2024 Mercury High School Boys’ Lacrosse Team-by-Team Preview

BOYERTOWN

Head Coach: Grady Wise, 8th year.

Last Year’s Record: 14-4, lost in 2nd round of District 1-3A playoffs.

Players to Watch: Mason Barndt, Sr., Attack; Gio Daddario, Sr., Midfield; Tyler Diffenderfer, Sr., Midfield; Jason Oakes, Sr., Long-stick Midfield; Chase Yesavage, Jr., Defense; Brayden Kuhar, Jr., Attack; Logan Oakes, Soph., Goaltender

Outlook: Boyertown returned to the PAC playoffs last year, hosting a District 1 playoff game and establishing a program benchmark for wins during Wise’s tenure. With solid returnees at each level of the field, the Bears figure to maintain their pace and even improve in 2024.

“We’re excited to see new players step up and fill the 12 spots vacated by graduation from last year,” said coach Wise. “Our goals are to compete for a PAC championship and make the District 1 playoffs. The team has been working hard all offseason to achieve these goals and we are excited to see what they are capable of.”

DANIEL BOONE

Head Coach: Andy Wagner, 3rd year.

Last Year’s Record: 8-9 overall.

Players to Watch: Jordan Meyer, Sr., Defense; Dan Spotts, Sr., Midfield; Colin Reed, Sr., Long-stick Midfield; Jake Myers, Jr., Defense; Max Heffner, Jr., Defense; Gabe Segaline, Sophomore, Attack; Brandon Schutter, Sophomore, Midfield.

Outlook: Boone came agonizingly close to a .500 finish last season, and now the Blazers look to replace numerous top performers including first-team All-Area midfielder Colin Wagner.

An experienced defense led by Meyer will be the key to the squad’s sustained improvement. “We are excited to bring in a large contingency of younger players,” said Wagner. “They are excited to learn and compete this season.”

HILL SCHOOL

Head Coach: Dave Page, 3rd year.

Last Year’s Record: 10-7.

Players to Watch: Mason Moore, Sr., Defense; Mack Leonhartt, Sr., Defense; Hunter Falzon, Sr., Midfielder; Marcel Vernon, Sr., Midfield; Van Tanguay, Sr., Midfielder; Cliff Chapman, Sr., attack; Nick Blalock, Sr., Midfield; Zach Warren, Sr., attack; Noah Macielag, Sr., Midfield; Garrett Conley, Sr., Faceoff.

Outlook: It’s a deep, strong senior class for the Blues this season, and they’ll need every bit of that talent against a foreboding schedule that includes top-10 national powers in Lawrenceville and The Haverford School. There’s a bevy of college commits in Hill’s squad, including Mason Moore (Colorado College), Mack Leonhartt (Tufts), Hunter Falzon (Rutgers), Marcel Vernon (St. John’s), Van Tanguay (Lynchburg), Cliff Chapman (Lafayette), Nick Blalock (Lafayette), Zach Warren (Richmond), Noah Macielag (Connecticut College) and Garrett Conley (Mount St. Mary).

“We should have a good idea where we stand at the end of the year,” said Page. “We’ve got a really strong Sr. class plus some excellent underclassmen supporting us, so we’re excited to test ourselves this spring.”

METHACTON

Head Coach: Ryan Pannella, 2nd year.

Last Year’s Record: 5-12.overall

Players to Watch: Cole Kleger, Sr., Defense; Wyatt Stemler, Sr., Goalie; Levi Borkowski, Sr., Midfield/Faceoff; Michael Maro, Sophomore, Attack.

Outlook: An experienced group of Warriors will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 campaign. With a full year of program development under his belt, Pannella looks to see Methacton return to the top half of the PAC and beyond.

“Our record last year did not reflect much success, but there were many games that could have gone either way. This year with a strong leadership core in our senior group, we look to make a run into the PAC and District 1 playoffs.”

OWEN J. ROBERTS

Head Coach: Kevin Mo, 2nd year.

Last Year’s Record: 8-12; lost to Kennett in 1st round of District 1-3A playoffs.

Players to Watch: Gabe Dellapenna, Sr., Attack; Colton Loughin, Sr., Defense; Blake Walther, Sr., Attack; Nolan Brown, Sr., Midfield; Torin Whitten, Jr., Long-stick Midfield; Justin Daubert, Jr., Faceoff/Midfield; Owen Clefisch, Jr., Midfield; Max Dreisbach, Jr., Defense.

Outlook: Former Perkiomen Valley standout Mo’s first year at the helm saw its ups and downs, but after graduating only three seniors the Wildcats appear poised to challenge in the PAC this season. Early results indicate the team’s improvement on both sides of the ball, and Daubert’s proficiency on faceoffs allows OJR to control possession.

“The team has been working hard all offseason to get better,” said Mo. “We hope to continue to build and improve on where we ended last year.”

PERKIOMEN VALLEY

Head Coach: Bryan Churchey, 12th year.

Last Year’s Record: 12-9, PAC runners-up, lost to District 1 champion Springfield-Delco in 2nd round of District 1-AAA playoffs.

Players to Watch: Drew Donato, Sr., Long-stick Midfield; Tyler Henn, Sr., Defense; Liam McCabe, Sr., Defense; Connor Macklin, Sr., Attack; Patrick Lamirande, Sr., Midfield; Bryce Coletta, Jr., Attack; Jacob Rotay, Jr., Midfield; James Herb, Jr., Midfield; Braden Nester, Sophomore, Defense/Long-stick Midfield; Christian Jones, Sophomore, Goalie.

