Broomall keeps Springfield facing the right way
RADNOR >> On a night when the boxscore overflowed with measureable achievements, the Springfield High boys lacrosse team moved a step closer to the PIAA Class AA state championship in a quiet way too.
“You have to do,” coach Tom Lemieux said, “the little things.”
As for one of those lesser celebrated tasks, one is as fundamentally vital as possible: Gaining possession. For that, Lemieux was quick to dig past the pile of goals the Cougars scored in a 17-0 first-round playoff victory over Archbishop Wood Tuesday at Radnor High to find how they all happened. And they happened because Zach Broomall made sure that the Cougars almost always gained possession.
Of the 17 faceoffs Broomall took, 16 went Springfield’s way. For that, the Cougars erupted early, eventually forced a speed-up option and earned a second-round game Saturday against Strath Haven.
Little things first.
Big things later?
“You just have to get down in the dirt and grind it out,” Broomall said, of his faceoff technique. “Just game the ball on the ground. That’s the main thing. It’s important in every game. If you don’t have the ball, you’re not going to win, because you’re not going to score any goals.”
For one night at least, Wood would find that out the tough way.
Winning possession early, and denying the 8-12 Vikings the ball for most of the night, the 17-3 Cougars scored four goals within the first 4:48 to announce their tournament presence and intentions. Wood would not recover.
“These guys,” said Wood coach Jared Mayes of the Cougars, “are big, fast, strong, experienced monsters. And we just don’t have enough to battle against those guys.”
Among the Cougars to produce scary numbers Tuesday were Joey DeBernardi, who collected three goals and three assists, Kyle Long, who accumulated two goals and six assists, and Mike Tulskie, who had a hat trick and an assist. Aiden Shandley scored a hat trick, Ben Garcia and Jack Spence scored two goals each. Andrew Phillips and Nate Lohr also scored.
For Wood, goalie Brian Graham registered 20 saves, and Bryson Wilson added another four, doing what they could against the Springfield barrage.
“You definitely want to come out and let everybody know you’re here,” DeBernardi said. “We won some faceoffs. Brooms won almost all of them. When you have the ball, you’re going to score. Good things are going to happen.”
The Cougars did enter on something of a low, having fallen, 14-4, to Bishop Shanahan in the District 1 final. With that, there was a reminder of that attention to fundamentals matters.
“I think we can pick it up,” Broomall said. “We had a tough game in the district championship. That was a little wakeup call for us,” Broomall said. “Get back on track and try to get ready for a state championship.”
When the game ended, Wood erupted in either glee or relief, the players spilling onto the field and creating a pile-up, sticks and helmets raised, celebrating a playoff season.
Springfield, the team that won by 17 goals, was no less pleased, but a touch less exuberant.
“We played pretty solid all around, but we have a lot of stuff to clean up before Saturday,” Long said. “You have to get ready to go. We beat Strath Haven in the regular season. It was tight in the third period and we put them away in the fourth. That’s going to be a big one.”
A big game … and another chance to win it with little, but vital, contributions.
