Five things to watch as the Chester County season begins
The Ches-Mont League rose to new heights on the boys lacrosse pyramid in 2014.
In arguably its greatest year, the Ches-Mont sent five teams into the District 1 playoffs. Two of those teams (Avon Grove and Bishop Shanahan) reached the District 1 championship game, the first All Ches-Mont district final in history.
Avon Grove clinched its second straight district title and rode that momentum before falling to Penncrest in the PIAA championship game, the first appearance for the Red Devils in the final.
To top off the banner year, Bishop Shanahan and Avon Grove finished second and third, respectively, in the LaxPower Pennsylavania state rankings. The league also produced five Philly region U.S. Lacrosse All-Americans and two participants in the Under Armour All-American Game.
On top of the Ches-Mont success, Malvern Prep completed a 24-0 season capped with an Inter-Ac championship and a No. 2 national ranking by LaxPower.
Can the 2015 season equal or succeed the success area lacrosse teams had in 2014? Here are five things to watch as the season begins today:
1. Who is the favorite to win the Ches-Mont?
Bishop Shanahan is the defending league champions, going unbeaten throught the league. Even though the Eagles lost plenty of offensive firepower from last season (combined 146 goals from John Mehok, Dylan Alderman and Sam Montgomery), they still consist one of the top midfields and defensive units in the league along with the goalie tandem of Jason Yoquinto and Sam Gindhart.
Avon Grove isn’t expected to miss a beat as the Red Devils return plenty of talent from last year’s District 1 championship team despite losing Under Armour All-Americans Tanner Peck and Will Schreiner. The Red Devils have a young and strong defense along with plenty of attackmen, led by Stephen Cyron and his 68 goals from 2014.
Downingtown East also will contend for the Ches-Mont championship as the Cougars return 13 starters from an injury-riddled team last year. East can contend for the title with an aggressive midfield and stong defense led by Jake Peden and Brody Wilson in goal. West Chester Henderson, Great Valley and West Chester Rustin will look to play spoiler in the title race.
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2. Where will the goals come from in the Ches-Mont?
The Ches-Mont had plenty of strong attackmen in 2014, which led to a myriad of goals throughout the season. However, five of the league’s top ten scorers graduated leaving the spotlight on Avon Grove’s Stephen Cyron and Bishop Shanahan’s Alex Wagner. Cyron led the league with 68 goals while Wagner finished with 59. With the top defensive pole man likely on those two, it will be interesting to see if the two attackmen can equal or better those numbers in 2015.
The league has plenty of strong defenses. Goals could come at a premium.
The Unionville trio of Winslow Davis, Danny Donovan and Jimmy Nowoswiat should provide some offense for the league along with Rustin’s R.J. Zoba and Mark Campanile. Expect a few players to compete for the 40-goal mark such as Henderson’s Cody Pascale and Avon Grove’s Bryce Reid.
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3. How many teams can make the District 1 playoffs out of the area?
Chester County had six teams make the playoffs in 2014, but that number could increase.
Avon Grove, Bishop Shanahan and Downingtown East are the three most likely to reach the playoffs from the Ches-Mont, barring a myriad of injuries.
Great Valley and West Chester Henderson should return to the 29-team field (the number from 2014). The Patriots lost a few starters, including Greg Merrill, and are young in the midfield and defense, but have a number of players with experience after injuries from 2014. Henderson has plenty of experience back (Pascale, Noah Richard, Jack Twohig) and should be able to compete for a first-round home game.
West Chetser Rustin will be in the mix for its first district playoff berth in school history after going 9-9 in head coach Tommy Hannum’s first season. Kennett and Unionville could compete for a spot as well.
With 21 seniors returning for Conestoga, the Pioneers should compete for the Central League title and make a deep district playoff run.
Very possible Chester County could see seven teams qualify for the postseason.
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4. Has the Ches-Mont become the top league in District 1?
The question is still up for debate, but the Ches-Mont took huge strides in catching the Central League in 2014.
Both Avon Grove and Shanahan fell to Penncrest, the Central League Champions, in the PIAA playoffs as the Lions rallied to win their first PIAA title.
But the Ches-Mont did produce an All-District 1 final (Avon Grove and Shanahan) and the last two district champions have come from the league (Avon Grove).
In head-to-head meetings last season, the Ches-Mont went 10-21 against the Central. Avon Grove and Shanahan went 6-3 against the league.
“Year after year, the Central and Ches-Mont are the premier leagues,’ said West Chester Rustin head coach Tommy Hannum. The depth in both leagues prevail despite the stong teams over in Suburban One. It’s going to be an exciting year in thsi district.’
With both leagues deeper than ever before, the Ches-Mont could close the gap on head-to-head matchups with an improved Downigntown East, West Chester Henderson and West Chester Rustin squads.
A third straight District 1 champion wouln’t hurt the league’s case either. Nor would a state title.
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5. Is the Ches-Mont a defensive league this year?
Judging by the top the teams in the league, the answer is yes. Two of the Ches-Mont’s top players are defensemen (Shanahan’s Ryan McNulty and Downingtown East’s Jake Peden) are leaders on the league’s top defensive units. Avon Grove also has a strong defense as well led by Nick Cardile and Brayden Peck.
Of the 36 Ches-Mont players committing to play lacrosse at the collegiate level, 19 are defensemen or goalies. Teams will be hard pressed to score goals this season, especially against the top three squads. The league might see plenty of games in the 5-4 to 7-6 range in 2015.
The “defense wins championships’ theory will certainly be put to the test this season.
