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ALLENTOWN – A two-goal halftime deficit, which Lansdale Catholic extended to three early in the third quarter, did not faze Luke Shimko and the Allentown Central Catholic boys lacrosse team Tuesday.
“We’re used to stuff like that,” Shimko said. “And we lost a couple games this year in OT so we didn’t want something like that to happen again. So we just had to fight back and win the groundball battle and that’s what we did.”
The District 12 champion Vikings worked their way back into the PIAA-2A first round contest with three straight goals – Jack Restino’s tally with 24 seconds left in the third pulling Central even 6-6.
Sean McMahon put the Crusaders back ahead in the fourth but Shimko knotted things with 6:42 left while Restino’s strike off a drive with 2:50 put the Vikings ahead for good as they held on and edged the District 12 runner-up for an 8-7 victory at Cedar Crest College.
“It comes down, you got two good teams playing each other, again, they made less mistakes than us,” Lansdale Catholic coach Paul McGovern said. “They capitalized on our mistakes and we capitalized on fewer of their mistakes. And great team, man. These guys played their guts out, they left everything on the field and that’s all I can ask.”
Shimko scored a hat trick while Restino and Quinn Driscoll both added two goals as the Vikings advanced to the state quarterfinals for the third time in the past four seasons. The lone year Central did not reach the round was 2023 when it fell to Northwestern Lehigh in the District 11 final. The Vikings topped Northwestern in this year’s district title game 17-6 May 15.
Allentown Central Catholic faces District 1 champ Marple Newtown – a 16-3 winner over District 2 runner-up Crestwood – Saturday at site and time to be announced.
“I definitely think it’s been a rebuild year,” Shimko said. “Last year was kind of a shocker for how Central lacrosse has been playing the past couple three ,four years, like you said. But I think a lot of the offseason practice, option things, you know we had 20, 30 guys at those, even guys coming out of their main sports football, basketball, coming to practice, that really built a family mentality.
“And it really helped us succeed today and the district ‘chip two weeks ago and hopefully onto the next round of states.”
For Lansdale Catholic, the loss to Central Catholic made it a tough finish to the season after its bid for a fourth straight District 12-2A title was denied last Thursday by Devon Prep – the Tide scoring twice in regulation’s final minute to force overtime, where Devon claimed a 6-5 win.
LC has qualified for the last four PIAA-2A tournaments but has lost in the first round each time – the program’s last state victory coming in 2017.
“These guys from where they started this year to where they came, I can’t be prouder of them,” McGovern said. “You had guys that didn’t really have a lot of significant time last year on offense now playing major roles on that offense. And they’re pushed to their limit and a lot of times they shine and there were other times where the other team got the better of ‘em.”
Dan Curran and Gavin Selchert each scored twice for Lansdale Catholic while goalkeeper Jack Kennedy recorded his 800th career save as the senior stopped 22 shots.
“He saw everything,” said McGovern of Kennedy. “When the ball hits him in the head, to me it means he’s dialed in. My son was a goalie and played at Boston University and it’s the same thing, he got hit in the head, you know he was dialed in and seeing everything.”
The Crusaders went into halftime with a 5-3 lead after scoring the last two goals of the second quarter – Curran breaking a 3-3 tie at 4:06 while Colin Cossman found the back of the net 41 seconds later.
Selchert put LC ahead 6-3 at 10:36 in the third off an assist from McMahon.
“We’ve been working all year on a thing called rhythm and then pace, right, so they’re stretching the other team out, making the other defense work and then they go into some type of rotation,” McGovern said. “And it was working really well and the rhythm was there and then the rhythm started falling apart and the offense started falling apart.”
Restino found Driscoll for a Central goal at 4:37 in the third. The Vikings’ Tate Shoemaker charged down the middle to score with exactly one minute left in the quarter while Restino struck at 24 seconds to make it 6-6 heading to the fourth.
“We honestly kind of kept things the same, we just needed to be less sloppy,” Shimko said. “That was kind of our issue in the first half and we threw the ball away a couple times, that shouldn’t of happened.
“So I think the second half, it was really just about being consistent and being accurate with our passes and all that and we score, to keep going after that and not be stagnant on offense.”
McMahon gave Lansdale Catholic a 7-6 edge at 9:04 but Shimko – heading to Widener for both football and lacrosse – completed his hat trick on a break, putting Central on level terms with 6:42 left.
Restino then gave the Vikings an 8-7 lead – its first since the opening quarter – as he drove down the left side and sent a shot in at 2:50.
“They were running a zone all game and they came out in a man and a lot of times in this sport, when somebody gets a shortie, a shortie matchup you want to go,” Shimko said. “And he’s definitely one of our faster guys, Jack Restino, he’s been scoring a ton all season and he’s definitely a guy we can rely to go to, so when I saw him get the shortie matchup, it was time for him to go.”
Lansdale Catholic had a possession looking to equalize in the game’s final minute but turned the ball over and Central held on to reach the quarters.
“It was an honor to get this far, would’ve loved to go farther but that’s how it works out,” McGovern said.
The Vikings grabbed a 2-0 lead after goals from Shimko and Driscoll before the Crusaders scored the last three goals of the first quarter – tallies from Judah Wood and Curran pulled LC even at 2:12 with Selchert giving the Philadelphia Catholic League side a 3-2 lead at 58 seconds.
Shimko tied things at 5:55 in the second quarter but goals by Curran and Cossman had the Crusaders up two at halftime.
Allentown Central Catholic 8, Lansdale Catholic 7
Lansdale Catholic 3 2 1 1 – 7
Allentown Central Catholic 2 1 3 2 – 8
Lansdale Catholic Goals: Dan Curran 2; Gavin Selchert 2; Colin Cossman; Sean McMahon; Judah Wood.
Allentown Central Catholic Goals: Luke Shimko 3; Quinn Driscoll 2; Jack Restino 2; Tate Shoemaker.
