Conestoga controls Hatboro-Horsham in District 1-AAA quarterfinals

TREDYFFRIN >> Hatboro-Horsham boys lacrosse head coach John Kurek knew what he was up against.

Then he got a crash course.

Taking on Conestoga in the quarterfinals of the District One Class AAA boys lacrosse tournament, Kurek and the Hatters watched the Pioneers score four times in the game’s first three minutes.

And things never got better.

The Pioneers advanced via a 12-2 verdict, and advance to the district semifinals, where they’ll face Garnet Valley, an 8-4 winner over Haverford.

Kurek was not about to skip superlatives when talking about the team that had just bumped his Hatters into the playback round.

“They had our number, hats off to them,” Kurek said after the lopsided loss. “They’re a very good team. They’re well-coached and well-prepared.”

Tommy Sopko led the way for the Pioneers with four goals, but where the Pioneers won the game was in the faceoff circle, where James Reilly and Chris Tsetsekos won 20 of 22 draws.

“They just owned the ball,” Kurek said. “They’re a very good team, and when they have as many chances as they had today, there’s no way you can beat them.”

The four-goal barrage at the outset of the game was spurred by Sopko, who had two goals and added an assist on a third.

The Hatters were rocked, and the Pioneers soon rolled.

“It was a real good effort all around by our guys,” said Pioneers head coach Brody Bush. “We got up on them early, and were able to maintain our lead.

“This was a good test for us, going into the district semifinals. Hatboro is a real strong club, and we wish them well going forward.”

Tim and Chris McPoyle each scored a goal for the Hatters, while Cliff Madden added two goals for the Pioneers.

CONESTOGA 12, HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
Conestoga Scoring – Tommy Sopko (4); Cliff Madden (2); Kent Hjelm (1); Henry Berg (1); Nick Braendel (1); Peyton Jones (1); Chris Cara (1); Drew Mullen (1).
Hatboro-Horsham Scoring- Tim McPoyle (1); Chris McPoyle (1).