Springfield’s game of keepaway upends Avon Grove in OT

RADNOR – You brace for the cliché of it, but the more you analyze the facts, the truer it rings.

Springfield’s defensive strategy isn’t just a 10-man plan just because that sounds good in a huddle or forces everyone to focus in defensive drills. From the smallest detail to the actual job of defending one-on-one, it’s all in service of the objective of keeping the ball out of the net, the characteristic that the Cougars have ridden to a pair of state championships.

So you have Saturday’s 6-5 overtime victory over Avon Grove at the Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival, a collision of two programs that have combined for three PIAA titles and three District 1 titles in the last five years. Nominally, the game was won by Jack Spence on a solo move at 1:59 of OT to lead the Cougars in a clash of top teams in the District 1 Class 3A standings at Radnor High School.

But so many small moments were executed perfectly before Spence’s shot tickled the twine. The five goals owed in part to three Jimmy Donegan saves, but that wasn’t a prime factor, either.

What was? Springfield (13-1) outshooting the Red Devils, 33-10, keeping them without a shot in the first quarter. And to follow the logic, that level of dominance (roughly 80 percent of possession would be a fair guess), traces to two factors: Getting the ball, and keeping it.

Zach Broomall was central to the first part by dominating on faceoffs. The converted attackman has come into his own, handling the three guys Avon Grove threw at him with aplomb, going 12-for-13.

Most of those draws were against Avon Grove’s top defender James Chastain, not just a pole designed to prevent Broomall going forward but one of the better defenders in the area. Yet still Broomall rarely lost possession and, combined with Jake Methlie’s cameo to win a draw, the Cougars lost just one of them.

“It’s a fun thing for me when the team relies on you to get the ball for you and keep possession as much as possible,” Broomall said. “It helps us win games when we keep the ball out of their sticks.”

“He’s been ******* it,” Spence said. “Freshman year, he was an attackman, and over the course of his career, he’s grown into one of the best faceoff men in PA. It’s fun to watch.”

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Springfield’s Jack Spence, seen in a 2017 game, scored two goals include the overtime-winner to beat Avon Grove, 6-5, at the Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival Saturday at Radnor High School. (Digital First Media/Pete Bannan)