Standouts From PIAA 2A Championship Game

On Saturday, Penn State's Panzer Stadium hosted the PIAA 2A state championship game between District 1 champion, Penncrest and District 7 champion Mars.   An intense, back and forth contest saw Penncrest take an 11-10 lead with four minutes remaining in the game. That's when Mars exploded for a four-goal blitz that rallied the Fighting Planets for the 14-13 win. The victory over Penncrest gave Mars its second state title in program history.   Below is review of prospects who played outstanding lacrosse during the PIAA 2A state title game.    This athletic andspeedy pole cause havoc all day. Duffy used his active stick and refined footwork to harass ball carriers and create turnovers. Duffy also did a solid job of securing ground balls and then pushing transition chances. Still, what impressed the most about Duffy was the discipline and agility he displayed while locking off Penncrest scoring sensation [player_tooltip player_id='178441' first='Aaron' last='Goldstein'] (Drexel commit). Duffy's ability to shut off Goldstein in the second half of this game was a major reason that Mars was able to take home the 2A hardware. Duffy is committed to Mount Union (D3). The Raiders coaching staff found a hidden gem in this LSM.     On Saturday, Mars owned a considerable time of possession advantage and frequently played downhill via clean face off wins (more on that later). Thus, Patti faced a hailstorm of shots in the 2A title game. Patti (14 saves) stood tall between the pipes and kept Penncrest in this contest. He used his fast hands and active stick to make clean saves up top. Patti also threw his body in front of several doorstep scoring chances by Mars. Additionally, this poised net minder scrambled to stop a handful of rebound attempts. Patti impressed with his swift and precise outlet passes too. On one of those outlets, Patti recorded a hockey assist.     On Saturday, Weaver posted a jaw dropping seven goal performance that pushed Mars to the 2A title. The elusive stick maneuvers and shooting skills Weaver displayed in the 2A championship game were astounding. The combination of those assets and the quick burst he demonstrated, made Weaver impossible to defend 1v1. His seventh goal in this contest was key because it ended a three-goal run by Penncrest and tied the score at 11-11. On that fantastic individual effort by Young, he initiated from the wing and methodically pushed on a diagonal path to GLE. Weaver then put his foot in the ground and spun back up the field. Coming out of the spin move, Weaver dashed towards the middle of the field, slipped past the sliding pole, and then fired a lefty missile into the net. The multi-skilled Weaver is committed to Grove City (D3)     Wilburn has assembled 400+ career wins at the dot, was recently named a 1st Team WPIAL selection and is committed to Ohio Northern University (D3). So, there is no doubt that Wilburn is one of the top face off specialists in Pennsylvania. Still, nobody could have predicted the dominating performance Wilburn would post in the 2A championship game. On Saturday, Wilburn went 24-for-31 on face offs, scored a goal and dished out an assist. Wilburn's extraordinary performance included going 9-out-of-10 in the decisive 4th quarter. His clean wins gave Mars a massive time of possession advantage in this game. But more importantly it enabled Mars to score goals in a flash which was the key to their 4th quarter comeback. Wilburn's speed and decision making while on the run was remarkable.     With [player_tooltip player_id='178441' first='Aaron' last='Goldstein'] facing a lock off defender for most of this game, Penncrest needed someone else to step up. The athletic and highly skilled Young answered the bell by recording 4 goals to go along with 2 assists. On Saturday Young proved that he owns elite stick skills, an explosive burst and fantastic field awareness. His ability to get downhill in a hurry caused matchup problems for Mars. One of Young's assists was a smart pass ahead that came on the run and produced a smooth transition goal for Penncrest that tied that game a 10-10 in the fourth quarter. Shortly after that dime, Young downhill scoring skills. On That play, Young initiated from up top and dodged down the right alley. When he gained a step on his defender, Young then ripped an overhand jumper into the far side of the net to give Penncrest an 11-10 lead. Young is committed to Arcadia University (D3).

On Saturday, Penn State's Panzer Stadium hosted the PIAA 2A state championship game between District 1 champion, Penncrest and District 7 champion Mars.