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DOWNINGTOWN >> With its biggest win of the season, West Chester Rustin proved once and for all on Wednesday that its boys’ lacrosse program never was a one-hit wonder.
The Golden Knights toppled second-seeded Bishop Shanahan on the road, 10-4, to advance to the District 1 2A Title Game, while also securing a second straight berth into the PIAA Playoffs. A year ago — with a lineup loaded with star seniors — Rustin won the district crown. Few thought the squad could find a way to stay at the top.
“We are trying to embed ourselves as a team and kind of distinguish ourselves from last year’s team,” said Rustin junior goaltender Will Brockett. “We are a powerhouse. We heard that all of our players graduated and we wouldn’t have a chance this season. Doing this shows we are not leaving anytime soon.”
The third-seeded Knights (16-4 overall) have won seven in a row and sure seem to be peaking at the most opportune time. Rustin fell to the Eagles during the regular season. But in the rematch, with everything on the line, the Knights were the dominating side.
“I’m very happy and proud of our guys,” said Rustin head coach Kevin Philibin. “I told them before the game that we’ve been working all season toward this. That they needed to trust each other.
“We’ve had a couple guys work their way up the depth chart since we lost to (Shanahan). We’ve kind of figured out who we were as the season went on. And we are peaking at the right time. The guys are playing really well for each other and they understand how they fit on the team, whether that’s in a game or during practice.”
On the flip side, it was a stunner for Bishop Shanahan (16-3 overall), who came in having won nine of its last 10. Because the PIAA takes just the top two from District 1, the Eagles season is suddenly over.
“We are not allowed to talk about that,” Shanahan head coach Jon Heisman said, when asked about the PIAA. “We’re a 16-3 team and we can whip most of the other teams in the state, so it’s ridiculous.
“But that’s the way it is. We just didn’t have it tonight.”
The Rustin road win sets up a rematch in the district final against top-seeded Marple Newtown, to be played May 29th at a site and time to be determined. The Knights beat the Tigers in the 2023 district title game, but were eliminated from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons by Marple Newtown.
“After years of hard work, we’ve built a program here at Rustin. We just want to keep it going,” said Knights’ senior attacker Jack O’Hora.
“To be the underdog and win on someone else’s turf, it just makes it a whole lot better,” Brockett added.
“Getting into the (PIAA) Playoffs was the biggest motivation of all. We just wanted to come back out and practice together tomorrow.”
Scoreless early, Rustin broke it open with three goals in a 74-second span late in the opening quarter. The Eagles got one back when Anthony Boffa notched a man-up tally, but the Knight staged another three-goal surge, this time in the span of 1:48, and included two goals and an assist by O’Hora, to make it 6-1 midway through the second.
“I didn’t see this coming – not as bad as it was,” Heisman said. “(Rustin) just beat us in every aspect of the game. It could have been a lot worse.
“We didn’t have the ball much, and their bigwigs stepped up and played great. We didn’t play well – we were flat. And we got beat by a better team.”
The six goals in the opening 17:23 by Rustin equaled the total 48 minute output against Shahanan in the regular season clash, 9-6 Eagles win.
Senior Trevor Barbadora made it 6-2 with a goal on Shanahan’s only shot on goal in the second quarter, but the Knights added two man-up scores in the waning minutes of the half. And when Rustin scored the only two goals of the third – another by O’Hora and one by sophomore Jackson Lamb – it was 10-2 heading into the final period.
“It was a complete performance across the board,” Philibin said. “Our defensive coordinator Mike Steuber put in a ton of work this week and knew exactly what he wanted to dial up, and it worked. We had a few hiccups early, got our feet underneath us and the guys played the matchups to a tee.
“Offensively, we’ve learned when to test and when to put their foot on the pedal and when to rein things back in.”
The Knights had the edge on faceoffs (11-3), outshot the Eagles 18-12, and had a pronounced advantage on ground balls.
“(Rustin) won most of the faceoffs, they controlled the middle of the field, and when we did get it, we just threw some bad passes or dropped it. It was just one of those days.”
O’Hora and junior Nate Pechin paced the Knights with three goals each, and sophomore Nick Santangelo chipped in three assists.
“We’ve been building up over the last few years,” Philibin said. “We have a nice coaching staff, and we are keeping more kids than losing them to the private schools. They want to stay, play with the guys they grew up with, and know that they can play for district and state titles.”
Barbadora had two goals to lead Shanahan, and senior Joe Devine had two assists in his final high school game.
“This season we exceeded all expectations,” Heisman said. “I told our kids I am really proud of them.”
West Chester Rustin 10, Bishop Shanahan 4
W.C. Rustin 3 5 2 0 — 10
Bishop Shanahan 1 1 0 2 — 4
W.C. Rustin goals: O’Hora 3, Pechin 3, Cotter, Gaffney, Boland, Lamb.
Bishop Shanahan goals: Barbadora 2, Boffa, Manley.
Goalie saves: Brockett (R) 8; Napoli (BS) 8.
