Bishop Shanahan trounces Pope John Paul II to set up District 1-2A second round showdown
DOWNINGTOWN >> It is doubtful there are many boys’ lacrosse teams more excited about getting out of the regular season and into postseason play than Bishop Shanahan.
After taking some lumps in the largely 3A Ches-Mont, the class 2A Eagles were ready and it showed in an 11-2 victory over visiting Pope John Paul II in round one of the District 1 Tournament Wednesday.
“We’ve worked so hard,” said Shanahan junior attacker Devon Mullen. “The regular season didn’t go as well as we wanted it to, but we’ve battled back. And playing all of those good teams helped us get ready for the second season.”
The third-seeded Eagles (12-7 overall) scored five times before the No. 6 Panthers managed to get off a shot. It was business as usual on defense for Shanahan, but the double-digit scoring total was nice to see from a squad that has been offensively challenged at times this season.
“The confidence-level is better,” acknowledged Eagles’ head coach Jon Heisman. “We are more relaxed and moving the ball better. We’ve put in some new sets and the kids are starting to believe in themselves.”
The win sets up an epic rematch between Shanahan and second seeded West Chester Rustin (14-5 overall). The two league foes tangled back in early April, with the Knights’ scoring with six-tenths of a second left in regulation, and then winning it in overtime.
“We talked about winning this game and we all know who we are playing next. We’re not even saying the name of the team we are playing, but we are ready to play,” Mullen said.
“We now have a rematch with Rustin,” Heisman added. “They’ve gotten better and so have we. We’re anxious.
“We respect Rustin, we know they are good, and we hope to go in there and play our game.”
For head coach Matt Blidstein and Pope John Paul, it marked the end of the 2023 season. The final record: 9-10.
“I’m proud of this senior class,” he said. “They were my first class three years ago when I got hired, so they mean a lot to me. I told the other kids that we have a lot to work on, but we have a bunch of talent coming back.”
Shanahan seized control early with three unanswered goals in the opening six minutes of action, including one from freshman midfielder Nate Bracken. And then sophomores Colin Gaffney and Anthony Boffa each notched goals early in the second period to make it 5-0.
“The start kind of took the wind out of our sails,” Blidstein said.
Pope John Paul got one shot off in the opening 24 minutes, but it was a laser from sophomore Ian Young in the final minute to make it 5-1 at the break.
“That was exactly how we wanted to start the game,” Mullen said.
With Mullen and sophomore Mack Manley leading the way with three goals apiece, the Eagles added six more goals in the second half to make it 11-1. Young chipped in his second goal of the day for the Panthers in the final two minutes.
“We definitely needed this on offense,” Mullen said. “Getting everyone involved, moving it around — it definitely helps with confidence.”
Shanahan wound up with a lopsided 17-3 advantage in shots on goal. Perhaps the most interesting one-on-one battle came in the circle, where PJP’s Dillon Murphy and the Eagles’ Ronin Miller duked it out. Miller finished with a slim 8-7 edge, but the senior won six of seven in the second half.
“(Shanahan) was swarming on defense, really pressuring us, and it was really overwhelming for some of our offensive sets,” Blidstein said. “They controlled the game from the start.
“Hey, Shanahan won a state title a couple years ago and they have a heck of a program.”
Six of the Eagles’ goals, along with three assists, came from either sophomores or freshmen. And Shanahan now takes a four-game winning streak into the season’s biggest challenge.
“We have a lot of young guys, and they’ve seen it all this season,” Heisman said.
“As a team we’ve had our ups and downs, but we finished strong and we are starting to pay pretty well now. Some things are pointing our way, and now we just have to go to Rustin and perform.”
Bishop Shanahan 11, Pope John Paul 2
Pope John Paul 0 1 0 1 — 2
Bishop Shanahan 3 2 5 1 — 11
Pope John Paul goals: Young 2.
Bishop Shanahan goals: Manley 3, Mullen 3, Boffa, Gaffney, Bracken, Rodner-Tims, Weber.
Goalie saves: Fallon (PJP) 6; Pezone (BS) 1.
