PAC Boys Lacrosse Championship Preview: No. 2 Spring-Ford vs. No. 1 Perkiomen Valley
They’re the winners of the past two Pioneer Athletic Conference boys lacrosse championships and have collectively been the top programs in the league for the past five years.
Yet Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley haven’t faced off in the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game since 2019.
The Rams and Vikings don’t lack for history despite the four-year title game separation and Thursday night will add another chapter to the PAC’s current defining rivalry when No. 1 seed Perkiomen Valley hosts No. 2 Spring-Ford in the PAC final, 7 p.m. Thursday night.
Perk Valley were champions in the pandemic-altered 2021 season when there were no PAC playoffs while Spring-Ford resumed its dynasty in 2022, handling Owen J. Roberts in last year’s final for its record 11th title.
Their most recent meeting was little more than a week ago, on May 2. Perk Valley bested Spring-Ford 11-10, keeping the Rams scoreless in the fourth quarter, to finish the regular season 9-0 in the PAC.
“It’s a big step, but it’s only the first step,” said senior attackman Shea Fusco after the victory. “It’s a confidence booster, because that’s a good team and now we know we can hang with them.”
Spring-Ford felt it underperformed last week so they’re grateful to get another crack at PV right away.
“I thought it was definitely up and down the field. We did not play well, offensively, defensively,” said senior Will Fish. “But now we get another opportunity? We’re hungry like the wolf.”
A breakdown of the matchup:
Spring-Ford (2) at Perkiomen Valley (1), 7 p.m.
Records >> Spring-Ford, 8-1 PAC, 15-3 overall, No. 5 in District 1-3A rankings; Perkiomen Valley, 9-0 PAC, 11-7 overall, No. 15 in District 1-3A rankings.
Head-to-head >> Perkiomen Valley defeated Spring-Ford 11-10 on May 2. Senior Matt Horgan’s goal with 3:58 to play gave PV its first lead and was the eventual game-winner. Horgan and senior Brad Curci had hat tricks and sophomore Bryce Coletta had a game-high four goals.
Road to the final >> Spring-Ford were comfortably on top wire-to-wire in a 16-10 win over Boyertown Tuesday night. Justin Wixted was a playmaking force with three goals and six assists and FIsh scored four. … Perkiomen Valley outlasted Owen J. Roberts 8-7 as sophomore Coletta scored the tying and eventual game-winning goals in a 1:30 span and the Vikings didn’t allow the Wildcats a goal in the fourth quarter.
PAC playoff History >> Spring-Ford are 11-time PAC champions and are reigning champions after rattling off eight straight titles from 2012-19. … Perkiomen Valley won the PAC title in 2021 and will be making their third appearance in the title game (2018, 2019, 2023).
Rams at a glance >> Nothing is certain except death, taxes and Spring-Ford in the PAC boys lacrosse final. It’s a feat that dates back to the league’s first season in 2007, all with head coach Kevin Donnelly leading the way.
It’s been a successful campaign by all measures, a 15-3 record with non-league No. 2 ranked Springfield-Delco and No. 12 Ridley.
Playmaking senior attackman Justin Wixted leads the offense, which features a slew of others who can get on the scoresheet in seniors Fish and Lance Terrizzi, juniors Hayden Wedemeyer and Ian Evans and sophomores Colin Song and Braden Welsh. Sophomore Brady Schwenk handles faceoff duties.
Defensively, senior Brandon Solomon (All-Area first team in 2022), sophomore Ben Fish and senior Colin Sweeney help protect the goal of senior Charlie Power.
Vikings at a glance >> Perk Valley took its lumps in an 0-4 start to the season and an 1-7 non-league record. The Vikings are better for the battles though, as proven by their 9-0 PAC record.
Leaders offensively have been senior Shea Fusco, who surpassed 100 career points in the regular-season finale, and sophomore Coletta, while other big contributors include seniors Matt Horgan and Brad Curci, plus Patrick Lamirande and Jacob Rotay. Senior Noah Delo is dominant on the faceoff.
On defense, senior captain Vance Junker is joined by Braden Nester, Tyler Henn and Drew Donato, and Sam Dogonnuick starts in goal.
Matchup and prediction >> Spring-Ford was favored to run the table in the PAC this year, so Perk Valley taking the regular-season meeting adds intrigue to Thursday’s final. At halftime on May 2, the Rams led 7-4 and looked in control. The VIkings made all the breaks go their way in the second half while the Rams were uncharacteristically error-prone. A better Spring-Ford performance feels like a given. The good news for Perk Valley is that it is always able to stay in striking distance thanks to Delo’s dominance on restarts. The atmosphere of a rivalry game adds to the occasion, but this one is all about the postgame plaque and celebration. “I think as a team, it’s just the championship. That’s what we’ve been working for all season, and that’s what we’ve been looking toward,” said Spring-Ford’s Wixted. “Everybody’s been working super hard toward that goal, so whether it’s a rival game or not, we’re going to play it the same way. It’s just another game, we need to be ourselves.” By performing more like themselves, the Rams will be repeating … Spring-Ford 12, Perkiomen Valley 8
