Last year, Central Bucks East clinched a spot in boys lacrosse states, making it the first time in five years an area team headed to PIAAs.
Pennridge and CB West both hope to follow in East’s footsteps.
No. 3 Pennridge (16-1, 10-0) SOL and No. 7 CB West (15-3, 9-1 SOL) both earned first-round byes when the District One 3A lacrosse tournaments started on Tuesday. Pennridge, who won the SOL National after finishing 6-12 last season, will host No. 14 Ridley in second-round action on Thursday. CB West, whose lone SOL loss was a 9-8 dogfight with Pennridge, hosts No. 10 Conestoga.
April 1, the day that Pennridge lost to Owen J. Roberts for their season’s lone blemish, looks like an awfully long time ago. The Rams’ 14-12 rivalry win over Souderton on May 9 meant they closed the year on a 12-game win streak. Frankie Fanelli deposited an insurance goal with 2:14 left and the 14-12 score stood.
CB West closed the regular season with arguably the biggest signature win in the SOL. The Bucks beat Wissahickon, the SOL American champ who ran the table, and their Penn State-bound star Kyle Lehman, 9-8 in double overtime. Austin Hahn, West’s all-time leading scorer, tallied the game winning goal.
No. 16 CR North (12-6, 7-3 SOL) thumped Haverford 19-7 in the last regular season game on May 11. The win, combined with a Downingtown West loss to Coatesville enabled North to host the Whippets instead of forcing them go on the road in Tuesday’s opening round.
North won a thriller, beating the No. 17 Whippets 13-12, for their first-ever district playoff win. Zach Borden saved 21 shots in goal while Sam Lewis had seven goals offensively. Andrew Zazoff added a hat trick. North next faces No. 1 Radnor.
In boys 2A, No. 7 New Hope-Solebury (8-9, 3-6 SOL) earned a spot in districts after a 4-12 season last year. The Lions drew a tough assignment, traveling to No. 2 West Chester Rustin in Wednesday’s late first-round game. WC Rustin has nine wins over District One 3A squads. The 2A semi-final is May 24.
Three area girls teams took the field in Tuesday’s 3A opening round. No. 13 CR South (14-5, 8-2 SOL), the third-place team in the SOL National, lost a heartbreaker 11-10 to No. 20 Lower Merion at home. Amy Loving’s four goals paced CR South. The Aces travel to No. 4 Penncrest in Thursday’s second round.
The Golden Hawks closed the regular season winning three in a row. They beat Pennridge 10-8 on the road on March 27 in their signature win.
No. 15 Pennridge (12-7, 7-3 SOL), the fourth-place team in the SOL National, broke open a 3-all tie to beat No. 18 Methacton 13-6. Ava Fantaskey and Kate Unzicker both had a hat trick on offense, while the Rams’ defense earned kudos from coach Karen Feher. No. 2 Owen J. Roberts awaits the Rams.
Pennridge won 11 of its first 15 games this year, and suffered one-goal losses in two of its final three regular season contests.
No. 24 CB West (9-9, 6-4 SOL) already played several win or go home games. West won its final three regular season games to boost itself from outside of the playoff picture to earning a postseason berth. The Bucks beat Souderton 19-11 in their regular season finale on May 11 to punch their districts ticket. West’s road ended Tuesday at No. 9 Kennett, who topped the Bucks 16-3.
In 2A in the Philadelphia Catholc League, No. 4 Archbishop Wood beat No. 5 Bonner & Prendie 15-11 at home in Monday’s first-round game. The Vikings (6-3 PCL) won the regular season contest too, 10-5. Wood faced a difficult out in Wednesday’s late semifinal, against No. 1 Archbishop Carroll who handled the Vikings earlier this season.
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