Momentum in May: Top PA Performances + Postseason Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PA STATE RANKINGS:</strong> <strong>5/15/25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Malvern Prep 2. Haverford School 3. Episcopal Academy 4. Springfield-Delco 5. LaSalle College High School 6. Radnor 7. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 8. Hill School 9. St. Joe's Prep 10. Easton Area... <br><br>Under Consideration: ANC, Bishop Shanahan, Downingtown East &amp; West, Garnet Valley, Manheim Township, Marple-Newtown, Owen J. Roberts, Penncrest, Pennridge, Perkiomen School, Perkiomen Valley, Ridley, Shady Side Academy, Souderton, Spring-Ford, Upper Dublin, West Chester Bayard Rustin, Westtown, Wilson West Lawn</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The calendar flipped &amp; so did the script. May opened with a pair of statement wins that sent shockwaves through Pennysylvania's high school lacrosse scene. Haverford toppled rival Malvern in a gritty showdown, then doubled down with a commanding victory over Germantown Academy. All of this came before dropping their last game to Episcopal Academy which ended the Inter-Ac regular season in a three-way tie with the Churchmen, Fords, &amp; Friars...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not to be outdone, Radnor turned heads by knocking off perennial powerhouse LaSalle, &amp; routinely handling Central League opponent Haverford High School. The Raptors destroyed their momentum as they got knocked off in a classic trap game vs St. Joe's Prep. The Hawks came soaring in from the heavens to bring RALA back down to earth in a 7 to 6 upset at home. With playoff push positioning on the line &amp; momentum shifting by the quarter, May is already living up to its name!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malvern got back up on the horse &amp; bested Penn Charter 18 to 3; SCHA 10 to 4; &amp; Salesianum (DE) 17 to 11 for a grand finale of inter-state battles &amp; bragging rights! The Friars finished their regular season 16-7 while arguably remaining the most proven or accomplished team this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springfield-Delco is a team that has been dominating heading into District 1 play. The Cougars are hot on the prowl after having torn apart Marple-Newtown 17 to 8 on the first night of May at Tiger Stadium. Springfield-Delco also traveled down to Garnet Valley ripping up the Jaguars 12 to 5.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 1, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Haverford's [player_tooltip player_id='14541' first='Griff' last='Meyer'] controlled the game, winning 14/20 draws &amp; picking up 6 ground balls vs Malvern Prep. [player_tooltip player_id='19762' first='Heath' last='Jones'] made 14 saves (60.8%) for the Friars in the loss at home. [player_tooltip player_id='23606' first='Conor' last='Morsell'] paved the way offensively with 3 goals, 1 assist, &amp; 3 ground balls for the Fords!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springfield-Delco FOGO Tommy Rush powered possession winning 20/29 draws vs Marple Newtown. The Cougars received an offensive outburst with Pat Flaherty's (4G, 4A) 8 points. The Tiger's [player_tooltip player_id='24873' first='Marco' last='D'Alicandro'] finished with an even 50% on the night making an impressive 17 stops in the loss at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 2, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friends School Championship: Academy of the New Church 12 - Westtown School 11 (2OT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='18926' first='Aharon' last='Bloshuk'] played the entire game on defense while also notching 3 goals &amp; 3 assists (6 points) named MVP... [player_tooltip player_id='22247' first='Jason' last='Kitahama'] came through clutch with the game-winning goal! [player_tooltip player_id='127622' first='Shane' last='Bradley'] continued to be a catalyst for the lions scoring 1 goal &amp; 5 assists (6 points); [player_tooltip player_id='28888' first='Nick' last='Guzy'] kept pace as he won (13/25) 52% of the draws.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 3, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Radnor lit up LaSalle 11-3 behind [player_tooltip player_id='123288' first='Tommy' last='Goldstein']'s 3 goals &amp; 2 assists (5 points). [player_tooltip player_id='123295' first='Tyler' last='Vitale'] accumulated 4 points (2G, 2A) &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='123287' first='Finn' last='Petrone'] is fitting in nicely finishing with 4 goals!