Council Rock South boys lacrosse takes the edge over Pennsbury
NORTHAMPTON – In a battle for control of first place in the Suburban One National League, Council Rock South came out ahead by a long-shot in its recent battle with Pennsbury.
After falling short in the first pairing between these two teams this season, the Golden Hawks put their foot on the gas and kept it there the entire game in a 12-3 victory over the Falcons on Friday, April 30 on Rock Way.
“We came into this game thinking, ‘how much are we going to win by?’” said CR South senior goalkeeper Adam Reifer “Losing wasn’t in our thought process. We had to win and we were going to do whatever we had to do to get it.”
CR South attack wing Brandon Follis accounted for four goals and two assists in the battle including a pair of goals he scored in the first period before four minutes had elapsed from the game clock.
Follis tallied another goal in the second period and another in the third to put the Hawks on top, 7-1, heading into the final quarter.
Pete Mignacca (2 goals, 3 assists) and Brendan Patterson piled on with two more goals in the fourth period, giving South a 9-1 edge. K.J. Sweeney helped out on four goals for the Hawks.
Pennsbury (6-5, overall, 4-2: SOL) got a pair of goals back when Brian Doron and Tre Raniello scored in the fourth period. Together with a first-quarter strike by Hunter Lake off a feed from Cole Ruoff, that would be the total of the Falcons’ scoring in this one.
Joe Scannapieco, Ben Daniels and Mignacca finished the scoring off with a goal each in the final minutes of the contest, played under cloudy skies and a sometimes-light rain on Rock Way.
South (8-5, overall, 5-1: SOL) entered the league duel coming off a non-league loss to Southern Lehigh, a skirmish they were winning on Wednesday, 6-5 at the half, before the opponent came back with seven goals in the second half.
“We played a really good game against a great team on Wednesday, and they definitely raised the intensity for us,” said Reifer. “We came ready to play today. We knew we had to start strong and keep going with it.”
In the first war between these two Suburban One rivals, Pennsbury came out ahead in a 6-4 victory for the Falcons. Another loss to the Orange & Black and the Hawks could kiss the league title goodbye.
“We knew coming in that we were tied with them so we knew beating them would be a key to winning the SOL title since we never have,” added CR South co-captain Dominic Schlupp.
“This year, we all want to win it so we knew we had to come out fast.
“We normally start out slow but we knew we had to change it up and come out fast if we wanted to win.”
While the Hawks still have four league duels remaining including Abington, Truman, Neshaminy and sister school CR North, this win gives South a one game edge going forward. The Skins took the Hawks to overtime in the first battle between those two, though South emerged with a narrow win in overtime.
“I think if we come out hot like we did today, we’ll easily take them away,” added Schlupp. “North is a good team and so is Neshaminy and we just have to play like we did today.”
In a season the Hawks have dedicated to the late Cullen Keffer, a former player who was killed in a car accident just before the start of the 2014-15 school year, South is vying for every point it can get.
“Since we’re tied with Pennsbury, we know that if it comes down to points against and points for us, we knew if we got a big lead, that will really help us out in the standings and the playoffs.”
Playing solid in goal for the Hawks was Adam Reifer, a senior who is committed to Fairleigh Dickinson. South was up 4-0 before the Falcons brought the ball into Hawks territory for the first time in this contest with 4:50 already gone from the game clock.
“My offense held the ball down today so it made my job way easier,” said Reifer. “Pennsbury has some great shooters so we came ready to get the slides early and the defense did the rest.”
The Falcons certainly tested Reifer on several occasions throughout the first and second half. Each time, he was up to task, stoning Lichtenstein and Lake on multiple shots.
“He stays focused the whole game and he’s one of the better goalies in the league,” added Schlupp. “We’re lucky to have him on our team. He’ll do whatever he has to do to keep us on top.”
While Pennsbury won the first battle between the sides, the Falcons never really challenged in this one.
“I think we just came after them early and when we went up 4-0 early, it kind of took the wind right out of them,” added Schlupp.
Penalties hurt the Hawks’ cause in the first game, said Reifer. The senior keeper said South sustained 15 infractions in the first game.
“When you have penalties, it just kills games,” said Reifer. “That really hurt us and they took advantage.
“Today, in the end, we just got groundballs and that’s what won us the game.”
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@buckslocalnews.com or @buckslocalsport on Twitter
Council Rock South 12, Pennsbury 3
(April 29 at CR South)
CR SOUTH 4 2 1 5 – 12
PENNSBURY 1 0 0 2 – 3
CR SOUTH GOALS – Brian Kerwick, Chase Patterson, Brandon Follis 4, Jared Gambino, Peter Mignacca 2, Brendan Patterson, Joe Scannapieco, Ben Daniels.
PENNSBURY GOALS – Hunter Lake, Brian Doron, Tre Raniello.
