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EXETER >> Halftime speeches are overrated, except on the rare occasions when they actually work.
Trailing, and getting badly outplayed, at halftime of the PIAA 2A Boys’ Lacrosse Quarterfinal on Saturday, the West Chester Rustin coaching staff used the break as more of a tactical reset than anything else — and it worked like a charm. The Golden Knights proceeded to score 12 of the next 13 goals, rolling to a 13-5 triumph over Lower Dauphin, the second seed from District 3.
“There wasn’t a lot of yelling. Our coaches know that that’s not the best way to get the message through,” said sophomore attacker Jackson Lamb.
“Our guys were playing hard in the first half,” Rustin head coach Kevin Philibin said. “Things just weren’t going well, and (Lower Dauphin’s) goalie was phenomenal. So we had to make some adjustments to figure it all out.”
The Knights were generating substandard offensive looks in the first half, so the intermission was spent not yelling or berating, but adjusting strategy. Looking to push more in transition, get some unsettled looks, and turn down a good shot for a great one. The end result was an epic 10-0 run that turned a one-goal deficit into a 13-4 blowout.
“One of our issues in season’s past was losing composure,” Philibin said. “Teams that have wanted to slow the game down have given us issues before. But today we took a step back, figured out what we needed to change, and let the plays fall our way in the second half.
“We’ve preached all season that we will come in with a good game plan, but we have a smart enough team to be able to make those adjustments.”
Now 18-5 overall with wins in nine of the last 10, Rustin will face Division I rival Marple Newtown in the semifinal, to be played on June 11th at a time and site to be determined. The Knights topped the Tigers to win the 2023 district crown, but have dropped two to Marple Newtown since: in the PIAA Semifinal a year ago, and in the ’24 district final 10 days ago.
“We want to get another shot at them. They are a very good team, but so are we,” Lamb said.
“If we do see Marple again, they are a phenomenal team, so we are going to have to play our best game of the season if we want to win,” Philibin added.
Trailing 4-3 midway through the third quarter Saturday afternoon, Lamb started the comeback with a goal off a pass from teammate Nate Pechin. Moments later, Rustin took its first lead when sophomore Jimmy Boland grabbed a loose ball in front of the Falcons’ cage and buried it. The Knight never looked back.
“We definitely came out flat,” Lamb said. “But we showed what we are about in the second half.”
Lamb scored again late in the third, and then he added two more early in the fourth. Another sophomore, Nick Santangelo, added two goals and two assists in the surge, and then defensive stalwarts Will Garner and Gavin Seaman each went end-to-end to score in transition to conclude the rally.
“We got some great clears – that was probably the biggest thing,” said Garner, a sophomore.
“We got some clearing and riding issues adjusted, so that got us some extra possessions, and we were able to bury the ball in the second half,” Philibin added.
Lamb finished with four goals, Santangelo chipped in three goals and two assists, and senior Jack O’Hora had a goal and three assists. In all, 10 of Rustin’s 13 goals came from underclassmen. And junior Drew Gaffney won 15 of 19 faceoffs, including a 8-1 edge in the second half.
“All of the young guys on this team are tight-knitted,” Lamb said. “We’ve all been playing together since we were really young and it’s awesome to see everybody stepping up into the big roles.”
When the Knights were held scoreless for the opening 15-plus minutes of play, however, things didn’t look so promising. Despite having a 12-5 edge in shots on goal in the first half, the Knights trailed 3-1 at the break.
“We just had to get more fired up,” Garner said. “We were flat in the beginning. I don’t really know what happened early – we were just kind of slow.”
Rustin has the exact same record as it did a year ago heading into the PIAA Final Four, and that team was loaded with senior stars. But the younger players got their chance this spring, and have made the most of it, including an especially strong sophomore class.
“We have a high ceiling and low floor. But I’d have to say this is a little bit of a surprise to be back in this position,” Lamb said.
“We are not really surprised,” Philibin countered. “We knew we were going to be in the mix, and we had to grind it out with a tough schedule to test them. “
West Chester Rustin 13, Lower Dauphin 5
Lower Dauphin 1 2 1 1 — 5
W.C. Rustin 0 1 5 7 — 13
Lower Dauphin goals: Gray 2, Duffy, Vandernick, Woodring.
W.C. Rustin goals: Lamb 4, Santangelo 3, Garner, Boland, Seaman, Pechin, O’Hora, Loper.
Goalie saves: Pollock (LD) 19; Brockett (R) 6.
