Bishop Shanahan dominates Chartiers Valley to reach state semifinals

LANCASTER >> Prior to the season, Bishop Shanahan boys’ lacrosse coach Jon Heisman actually termed the upcoming 2021 season “a complete rebuild.”

But the Eagles have made seismic strides since then, and after a truly dominant 16-4 victory over Chartiers Valley on Saturday, Shanahan is back in the PIAA 2A Semifinals, and are now just two wins away from another state crown.

“We had some coaching meetings before the season wondering if we’d win seven or eight games,” Heisman acknowledged. “So here we are. I think confidence has been a big thing.

“To be in the final four of states, we are excited but we’re not satisfied.”

This is familiar territory for the Eagles, who have won the previous two state crowns that have been contested.

“This was always the plan: to get back here and try to win the state title,” said junior star Liam Blakely. “We have a winning culture here so at Shanahan it is always the goal.”

The District 1 runner-up, Shanahan (17-5) scored 13 in a row at one long stretch to turn a two-goal deficit into a laugher in state quarterfinal action against the District 7 runner-up. The Eagles will face unbeaten Mars on Tuesday in the semis, with a berth in the state final at stake. Mars is the District 7 champion.

“Mars is definitely good, but we are ready for the challenge,” Heisman said.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy – we had to keep working hard,” added freshman Joe Devine.

“(Chartiers Valley) had 16 on their roster, so if we are tiring them out, we will have the ball more. And if we do that, we are going to win.”

The Eagles have now won 15 of their last 16, with the only blemish coming in the district 1 championship against Penncrest. Bigger, deeper, and more skilled, Shanahan wore down the Colts (16-6) and dominated every statistical category, including a prominent 38-5 edge in shots on goal.

A standout face off/defender, the 6-foot-3 Blakely was beyond dominant by winning all 15 face offs in the first half, and the Eagles were 22-1 overall from the ‘X.’

“Liam is a superstar,” Heisman pointed out. “He was at 83 percent this season (on face offs) heading in so he’s a gem that hasn’t really been discovered yet. He’s a late bloomer who is going to excel at the next level.

“Having an All-American at the wing (in Collin Gucwa) doesn’t hurt. He is the best ground ball guy around.”

Shanahan was actually trailing 3-1 in the early going but then exploded in the second period and had the Colts truly gassed. Senior attacker Owen Mehok started the surge with a goal and five seconds later Blakely won the faceoff and dished off to Dylan Jones to give the Eagles the lead for good.

“It was definitely a slow start, but we have faith in our guys,” Blakely said. “We never really got worried. We just stayed calm and played our game.”

During the rest of a 9-0 quarter, the freshmen duo of Joe Devine and Devin Mullen got into the fray, and then Mehok capped the finish with two goals and an assist to make it 11-3 at the break.

“The offense wasn’t looking too good earlier in the season. We’ve bounced back since then,” Devine said.

“We’ve all had to step up and we are getting better every day. That’s what matters.”

Believe it or not, there were some anxious moments early when Chartiers Valley scored on its first two shots, bringing back shades of the loss in the district final. But the defense settled down, and early goals by Mehok and Mullen made it 3-2 through one period.

In total command, the Eagles scored all four goals in the third quarter and didn’t give up a goal until midway through the fourth quarter, ending a 37-minute scoring drought for the Colts.

“It all starts on the defensive end,” Heisman said. “When we force turnovers like that and we get into transition, this is what happens. And our offense has come together a bit. The guys believe in themselves and they made some nice plays today. We dominated the middle of the field, and the faceoff game was on fire.”

At the half, Heisman challenged his team to finish stronger than they did in first round action, and he got it.

“We were down 3-1 and I got on them a bit, but we had a great second quarter,” Heisman said. “And I told them at the half, ‘look, we’re not letting you slide like we did in the second half against Lampeter-Strasburg in the last round.’

“They did what we asked.”

Mehok scored a game-high six goals and added three assists, and Devine added four goals and an assist.

“Our offensive unit is a completely different, and they’ve exceptional,” Blakely said. “We’ve had young guys step up. Devin Mullen and Joe Devine have been huge for us.”

Bishop Shanahan 16, Chartiers Valley 4

Chartiers Valley                              3 0 0 1 — 4

Bishop Shanahan                            2 9 4 1 — 16

Chartiers Valley goals: Nomides, Pocci, Troiani, Marnik.

Bishop Shanahan goals: Mehok 6, Barbadora, Oakes, Devine 4, Shimer, Ross, Jones, Mullen.

Goalie saves: Kyle (CV) 6; Pezone (BS) 1; Binder (BS) 0.