DOWNINGTOWN >> There wasn’t much not to like about Bishop Shanahan’s first foray into the boys’ lacrosse postseason Wednesday, except for one thing: the start.
Seeded second in the District 1 2A playoffs, the Eagles looked a bit off at the start of quarterfinal action against visiting Holy Ghost Prep. But Shanahan regrouped to overcome the sluggish start and cruise past the seventh-seeded Firebirds 15-3.
“It’s tough practicing for seven or eight straight days, and we came out flat,” said Eagles’ head coach Jon Heisman. “But they kicked it into second gear and then played well.
“After the start, a lot of good things happened.”
Now 16-2 overall, Shanahan advances to the semifinals where they will take on No. 3 seed West Chester Rustin at Jack Mancini Field on May 22. Holy Ghost Prep’s season ends with an 8-10 record.
“We were 3-7 at one point of the season and we qualified for districts even though we played a great schedule,” said Firebirds’ head coach Ryan Tessler. “We’ve been in the playoffs nine times of the last 11, so I am proud of that.”
The Eagles, who have now won nine of their last 10, got stronger as the game progressed. Shanahan scored the game’s final nine goals, and senior attacker Joe Devine had a huge hand in the surge. He was directly involved in eight of his team’s final 13 goals, which turned an early deficit into a 12-goal victory.
“Joe (Devine) stepped up, Devin (Mullen) had a really good game, Mack (Manley) played tough and (Anthony) Boffa had his best game of the season,” Heisman pointed out.
If Heisman and the Eagles want to get to the district final — where top-seeded Marple Newtown likely awaits — and earn one of just two berths into the PIAA Tournament, Shanahan is going to need some offensive firepower to help its rock-solid defense.
“We had a long week off,” said Boffa, a junior. “After the first quarter we talked it over and then things started flowing a lot better.
“We ran one offense in the first quarter and it wasn’t really working. So the coaches made some changes and it started to work. It was important because it gives our defense a break when we have the ball and score some goals.”
Shanahan sophomore Nick Snyder opened the scoring, but the Firebirds made it 2-1 heading into the second period by scoring on their only two shots of goal of the quarter.
The Eagles finally elevated their level of play and promptly outscored Holy Ghost Prep 5-0 in the second to take a 6-2 lead into the break. Devine had two goals and two assists in the rally, Manley added a goal and an assist, and Mullen capped it off with a goal in the final minute.
“Sean Evans from (West Chester) Henderson is a college friend of mine from St. Joe’s, and he hooked me up with some good scouting,” Tessler explained. “We played together at St. Joe’s. He told me to come out and pressure (Shanahan) and try to get them rattled.
“You don’t want a good team like that get in rhythm, and unfortunately they got into a bit of a rhythm. They rode us well which helped them get some extra possessions.”
Things were still competitive midway through the third at 6-3, but that’s when the Eagles put on a powerful finishing kick. Devine scored four more times, Boffa added a pair of nifty goals and an assist, and Manley had two of his three assists as Shanahan won it going away.
“There are a lot of distractions this time of year – Senior Prom is Friday – so hopefully our kids can block all of that out and get productive days of practice, and get mentally ready,” Heisman said. “But we’ve been there – we are a pretty seasoned group.”
In all, eight different players scored at least one goal for the Eagles. Devine finished with six goals and two assists to pace Shanahan. Boffa added two goals and two assists, and Manley chipped in two goals. And the duo of Bryan Venini and Thomas Fischer combined to win 14 of 18 faceoffs.
If the Eagles do draw Ches-Mont rival Rustin next, it’s important to know that Shanahan won the regular season clash 9-6 in early April, thus earning the home game.
“We know each other well, and all of the little fundamentals will determine the winner,” Heisman said.
“We will come prepared, but it should be a battle. Faceoffs, wing play, getting 50-50 ground balls – all of that stuff is going to be important.”
Bishop Shanahan 15, Holy Ghost Prep 3
Holy Ghost Prep 2 1 1 0 — 3
Bishop Shanahan 1 5 4 5 — 15
Holy Ghost Prep goals: Gardner, Walsh, Salita.
Bishop Shanahan goals: Devine 6, Boffa 2, Manley 2, Mullen, Bracken, Snyder, Weber, Murray.
Goalie saves: Crandley (HGP) 10; Napoli (BS) 4; Beach (BS) 2.
