Niko’s Notes: April Action in PA + Midseason All-Area Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PA State Rankings: </strong>1. Malvern Prep (13-6) 2. Haverford School (12-3) 3. LaSalle College High School (9-4) 4. Episcopal Academy (9-5) 5. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (11-6) 6. Radnor (11-2) 7. Springfield-Delco (14-1) 8. The Hill School (10-4) 9. St. Joe's Prep (11-3) 10. Easton Area (17-0)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>April saw a ton of action from start to finish! Malvern Prep continues to push forward after suffering close losses to Lawrenceville (NJ), St. Anthony's (NY), and an upset at Episcopal Academy all within the first 10 days of the month. The Friars have since bounced back with signature wins over Brunswick School (CT) and an OT win at Haverford School. They picked up Inter-Ac wins over Penn Charter, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, and avenged their loss to the Churchmen before dropping another out-of-state contest to Delbarton (NJ). They closed out the month with another win at Germantown Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Haverford School opened up the month with major wins over LaSalle &amp; Don Bosco (NJ). They easily bested Penn Charter before earning a tough win over Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. The Fords dropped a home loss to Malvern in OT before closing the month out on a winning streak. Haverford traveled up to St. Anthony's (NY) and put the state on notice with a monumental victory for the program. They picked up other Inter-Ac League wins over Germantown Academy, Episcopal Academy, Penn Charter, and Springside Chestnut Hill for the second time this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LaSalle was able to rebound from its loss at the Haverford School with an important win at the US Lacrosse Headquarters over DeMatha (MD). It was the 10th edition of the Fallen Heroes Game, which honors the memory of the First Lt. Travis Manion (LaSalle), who died in Iraq in 2007; his best friend &amp; roommate from the US Naval Academy, Navy Seal, Lt. Brendan Looney (DeMatha), who died in Afghanistan in 2010. The Explorers secured a notable win over St. Joe's Prep before they lost a close contest to Don Bosco (NJ). LaSalle continues to crush the competition in the Philadelphia Catholic League.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Episcopal Academy earned a nice win at the Hun School (NJ) before falling to IMG Academy (FL) on its home turf. The coaches were able to get back to the drawing board quickly and help put the Churchmen in a position to beat Malvern Prep, which is a rarity in itself. They had since picked up instrumental wins over Penn Charter, Germantown Academy, and Springside Chestnut Hill before falling to Haverford and Malvern back to back. They finished the month of April beating Penn Charter for the second time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springside Chestnut Hill Academy shocked the Hill School to start the month before falling to IMG Academy (FL), as SCH was one of three teams to host the Ascenders on their Spring Break trip. The rest of the month was a give &amp; take as the Devils beat Gill St. Bernards (NJ) &amp; Germantown Academy before dropping a close game vs Haverford School. SCH would then beat Penn Charter, lose to Episcopal Academy, &amp; beat the Hun School (NJ). The Devils are a dangerous bunch that was defeated by Malvern Prep, only to bounce back beating Germantown Academy &amp; a huge win over the Academy of the New Church. They finished the month losing to Haverford School this time by a wider margin but still holding the Fords to single-digit goals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Radnor somehow became an underdog this year after winning the past four straight PIAA State Championships (AAA). That all changed on April Fools when they burst the Cougars' bubble from Springfield-Delco reminding everyone they won't rebuild but reload. The Raptors won 8 of 9 games this month in a storied Central League with victories over Penncrest, Marple-Newtown, Lower Merion, Central Bucks East, Garnet Valley, Upper Darby, &amp; Ridley. Their lone loss in April was at the mercy of St. Augustine (NJ).