Boys Lacrosse: Delco District One preview capsules

Haverford’s blue-collar mentality and helmet tradition led the previews of Tuesday’s opening round of the District One boys lacrosse tournament.

But with eight teams taking part in six games Tuesday, there’s plenty more to discuss as the premier tournament in the state and maybe the U.S. dawns. We’ve already laid out the stat leaders in Delco at the conclusion of the regular season. Here are the talking points for the other five games featuring Delco combatants.

No. 28 W.C. Rustin at No. 5 Strath Haven, 7

The Golden Knights (7-10) are one of the streakiest teams in the district. They followed a 3-2 start with seven straight losses before rallying to win four of five to qualify for the postseason. That late hot streak came against sub-par opposition, with only one team (Hempfield from the talent-thin Lancaster-Lebanon League) sporting a winning record. Kip McGuire is a good scorer sure to draw the attention of Anders Camp and/or Noah Frantz in defense. But Rustin failed to score 10 goals against any .500 team this season save for Haverford, when they surrendered 19.

Haven, meanwhile, is looking to add a state tournament berth to its first Central League title. The Panthers (14-4) have lost their last two, so how they recover could provide a few nervous moments early. The Panthers have allowed only 6.2 goals per game and are extremely difficult to play against.

The attack will likely still be without Jack Borbee, who’s missed the last three weeks. But Will Huestis has stepped ably into the void, complementing Jake Ross, Sam Mutz and Jeffrey Conner. Just a sophomore, Conner needs to be a focal point. Teams have geared defenses toward the Saint Joseph’s commit as the season has progressed, and his production has dipped. Conner has 72 points this season, but just 15 in the last six games and five in the last three.

No. 21 Marple Newtown at No. 12 Radnor, 7

The Raiders’ quest for a state title began on home turf against Marple Newtown last year, though in a 6-27 game that Radnor won, 10-5. The distance between the teams this season is considerably narrower, and that isn’t just the seeds talking.

Radnor claimed an 11-7 win over the Tigers 13 days ago behind four Drew Brown goals. But Marple finished on a winning note, topping Penncrest, 8-7, in the finale, the same one-goal margin by which Radnor had beaten the Lions seven days earlier.

Radnor (9-9) won four straight before a loss to La Salle Saturday, and they are allowing an average of just 6.5 goals per game. They’re only scoring 7.8 per, though, and that’s a slim margin. (For comparison, Marple is plus-3.2.) How much of a struggle has it been to generate offense? Clayton Proctor’s last game was April 14 when a leg injury ended his season. He remains the Raiders’ leading assist man with 14. That’s a lot of one-on-one action from Jack Wilson and company, though Marple hasn’t exactly excelled in shutting down opponents’ top threats.

Marple (10-8) is capable of scoring plenty, averaging 10.6 goals per this season. How Radnor handles the threat of Tyler Kostack (57 goals, 34 assists) will go a long way in determining the result. If it becomes a battle of secondary scorers beyond Kostack and Wilson, the advantage resides with Radnor.

No. 18 Ridley at No. 15 Penncrest, 7

Good luck trying to figure out these two. Penncrest (9-9) was riding high at 8-3 but finished with one win in seven and a three-game losing streak. The bring side is that five of those losses were one-goal games, so they weren’t getting blown out. But the offense has been held to single-digits in all but two of the last 14 games (and they only cracked 10 against Lower Merion and Upper Darby).

Ridley (8-10) hasn’t completely shaken its spiral. They’ve won two of four, but only three of 12 since a 5-1 start was blighted by injuries. There’s good news on the health front – Devon Tavani returned in the regular-season finale against Wissahickon, as did Justin Monaghan. Many more injuries, like faceoff man Cade Heverly, won’t be resolved before Tuesday, and a little extra offense doesn’t completely compensate for a defense that allowed seven or more goals in 12 straight games before Wissahickon.

No. 23 Great Valley at No. 10 Springfield, 7

Springfield hammered Great Valley, 9-4, in the third game of the season, which stood as the Cougars only win in its first six outings. Since, the Cougars have won 10 of 11 and are flying high in the quest to defend their District One title.

When the Cougars (12-6) and Patriots (10-8) last met, Kyle Long was still recovering from an ankle injury. That was 50 assists ago. Mike Vent and the rapidly maturing Jack Spence have established themselves in attack around Mike Gerzabek, and the Cougars have hummed along.

Great Valley, meanwhile, had a five-game winning streak snapped in the regular-season finale against Downingtown East. That run started with a victory over Marple Newtown, 6-5, April 30. The Patriots don’t exactly light up the scoreboard: They’ve been held to eight or fewer goals on 10 occasions this season, losing eight such games.

No. 27 Pennridge at No. 6 Garnet Valley, 7:30

The most recognizable name for the Rams is coach J.P. Banks, who departed Upper Dublin after four successful seasons last summer and took over for his brother, Kevin, at a program that had never made the postseason. Banks rectified that with a 9-9 campaign.

The Rams’ attack is all about the Fanellis, senior Kyle and sophomore Nick. Chris Warner is also a dangerous distributor, and Sean Fechter can provide goals.

The Jaguars (14-4) have some demons to exorcise if they want to return to the PIAA tournament for the first time since 2013. They won a piece of the Central League crown in 2015 but lost in the district quarters before finishing sixth and missing the last states berth thanks to Bishop Shanahan. They sputtered in the districts opener last year as the top seed, eking out a 10-8 decision over Abington.

This year’s team, though, seems different. Matt Moore (90 points) has already far surpassed last year’s total and is asserting his will on games. Jacob Buttermore, Denny Nealon (though he’s been quiet the last two games) and Ryan Manbeck have matured, and they have a goalie in Michael Bonaddio capable of stealing results.