Belville’s nine goals, Pio’s instincts help Strath Haven survive challenge from York Catholic

LOWER MERION — Early in the first quarter and very much in the late minutes Tuesday, Ibo Pio would need to trust his lacrosse knowledge, his instincts and his abilities.

In large part because he was right on all three, Strath Haven High would advance to the second round of the PIAA Class 2A lacrosse tournament with a tense 17-16 victory over game York Catholic at neutral-site Lower Merion.

Among the earliest observations and reactions of Pio, the Panthers’ junior, was that the Fighting Irish were attempting to defend him with the long poles. That essentially would leave Ethan Belville to be confronted by the short sticks.

The long and short of it was that the concept was proven flawed.

“You put shorts on Belville,” Pio said, “and it’s not going to work.”

That plot tried against Strath Haven earlier in the season, it failed famously Tuesday as Belville scored eight of his nine goals in the first half to help build a 12-8 lead. But when the Irish adjusted after intermission and were in a 16-16 tie late, it was up to Pio to again read the situation. So with the coaches yelling, “Quiet,” virtually commanding the Panthers to wait before shooting, Pio saw an opening, made a move and fed Nicky Palermo in front for the game-winning goal with 2:09 to play.

“Maybe,” Panthers coach Jef Hewlings shrugged afterward, with a laugh, “they know more than me.”

What the Panthers know, or at least what they found out during a game that ended in storms of rain and complaints, is that the path through the tournament to their would-be District 1 championship-game rematch with Bishop Shanahan could be a little slippery.

Belville scored nine goals, Pio had three goals and three assists, Palermo provided a hat trick and Matt Faggioli and Dylan Fitzgerald had a goal and an assist apiece, but the 14-8, Central League-tested Panthers were delivered a message by the Irish, who would fall to 18-3.

“I certainly hope our kids are a little bit more focused moving through the tournament,” Hewlings said. “They are high school kids. We’ll see. We have played focused. The Shanahan game was an example of being focused, doing what you had to do, just doing your job, not trying to do somebody else’s job, not trying to take over a game at either end of the field, not blaming your teammates, those sorts of things.”

The Panthers will have that opportunity Saturday in Round 2, presumably toughened by a York Catholic rally Tuesday. They will face Hampton, an 11-3 winner Tuesday over Meadville.

For York Tuesday, Cole Witman bagged a hat trick, Ryan McGuinness and Matthew Cassidy scored twice each, and Massimo Antolick had a goal and two assists.

Vincey Palermo was the winning goalkeeper.

After Belville’s eight-goal, first-half extravaganza, the Irish enjoyed goals from Antolick, Brennan Witman and Joey Fiorenza within the first 3:25 of the third to draw within 12-11. Sufficiently convinced they were not out of place, the Irish would force a 13-13 tie on Brennan Witman’s late third-period score.

By the time Chandler Hake completed his hat trick with 5:39 to play, the Irish were displaying an edge and an impatience. With Strath Haven forced just once to play shorthanded, the Irish were so furious with the officiating that, at one point someone from their bench area began to violently overturn sideline trash cans.

But while so much was stirring off the field, Irish goalie Jarred Kohl was calm on it, providing 24 saves, plenty of the spectacular variety, helping to keep Strath Haven close enough to challenge.

“It was a like a tough wakeup call for us,” Pio said. “It let us know that it’s not going to be a walk in the park to get where we want to get, and that is to the state championship game.”

Shortly after Nicky Palermo’s game-winner, and then Belville’s critical steal to end the final York possession with 21 seconds left, the Irish were hit with three penalties for their conduct. The game was stopped with three seconds showing. According to the officials, the York coaches, realizing that nothing productive could have come from another mini-shorthanded shift, felt that calling it a season was in the better interests of all involved.

By then, the Panthers were just content to exhale.

“Credit to them,” Belville said. “They came out and did a good job. They battled back despite being down. Hats off to them. But I think we are hitting our stride. If we can get our defense together, obviously we can score goals. But I feel confident.

“This was a big one here. We’re just happy to get forward.”