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springfield-Delco has been seeing red ever since they got beat at Radnor to start April's action. They are on a 10-game winning streak with notable wins over Spring-Ford, a shut-out vs Haverford High School, and a demolishing of St. Joe's Prep. They also have massive bragging rights with out-of-state wins over Shoreham-Wading River (NY), Northport (NY), and Cardinal Gibbons (NC). The Cougars finished out the month strong beating Conestoga &amp; Penncrest as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hill School had a rough start in the early going of April having surprisingly lost back-to-back games vs SCHA &amp; ANC. The Blues effectively rallied to spoil IMG Academy's final stop on their Spring Break Tour in the Greater Philadelphia Area. This sparked a 6 game-winning streak over the Hun School (NJ), Perkiomen School, Kiski Prep, Shady Side Academy, &amp; the Peddie School (NJ). The Hill School lost a shootout vs Western Reserve Academy (OH) before closing out the month with quality wins over St. Joe's Prep &amp; Pennington (NJ).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sU_IpTXjIdg","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sU_IpTXjIdg </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SJP is the clear-cut, second-best team in the PCL after LaSalle. The Hawks will look to challenge the Explorers again down the stretch but lost their three biggest contests this month vs Springfield-Delco, LaSalle, and the Hill School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Easton Area might be the surprise team of the month as they stay undefeated. While some might question their strength of schedule, they have been quietly building with some legit ballers. The Red Rovers won 11 games in April beating historic powers like Parkland, Germantown Academy, &amp; Spring-Ford. Keep an eye on this team down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mid-Season All Area: (1st Team)</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Attack: [player_tooltip player_id='35704' first='Jace' last='Banks'] (Hill School), [player_tooltip player_id='23606' first='Conor' last='Morsell'] (Haverford School), Kessler Cox (Hill School)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midfield: [player_tooltip player_id='45374' first='Jackson' last='Orcutt'] (Episcopal Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='14563' first='Brian' last='Box'] (Marple-Newtown), [player_tooltip player_id='14517' first='Jake' last='Bickel'] (Malvern Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Face-Off: [player_tooltip player_id='14541' first='Griff' last='Meyer'] (Haverford School)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long-Stick Midfield: [player_tooltip player_id='18926' first='Aharon' last='Bloshuk'] (Academy of the New Church)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defense: [player_tooltip player_id='14520' first='Gavin' last='Cooper'] (Haverford School), [player_tooltip player_id='42674' first='Cooper' last='Heilig'] (LaSalle), [player_tooltip player_id='71563' first='Dylan' last='Novak'] (Malvern Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goalie: [player_tooltip player_id='19762' first='Heath' last='Jones'] (Malvern Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mid-Season All Area: (2nd Team)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Attack: [player_tooltip player_id='14544' first='Michael' last='Ortlieb'] (Malvern Prep), [player_tooltip player_id='20026' first='Brad' last='Barber'] (Springfield-Delco), [player_tooltip player_id='14599' first='Max' last='Wickersham'] (LaSalle)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midfield: [player_tooltip player_id='20036' first='Spencer' last='Meile'] (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='19765' first='Logan' last='Turley'] (Malvern Prep), [player_tooltip player_id='24572' first='Evan' last='Large'] (Haverford School)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Face-Off: [player_tooltip player_id='45355' first='Henry' last='Bertelsen'] (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long-Stick Midfield: Nick Cunningham (St. Joe's Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defense: [player_tooltip player_id='21833' first='Kellen' last='Gardner'] (Haverford School), [player_tooltip player_id='123284' first='Evan' last='MacFarland'] (Episcopal Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='123253' first='Charlie' last='Halpert'] (Haverford School)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goalie: [player_tooltip player_id='127673' first='Jack' last='Donovan'] (Germantown Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mid-Season All Area: (3rd Team)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Attack: [player_tooltip player_id='123288' first='Tommy' last='Goldstein'] (Radnor), Pat Flaherty (Springfield-Delco), [player_tooltip player_id='14539' first='Owen' last='Mears'] (Malvern Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midfield: [player_tooltip player_id='24324' first='Finn' last='French'] (Haverford School), Shane Bradley (Academy of the New Church), [player_tooltip