Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Eagles fly high district opener
It is doubtful there are many boys’ lacrosse teams more excited about getting out of the regular season and into postseason play than Bishop Shanahan.
After taking some lumps in the largely 3A Ches-Mont, the class 2A Eagles were ready and it showed in an 11-2 victory over visiting Pope John Paul II in round one of the PIAA District 1 2A Tournament Wednesday.
“We’ve worked so hard,” said Shanahan junior attacker Devon Mullen. “The regular season didn’t go as well as we wanted it to, but we’ve battled back. And playing all of those good teams helped us get ready for the second season.”
The third-seeded Eagles (12-7 overall) scored five times before the No. 6 Panthers managed to get off a shot. It was business as usual on defense for Shanahan, but the double-digit scoring total was nice to see from a squad that has been offensively challenged at times this season.
“The confidence-level is better,” acknowledged Eagles’ head coach Jon Heisman. “We are more relaxed and moving the ball better. We’ve put in some new sets and the kids are starting to believe in themselves.”
The win sets up an epic rematch between Shanahan and second seeded West Chester Rustin (14-5 overall). The two league foes tangled back in early April, with the Knights scoring with sixtenths of a second left in regulation, and then winning it in overtime.
“We talked about winning this game and we all know who we are playing next. We’re not even saying the name of the team we are playing, but we are ready to play,” Mullen said.
“We now have a rematch with Rustin,” Heisman added. “They’ve gotten better and so have we. We’re anxious.
“We respect Rustin, we know they are good, and we hope to go