Austen the hero as Radnor comes back to beat Spring-Ford

ROYERSFORD >> Just two nights earlier, John Austen had been on the wrong side of a late-game comeback.
So when he got the chance to finish off a comeback in Radnor’s favor at Spring-Ford Saturday, the senior attackman made it count.

Austen’s second goal of the game came with 1:01 remaining to give the Raiders their first lead, an advantage they were able to hold for a 10-9 non-league victory over Spring-Ford Saturday.

For Austen and the Raiders (11-5), the victory and the manner in which it occurred was especially gratifying after an 11-9 loss to Garnet Valley Thursday. The Raiders had led 7-4 at the half only to see Garnet Valley hold them to two second-half goals to stay alive in the Central League title race.

“That (loss) was like a dagger to the heart,” Austen said, “but today, we were able to reverse it. This is a big win for us heading into the end of the regular season and the playoffs.”

On Saturday, the Raiders fell behind 5-1 in the opening quarter and trailed 8-5 at the break before turning the tables on Spring-Ford, holding the Rams to only one second-half tally and completing a comeback of their own.

“It’s a testament to (Spring-Ford), how strong they came out, they play physical—but we knew we were better than how we’d played early,” Austen said. “We know if we fight, we can come back and win.”

Austen’s game-winner came at the end of an almost three-minute possession immediately after Jackson Birtwistle brought Radnor even at 9-9 with his third score of the game. The attackman said the possession typifies the Raiders’ offense.

“We always stay in the flow of our offense, but the idea was to shoot only if there’s a 90 percent or better chance of scoring,” he explained. “We want dunks, not three pointers.”

Spring-Ford was unquestionably the better team for the first 24 minutes, as Peyton Gensler made sure his final regular-season game at Coach McNelly Stadium was one to remember, tallying four goals before the break in helping the Rams build an 8-5 halftime lead. Nick Teets had a pair of goals plus an assist on one of Gensler’s scores. Gunnar Romano’s work at the X keyed a 5-1 start for the Rams, as the junior went 9-for-13 on first-half faceoffs (12-of-23 for the game).

Radnor’s Drew Brown kept the Raiders within striking distance with a first-half hat trick. The difference was Spring-Ford’s Ben Swarr, whose half-dozen saves in the early going prevented Radnor from staging a rally after SF jumped on top, 5-1.

Radnor rallied to within 9-8 after three quarters. Despite four big stops in the early fourth quarter from Swarr (14 saves in the game), Birtwistle converted a ground ball into the tying goal with 4:12 remaining—the first time Radnor had been even since the start of the contest.

When they haven’t been busy dominating the PAC lacrosse scene this spring, the Rams have been testing themselves with the most challenging non-conference slate in the area.

The schedule of opponents reads like a Who’s Who of Pennsylvania high school lacrosse—recent PIAA champions Avon Grove and Springfield (Delco), plus 2018 state playoff qualifiers Downingtown East and 2A state finalists Strath Haven.

On Saturday, the Rams added Radnor, the 2015 3A state champions and a top District 1 contender this year, to their list of challenges. And while the final outcome was disappointing—almost heartbreaking— the Rams (11-6, 9-0 PAC) can go into next week’s PAC Final Four and the district playoffs to follow knowing they’ve competed with the best the area has to offer.

“We set out to get the hardest schedule we could, to drive us as hard as we could going forward,” Rams coach Kevin Donnelly said. “And I think it’s working—we’re coming together at the right time. That’s one of the top teams in the area, the district—they play great competition all year as well.

“But I think that’s the best full 48 minutes we’ve played this year. Couple mistakes to clean up, a couple of bounces didn’t go our way—but credit to Radnor for fighting back.”

The Rams will be back in action Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Owen J. Roberts, where they take on the Wildcats in the opener of the PAC Final Four semifinal doubleheader.

“I don’t think there will be any change in focus (for the PAC playoffs),” Donnelly said. “The goal remains the same. Get better every day.”