Wurtz’s OT winner keeps Pottsgrove on the upswing

 

Two lacrosse programs trying to get some traction took positive steps Monday.

On an it-seems-like-summer-already afternoon, Phoenixville made host Pottsgrove sweat by making up a four-goal deficit (9-5) and forcing overtime. With 58 seconds left in the extra session, one of Pottsgrove’s key playmakers, Brendan Wurtz, made the game-winner, wheeling from right to left and uncorking a successful smash into the net for the 11-10 victory at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary.

The Falcons (3-7 overall, 2-5 in the PAC-10), winning their second straight (they beat Pope John Paul II on Friday), got off six shots in the OT before Wurtz’s finisher. They maintained possession nearly the entire period and stayed patient.

“We created a little confusion on the crease, kept dodging them, and with our endurance came up with the extra goal,” Wurtz said.

Pottsgrove’s Wyatt Porter was a dominant force throughout the game, scoring six goals. Still, Phoenixville (1-9, 0-7), wouldn’t go away.

“We definitely let it slip a little bit in the second half,” Porter said. “That’s something we’re going to try to change in the future; we want to start and finish games. But we’ve been working hard, running hard, getting a lot of help from our middies, and in the end we had a little bit more in the tank.”

Talk about a deep tank – check out the comeback story of Pottsgrove defenseman Chris DeFrancesco. A three-sport athlete, DeFrancesco was diagnosed with testicular cancer during last football season. He missed only two games, due to surgery. Early in the wrestling campaign the cancer returned, and DeFrancesco underwent chemotherapy.

But he was back quickly for lacrosse season and was all over the field Monday as a key defender. DeFrancesco feels great and says he’s clear now of cancer.

“I came out and tried to work as hard as I could,” he said of his return to lacrosse. “It was a little bit hard with my conditioning – that was a struggle – but over time I got it back. I like to keep pushing myself.”

“He’s a huge part of our defense,” said Pottsgrove coach Todd Van Horn, who as an assistant wrestling coach worked with DeFrancesco. “When we heard he had to receive another round of treatment we were heartbroken, because the kid really puts everything out there in every sport he plays.

“He had the quick recovery, came out with flying colors, and he’s never missed a beat.”

Porter scored Pottsgrove’s first three goals, and his fourth of the first quarter gave the Falcons a 5-2 lead.

The Phantoms’ Derek Bullota, though, was nearly as impressive throughout, scoring five times. His second one with eight seconds left in the first period made it a two-goal game, and so much more would happen.

It appeared Pottsgrove might pull away when Garret Walton’s score late in the second period and Porter’s midway through a defensive third quarter made it 9-5. But back came the Phantoms, who coach Colin Shaw noted got good efforts from all, particularly Bullota, Owen Carney, Matt Lopolito and Brendan Jenkins. Shaw said Jenkins’ mother was in the hospital for cancer surgery and that the team was playing with her in mind.

“Every one of the kids on this team plays extremely hard and they play for each other. They don’t do selfish things,” Shaw said.

From down 9-5, the Phantoms kept attacking, getting goals in the final minute of the third from Bullota and Ryan O’Neil. Trailing 10-7 early in the fourth, Phoenixville scored three times in the last 3:37 of regulation, and fittingly, Jackson’s on an athletic, determined effort forced overtime with 44 ticks left.

Both starting goalies, Pottsgrove’s Thaddeus Brown and Phoenixville’s Tim Bateman, made numerous big saves. Bateman’s biggest was costly; an overtime smash by Porter struck him in the helmet, the officials said, and noting he required a concussion check due to the blow to the head, ruled he had to come out of the game.

”We knew Phoenixville was going to be tough because they were looking at us as one of their big wins for the season,” Van Horn said. “We got lulled to sleep a little bit, played to their game, they tied it up, but we kept it steady in overtime and waited for our chance.”

Pottsgrove now has a little momentum and hopes to build on it.

“In the past three years we haven’t been doing this well,” DeFrancesco said. “Everyone’s coming together as a team, working hard and everyone wants to change the tradition and start winning some more games.”