everyone together and performing and giving out a great game plan. East is a great team, so beating them gives us all the confidence in the world. We have some more matchups next week. We’re going to keep building and take it to other teams.”
Jacobsen played a major role in getting things started and finished on this day. He was an eye-popping 14-of-15 on faceoffs and tied for team high with 3 goals.
“A key is not over-complicate it and just rely on my instincts,” Jacobsen said of his draw success. “So I don’t try to get too technical with it. I just try to play my game. My wings help me out a lot. We’ve got Garin Mangeot on the one wing and Sean Kelly on the other. They’re great, they always help me out.”
Alex Greenspan (3G, 1A) and Aidan Kimberly (1G, 3A) each had 4-point games for the Bucks, who also received 2 goals from Harrison Brownlow and 1 assist from Joe Perry.
Austin Hahn was 1-of-1 on faceoffs, and Will Shandlay made 6 saves to earn the win in the cage for the Bucks, who led 4-2 at halftime and outscored the Patriots in each of the four quarters.
“Everyone just kept fighting,” Jacobson said. “East is a great team. They’re going to throw some punches at us, but we were just so hyped and came back and threw more punches at them.”
Luke Christmas and Thomas Williams each scored 2 goals for the Patriots. Adam Volm had the team’s lone assist. Christmas also had 2 caused turnovers and 4 ground ball pickups for East, which also received contributions from Chris Funston (4 CTO), Matthew Bowen (1 CTO), Williams (1 CTO), Ben Bridegum (1CTO), Brown (2 CTO, 1 GB), Ethan Greenlee (2 CTO, 1 GB), Patrick Coleman (1 CTO, 2 GB), Volm (1 GB), Blake Bishop (1 GB), and Tristan Smith (1 CTO). Bennett Snyder recorded 9 saves for the Patriots.
With the win, West remains undefeated in National Conference play at 4-0, 9-2 overall. The Bucks will host Central Bucks South at 7 pm Tuesday. The Patriots (4-2, 6-4) will look to return to their winning ways when they host Pennridge at 4 pm Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 1-1-1-1 4
Central Bucks West 2-2-2-3 9
Council Rock North 11, Central Bucks South 10
Sam Lewis finished with 5 goals and 1 assist to go along with 4 ground ball pickups and 4 caused turnovers to boost Council Rock North to a thrilling 11-10 win over Central Bucks South in Thursday’s nailbiter of a National Conference matchup.
The Indians held a 3-goal advantage in the waning minutes of the game and held off a furious rally attempt from the Titans.
“Sam Lewis turned it on in the second half,” said North coach John Fitzpatrick. “This was a very hard-fought game against a well-coached team.”
Nick Colavita came up big with 7 points on 2 goals and 5 assists as well as 3 ground balls. Andrew Zazoff had 3 goals, 1 assist, and 6 ground balls.
EJ Allian went 14-for-26 on faceoffs in a gritty effort for the Indians, who also received contributions from Noah Epstein (4 CTO, 6 GB), Logan Atkinson (3 CTO, 2 GB), and Tyler Rodowicz (2 CTO, 4 GB).
Zach Borden came up with 15 saves and was stellar down the stretch to maintain the North lead.
Reese Levinson led the Titans with 4 goals and 1 assist. Ryan Gordon scored a hat trick, while Keith Conner had a goal and an assist, Alex Fessler scored once, Anthony Depedro had 1 goal to go along with 9 ground balls and 4 caused turnovers. Liam Goss won 10-of-19 faceoffs and scooped up 4 ground balls. Dom Varacollo made 9 saves.
“We are getting better every game, but we really cut out the youthful mistakes,” said South coach Mike Strayline. “The hustle and the heart are there, we just need to play 4 strong quarters. Like I said before, we are young, so the sky is the limit.”
Council Rock North remains atop the National Conference standings at 6-1, 8-4 overall, and will host nonleague opponent Holy Ghost Prep at 7 pm Tuesday. South falls to 2-3, 4-6, and will look to rebound in Monday’s home game at 5:30 pm against Hatboro-Horsham.
Central Bucks South 2-3-2-3 10
Council Rock North 3-2-5-1 11
Neshaminy 18, Harry S Truman 7
Jack McVey exploded for 6 goals and Liam Ames scored 4 and assisted on 5 others as Neshaminy picked up its first National Conference victory of the season in decisive fashion, with an 18-7 rout of Harry S Truman on Thursday.
