PIAA Lacrosse: Archbishop Carroll trying to be ‘it’ in state tournament
RADNOR — Bridget Robinson and her Archbishop Carroll teammates were a tad skeptical when Lorraine Beers rolled out the dodgeballs.
Carroll lacrosse practices aren’t generally a time for fun and frivolity. But after wrapping up their 23rd straight Catholic League championship on May 19, thanks to the new PIAA tournament scheduling, Beers was faced with a unique challenge in her vaunted coaching career: How to bridge an 18-day gap from the Catholic League final to the opening round of states.
So, enter dodgeball, games of tag, team building exercises with a sheen of physical activity to stay sharp and connected during an uncharacteristic gap of nearly three weeks.
“The first time she did it,” Robinson said, “we were like, what’s going on?”
When Carroll begins its defense of the PIAA Class 2A championship Tuesday, taking on Upper Moreland at Gwynedd Mercy Academy at noon, it’ll be the Patriots’ first game in 18 days. Contrast that to eight games in the first 19 days of May, Beers relentless in courting challenges from all over Southeastern Pa., beyond the Patriots’ annual waltz through the Catholic League.
“It’s just been a lot of training,” said Robinson, the Patriots’ starting goalie. “Beers tries to keep it fun so that we’re all here together as a team, (and) we know what we’re working toward. … It keeps the team’s spirits high, but we all know why we’re here and what we’re working toward.”
The Patriots (19-1) will get an easternly path through the bracket, starting out with the third-place team in District 1. They would stand to meet District 1 champ Mount St. Joseph in the semifinal, should seeds hold. The Patriots have won 18 straight games since a 9-8 loss to Agnes Irwin on March 30.
The states wait has been particularly agonizing for Carroll’s Ava Bleckley. The star senior middie, who leads the team in goals and points, didn’t play in states last year, sitting out due to the PIAA transfer rules.
Being on the sidelines wasn’t the most enjoyable experience for Bleckley, and she’s eager to get up to four chances to make up for lost time.
“It was definitely hard watching them all play last year and I couldn’t,” she said. “But now this year, I’m super excited. I think that’s another motivator during this time, to get back out on the field and win another championship.”
Carroll enters the tournament as the clear favorite, having lost just once in its last 52 games. The Patriots have won each of the last two Class 2A crowns. Any target they have on their back, they’ve earned and are proud of. So they understand the pressure of playing with it.
“We understand that we have a target on our back because of the caliber at which we play,” Robinson said. “We push each other hard at practice and we know they’re coming for us, so we just play our hardest and put everything out there. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
“I think the loss to Agnes Irwin was kind of like, it does make everybody’s season if they do beat Carroll,” Bleckley said. “I think the loss to Agnes Irwin kind of sparked that. Hey, we do have this target on our back. Let’s focus in and let’s get the job done, let’s win. Yes, we know we’re playing with a target on our back, and I think there is a little bit of pressure, but I think we can handle it and have what it takes to win a championship.”
In other PIAA first-round games:
Three Delaware County teams are in the girls’ Class 3A tournament. Radnor (14-7-1) opens with a trip to the Germantown SuperSite to take on District 12 champ Central (13-0). The Raptors navigated playbacks to make states. Conestoga is likely awaiting the winner, though the Pioneers have to travel to District 3 runner-up Wilson Wednesday.
Springfield and Penncrest are on the western half of the backet. The Cougars (18-3) take on District 3’s Southwestern (16-5) Tuesday. The winner of that game gets either Manheim Township or Mount Lebanon in the second round Saturday.
Penncrest is in the bottom couplet of the bracket. The District 1 runner-up (18-4) hosts Hempfield, the fourth seed from District 3. The winner gets the long trip to take on Pine-Richland or McDowell.
Injury questions cloud two of the Delco boys participants. District 1 Class 3A champion Springfield (18-7) gets an extra day to prep, facing Pennridge on Wednesday night. The Rams (18-3) are in states for the first time as District 1’s sixth seed.
The Cougars are waiting to determine the fitness of Tyler Gougler, who left the District 1 final with an apparent knee injury. He scored four goals in the game and leads the Cougars with 65 this year.
Springfield is in the western half of the bracket, with the winner of its game getting the winner of District 7 champ Mount Lebanon and District 10’s McDowell in the second round.
Marple Newtown gets the long trip in its attempt to get back to the PIAA Class 2A final. The District 1 runner-up (19-3) visits District 2 champ Wyoming Seminary Tuesday. The Tigers would get another long trip, with either a District 4 or District 3 team awaiting in the second round.
The Tigers were without Brian Box due to an illness for districts. He could return for states. District 1 champ Rustin is atop the bracket, and the western half includes reigning state champ Mars Area, the District 7 champ.
In the 3A boys bracket, Garnet Valley is in the top couplet, which means taking on District 12 champ La Salle in the first round Tuesday. The Explorers (15-5) played a daunting schedule – their losses include three out-of-state setbacks, plus Radnor and Malvern Prep. Garnet Valley (14-9) was the Class 3A runner-up last year.
Radnor is also on the Eastern half of the bracket. The two-time reigning state champ opens with District 3’s fourth-place team, Dallastown (17-2). Radnor (19-3) is on a collision course with La Salle in the semifinal; it beat the Explorers 8-1 in the regular season.