player_id='18401' first='Sawyer' last='Smith'] (Radnor)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Face-Off: [player_tooltip player_id='18397' first='Christian' last='Peterman'] (LaSalle)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long-Stick Midfield: Billy Henderson (Springfield-Delco)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defense: [player_tooltip player_id='127757' first='Paul' last='Bruder'] (Episcopal Academy), Ryan Vandegrift (LaSalle), Jack Carroll (Malvern Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goalie: [player_tooltip player_id='82283' first='Liam' last='Atkins'] (Hill School)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rNMnmTJE7IM","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rNMnmTJE7IM </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable Mention</strong>: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Attack: [player_tooltip player_id='20029' first='Cole' last='Carberry'] (Springside Chestnut Hill), [player_tooltip player_id='124033' first='Landon' last='Amorim'] (Germantown Academy), Shae Linegar (Easton Area), Nils McCallion (Haverford High School), [player_tooltip player_id='123287' first='Finn' last='Petrone'] (Radnor), [player_tooltip player_id='23638' first='Danny' last='Lucovich'] (Malvern Prep), Brody Garrison (Episcopal Academy), Shane Dominello (LaSalle) Zack French (Radnor), Bryce Coletta (Perkiomen Valley), Paul Rambo (Germantown Academy), Will Trymbiski (LaSalle), [player_tooltip player_id='24480' first='Reid' last='Dennis'] (Episcopal Academy), Conner Sullivan (Abington), Luke Bieberbach (St. Joe's Prep)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midfield: [player_tooltip player_id='82315' first='Patrick' last='Moloney'] (Perkiomen Valley), Michael VanBastelaar (LaSalle), [player_tooltip player_id='16060' first='Keegan' last='Nash'] (Episcopal Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='20475' first='Luke' last='Valerio'] (Springfield-Delco), [player_tooltip player_id='129788' first='Chase' last='Aquino'] (Hill School), [player_tooltip player_id='23840' first='Colin' last='McGrath'] (Episcopal Academy), Cael DiSora (Easton Area), [player_tooltip player_id='40420' first='Parker' last='Smith'] (Episcopal Academy), Michael Smallwood (Central Bucks East), [player_tooltip player_id='14550' first='Will' last='Tantillo'] (Malvern Prep), Aaron Goldstein (Penncrest), Ty Henderson (Springfield-Delco), [player_tooltip player_id='129564' first='Torey' last='Cooper'] (Episcopal Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='22247' first='Jason' last='Kitahama'] (Academy of the New Church) [player_tooltip player_id='123295' first='Tyler' last='Vitale'] (Radnor), Jackson Lamb (West Chester Rustin), [player_tooltip player_id='18393' first='Ryan' last='Keating'] (Marple-Newtown), Brady Welsh (Spring-Ford), Chris Capozzoli (Ridley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Face-Off: [player_tooltip player_id='123039' first='TJ' last='McDermott'] (Malvern Prep), Tommy Rush (Springfield-Delco), Logan Montrella (Radnor), [player_tooltip player_id='24875' first='Justin' last='Daubert'] (Owen J. Roberts), [player_tooltip player_id='28888' first='Nick' last='Guzy'] (Academy of the New Church), Sean Hassis (Spring-Ford), Peyton Bannak (Souderton)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long-Stick Midfield: [player_tooltip player_id='45362' first='Anthony' last='Costa'] (Haverford School), [player_tooltip player_id='31516' first='Rees' last='Piontek'] (Episcopal Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='40419' first='Trevor' last='Saccomandi'] (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defense: [player_tooltip player_id='20031' first='Danny' last='Kuriger'] (LaSalle), JD Russo (Owen J. Roberts), Connor Song (Episcopal Academy), Mac Crawford (Malvern Prep), Kolby Poole (Penncrest), Dominic Paone (Upper Dublin), Tommy Toomey (Springfield-Delco)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goalie: [player_tooltip player_id='123639' first='Moe' last='Sobel'] (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy), [player_tooltip player_id='19759' first='Thomas' last='Ploszay'] (Malvern Prep), [player_tooltip player_id='33248' first='Carson' last='Meredith'] (Hill School), Jake Walter (Penn Charter), Jackson Kennedy (Springfield-Delco), [player_tooltip player_id='40418' first='Colin' last='Decker'] (Haverford School), Mikey Johnson (Conestoga), [player_tooltip player_id='141651' first='Ben' last='Shervin'] (Upper Dublin), Greyson Stewart (Abington), Ben Snyder (Central Bucks East), Roman Ippoldo (LaSalle)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":"","_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-681264456c929"} /-->