On a day that saw assists on 17 of 18 goals, Neshaminy received scoring from Lucas Maher (2 G, 4 A), Colin Demi (2 G, 2 A), Jack Sexton (2 G), Jared Edmister (1 G, 3 A), Virgil Ong (1 G), Ryan DeMatteo (2 A), and Aziz Abdurakhmanov (1 A). Abdurakhmanov also won 7-of-11 faceoffs in the game.
For the Tigers, Tommy Bryson recorded eight saves and reached a personal milestone when he made his 400th career save.
Chris Glover led the Tigers’ attack with four goals to go along with seven ground balls and one caused turnover. Patrick Berkery added two goals while Joe Scheller had one goal, one assist, two ground balls and one caused turnover. Nate Cornell and Jake Talf each had one assist. Robert Eldredge added one assist, one ground ball and one caused turnover. Ansumana Turay had five ground balls, one caused turnover and won 9 of 18 faceoffs. Jack Rugarber led the defense with three ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
Neshaminy improves to 1-5 in the National Conference, 5-6 overall, and will host nonleague foe Conwell Egan Catholic at 4 pm Monday. Truman drops to 0-6, 0-11, and will seek its first win of the season at Cheltenham today at 3:30 pm.
Neshaminy 8-4-5-1 18
Harry S Truman 0-1-1-5 7
Pennridge 13, Pennsbury 11
To call this one a back-and-forth affair would be an understatement.
Each team had its turn to dominate the play, with Pennsbury outscoring Pennridge 10-1 in the odd quarters, including a 3-0 lead after the opening period.
But the Rams owned the even quarters, outscoring the Falcons 8-0 in the second to roar back ahead, then outscoring Pennsbury 4-1 in the final frame to pull out the 13-11 National Conference win on Thursday.
Drew Ferguson and Levi Souder led Pennridge with 3 goals and 1 assist each. Matt Kriney scored twice and assisted on 2 others, Ryan Carickhoff had 2 goals, Frankie Fanelli had 1 goal and 2 assists, Matthew Seiler scored once and assisted once, Rocco Fanelli chipped in with 1 goal, and Ben Souder had 1 assist to go along with a 17-for-28 effort on faceoffs.
Tyler Vandermark made 5 saves to earn the win in net for Pennridge, which remains undefeated in National Conference play at 4-0 (8-1 overall).
Kolby Ranniello led Pennsbury with 4 goals and 2 assists. John Curtis had a hat trick and added 1 assist, Will Taylor had 2 goals and 1 assist, Jake Kalinowski and Mike Dezutel each contributed 1 goal and 1 assist, Troy Haynes had 3 assists, and Logan Thorne chipped in with 1 assist.
Brad Hill was 10-for-22 on faceoffs, and Jon Vereb made 12 saves for the Falcons (3-1, 4-3).
Pennridge (9-1, 5-0 SOL) is back in action at 4 pm Friday, visiting Springfield Twp. Pennsbury (4-4, 3-2) will travel to New Hope-Solebury for a non-league game Friday.
Pennridge 0-8-1-4 13
Pennsbury 3-0-7-1 11
American Conference
Upper Dublin 12, William Tennent 3
American Conference frontrunner Upper Dublin celebrated Senior Day with a commanding 12-3 win over William Tennent on Thursday.
Donnie Marie led a spread-out Upper Dublin offense with 3 goals. Nate Brown had 2 goals and 3 assists, Aidan Callahan scored twice and assisted on another, Kyle Spirt and Matt Shohen each scored 2 goals, Will Bailey added 1 goal, Cam Osborne had 2 assists, and Cole Pedroso recorded 1 assist.
Andrew Rizzuto and Michael Gewartowski went 15-for-20 on faceoffs, while Bubba Reape (2 saves) and Jonah Fisher (1 save) split time in the cage for the Cardinals, who improve to 5-1 in American Conference play (8-3 overall). The Cards are off until April 27, when they visit Hatboro-Horsham at 4:45 pm.
Abington 11, Plymouth Whitemarsh 6
Abington goalkeeper Corey Tobin made 13 saves on 19 shots to keep Plymouth Whitemarsh at bay and help lift the Ghosts to an 11-6 victory in a key American Conference matchup on Thursday.
