Perk Valley brings their hard hats, leaves Boyertown with 5-3 win
BOYERTOWN » Being ‘hardheaded’ isn’t typically a compliment. It is if you’re a member of the Perkiomen Valley boys lacrosse team this season though.
Thursday afternoon at Boyertown, the Vikings were hard-headed in their stinginess defending their own on the way to a wellearned 5-3 win over the Bears and in the postgame when handing out their construction-style hard hats to the game’s offensive and defensive MVPs.
“Coach (Bryan) Churchey started it,” said senior Remy Sell, Thursday’s defensive hard hat winner. “After every game and every practice, the offense picks a defensive player and the defense picks an offensive player they think really stood out, worked hard and went to work. It’s something to strive for every day while having some fun with it.”
The Vikings (3-1 PAC, 5-2 overall) impressively shut out the Bears (2-1, 3-4) in the second half, tacking on a goal from offensive hardhat recipient Nick Steele midway through the third quarter which served as the only goal of the final 24 minutes after PV led 4-3 at halftime. Steele scored twice but left the game on crutches after suffering an injury in the fourth quarter. Also tallying for PV was Brian Fehr (two goals) and Max Nice (one goal, one assist).
The defensive effort was led by Sell, goalie Rob Farrington (nine saves), Noah Shine, Ryan Candelori, Matt Quoos, Connor Donovan and Zion Foster while holding the Bears at bay over the game’s final 26:12.
“We’ve really just tried to play fundamental defense back there,” Sell said. “Against Pottsgrove, we probably played our worst defensive game, trying to go for crazy highlight checks, but sometimes you have to stop trying to take the ball away and just contain the other team. Boyertown has some shooters, some good players so it took the whole defense, offensive middies included, to be able to contain and run the defense correctly.”
Boyertown, which saw its three-game win streak halted, was able to manage only single scores from Jonathan Mayan, Brewer Johnson and Brady McFalls, falling behind for good when PV scored twice in a 1:20 span in the second quarter when Nice scored then assisted Fehr to make it 4-2.
The Vikings’ defense has impressed, allowing five or fewer goals in their last five games. The first of that run was a 5-4 overtime loss to PAC upstart Pope John Paul II on April 4 that opened eyes around the PV program and league in general.
“It was hard starting out, since this is the first day it’s been nice outside,” said Sell. “Being in the gym (practicing) an unprecedented amount of time, down at our play day you could tell we’d be inside too long. Finally we’re starting to get into the groove, practicing outside, games outside and not worrying about who or what we’re going to play as long as we’re playing our game. It’s starting to click on both sides of the ball.”
While the PV defense is in form, the attack isn’t up to the speed Fehr and company would have hoped. But with the heating temperatures, they hope their scoring touch will heat up, too.
“Starting out the year, our mojo wasn’t right. We weren’t flowing. We were getting good opportunities but weren’t finishing it,” Fehr said of the offense. “We had a ridiculous amount of turnovers, but I think we’ve taken a step forward because we’re possessing the ball a lot more and not turning it over as much. The next step is obviously to be finishing the opportunities we have, but right now we’re moving forward.”