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Episcopal Academy ran over St. Augustine (NJ) 16 to 5. Timmy Landaiche – 8 saves (61.5%) is helping the Churchmen elevate in goal so far this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 6, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>EA continues their hot streak by controlling the game vs SCHA in a 9 to 4 victory. Timmy Landaiche – 5 saves for the Churchmen (55.5%). [player_tooltip player_id='123284' first='Evan' last='MacFarland'] compiled 1 assist, 12 ground balls, &amp; 8 caused turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id='40420' first='Parker' last='Smith'] had a hat trick with 3 goals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 8, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pioneer Athletic Conference Championship: Sping-Ford 16 - Owen J. Roberts 10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='21004' first='Colin' last='Song'] 7 points (4G, 3A), Nick Valerio 6 points (2G, 4A), &amp; Brady Welsh 5 points (3G, 2A) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 9, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Episcopal Academy 8 - Haverford School 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Timmy Landaiche had 9 saves (56%) in the winning effort. [player_tooltip player_id='123284' first='Evan' last='MacFarland'] was credited with 2 assists, 6 ground balls, &amp; 4 caused turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id='40420' first='Parker' last='Smith'] registered 2 goals &amp; 1 assist (3 points).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malvern Prep 10 - Springiside Chestnut Hill Academy 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seniors: [player_tooltip player_id='19762' first='Heath' last='Jones'] (11 saves - 73.3%) &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='14544' first='Michael' last='Ortlieb']'s 3 goals guided the Friars to victory &amp; a share of the Inter-Ac title. [player_tooltip player_id='123639' first='Moe' last='Sobel'] was credited with 21 stops (67.7%) for the Blue Devils in the road loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Joe's Prep 7 - Radnor 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Luke Bieberbach 3g 1a, Dom Flynn 1g 3a, Keegan Dunn 8 Saves</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 10, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LaSalle 9 - Rye (NY) 4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shane Dominello 3 points (2G, 1A) &amp; Roman Ippoldo 7 saves (63.6%)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malvern Prep 17 - Salesianum (DE) 11</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='123039' first='TJ' last='McDermott'] 17/29 (58.6%) &amp; Matt Connolly 2/3 (67%) combined for 19/32 (59%) at the X!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May 15, 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midseason has peaked at a turning point. More Games to watch &amp; keep an eye on the rest of this month, heading further into the Championship season...<br><br>The <em><strong>Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association</strong></em> is holding a post-season tournament in which the winner will likely be named the top team in the state! All of the second-round games must be played by <strong>5/17/25:</strong><br><br><strong>Second Round PAISAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(8) Westtown at (1) Haverford School<br>(5) The Hill School at (4) Springside Chestnut Hill Academy<br>(6) Perkiomen School&nbsp;at (3) Episcopal Academy<br>(7) Academy of the New Church at (2) Malvern Prep<br><br><strong>PAISAA Championship Game - May 22, (7:00 pm) at Villanova University</strong><br><br>Pennsylvania public school Lacrosse has a long history of competing with any school, any time, any place. District 1 features the best collection of talent from the Central League which is contestably the most competitive league in the state right now &amp; historically. District 1 also includes teams from the Pioneer Athletic Conference, Suburban One, &amp; other programs in the Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, &amp; Delaware counties.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 1 (Class AA) - the top 2 advance to the PIAA tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinals, May 21</strong><br>(1) Bishop Shanahan vs (4) Penncrest<br>(2) Marple-Newtown vs (3) Upper Dublin<br><strong>Championship, May 28</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District 1</strong> <strong>(Class AAA) - the top 6 advance to the PIAA tournament</strong><br><strong>District 1 AAA Second Round, May 15</strong><br>(1) Springfield-Delco hosts Avon Grove<br>(8) Downingtown East hosts Garnet Valley<br>(4) Pennridge hosts Central Bucks East<br>(5) Souderton hosts Owen J. Roberts<br>(2) Radnor hosts Conestoga<br>(7) West Chester Bayard Rustin hosts Perkiomen Valley<br>(3) Downingtown West hosts Haverford High School<br>(6) Spring-Ford hosts Ridley<br><strong>Quarterfinals May 20</strong><br><strong>Semifinals &amp; Playbacks, May 22</strong><br><strong>Finals &amp; Playbacks, May 28</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Traditionally, District 1 results have a significant impact on the outcome of the PIAA State Championship tournament. Stay tuned for more matchups &amp; movers, focusing on teams that are heating up at the right time! Check back for rhythmic, consistent coverage of the season's ups &amp; downs with our pulse on Prep Lacrosse - Mayhem on the Field!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->