“We got a great game from the defense and our goalie, Corey Tobin,” said Abington coach Mike Duffy, acknowledging the strong play of his defensive unit comprised also of Patch Garry, Connor Penderghest, Liam Penderghest, Mason Glemser, Bobby Zucatto and Luke Myslinski.
Zach Silverman led the offense with 3 goals and 3 assists. Sam Udell had 3 goals, Spence Lowery had 2 goals and 1 assist, Andrew Herman had 2 goals, Andrew Suit had a goal and an assist, Sean Lare picked up 2 assists, and Matt Miller chipped in with 1 assist.
The Colonials were led by senior midfielders Justin Bainbridge and Jared Kolsun. Bainbridge led the offense with 2 goals and 2 assists while collecting 4 ground balls and causing 2 turnovers. He also went 9-for-12 on faceoffs. Kolsun added a goal and an assist along with 2 groundballs.
Plymouth Whitemarsh also had goals from junior Ben Backenstose, sophomore Luke LaViola, and freshman Jack Cooper. The defensive effort was led by sophomore Isaiah Bainbridge (3 GB, 2 CTO), junior Frank Lynch (5GB, 1 CTO), and senior Dylan McCourt (2GB), Senior Goalie Nate Mascio had 14 saves in net.
Abington improves to 2-2 in American Conference play, 4-7 overall. The Ghosts will visit nonleague opponent Coatesville at 3:45 pm Monday. PW falls to 3-2, 6-3, and will host the other conference frontrunner when Wissahickon visits for a 3:30 pm Monday game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-2-2-1 6
Abington 4-2-2-3 11
Springfield Twp 8, Upper Moreland 6
Carter Weiss made 9 saves as he and his Springfield defense held Upper Moreland to a lone goal in the second half as the Spartans pulled out a hard-fought 8-6 win in Thursday’s American Conference clash to earn their first victory of the season.
Adam Fluehr led the Springfield offense with 2 goals and 1 assist. Matt Capoferri, Kevin Bui, and Matteo Ringgold each added 2 goals, while Peter Schmidt picked up 3 assists.
Springfield improves to 1-1 in American Conference play, 1-6 overall. The Spartans will host Pennridge at 4 pm Monday. Upper Moreland falls to 0-4, 6-6, and will visit Quakertown for a 6 pm Tuesday matchup.
Springfield Twp 2-4-1-1 8
Upper Moreland 1-4-0-1 6
Wissahickon 14, Quakertown 3
The Trojans rolled to their ninth with without a loss, defeating the visiting Panthers in conference play.
Andrew Slackman’s five-goal effort led a balanced Trojan attack, and Kyle Lehman added three goals and an assist. Nicholas Donofrio’s four-point game included two goals and two assists. Gavin Myers and Charles Stehlik both had two goals and one assist. Aiden Leary had a goal and two assists. Contributing one goal each were Harrison Paul, Danny Hussa and Jason Quan.
Kyle Crump recorded four saves, and Patrick Carr had one save.
Dominic Kemper won 9 of 9 faceoffs for the Trojans.
Wissahickon (9-0, 5-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton for an 11:30 a.m. non-league contest, and Quakertown (2-8, 1-5) will host Liberty in a non-league match Friday.
Souderton 14, North Penn 1
The Indians rolled to a decisive win over the Knights.
Seth Grossman’s seven-point game included three goals and four assists and led the Indians. Tyson Bui added four goals and two assists. John Martin-Vince and Sean Landis both had two goals and one assist. Ty Quintos, Trey Bui and Gavin Landis each added one goal. Brody Anderson had one assist.
Also for the Indians, Peyton Bannak won 11 of 19 faceoffs.
Matt Malanga recorded eight saves in goal for the Indians.
Souderton (8-3, 4-2 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Saturday in a non-league match at 11:30 a.m.
Non-league
Hatboro-Horsham 10, Council Rock South 7
Alex Cerminara powered in 5 goals, Darius Graziani and Shane Phillips each scored a pair, and David Benjamin added 1 more as Hatboro-Horsham topped Council Rock South 10-7 in Thursday’s crossover game.
Max Mariano added 2 assists for the Hatters, who improve to 6-3 overall, 4-1 in American Conference play. The Hatters will visit Central Bucks South for a 5:30 pm game Monday. The Golden Hawks drop to 4-6, 0-5 in the National Conference. They will look to rebound when they visit Springfield Twp at 3:30 pm Monday.
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