PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | May, 2024

MIDDLETOWN — All good things eventually end, a fact of life veteran Penncrest High School lacrosse coach Wayne Matsinger is keenly aware of.

But not on this Wednesday night.

The fourth-seeded Lions got off to a big start, weathered a comeback and pulled away to defeat fifth seed Upper Merion, 13-7, in the first round of the District 1 Class 2A playoffs. That allowed Coach Mats to enjoy another playoff game in this, his 25th and final season with the program.

Matsinger has guided the Lions to 315 wins and counting.

“Any time you get a playoff win against a quality team like Upper Merion, well coached, it feels good,” Matsinger said. “We knew we had our hands full, and we had to execute tonight. We knew they were going to come out in a zone against us, so we got on them early and they had to come out of the zone. We just made some adjustments and the boys finished tonight. They shot well.”

Spoken like a classy man enjoying another playoff victory, a stat that Vikings counterpart Brady McCormick admires.

“I’ve given him five or six,” McCormick said. “We’ve been matched up against him the last three years in one form or another. Wayne’s a great guy. Wayne’s one of the guys that I truly respect in the sport because of how good of a person he is and how much he loves the kids and how much he respects the opponents. He’s been huge for this sport, and I’ll be sad to see him go.”

The Lions (11-7) never trailed and led by as many as seven goals on the misty, chilly night thanks to Spencer Meile and Aaron Goldstein, who scored four goals apiece and Spencer Tyson, who had a pair. Owen Thompson, Liam Doyle and Kolby Poole all had goals for the Lions.

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Penncrest’s Spencer Tyson goes horizontal to score in the second quarter Wednesday. However, it was called off because he was in the crease. The Lions went on to defeat Upper Merion 13-7 in a District 1 Class 2A playoff at Louis W. Scott Stadium Wednesday night. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

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Brian Box scored six goals and Evan Kostack contributed four goals and three assists as Marple Newtown jumped all over West Chester East en route to a 22-4 win in a District 1 Class 2A boys lacrosse playoff game Wednesday night.

Joey Yukenavitch scored three goals and added two assists for the Tigers, who advance to the district semifinal round next Wednesday against fellow Central League foe Penncrest.

Ryan Keating, Mike Murray and Alex Gillan all scored twice apiece for Marple. David Bertoline, Kaden Bothma and Ty Can had the team’s other goals. No details were reported on West Chester East.

Marple Newtown’s Brian Box, left, in action against Conestoga last season, helped put the Tigers into the District 1 Class 2A semis with six goals Wednesday in a win over West Chester East. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

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NETHER PROVIDENCE — Seeding in a tournament like the District 1 Class 2A field can seem pretty meaningless.

Setting aside the district’s geography and its areas of relative strength, it allows little discretion for teams that feast on lower-quality opponents as opposed to those who struggle in leagues full of Class 3A schools. That goes beyond a 7-11 Strath Haven team hosting an 8-7 Delco Christian in Wednesday’s first round and instead plays to the dynamics down the road, of how to avoid the stronger teams whose seeds undersell just how states-worthy they may be.

Strath Haven hopes it is in that latter category this year.

“I think our coach has done a great job of just telling us, you know, like, we’re ranked eighth and we shouldn’t be eighth,” Haven’s Annie Dignazio said after an 18-2 win over the overmatched Knights. “There’s teams that are going to be ranked certain numbers that don’t deserve to be there or do deserve to be higher. And I think just going with the mindset that every single team is going to be a challenge, and every single team is going to be as good as the ones we faced in the Central League. And just going hard every game.”

The Panthers left no doubt Wednesday as to the difference a single seed can make. Delco Christian scored first, then not again until the fourth, by which point Haven had rested its starters and effectively stopped shooting. Haven collected 16 of 22 draws and had 30 of the game’s 36 shots.

Dignazio pumped home five first-quarter goals on the way to a 10-1 Panthers lead. She added five draw controls. Kate Fox had two goals and three assists to go with six draw controls. Megan Kelly paired two goals with three helpers. Maryella Gill scored a hat trick. Ava Yancey stopped two shots; younger sister Ellie Yancey denied two in the fourth.

Getting a fast start was paramount for Haven. It didn’t happen, thanks to a turnover created by Chloe Bryant that she sped up the field and dished to Lily Peters for the goal just 31 seconds in.

But Fox answered, after Haven had hit the post twice. Dignazio scored three times in four minutes, no one on DC able to keep up with her off the dodge, to make sure the game was stable.

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Strath Haven’s Annie Dignazio scores in the first quarter past Marple Newtown goalie Allison Mezer during a Central League game last week. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).

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By Bill Rudickbrudick55@gmail.com

BERWYN>>As the softball season moves into crunch time, Conestoga is firing on all cylinders. Against visiting Garnet Valley Wednesday afternoon at D’Ambrosia Park, the Pioneers (14-2 overall, 13-1 Central League) pushed across seven runs in the first two innings, then cruised to an 11-1 victory in five innings.

