PIAA Class 3A Boys Lacrosse: Aidan Kreydt, Jimmy Kennedy lead Springfield’s parade to Penn State
EXETER TWP. — In his 14 seasons as the head boys lacrosse coach at Springfield, Tom Lemieux has been blessed with fast players and quick players, big players and strong players and championship players.
And he has coached Jimmy Kennedy.
“He is the smartest player,” Lemieux said, “that I have ever coached.”
Smart works, as does a scoring touch, and Tuesday as the Cougars won a spot in the PIAA Class 3A state championship game with a 14-6 victory over Manheim Township at Exeter High, Kennedy proved plenty of both. The senior attack scored four goals – including the 100th of his career – and added an assist as the 22-2 Cougars advanced to the championship match at Penn State (4:30 p.m., Saturday), where they will play Radnor.
If playing exquisite lacrosse at the right time matters, the Cougars proved they were in a good spot Tuesday after a convincing victory over the Blue Streaks, who had entered at 20-0.
“Yeah, we played a pretty complete game,” Lemieux said. “I was really proud of our effort and proud of our guys.”
Aidan Kreydt matched Kennedy’s four goals, Sean Donaldson and Ty Henderson added two apiece, Conor Aughe scored and Luke Valerio supplied a goal and three assists. Sophomore Jackson Kennedy, Jimmy’s brother, made seven saves and was big in goal with the help of assistant coach Ryne Adolph’s rugged defense, including, among others, Brian Delaney, Nick Labutis, Ryan Johnston, Billy Henderson and Colm Mulholland.
Less than awed by the Streaks’ perfect record, Springfield needed 1:02 to take the lead on a Donaldson goal, before Peyton Moritzen answered. Springfield responded with the next three and had an 8-2 cushion by halftime. With 8:24 showing in the third, Jimmy Kennedy took a feed from Patrick Flaherty in the slot and scored his 100th career goal.
“Personal accolades come and go, but I can’t do it without my teammates,” he said. “It’s a great thing to be able to say I scored 100 goals, but 75 percent of them were not because of me. So I am just thankful for my teammates and my coaches for all the great work they’ve done.”
Kennedy, who nudged that career total to a buck-oh-one with a fourth-quarter sizzler, will someday find an appropriate place for the ball he was presented for his 100th goal. Should he have his way, it will rest snugly next to whatever souvenirs he helps collect in the state final against Central League rival Radnor, which the Cougars defeated in the district championship game.
As they were against the Streaks, the Cougars figure they will be ready for the moment.
“We played a lot of good teams this year,” Kennedy said. “We played Radnor in the district championship game and they were nationally ranked. We just want to play our game.”
The Cougars took a slight dip in the third quarter Tuesday when Charlie Kingsbury scored the second of his two goals, Parmer scored the first of his two and Simon Bowen, who earlier had provided an assist, scored to help make it a 10-5 game with 12 minutes left. But despite responsible goalkeeping from Manheim’s A.J. Fischer, who made 11 saves, Springfield dominated the final quarter and reduced its season to-do list to one item: Win one game for the state championship.
“We’re just going to enjoy this moment a little bit,” Lemieux said, “and we’ll get to that tomorrow.”
In that preparation, Lemieux will appreciate the help of the smartest player he has ever coached.
“Jimmy just knows the game,” he said. “He understands the game. He’s a leader. He leads by example. The kids follow him. He knows the game better than many of the kids I’ve coached.
“He’s just a really smart kid and he gets it. He gets the work ethic it takes and I am really, really proud of him. He’s a tremendous kid and a huge part of Springfield lacrosse.”
For one day, Kennedy was grateful for the praise.
“I am appreciative of the kind words, but it’s not just me, it’s the whole team,” he said. “We see plays before they happen. Every practice, every time, we are watching two plays ahead.
“The state championship is not a game a lot of people get to play in,” he added. “A lot of people dream about playing in this game. We are very thankful we’ve made it this far.”
