Ritter, Carroll can’t slow York Catholic’s attack

PHILADELPHIA >> As he waited in the penalty box in the fourth quarter Tuesday afternoon, and the clock at Benjamin L. Johnston Memorial Stadium blinked on and off, Adam Ritter had to inquire how much time was left.

First, the Archbishop Carroll midfielder wanted to know about the penalty. Then, given the stakes in the PIAA Tournament Class 2A first-round game, he wondered what was left in the game and, consequently, in his storied high school career.

Outside of the sin bin, Ritter did all he could to prolong his time in a Carroll uniform. But even seven goals and one assist couldn’t keep the District 12 champions above water against York Catholic in a 22-16 setback.

“It’s kind of hard to fight when you get down quick and off the faceoffs,” Ritter said. “You’ve got to get possessions to win games. But we stuck in it, played hard and rode back as much as we could.”

Ritter’s bombing away fit the aesthetic of the day, in which defense was optional and both teams chose not to employ any. The teams combined for 92 shots. York Catholic’s goal tally was more remarkable in that it came with 28 turnovers. The teams even combined for 12 flags, just in case there wasn’t enough time to savor a game that dragged for more than two hours.

Even on the Germantown Supersite’s hot track, both teams managed to sprint up and down at will. And if a shot let fly, there was a better than average chance it was going to find twine.

Zane Walsh scores man up. 17-10 YC. Still no defense. pic.twitter.com/BzRFB2dXAT

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 29, 2018

York Catholic’s attack was particularly venomous. It scored eight times in 8:04 in the first quarter, and that was just the opening act. York led by eight in the third quarter and was out front the entire way. But where some teams might consider slowing down and burning clock, the Fighting Irish kept the pressure on, assuming offense could be its best defense.

“We tried slowing it down, but it wasn’t really helping our momentum,” York attackman Chandler Hake said. “We just put our foot on the pedal and kept going.”

Hake was the ringleader, scoring seven goals and three assists, a touchdown and a field goal on the Philly football surface. Matthew Cassidy paired three goals with five assists, and Johns Hopkins commit Cole Whitman added four goals and two helpers.

Drew Snelbaker scored three times, augmenting a superlative 27-for-35 day at the X.

“Drew gives us a great boost,” Hake said. “When you have every faceoff, it’s pretty easy to create offense.”

About the only line of defense came from Jarred Kohl, the York Catholic goalie who stopped 15 shots. It was barely a 50 percent save rate, but with the way the Irish were shooting, that was plenty.

Ritter did his bit, despite his midfield role often leaving him on the sidelines. Carroll coach Luke Wiles doesn’t use Ritter on the wing for draws, thereby requiring either a quick turnover or a faceoff win (which Carroll got nine of 40 times) to get him subbed on. That meant a lot of time on the bench instead of affecting the game.

“It’s tough to watch when I can’t do anything about it,” Ritter said. “But when I get out there, I try to do the most I can to get the ball back.”

Fynn McNulty scored four times, and Andy Borkowski tallied a hat trick for the Patriots.

York Catholic advances to the second round against Crestwood, the District 2 champion that beat Selinsgrove, 18-6, Tuesday. It’s the first time a York County team has won a states game.

“It means the world,” Hake said. “We haven’t even been to states yet and we come in and win our first game, so it’s great.”

Ritter, a High Point signee, finished the season with 48 goals and 95 points. For his career, he tallied 378 points, an astonishing total that is one of the most prolific careers in Pennsylvania history.

But Ritter expressed deeper pride for what his team has accomplished.

“We really did not think we’d make it this far and we’ve been fighting all year, and I’m really proud of what we were able to do this year,” Ritter said. “… It’s really bittersweet. The year before I came in, they had two wins. And we built up, nine wins, 12 wins, 10 wins and then to come here and make states, win the District 12 championship, it’s amazing.”