“Lead-off through nine, we were hitting line drives and putting the ball in play,” said Conestoga coach Charlotte Bosco. “This is the tightest team we’ve had at Conestoga in a long time. We all get along great, and have great chemistry. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can do in the post season.”

After starting pitcher Mary Crowley retired the Jaguars in order in the top of the first, the Pioneers wasted no time in getting going in the bottom half. Jamie Lofland (1-for-2, two stolen bases,two runs scored, RBI) stroked a lead-off single to left and Marisa Francione walked, Brennan Corr (3-for-3, three runs scored)  picked up the first of her three RBI on the day with a single, moving up to second on an unsuccessful throw home.

Char Friel was up next, bringing Corr home with a single of her own, and came around to score when Ruija Yang reached on a fielder’s choice.

Lofland’s base hit was the 99th of her career, making her a virtual lock to reach the century mark this season, her junior year.

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Conestoga’s Janie Lofland slides into home as Garnet Valey catcher Rylee Bailey (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)

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SPRINGFIELD — Jack Cunningham was 7-years-old when he found something he didn’t know he was looking for.

Cunningham was by any standard an active child.

He was diagnosed in utero with bilateral fibular hemimelia and born without the fibula bone in either leg. Just after his first birthday, his legs were amputated below the knee, and he received his first sets of prosthetics. With them, he followed many of the sporting milestones for a kid, playing youth soccer and ice skating with family.

But at seven, Cunningham got his first chance to see the athletic opportunities that lay ahead for people with limb differences. He and his family traveled to New York for a run clinic hosted by the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Cunningham, with his elementary school exuberance and legs made for everyday use, had fun and had his eyes opened.

“I had gone through my whole life not seeing another amputee, or not even having anyone who would really understand me, that wasn’t working at the prosthetics place where I was getting my legs,” Cunningham said last week. “But once I started to meet people, make friends, go to events, it really opened my eyes to the possibilities. It made me feel a lot more comfortable with how my life was, and I’ve made some lifelong friends because of it.”

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Springfield junior Jack Cunningham says sports ‘allowed me to just live a normal life, not really feel like I was disabled in any way.’ (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group).

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SPRINGFIELD — Eight minutes had transpired in Tuesday’s District 1 Class 3A first-round playoff game and Springfield girls lacrosse coach Keith Broome couldn’t help but wonder, where are the goals?

“Offensively, it was 0-0 for what felt like forever,” he said. “I didn’t think we took great shots early. We were facing a tall goalie, so we had to shoot low, we had to be a little better.”

Although 16th-seeded Springfield was dominating time of possession, it had nothing to show for it early on against No. 17 Owen J. Roberts. Maddie Kane eventually lit the spark for the Cougars. The junior midfielder converted a free position shot with 2:57 left in the first quarter, ending the stalemate. Kane finished with a game-high four goals to lead the Cougars to a 13-3 victory.

Springfield (12-6) faces Downingtown West (18-0), which is the top seed in the tournament, in a second-round game Thursday.

While the Cougars needed extra time to hit their stride on attack, their performance on defense was stellar from the opening draw. Molly Clifford, Katie Keffer and Macy Gougler helped set the tone with interceptions and caused turnovers in the first quarter.

“We definitely worked together as a team today and got everybody included,” Kane said. “We were fighting for every ground ball and got every possession that was on the ground. We really connected with each other and we kept that going the entire game.”

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Springfield’s Kylee O’Donnell, left, defends against Owen J. Roberts’ Ashley White Tuesdsay. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

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RIDLEY — On a rainy, miserable Tuesday night that wouldn’t quit, neither would Ridley. The Green Raiders stepped up with two goals in the final 3 minutes, 47 seconds to rally for a 10-9 triumph over Methacton in the first round of the District 1 Class 3A boys lacrosse playoffs.

Junior Aaron Headley got the game-winner with 1:12 remaining on a dip-and-dunk, beating goalie Wyatt Stamler, who was sensational much of the evening. It was the third goal of the game for Headley, who also had a couple of assists.

“This is great,” Headley said. “Obviously, we were the superior team going into it seeding wise but I mean, a win’s a win. We need to take the momentum and push it forward into Thursday. This was the last night for the seniors playing on Phil Marion Field. So, it’s just a special moment to win one in the playoffs for them.”

Special indeed, for the Green Raiders (12-6) were upset about being whistled for nine of the first 10 penalties in the contest. Two Warriors goals came with manpower advantages in a big third quarter in which they outscored the Green Raiders, 5-1, inching within 7-6 entering the final frame. When Michael Maro scored his fourth goal with 4:08 remaining, twisting between one Ridley defender after another the Warriors (9-9) could almost taste victory.

“That first half flew by,” coach Nathan Ryan said of the 5-2 deficit the Warriors found themselves in at intermission. “I just reminded them it’s win or go home. It’s their season versus ours. How are we going to finish? And they really lit it up. They clawed and they fought.”

