Spring-Ford puts it together to oust Ridley, advance to states

ROYERSFORD >> Spring-Ford’s recent run of excellence in boys’ lacrosse in the Pioneer Athletic Conference speaks for itself.

Three consecutive PAC titles led the Rams to repeated first-round byes in the District 1-3A tournament. And that’s where Spring-Ford players desired further validation of the current era.

“We’ve solidified the PAC title three years in a row,” said senior Ian Evans, “but it’s time to keep this thing rolling.”

In a fast-paced, physical contest, the no. 7 seed Rams played one of their most complete games of the year at Coach McNelly Stadium on Thursday afternoon, taking control late in a 13-9 win over No. 11 Ridley of the Central League and returning to the PIAA 3A tournament for the first time since 2017 and second time in program history.

The heroes were numerous for Spring-Ford, as Evans led the scorers with four goals while Gavin Roth and Brady Welsh added hat tricks. Sean Hassis lost only one draw after halftime, going 17/25 over the game, while sophomore goalie Dylan Cyr closed off repeated Ridley opportunities.

But the play of the day belonged to junior long pole Ben Fish, who broke Ridley’s ten-man ride early in the fourth quarter with a 50+ yard pass directly to the stick of Welsh, who made no mistake in scoring what would ultimately be the decisive 10th goal, putting Spring-Ford ahead 10-8 and igniting a four-goal run that sealed the game.

“We work together on that,” Fish explained. “Dylan hustles out of the crease because we need to break through a team.

“But on that play, there was no one on me and no one in net, so I just tossed it. I thought it might be going in, but Brady made sure it all worked out.”

The play stood out on its own but was also the continuation of a game-long theme. Ridley ended the first quarter with back-to-back tallies, but Spring-Ford wouldn’t allow the Raiders consecutive goals again.

“It’s tough mentally when they score consecutively,” said Fish. “But after halftime, we came together to get the offense the ball.”

And that offense took advantage, outscoring Ridley 7-3 after the break led by three of Evans’ four tallies.

Six of Cyr’s 14 saves came in the final quarter, thwarting Ridley’s comeback bid. It was a signature performance for the first-year starter who’s officially a rookie no more.

Cyr was disappointed after Tuesday’s quarterfinal loss to Downingtown East but like the rest of the Rams, saved his best for last on Thursday, stopping nine of 12 shots after halftime.

“Coach told me we’d get ‘em next time (on Tuesday), and we did,” said Cyr. “The whole team’s got my back every game.”

In the early going, Ridley kept it close thanks to goalie Colin Wintrode (16 saves) and a pair of goals from Luke Showalter. The Raiders took a 3-2 lead intro he second stanza, where Spring-Ford reeled off four of the next five goals (two each from Brady Welsh and Gavin Roth).

Ridley’s Jonathan Daniels beat the first-half buzzer with a long bounce shot, bringing the visitors within one at the half. Ridley would tie the game right out of the break, but as they did all afternoon Spring-Ford quickly responded.

Despite their lofty position in the District standings these past few years, Spring-Ford has had the misfortune of running into under-seeded teams whose record didn’t reflect their abilities. For the past two seasons, the Rams’ season ended in matchups with perennial contenders Garnet Valley, who will qualify for the PIAA tournament for a seventh consecutive year.

“This is special for these guys,” said Spring-Ford coach Kevin Donnelly. “I think our program has been working toward this, and it’s something these guys can be proud of.”

Donnelly added, however, that the Rams won’t be satisfied with merely making it to states. He thinks the team still has room to grow, and Tuesday’s 8-6 loss to Downingtown East where the Rams surrendered five consecutive second-quarter goals still clearly gnaws at coach and players.

“Tuesday, we were a 36-minute team. Even today, we lost our heads at times. Going forward, it’ll be about managing whether we’re up, down, or in between. We’ve improved, but I still don’t think we’ve played our best lacrosse.”

Now 18-4, Spring-Ford has another playback game on Wednesday to determine their seeding for the PIAA tournament against either Pennridge or Upper Dublin. A win on Wednesday would mean an opening-round game against the District 12 (Philadelphia) champion, while a loss would create a matchup with the winner of the District 1 championship.

“It determines who we play, when we play – but at the end of the day, the opponent doesn’t matter as much as how we come out and play,” said Evans.

Ridley sees its season end at a mark of 13-8, one game short of the state tournament but nonetheless a bounce-back season for a storied program looking to re-establish its footing in the state’s deepest league.

The Green Raiders hold the distinction of having played five of District 1’s six state qualifying programs head-to-head this season and have as strong a claim as any team that they play District 1’s hardest schedule.

Stephen Hill’s first year at the helm brought some energy back into the tradition that defines Ridley lacrosse, as Thursday marked their deepest foray into Districts in several years.

“I wanted to change the culture, bring us back to the program we were in the past,” said Hill. “Our seniors bought in, and the reward was a second-round playoff win for the first time in 12 years.

“We’re turning things around. We’ve got this program going in the right direction.”

Showalter led Ridley with a hat trick and two assists.

Thursday’s contest was emblematic of the aura that surrounds playback games each year – two teams given a second chance to extend their season, laying it all on the line for a reward that Spring-Ford’s Donnelly described succinctly.

“I’m most happy,” he said, “that we get at least another week and a half together.”