All-Delco Boys Lacrosse: Haverford School quartet leads first team
In addition to Player of the Year James Spence of Springfield, the rest of the All-Delco team includes:
T.J. Malone, Haverford School: The junior attackman finished as the Fords’ leading scorer despite missing three games. He proved to be Haverford’s most well-rounded attacker, finishing second on the team with 45 goals and leading with 28 assists for a team-best 73 points. Three times, Malone tallied five goals in a game, including the April 7 win over Malvern Prep that propelled the Fords to a third straight Inter-Ac title. He added three goals and an assist May 2 against Episcopal Academy. On consecutive days, Malone exploded for five goals and a helper in the revenge win over Penn Charter to clinch Inter-Ac crown, then five and two against Garnet Valley. Malone, an all-Inter-Ac pick, remains uncommitted.
Kyle Long, Springfield: The junior midfielder assembled a career year in leading the Cougars to a second straight PIAA title. He set what is believed to be a Delaware County record with 109 assists to go with 27 goals for a county-leading 136 points. The University of Maryland commit has 318 career points in three seasons, six shy of the Springfield program record set in 1992 by Greg Campbell. Long set a season-high with nine points in the May 4 win over Harriton. Four times, he tallied seven assists in a game, including the PIAA Class 2A opener against Trinity. He added a goal and six assists in the state quarterfinal, and one and five in the semis. The All-American and two-time All-Delco rose to the occasion in big games, with a goal and two assists in the District 1 final, a 4-3 win over West Chester Henderson, and four helpers in the 9-8 win over Henderson in the state final.
Matt Moore, Garnet Valley: The midfielder spotted the field seven games as he recovered from a stress fracture sustained in the fall as a soccer All-Delco, but he still surged to become the first ever four-time All-Delco. Moore tallied 28 goals and 41 assists in leading Garnet Valley to its first PIAA tournament since 2013 and garnering All-Central and All-American honors. Moore finished fourth in Delco in assists and 14th in points. He recorded a hat trick in the 8-4 win over Haverford to get to the PIAA Class 3A tournament, and three goals and one assist in the PIAA first-round win over St. Joseph’s Prep. Moore matriculates to the University of Virginia with 155 career goals, 167 assists and 322 points.
READ: The full list of All-Delco honorees
Jacob Buttermore, Garnet Valley: The senior midfielder picked up the slack in the absence of Moore, positioning the Jags for a share of the Central League title for a second straight year. The All-American bound for Syracuse finished second on the Jags with 50 goals and led with 78 points, tied for 10th and fifth in Delco, respectively. Buttermore scored four goals in a win over Bishop Shanahan April 22 and notched hat tricks in a loss to Springfield, an overtime loss to Haverford School and a win over Radnor. He added four goals and an assist in the states win over St. Joseph’s Prep and provided the overtime game-winner (as part of a hat trick) over Conestoga April 27. Buttermore, a football All-Delco, finishes his career with 132 goals, 63 assists and 195 points.
Jeffrey Conner, Strath Haven: The junior midfielder expanded his dominance to book a second straight All-Delco nod. The All-American led Delco in goals with 68 and finished second to Long in assists (63) and points (131), likely among the top five totals in county history. Conner’s daily stat totals regularly bordered on the ridiculous, including a stretch of three straight games with four goals and four assists. He notched six goals in a game three times. In consecutive games, he compiled three goals and five assists against Penncrest, then five goals and three assists against Haverford. His best game was a dominant outing in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A tournament when he scoured Palmyra for five goals and five assists in a 15-9 win. Conner, who had been committed to Saint Joseph’s University, recently changed his allegiance to the University of Virginia.
John Nostrant, Haverford School: The senior midfielder bound for Penn State was the Fords’ leader on both ends, shaking off a six-game absence with a shoulder injury to stabilize a run to a third straight Inter-Ac crown. Nostrant’s numbers weren’t eye-popping – 29 goals, 15 assists, both third-most on the team – but they speak to the effort he expounded in all facets of the game as one of the few Fords who rarely left the field. Nostrant was at his best April 29 against Hun School, tallying five goals and two assists. He added a hat trick at Penn Charter May 5 in avenging an earlier loss and hit Germantown Academy for three goals. Nostrant was named an All-American and All-Inter-Ac pick.
READ: Final Boys Lacrosse Stat Leaders
Luke McCallion, Haverford: The senior was much more than just a faceoff guy, tapping into his attackman upbringing to help the Fords qualify for the first PIAA tournament in program history. McCallion won 70.5 percent of his draws (301 for 427), but that was merely a prelude to his attacking prowess. McCallion pumped in 43 goals and 34 assists. He was second on the team in points (77), goals and assists. McCallion buried six goals against Unionville on a 17-for-20 day at the X. He won 15 of 16 draws in the playoff win over Wissahickon (two goals, one assist) and scored twice to go with a helper in the win over North Penn that booked the Fords’ states trip. The academic All-American will continue his career at the University of Vermont.
Joel Trucksess, Haverford School: The senior Lehigh signee was the county’s leading technician at the X, powering the Fords to the Inter-Ac title and the final of the Inter-Ac Invitational. Trucksess added eight goals and two assists on the season, including tallies in consecutive days against Malvern Prep and Strath Haven April 7-8. Trucksess provided a point in each of the three Inter-Ac Invitational outings. Trucksess went 20-for-25 in an overtime win over Garnet Valley and 16-for-20 in the 12-10 win over Episcopal Academy May 2. He held down University of Virginia-bound Gavin Tygh to the tune of a 16-for-27 day in the win over Penn Charter May 5.
Conner Delaney, Episcopal Academy: The senior long-stick midfielder was the county’s best defensive disruptor, among the best in Southeastern Pennsylvania at causing turnovers with his active stick and generating offense with his athleticism in the open field and doggedness on groundballs. Delaney was a big part of the Churchmen’s resurgence in Chris Bates’ first season at the helm, which included two wins over Malvern Prep and a runner-up Inter-Ac finish. The Inter-Ac MVP Delaney contributed on both ends. He finished sixth on the team with 12 goals and added an assist. He scored a hat trick against Haverford School May 5 and added two goals each against Germantown Academy April 18 and Malvern Prep May 12. Formerly a Villanova lacrosse commit, the All-Delco basketball player and academic All-American will continue his career on the court at Johns Hopkins.
Chris Hervada, Haverford School: The senior was part of a deep LSM field this season, and his active stick and prowess for grabbing groundballs established him as the standout of the Fords’ backfield. Hervada worked the wing for Trucksess and contributed to a Fords team that allowed an average of 9.4 goals per game against a national schedule on the way to yet another Inter-Ac crown. The all-league pick added four goals and four assists, including a goal and an assist in the win over Malvern Prep April 7 and a goal in the rivalry vanquishing of Episcopal Academy April 12 that put the Fords in the league driver’s seat. Hervada will continue his career at Monmouth.
Pat Clemens, Springfield: The sophomore All-American established himself as a shutdown defender in the Cougars efficient system defense. Clemens did a little of everything: Playing on the wing to aid Springfield’s injury-riddled faceoff situation, clamping down on other teams’ top offensive threats and even taking draws. In addition to his close defending, Clemens was a demon on groundballs and in causing turnovers. Clemens led a defense that allowed just 5.1 goals per game and pitched the first ever shutout in the PIAA Tournament in the semifinal win over Lansdale Catholic. Clemens also scored two goals, both in the postseason and one in the first-round states win over Trinity.
