All-Delco Boys Lacrosse: Springfield’s Ty Gougler, Radnor’s Colin French provided scoring punch for elite teams
In addition to player of the year Cooper Mueller of Radnor, the All-Delco team includes:
Ryan DiRocco, Haverford School: DiRocco was the straw that stirred the drink for Haverford’s offense this year on the way to 17 wins and the Inter-Ac regular-season title. With DiRocco operating out of X, as a scoring threat and feeder, the attack managed to be greater than the sum of its parts all year. That included two wins over rival Malvern Prep, a clean sweep of Episcopal Academy and overtime wins over national powers like St. Anthony’s of New York and Georgetown Prep. DiRocco led the Fords with 45 goals, 33 points and 78 points. Those tallies are tied for 12th, fifth and seventh in Delco this season, respectively, despite the Fords playing fewer games than their PIAA counterparts. DiRocco had 14 points in two games against EA, a hat trick in the first win over Malvern and two goals in the second. A USA Lacrosse All-American and Academic All-American, DiRocco was named the Inter-Ac Player of the Year by league coaches. He will continue his career at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Tyler Gougler, Springfield: If there was any doubt about his All-Delco credentials, the junior attackman dispelled them in the District 1 Class 3A final. Gougler scored four goals that night, including two in the fourth quarter, to lead the Cougars to a 10-8 win over Radnor and deny the Raptors a district 3-peat. Gougler’s season ended that night, though, with a torn knee ligament. Still, the Drexel commit led the team with 65 goals and 92 points. He finished third in the county in goals and points. He started the season with seven goals and two assists at Avon Grove and added a six-goal outing in the district quarterfinal against Conestoga.
Colin French, Radnor: The senior heads off to Lehigh as a key cog in three consecutive PIAA titles. French led the Radnor offense with 66 goals, 24 assists and 90 points. He was second in Delco in goals and fourth in points. After the graduation of 2022 Co-Player of the Year Ryan Goldstein, French represented the key holdover from last year’s state/district/Central League titlists, and he shouldered the burden with aplomb. He scored five goals early in the season in a rout of Malvern Prep, and he added six in a demolition of Garnet Valley. The All-EPLCA pick scored five times against Delaware power Salesianum, had three goals and five assists in bludgeoning Kennett in districts and 12 points in four states games. That includes two goals and one assist in each the semifinal and final.
Kris Henning, Garnet Valley: After a spring lost to COVID-19 and two years of injuries, Henning finally got in a full lacrosse season. The Penn State signee made the most of it, helping a Garnet Valley team that lost the majority of contributors from the 2022 PIAA runner-up to return to states this season. Henning led the way with a Delco-best 45 assists plus 60 goals. His 105 points were second in the county. He started the season strong with six goals against Wilson and five against Ridley. He added a pair of seven-point games against Central League opposition midway through the season, scored a hat trick to help the Jags survive a playback battle with Kennett and buried three goals and two assists to get the Jags into states at the expense of Pennridge.
Brian Box, Marple Newtown: The sophomore middie missed five games in the postseason due to illness. Without him, the Tigers were blown out by Rustin, 9-4, in the District 1 Class 2A final. With him two weeks later, the Tigers turned the tables on Rustin in the state semifinal, 10-6. That speaks volumes about what Box brings. He scored two goals and two assists in the Rustin rematch, then two and two in the state final, stabilizing Marple after Mars Area ran rampant in the first quarter and helping the Tigers claim their first state title, 11-10. Box finished third on the team with 51 goals and tied for second with 77 points, but given his responsibilities as a middie, those point totals are impressive (and eighth best in the county each). They might not match the 107 points he put up as a freshman, but he was inarguably more important to the Tigers this season on both sides of the field.
Owen Bosak, Ridley: The senior faceoff man didn’t single-handedly end an eight-year drought in playoff wins, but he did a lot of the work. Bosak won faceoffs at a 74.9 percent clip this season (334-for-446). He was second on Ridley in both goals (35) and points (49). In the process, the Green Raiders went 11-8, hosted their first playoff game since 2017 and won their first districts game since 2015. His capstone performance came in districts: 21-for-27 at the X, five goals and one assist (all in the first half) of a win over Pennsbury. He added three goals, two assists and a 19-for-24 day in the second-round loss to Pennridge, went 15-for-21 in a rare win over Conestoga midseason and scored four times in a win over Haverford. The Hofstra signee is the first Ridley All-Delco since John Lyman in 2015.
Ben McCarthy, Haverford School: The Fords junior is regarded as one of the top faceoff men in the Class of 2024, and he proved it this season. He helped the Fords go 17-3, including a stretch of 14 straight wins that included a 10-for-10 sweep of the Inter-Ac regular season. When he missed out on the Inter-Ac tournament final, he was sorely missed in a 9-5 loss to Malvern Prep, after two previous wins against the Friars. McCarthy added six goals, including multi-goal outings against St. Ignatius and Germantown Academy, and 11 assists. An All-American pick, he has committed to Duke.
Gavin Cooper, Haverford School: The sophomore long-stick middie is the latest in the Fords’ line of high-major prospects, regarded as one of the top defensive players in his class. Cooper played a huge role in the Fords’ run to a 17-3 record and the Inter-Ac regular season title. The Fords allowed an average of 7.6 goals per game in those 10 regular-season contests. Cooper’s playmaking ability on defense, with his ability to create turnovers and turn possession into offense, was a big reason. He added three goals – all in league play, including an OT win over Malvern Prep – and an assist. Cooper was named All-EPLCA.
Luciano Chadha, Radnor: There’s a reason why the Raptors have two defenders, a defensive midfielder and the goalie on the All-Delco team: Radnor was about as exemplary a defensive unit as exists in the high school realm. In 26 games, it surrendered 101 goals, an average of 3.88 per game. That’s fractionally lower than in 2021 (99 goals in 24 games) and it’s 32 goals fewer than the 2022 team allowed on the way to a championship. Chadha was a big reason, the Amherst signee named an All-American and an Academic All-American. A solo captain, Chadha was the team’s defensive rock. While others, Michael Savadove especially, were known for the outstanding plays, Chadha supplied the consistent, unerring reliability. Always solid in man-to-man coverage, he was the engine on the defensive end for the PIAA Class 3A and Central League champions.
Michael Savadove, Radnor: The Raptors managed to survive a leg injury that ruled Savadove out of districts and the first round of states. But the difference with him back was undeniable. Much like Box, the turnaround from the district final to the state title game was stark: Springfield scored 10 goals on a Savadove-less D in districts, then were shutout for 40-plus minutes by Savadove and company in an 8-1 Raptors win in State College. The Harvard commit and All-American, who added three goals and three assists, has elite defensive instincts. His stick skills are outstanding, and he has the open-field athleticism to play at either close D or LSM at the next level.
Nick DeCain, Radnor: The senior backstopped a defense that allowed just 101 goals, an average of 3.88 per game. DeCain made 129 saves, putting him well north of the standard for excellence that is a save percentage of 50. DeCain rarely had to make many saves, but he always seemed to make the stops he needed to. Part of that is working with a defense to limit opponents to manageable looks. It magnified the big saves he made, in games like the state semifinal (four in a 7-4 win over La Salle) and final (five in an 8-1 handling of Springfield). A USA Lacrosse All-American and Academic All-American, DeCain has signed with Washington & Lee.