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Ridley’s John Tinney, left, and Jonathon Daniels celebrate Daniels’ first half goal as the Green Raiders defeated Methacton 10-9 in the first round of District 1 Class 3A boys lacrosse playoffs Tuesday evening. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

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The Lower Merion High School boys’ tennis team captured its fourth consecutive District 1 3A tournament championship, rallying past a tough Conestoga squad 3-0 in the championship final Tuesday.

This marks the first time in more than a decade that a squad has won four straight District 1 3A boys tennis team championships.

The Aces won a thriller that saw all but one match go to a third set. At third singles, LM junior Charlie Bittinger was the first to finish with a decisive 6-2, 6-2 win against Conestoga’s Voyin Markovic.

At second singles, Lower Merion sophomore Nathan Dolgushev pushed the Aces’ lead to 2-0 with a hard-fought 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Conestoga’s Rohan Rao.

At second doubles, the Lower Merion duo of junior Devon Christini and sophomore Nathaniel Gao clinched the district title with a 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 win over Conestoga’s Raphael Lubiniecki and Derek Qin. The Lower Merion dup trailed 4-3 in the third set but came back to win.

At the time of stoppage, at first singles, Lower Merion’s Brian Yi, and Conestoga’s Ethan Sun were on serve, 6-3, 5-7, 1-2 and at first doubles, Lower Merion’s Hayden Massotti and Noah Sicouri were leading Conestoga’s Basil Lubiniecki and Francis Qin 6-7 (9), 6-1, 2-0.

The Lower Merion High School boys’ tennis team captured its fourth consecutive PIAA District 1 3A team title Tuesday. (photo courtesy of Brian Yi)

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By Bill Rudickbrudick55@gmail.com

BERWYN>>As the softball season moves into crunch time, Conestoga is firing on all cylinders. Against visiting Garnet Valley Wednesday afternoon at D’Ambrosia Park, the Pioneers (14-2 overall, 13-1 Central League) pushed across seven runs in the first two innings, then cruised to an 11-1 victory in five innings.

“Lead-off through nine, we were hitting line drives and putting the ball in play,” said Conestoga coach Charlotte Bosco. “This is the tightest team we’ve had at Conestoga in a long time. We all get along great, and have great chemistry. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can do in the post season.”

After starting pitcher Mary Crowley retired the Jaguars in order in the top of the first, the Pioneers wasted no time in getting going in the bottom half. Jamie Lofland (1-for-2, two stolen bases,two runs scored, RBI) stroked a lead-off single to left and Marisa Francione walked, Brennan Corr (3-for-3, three runs scored)  picked up the first of her three RBI on the day with a single, moving up to second on an unsuccessful throw home.

Char Friel was up next, bringing Corr home with a single of her own, and came around to score when Ruija Yang reached on a fielder’s choice.

Lofland’s base hit was the 99th of her career, making her a virtual lock to reach the century mark this season, her junior year.

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Conestoga’s Janie Lofland slides into home as Garnet Valey catcher Rylee Bailey (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group

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LOWER MERION — Stitch together the event program of Isabella Tront and you get one wild tapestry. The commonality, as much as the Garnet Valley junior’s superlative athleticism, is her curiosity to try new disciplines.

So Wednesday, at the Central League track and field championships, there was Tront winning the girls high jump, clearing 5 feet, 2 inches, the only one in the field to meet the District 1 standard. That came less than an hour after Tront had finished fourth in the discus with a best throw of 95 feet, 8 inches.

She’s had dalliances with the long and triple jump, and she throws javelin, all why being a pivotal middle blocker on the Jaguars’ powerhouse volleyball team.

The common thread for Tront is more mental than physical.

“I think the common thing is centering myself,” she said. “I find the commonality in before I do my jump and before I step in the disc circle to spin, I have a routine. That’s a big commonality that helps me go from discus mode to high jump mode.”

The more impressive skill might be a willingness to learn. The solitary pursuit of high jump and the team dynamics of volleyball occupy opposite ends of a spectrum. The straight-line momentum of javelin and the rotational dynamics of discus are also very different.

Tront’s strength is in wanting to try. As a freshman, she focused on the jumps. She “fell in love instantly” with the high jump during her sophomore indoor season. Discus came last spring, despite a mortifying first attempt where she through she’d lost a ground-colored discus that she couldn’t find in the sector.

That process of striving and improving bubbles out of Tront when she describes her passions.

“It’s a ton of trial and error,” she said. “My coach is super helpful in figuring out what works for me and what works for each person on the team. It’s a lot of encouragement, a lot of, ‘hey just tweak this one little thing.’ And being able to put those puzzles pieces together in a sense is what makes me be able to shine throughout it.”

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Garnet Valley’s Isabella Tront won the high jump Wednesday at the Central League Track and Field at Lower Merion High Schoo . (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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