PW dominates Cheltenham on Senior Night
WHITEMARSH — Senior Night is usually a time in which the athletes involved look back over a career, and Monday night when Plymouth Whitemarsh’s boys lacrosse team celebrated its Senior Night, that script changed very little.
But at this point in the season, the Colonials are also looking ahead – to a possible District One playoff berth. And PW’s 19-1 win over Cheltenham didn’t do any damage to those plans.
The Colonials dominated from the outset, got goals from 12 different players, and set their collective sights on an upcoming meeting with Haverford, a meeting that could mean the difference between slipping into the postseason and reading about it.
“We’re in the low 20’s right now, and they’re supposed to be taking 28 teams,’ said Colonials senior Alex DeCarlo, who notched a fourth-quarter goal in the deluge. “That game with Haverford will be a key game. If we win that one, we could get a better seeding.
“If we lose, we could have a hard time getting in.’
But with that issue yet to be settled, the Colonials had an opportunity to reminisce about seasons gone by.
“My freshman year, I was part of the first PW team to win a playoff game,’ said DeCarlo, recalling an 8-7 overtime victory over Avon Grove in 2012. “I didn’t play that much, but it was great watching the seniors, how hard they played and how they did it.
“My sophomore year I got a chance to start and play more. And year after year, it’s great watching the seniors, and seeing all the work they put in.’
Bryan Gregg, while only in his first season as the program’s head coach, witnessed the past PW success as an assistant coach. And he, too, is impressed with the level of commitment of this year’s senior group.
“Most of the seniors here were part of some (Suburban One League) championship teams,’ Gregg said, “and it never ceases to amaze me has much this crew has committed of themselves to the program.
“And it’s been fun to see them grow up and turn into young men.’
Those young men did a number on a young and struggling Cheltenham team Monday, beginning in the first quarter when PW outshot the Panthers, 20-0, won six of seven draws and forced turnovers on six of Cheltenham’s seven possessions.
Things didn’t improve for the visitors in the second period, although Thomas Hipwell got the Panthers on the board, with a goal at the 9:29 mark of the second, while Cheltenham’s defense limited the Colonials to just two goals.
“I’m always positive about things,’ said Panthers head coach Mike DiPuppo. “Whatever positives we can take from any scenario, we try and build on it.
“And there were some positives today.’
The Panthers fortunes didn’t improve in the second half as the Colonials players continued to switch positions on the field.
The running clock kicked in at the 4:07 mark of the third quarter, and PW laughed its way to victory.
But there will be some serious faces in the season’s final days.
“Our team has the ability to win in the playoffs,’ DeCarlo said. “We just have to get everyone on the same page.’
END LINES: Alex Savarese and Austin Betterly each had three goals for PW, while Riley White, normally the team’s top-notch goaltender, collected two goals and two assists. … PW outshot Cheltenham, 49-8, and won 22 of 24 faceoffs. … Cheltenham goaltender David Friedman made 10 saves.