Outlook: The goals remain the same as ever for the Vikings – competing for titles at the league and district levels. Coach Churchey attests that last year’s inexperience led to growing pains that have given way to one of the tightest-knit teams of his tenure.

“Our upperclassmen leadership has been one of the best in my 12 seasons at PV,” he said. “We expect that leadership to remain strong and will be key to allowing us to achieve our team goals that we’ve set for ourselves.”

College commits in the PV squad include Drew Donato (Roanoke), Tyler Henn (Penn Tech), Liam McCabe (Alfred State), Connor Macklin (Arcadia) and Bryce Coletta (Drexel).

PHOENIXVILLE

Head Coach: Brock Johnson, 2nd year.

Last Year’s Record: 6-9.

Players to Watch: Bennett Hathaway, Sr., Midfield; Cole Hathaway, Sr., Midfield; Adam Paolone, Sr., Attack; Christian Rosone, Midfield, Sr.; Braydn Strzelecki, Sr., Faceoff; Dale Mackay, Sr., Defense; Will Linko, Jr., Attack; Brady O’Donnell, Jr., Attack; Finn Blanton, Jr., Attack/Midfield; Nico Tenbroeck, Jr., Goalie.

Outlook: Continued improvement is the mantra for the Phantoms in Johnson’s second year at the helm. After winning a pair of PAC contests last season, doubling that figure seems like a realistic goal as Phoenixville attempts to crack the postseason field in District 1-2A.

“We’re excited about the group we have. Most of our starters played varsity last season,” said Johnson. “It would be great to see our team competing for a District spot at the end of the season.”

POPE JOHN PAUL II

Head Coach: Matt Bildstein, 4th year.

Last Year’s Record: 9-10, lost to Bishop Shanahan in first round of District 1-2A playoffs.

Players to Watch: Dillon Murphy, Sr., Faceoff/Midfield; Sean Fallon, Sr., Goalie; Boyd Skarbek, Sr., Defense/Midfield; Pat Devlin, Sr., Defense/Midfield; Ian Young, Jr., Midfield; Denny Owens, Jr., Defense; Ryan Lamson, Jr., Midfield; Joey Moa, Jr., Defense; Zachary Voyner, Jr., Long-stick Midfield.

Outlook: The Golden Panthers are suddenly one of the PAC’s most experienced squads, with all-league performers in the senior and junior classes. Young tallied 60 goals a season ago, while Fallon enters his fourth year as a varsity starter in the net.

With top performers in Murphy and Young at midfield, Denny Owens on defense and Fallon in goal, a young attack unit figures to have time to grow and continue pushing the Golden Panthers to make the tangible progress that was so close a year ago.

“Last season, we lost multiple games in overtime or by one goal to some of the top teams in PAC and District 1,” said Bildstein. “Our kids are hungry to compete to the best of their abilities in getting us over that hump.”

POTTSGROVE

Head Coach: Brendan Wurtz, 1st year.

Last Year’s Record: 3-14.

Players to Watch: Bryce Caffrey, Sr., Attack/Midfield; Jackson Wescoat, Sr., Attack; Garrett Bartosiewicz, Sr., Defense; Justin Gray, Sr., Midfield/Faceoff, Luke Makins, Sr., Defense.

Outlook: The Falcons have already eclipsed last season’s win total in an impressive 5-1 start to nonleague play. Can they sustain their success into PAC season? After winning just one league game last season, there’s plenty of room and potential for improvement.

SPRING-FORD 

Head Coach: Kevin Donnelly, 21st year.

Last Year’s Record: 16-4, PAC Champions, lost to Garnet Valley in 2nd round of District 1-3A playoffs.

Players to Watch: Ian Evans, Sr., Midfield; Hayden Wedemeyer, Sr., Midfield; Jake Rogers, Sr., Defense; Preston Page, Sr., Attack; Mike Bendowski, Sr., Midfield; Brady Welsh, Jr., Midfield; Colin Song, Jr., Attack; Sean Hassis, Jr., Midfield; Brady Schwenk, Jr., Midfield; Ben Fish, Jr., Defense.

Outlook: The Rams are in the midst of a sustained run of excellence atop the PAC (10 titles in the past dozen years) and show no signs of slowing down as a program. A particularly strong campaign last season ended sooner than Spring-Ford would’ve preferred, but in this program such setbacks serve only as further motivation.

“We are on a relentless pursuit of excellence in all facets of who we are,” said Donnelly. “We will be the best version of ourselves at the end of the season, and we are focused on following our core values to lead us in the right direction.”

UPPER MERION

Head Coach: Brady McCormick, 17th year.

Last Year’s Record: 12-7, lost to Penncrest in first round of District 1-2A playoffs.

Players to Watch: Justin Besz, Sr., Midfield/Attack; Mike Scavello, Sr., Defense; Kevin Roseland, Sr., Attack; Ryan Becker, Sr., Faceoff; Aidan McDonnell, Sr., Midfield; Noah Canale, Sr., Midfield; Lincoln Jones, Sr., Defense; Collin McCormick, Jr., Attack; Nathan Uhl, Jr., Goalie.

Outlook: After last year’s squad cemented its legacy as one of the best in school history with a dozen victories and a pair of all-state performers in Casey Lamey and Truman McCormick, the 2024 Vikings hope to continue rewriting program history.

“The team has become one that continues to work hard to continue a winning culture,” said coach Brady McCormick. “Practices are run with a daily commitment to be better each time they step off of the field than they were when they stepped onto it.”