DLN ALL-AREA: Boys Lacrosse First Team, Second Team & Honorable Mention

First Team
Attack
Jack Traynor, Malvern Prep, Jr.
The Friars had a lot of scoring weapons, but Traynor was the most lethal. A Downingtown native and Penn State recruit, Traynor poured in 56 goals in 2017 and handed out 29 assists. For his efforts, he was named a U.S. Lacrosse All-American. “Jack was probably the guy most of the opposing teams were the most concerned about,” said Malvern head coach John McEVoy. “We put him all over the field, he was a tough ground-ball guy. If I could play him in goal, I would have. He turned into our engine this season.”

Jack Mulcahy, Downingtown East, Jr.
A unanimous all-league selection, Mulcahy scored 54 goals and added 31 assists for the Cougars. The Chester Springs native is a three-year starter, a two-time All-Ches-Mont pick, and was named to the 2017 Under-Armor All-American team. Mulcahy has committed to play at Drexel. “Jack is a very fast, shifty player,” said his coach, Todd Cliggett. “He sees the field well and he is smart with the ball. We would get him the ball and he would create. Plus, he is a tough, gritty player.”

Scott White, Malvern Prep, Jr.
White only made second-team all-league but West Chester East coach Jim Schorn said: “In my opinion, (White) is a best player the state of Pennsylvania has. He is a phenomenal player and quite special.” He scored 52 goals and dished out 26 assists for the Friars, and was third on the team in ground balls. A native of West Chester, White committed to play college lacrosse at Ohio State in 2014, when he was a freshman in high school. “Scott was the most balanced attackman we had,” said Malvern head coach John McEvoy. “He was a playmaker. He just has a knack for making things happen.”

Henry Berg, Conestoga, Sr.
One of the area’s most lethal offensive players, Berg wrapped up his high school career in style with 52 goals and 26 assists. A first-team All-Central League selection, Berg has a scholarship to play Division I at Mount St. Mary’s. “Berg is a quick player who has a knack for making big plays,” said ’Stoga head coach Brody Bush. “He is a tough, gritty player who was very coachable.”

Archer Rymiszewski, W.C. Henderson, Jr.
One of the most dangerous left-handed threats in the area, Rymiszewski accounted for 83 points (54 goals, 29 assists) for the Warriors, who came very close to winning a state crown. An accomplished basketball player, he always seemed to be involved whenever Henderson was scoring goals. “Archer is a total team player,” said his head coach Paul Stankiewicz. “He’ll take the goal if he has it, or the assist. Sometimes he was almost too unselfish. But more than anything, he is smart. Archer always seems to do the right thing at the right time.”

Brendan Harmon, Avon Grove, Sr.
You would be hard pressed to find a more lethal sniper in the area, if not the state. Not much of an initiator but a great finisher, Harmon finished with 58 goals and added eight assists, including the pass that led to the game-winner in the state final. He is a two-time first team all-league honoree. “Brendon is a tough kid,” said his coach Eric Jackson. “He loves to shoot and he has a rocket of a shot.”

Jacob Greiner, W.C. East, So.
Small in stature, Greiner was a big-time scoring threat for the Vikings. A first-team all-league pick, he scored 51 goals this season and chipped in 27 assists. Greiner was West Chester East’s offensive most valuable player. “Jacob is a natural goal scorer with a great skill-set,” East head coach Jim Schorn said. “He’s not a big guy but as he develops physically he will be one of the best left-handed attackers this state has to offer.”

Midfield
Quinn McCahon, Malvern Prep, Jr.
Midfield partner Mike Fay got most of the publicity, but McCahon had the better overall season for the Friars. He scored 27 times and dished out a county-best 30 assists for middies. McCahon will attend and play lacrosse at Penn after leaving Malvern Prep. “Most of our opponents put their long-pole on McCahon,” said his head coach, John McEvoy. “He was the most dynamic midfielder we had. Quinn is a do-everything guy. He can generate his own shot, but I think he was really effective facilitating. He is one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the area, but also a strong defender.”

