PIAA Class 3A Boys Lacrosse: Aidan Kreydt’s seven-up outing helps Springfield survive upset bid
MECHANICSBURG — Aidan Kreydt’s high school lacrosse life didn’t exactly flash before his eyes Saturday, but the Springfield midfielder sure played like it did.
Whether or not Kreydt let himself go down the emotional rabbit hole, on some level he knew that if the Cougars played another couple of quarters as badly as they did the first against Mount Lebanon in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals, the long ride home from John H. Frederick Field at Memorial Park Stadium would be the season’s last.
Kreydt played like a man possessed by the desire to prevent that, scoring seven goals with his punishing brand of lacrosse to avert Mount Lebanon’s upset bid, 15-8.
“We knew that it’s win or go home at this point,” Kreydt, a Saint Joseph’s signee, said. “There’s no play-in games or anything. We knew we had to come back after that deficit and give it everything we’ve got.”
About that deficit … the Blue Devils led 3-0 six minutes in and 5-2 after one quarter. While there was some disagreement as to whether it was Springfield’s worst quarter of lacrosse this season — defenseman Nick Labutis was a firm no, coach Tom Lemieux an adamant yes – there’s no doubt it was an unexpected start. Springfield’s bench, though, didn’t descend into shellshock, dangerously close as it is to panic.
A few tweaks to defensive alignment, a little less literal dropping of the ball and a turned tide at the faceoff X kept the upset alert from activating.
“We didn’t have to change what we do,” Labutis said. “We just had to do it better.”
Better, as in Patrick Flaherty scoring twice in the first 2:25 of the second to tie the game at 5, among seven goals in the frame. Better, as in Lucas Aaron shrugging off some creative interpretations of faceoff procedure with the referees in the opening quarter to win eight of the final 10 draws of the first half and 16 of 24 total. Better, as in the defense limiting Mount Lebanon (19-4), which had 11 shots in the first quarter, to 13 the rest of the way. The three goals allowed in the final three quarters were all man-up.
It wasn’t vintage Springfield defense, but the Cougars adapted to conditions. In the second, that meant controlling the ball, limiting Mount Lebanon to two shots. In the third, it meant withstanding a six-minute possession to start the quarter, Jackson Kennedy fighting off a pair of shots on goal and four others missing the cage in a sequence so long that Springfield (21-2) called a timeout to get the defense a breather. The Cougars still kept a zero for the frame.
“I was pleased with how we responded,” said Labutis, who caused four turnovers. “It’s a credit to hanging in there and playing our hardest even when the scoreboard may not be in our favor.”
It’s a credit to the offensive players who stepped up. Without Tyler Gougler, who tore ligaments in his knee in the District 1 final, Flaherty was again impressive, with four goals and two assists. His two goals in the second quarter were not-to-be-denied moves on the crease.
Then there’s Kreydt, who ran over, by and through defenders. His first-quarter goal, off a groundball man-up, prevented the momentum from backsliding. He scored dodging downhill or with defenders on his back, shooting over his marker or swimming around them.
“I feel like we needed that edge today,” Kreydt said. “Obviously TG’s out, so we needed someone else to step up today. I felt like I was the one who needed to give it a little more to keep this run going.”
Mount Lebanon, the District 7 champion, is one of only three teams to score eight times against Springfield this season. It went 3-for-3 on man-up, John Estabrook with a goal and two assists in such situations. He added a second goal at even-strength in the first. Joseph Hetz and Miles Halter had two goals and one assist each. Sam Henry stymied the Cougars for a while with seven saves in goal.
The drama that began Springfield’s 16th consecutive victory is, Kreydt hopes, a wakeup call for the two games the Cougars hope lie ahead.
“We were having lazy turnovers and everything,” he said. “We took them lightly in the first quarter, and luckily we turned it up in the second quarter and throughout the game.”
