Kate Stanton, Cara Childs help Penncrest jump from the gate past Spring-Ford

MIDDLETOWN – Penncrest is on a mission for redemption after experiencing heartbreak in the championship games of both the District 1 Class 3A and PIAA Class 3A tournaments last season.

Entering the playoffs as the sixth seed in the District 1 tournament, the Lions conquered 22nd-seeded Spring-Ford, 17-3, in a second-round matchup Thursday evening at Louis W. Scott Field.

Senior midfielder Kate Stanton led the way with six goals, while junior attack Cara Childs scored four times for the Lions.

“It was really fun to be out there today and to play really clean lacrosse,” Stanton said. “We all came together and did what we had to do.”

The Lions will travel to third-seeded Upper Dublin in the quarterfinal round Tuesday. Upper Dublin claimed a 13-8 triumph over Boyertown. The winner of the quarterfinal game will clinch a berth in the state playoffs.

Penncrest (15-6) fell to Owen J. Roberts in the district and state finals a year ago. The Lions never forgot the feeling of coming so close to accomplishing their goals.

“I mean, we definitely have a chip on our shoulder,” said senior captain Kat Harding, who dominated on draw controls and added one goal. “We had a few tough losses during the regular season and we’re looking forward to seeing those teams again and coming out better than ever.”

The Lions scored the first five goals and Stanton recorded a hat trick in the first quarter. Other scoring standouts included Addy Bernhardt and Kaitlyn Roth, each of whom tallied a pair of goals.

“I think we play our best in the playoffs,” Bernhardt said. “With the clean slate, we know we just want to do whatever it takes to win. We’ve put everything into this program, in building it, because we know how much potential there is. And we really work so well together and put everything we have into this team.”

Seniors Mira Kuttymartin, Caleste Cahill and Gabby Poole, as well as junior Marissa Kamin, flourished on defense in front of sophomore goalie Reese Wickman, who finished with five saves and a couple of caused turnovers.

“They’ve been hungry all season,” Penncrest coach Caitlin Morgan said. “After the state championship last year Mira Kuttymartin said, ‘Don’t worry, we have 365 days until we’re back here.’ So, they’ve been motivated. We had a rough week (earlier this season) with strong competition against Manheim Township, Radnor, Conestoga and Carroll, all in one week. We were kind of rolling along and then we hit that rough stretch. Since that point we’ve been ready.”

Spring-Ford enjoyed a resurgence this season after failing to qualify for the tournament in 2022 and 2023. Under first-year head coach Kelly Macnamara, the Rams (13-7) won their first district playoff game in at least a decade when they bested Pennsbury, 12-11, in the first round.

Olivia Nield, Hailey Mozi and Riley Czapor all scored one goal for the Rams.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Macnamara said. “The thing I was most nervous about was the buy-in to someone who’s new, to coach kids who have all been playing together since they were in first and second grade. A lot of them liked the challenge and there was a lot of buy-in from the beginning, and I couldn’t be happier with the way things have started for the coaching staff and the girls in general. When we were having our little pow-wow at the end, they were saying that this was their best year and that they were excited about it and I think it’s only up from here for us.”