Jake Smith, Avon Grove, Jr.
Big, fast and physical, Smith is a prototypical midfielder. He is a two-time first team All-Ches-Mont pick and an all-state selection by the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association. Smith scored 38 goals and dished out 22 assists this spring and has already committed to play at Maryland. “Jake understands the game very well and does a fantastic job of putting the ball in the back of the net,” Avon Grove coach Eric Jackson said.

Nick Mascetti, W.C. Henderson, Sr.
Very versatile with a high motor, Mascetti did it all for the Warriors. He scored 41 goals, added 29 assists and was one of the area’s top forces at midfield. “We never had to worry about clearing the ball,” said Henderson head coach Paul Stankiewicz. “We’d give it to Nick and nobody could take it away from him. And he could go even when the tank was empty. We had an offensive midfield, a defensive midfield and a face-off midfield, and Nick was on all of them.” Mascetti has signed to play college lacrosse at Quinnipiac.

Will Ciccarelli, Unionville, Jr.
The Indians’ most valuable performer, Ciccarelli was the player that every Unionville opponent had to scout and prepare for. He rolled up 61 points (with 56 goals) this season and was a first-team All-Ches-Mont pick. Ciccarelli has committed to play Division I lacrosse at Providence.

Scooter Whiteside, Avon Grove, Jr.
A two-year starter as a defensive midfielder before taking on more offensive duties in 2017, Whiteside flourished in his new role. The All-Ches-Mont first teamer scored 22 times and had 24 assists, and has committed to play Division I lacrosse at Monmouth. “Scooter is a very strong, two-way midfielder,” said his coach Eric Jackson. “He has the basketball background and that adds to skills he has like footwork. He’s really come a long way.”

Defense
Jason Reynolds, Downingtown East, Sr.
The top-vote getter among Ches-Mont defenders, Reynolds was unquestionably Downingtown East’s lock-down enforcer. A first-team all-stater who fell just a few votes shy of All-American status, Reynolds has signed to play at Division I Richmond next season. “Jason was always matched up on the other team’s best player no matter where they were on the field,” said Downingtown East head coach Todd Cliggett. “He is a great ground ball player and a hard-working kid. He’s not very tall, so everything he’s earned has come from his hard work.”

Ray Baran, Malvern Prep, Sr.
On a Friars’ team with a bunch of future college stars, Baran was named Malvern’s MVP, which was voted on by the players. A resident of Berwyn, he is headed to play Division I lacrosse at Richmond. “He was the one guy on our team we could put on our opponent’s toughest matchup,” said Malvern Prep head coach John McEvoy. “He could play down-low as a defender against attackmen, or I could put him up-top against middies. We are really going to miss Ray. We never had to worry about him.”

Bryce DeMuth, Avon Grove, Jr.
Like a lock-down cornerback in football, DeMuth had the ability to shut down many of the top offensive weapons in the state. With defensive teammate Brendan Peck slowed by injury, DeMuth took over to become the Devils’ top defender. He has signed to play lacrosse at Yale. “Bryce absolutely dominated all season, especially late in the season and into the postseason,” Jackson said.

Brayden Peck, Avon Grove, Sr.
If not for a nagging knee injury early in the season, Peck would have been the Red Devils’ top talent in 2017 according to head coach Eric Jackson. As a junior, he barely missed out on all-state honors. During Avon Grove’s state title run last month, Peck was a dominant force. He will be playing lacrosse for Penn State next season. “For a while after every game Brayden’s knee would swell up, which became difficult for him to even practice,” Jackson said. “He’s scrappy and he will do very well at Penn State.”

Jon Early, W.C. Henderson, Sr.
Steady and tough, Early anchored a Warriors’ defense that was one of the best in the state. He scored just one goal and an assist, but Early specialized in shutting down the opponent’s top scoring threat. “He was our steadiest defender,” said Henderson coach Paul Stankiewicz. “Everything he did, he was good at it: he was a good clearer, he was good one-on-one, and he was good with team defense. He was the kind of guy that if he got the ball on his stick going up the field, you didn’t worry about him.”

