Conestoga sticks to script, tops inspired Pennridge in District 1-3A 2nd round

TREDYFFRIN >> Conestoga’s boys lacrosse team has been here enough to know what it takes to win in the postseason.

It’s a matter of consistency and the second round of the playoffs isn’t the time to start changing things. Pennridge gave all it had, but the Pioneers dipped into that well of experience once again.

Conestoga was solid on both ends, advancing into the quarterfinals with a 13-6 win over the Rams on Thursday.

“I’d say that’s exactly what it is, you want to stay with what you know best,” Conestoga attacker Brendan Murphy said. “You do what you’re comfortable with and live to play one more game.”

Pennridge started out fired up and the Rams weren’t interested in just showing up and calling it a good season. Shane Hartzell won the opening faceoff, Kevin Britner scored the game’s first goal and with 3:20 left in the first frame, the Rams led 2-1.

Two years ago, Pennridge made the trip to Conestoga and as senior defenseman Johnnie Banks put it, “kind of got worked.” With a senior-heavy defense and plenty of other guys who have been fixtures in the lineup since then, the Rams were determined to make the Pioneers earn it this time.

“That was in our minds, we just wanted to work for everything and make them work for everything,” Banks said. “I think we did that.”

Conestoga defenseman Michael Jameison felt his team was a little slow to start but once the Pioneers locked in, they were really stout. The Pioneers matched Pennridge’s physical play and Jameison added they adjusted well to the Rams’ slides and sweeps.

“When they were dodging, we’d get into them and just not let them be comfortable,” Jameison said. “We forced a few turnovers and that helped us a lot throughout the game.”

On the offensive end, the Pioneers respected the skill of the Rams’ senior defenders so Murphy said the difference was Conestoga’s ability to move the ball around. The junior attackman led Conestoga with four goals including the tying goal in the first quarter that ignited a 3-0 frame ending run.

“We ran almost the same offense all game,” Murphy said. “We just stayed with what worked. We’re confident in all our guys, we think any of our guys can beat their man one-on-one so we tried to stick with what we were doing.”

Pennridge could certainly chalk up some bad bounces on Thursday. Conestoga’s first goal came off a deflected shot that went into another Pioneer’s stick for a one-timer and Murphy’s second goal came when his initial shot rebounded off the goalie and back to him for a follow-up.

Still, there wasn’t a point where the Rams quit and Johnnie Banks said he and his teammates were able to walk off the field knowing they’d left everything they had out there.

“We competed for 48 minutes, there were a couple times where bounces didn’t go our way and it ends up in the back of the net but that kind of stuff happens,” Rams coach JP Banks said. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”

“That’s my best friends I’m out there playing defense with,” Johnnie Banks said. “Going into it, we were just going out there to play. They have great players but we weren’t focused on that, we were focused on what we had to do.”

Pennridge lost Britner, a senior, to injury in the second quarter but he was able to walk off the field alongside his classmates to a round of applause from their teammates. This Pennridge class pushed the program to new heights and it’s a bar the next wave will have to surpass.

“Each year and each class that graduates we start to get Pennridge lacrosse a little closer to the map,” JP Banks said. “To the young kids out there reading this or watching, be ready when you come to Pennridge.”

After scoring three goals in two minutes to end the first quarter, Conestoga never trailed again. Senior Will Schnorr added a hat trick and senior Julian Grove had a trio of assists.

Senior Jake Bouhdary and junior Scott Smith were solid alongside Jameison on defense.

The Pioneers’ seniors are focused on one thing this spring in winning a state title. Getting there meant winning on Thursday but they weren’t about to change things up to make it happen.

“It helps an unbelievable amount, we know what to do, we know what we’re working for,” Jameison said. “We want to win a state championship this year. We haven’t gotten there yet.”