There was
always something incomplete each spring when lacrosse season ended in Pennsylvania. That’s
because there was no state-wide tournament, just regional playoffs that
determined champions in pockets of the state.
That will
all change this year with an outright state champion in boys’ and girls’
lacrosse in the first-ever PIAA (Pennsylvania’s
state high school governing body) state tournament. The one key difference is
that the state champion will be what you can call a true state champion,
since the state playoffs will not include enrollment classifications, as other
sports do (such as Class 4A, 3A or 2A).
Not enough
schools in Pennsylvania
play lacrosse, but that could change – and change fast – thanks to the introduction
of a state tournament.
Right now,
there’s no better area in Pennsylvania
for lacrosse than in the Southeastern corner of the state. And those teams and
coaches can’t wait for the state playoffs to begin.
The area is
so dominant that in past years, the winner of District 1 was considered the
state champion.
“I think
that it is a positive for the sport of girls lacrosse,” Springfield girls coach Keith Broome said. “I
think that it will generate excitement and help grow the sport across the
state. The only negative is that District 1 is so strong that only seven teams
out of the sixteen will get invited, leaving out some very good teams from our
region.”
District
12, which includes the Philadelphia Catholic League and powerhouse teams like
the LaSalle boys program and the Archbishop Carroll girls program, will also be
a factor in determining which teams could be playing in June.
Carroll
coach Lorraine Beers, whose team entered this season with one of the most
amazing winning streaks in the state by winning 107 consecutive Catholic League
games, said a state playoff couldn’t come soon enough.
“Once every
Pennsylvania
school has lax, there will be classifications just like in basketball,” Beers
said. “But no, I would not like it to continue as it was. That was wrong to
call only the District 1 winner the state champs. What about Western
Pennsylvania all those years? Again what was PIAA thinking? There
should have been an open system without districts.”
If there is
a dominant league in the state, a league that could produce the inaugural state
champions in boys and girls lacrosse, that’s the Central League. It’s a league
that on the girls’ side has Radnor, a national-caliber team that finished 23-0
last season and would have probably won the state tournament—if there was one.
The Red Raiders are just as powerful this season.
“It is
going to be hard in the beginning for the Philly area teams, as we will most
likely play ourselves all over again (in the state playoffs), but in the long
run it will be good for the growth of the sport in Pennsylvania, which is long
overdue,” Radnor coach Phyllis Kilgour said. “I think when they see the level
of our lacrosse down here, it will challenge them to strive for it. And it
won't take long. We used to dominate the field hockey world, but no longer.”
Two teams
that could go deep on the boys’ side from the Central League are nationally-rated
Conestoga and local powerhouse Springfield, two teams that are 9-0 and could
both still be undefeated when they meet next Tuesday, April 21.
Cornell-bound Mike Bronzino is expected to lead Conestoga deep into the state playoffs.
Photo By Kim Campbell / Conestoga Lacrosse
“I agree
the toughest teams in the state are in this area, and the concern is getting to
the states,” said Conestoga coach Brian Samson, whose team has already beaten
stud programs like LaSalle, Downingtown East, Haverford School
and Emmaus. “To get there, you have to beat everyone any way, but there is a
chance you’ll run into teams you’ve seen before. The kids are starting to get a
larger sense of what they could be playing for. Especially our team, because of
the early-season success we’ve had. This team wants to continue to get better,
they’re focused.”
The twist
is that the Pioneers may have to go through Springfield, which if this was
another sport would compete in the Class AA tournament, while Conestoga,
considered a large school, would play in Class AAA.
“I think
the state playoffs are a great thing; the playoffs will be long and it’s eight
games and a long haul, and you get to see teams from all over,” said Cougars’
coach Mike Friel, whose team has beaten Ridgewood (N.J.) and Comsewogue (N.Y.)
and a owns 5-4 victory last year over Conestoga. “This will be a true state
championship. In the past, we’d play a Keystone Cup championship against a team
from the Pittsburgh
area, which an eastern team has won every year since it began on 2001.
“The kids
know the state playoffs will be a long haul, and if you win the Central League,
you’ll get a top seed in the state. There is a good possibility that Radnor,
Conestoga, Springfield, and Downingtown East,
someone from Southeastern Pennsylvania has a
strong possibility that they should be in the state championship.”
Joseph
Santoliquito covers high school sports for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a frequent
contributor to MaxPreps.com.