Goalie
Kyle Mullin, W.C. Rustin, Sr.
The reigning Ches-Mont MVP, Mullin is a four-time all-league selection. With 216 saves and a 61-percent save percentage, Mullin has received All-State and All-American recognition. He will be attending Harvard this fall and will be playing lacrosse. “Kyle is the best player to have gone through Rustin (and) has helped turn the program around,” said Knights’ head coach Kevin Philibin. “He is the hardest working player/person I’ve been around and is an exceptional team leader.”

Long-Stick Midfielder
Matt Erfle, W.C. East, Sr.
Perhaps the best LSM in the state, Erfle was selected first team All-Ches-Mont for four straight years. A three-year captain, he was named the Vikings’ overall team or defensive most valuable player four times. “He will be irreplaceable,” said his head coach Jim Schorn. “I’ve had some great ones in 26 seasons of coaching, but Matt is one the top two guys that I’ve ever had. He leaves as, arguably, the best lacrosse player we’ve had at East. He impacts every single play on the field.” Erfle is a two-time academic All-American and is headed to Dartmouth.

Face Off Specialist
James Reilly, Conestoga, Jr.
Chester County boasted many of the best face off specialists in the state, and Reilly is one of them. A team captain, Reilly won 63 percent of his face offs, and chipped in with 17 goals and a dozen assists. He was named first-team all-league and has signed to play at Georgetown. “James was the best face off guy in the Central League and he has worked extremely hard and improved throughout the season,” said his coach Brody Bush.

Nate Hammond, Avon Grove, Jr.
If Conestoga’s James Reilly isn’t the top face off specialist in District 1, it is probably Hammond. He got the best against the best from the Pioneer Athletic Conference and Suburban One League, and had some epic battles with Reilly. He amassed 306 face-off wins for the season, and won an average of 69 percent from the X. Hammond has been a unanimous all-league pick for two years and is committed to play at Navy.

Second Team
Attack
Sam Goforth, Bishop Shanahan, Sr.
Zach Augustine, Avon Grove, So.
Brian Miller, Downingtown East, So.
Matt Dunkel, W.C. East, Sr.
Billy Coyle, Malvern Prep, Sr.
Zach Lawrence, Unionville, Jr.
Midfield
Nich Chastain, Avon Grove, Jr.
Mike Fay, Malvern Prep, Sr.
Tim Durant, W.C. Rustin, Sr.
Aaron Joseph, Great Valley, Sr.
Jesse Roth, W.C. East, So.
Joe Saulino, West Chester Henderson
Defense
Zach Lee, Downingtown East, So.
Scott Smith, Conestoga, Fr.
Alex Muller, Avon Grove, Sr.
Ed Fusco, West Chester Henderson, Sr.
Long-Stick Midfielder
Joe Walton, Conestoga, Jr.
Connor Whalen, Bishop Shanahan, So.
Face Off
Luke Wierman, W.C. Henderson, So.
Sean Christman, Malvern Prep, Sr.
Goalie
Kyle Dampman, W.C. Henderson, Jr.

Honorable Mention
Will Ward, Kennett; John Finfrock, Kennett; John Martinelli, Oxford;  Joe Schretzenmaier, Downingtown West; Nick Sicilia, Downingtown West; Mac Updike, Malvern Prep; Dominic DeStefano, Malvern Prep; Seamus Glynn, Malvern Prep; Jordan Donaghy, Malvern Prep; Jake Wetzel, Downingtown East, Sr.; Sean Sweeney, Downingtown East; Nico Iocovino, Downingtown East; Bryce Lauletta, Dowingtown East; Jack Riley, Downingtown East; Cooper DiCicco, Downingtown East; Steve Fuller, West Chester Henderson; Dylan Teeter, West Chester Henderson; Collin Hurley, West Chester Rustin; Nick Madonna, West Chester Rustin; Jared Marchitell, West Chester Rustin; Doug Jones, Avon Grove; Kevin Malone, Avon Grove; Joey Borcky, Avon Grove; Dylan Tashjian, Great Valley; Gabe Goforth, Bishop Shanahan; Jack Whalen, Bishop Shanahan; Alex Hirsh, West Chester East; Mike Gray, West Chester East; Colin Murray, West Chester East; Scott MacMillan, Conestoga; Tate Kienzle, Conestoga.