Sense of community is common denominator for Springfield, Ridley
RIDLEY TWP. >> The ball was long gone, but the tugging and grabbing continued near the faceoff X Friday afternoon. A little shove in the back, some extra pulling on the stick ... a little more physical fun than what you’d normally see in a scholastic lacrosse game, or even a structured college practice.
For a moment, teammates were back to being rivals.
Matt Ries, in his Springfield blue and gold, against Behn Worley, in Ridley green and white, letting each other know they were there, enjoying a little more extracurriculars than they could get away with while practicing at Cabrini.
At the inaugural Rivalry
Alumni Game between Springfield and Ridley, there was room to mix it up, showcasing just intermingled the neighboring lacrosse powerhouses have become.
Worley’s alums came out on top, 13-7, though the final score of a game played to benefit HEADstrong Foundation’s mission to help families fighting cancer was hardly the most important result of the day.
The players in attendance spanned the decades for two programs that have a combined 11 state championships. Some 25 Daily Times All-Delco honorees, including five Players of the Year, were on hand. Surveying the sidelines wasn’t just a trip through the lacrosse past, in the evolution of helmet design from masked hockey buckets to the sleek modern models, or in the few Green Raiders still brandishing wooden sticks. It illustrated how one of lacrosse’s hotbeds is able to stay connected, both across borders and across decades.
The matchup at the X was an example of the former. Both sophomores on last spring’s national championship Cavaliers team, Ries and Worley had played sparingly for Cabrini. But they’ve battled each other daily at practice, part of a deep faceoff corps for the Cavs.
“All practice, every day, we’re always going at it with each other,” Ries said. “It’s that competition. We’re always trying to make each other better by going at it that hard. Just come back out here, it’s the same feel.”
Cabrini is a microcosm of the connections that span the borders. Former Springfield coach Mike Friel, in uniform for Ridley Friday, and current Cougars boss Tom Lemieux both call Cabrini their alma mater. The flash of blue off a Cavs helmet could’ve complemented the long locks of Springfield’s Mike Gerzabek or been on Ridley’s Kyle Bush, who scored twice. Patrolling the Ridley sideline was longtime Cabrini assistant Ron Garling; one of Springfield’s starting attackmen, All-Delco Lucas Spence, who scored three times, is the Cavs’ newest assistant coach.
The same connecting of dots could be done at programs across the Eastern seaboard, but it would cost more inches that this particular column contains. It’s enough to say that there’s an inherent recognition of the stature gained by Ridley and Springfield when they populate the larger lacrosse world.
Especially when one runs into someone from so close to home.
“Everybody’s home for Thanksgiving, it’s that community feel,” Ries said. “Everyone’s back, everyone’s friendly. You see Springfield guys hanging out with Ridley guys. It’s just that mentality of the community and the family atmosphere we have here.”
Then there are connections that have sustained over time. Friday’s game was blocked off into categories for players under or over age 35. Were you handicapping it, you’d give the edge in recent history to Springfield, with its two state and two district titles in the last half-decade. The edge in the more distant past would be Ridley’s, thanks to state crowns in
1994, 1997 and 1998 (the former two beating Springfield in the finals).
In the 30 minutes for the
over-35 set, Ridley indeed held the edge, 4-2, aided by the fact that that generation still plays together in masters’ level tournaments.
“It’s like riding a bike,” said Marc Schaffer, a 1994 All-Delco. “When you haven’t seen these guys or played with these guys for a long time, as soon as you get back on the field, you pick up where you left off.”
Schaffer was at home manning a backline with Jack Morrison and Chris Bryan in front of All-Delco goalie Matt Murray, cornerstones of the 1994 team. With Tim Gosser, Jason Kilpatrick and Andrew Cleghorn, leading lights in the 1997 and ‘98 squads, it’s a potent model for the younger generations on how to stay connected long after the playing days end.
“I think in an event like this when you see the over35 group and how well they do and how well they play, I think it’s a good thing for the younger guys to see that and be like, ‘Hey listen, we’re pretty good players and we like to play with each other,’” Schaffer said. “Lacrosse is a great game that you can play for as long as you want.”
There’s still a little room for the other stuff, too.
“There’s still stuff going on,” Schaffer said. “One of my rivals was Jesse Dalonzo, who’s a fabulous player. First time he took me one-on-one, I jammed him up in the head and he’s like, ‘you got me in the head.’ And he’s upset about it. That’s just what’s going to happen.
“You’re still friendly, but there’s still that little bit of a rivalry there.”
Ries knows the sentiment well. It applied to him and Worley in miniature Friday, and it can be extended to the wider dynamic Springfield and Ridley have created, one they hope to keep alive for years to come.
“It’s always going to be competitive,” Ries said. “We’re going at it every day, and we’re going to be competition. There’s that little extra, ‘Oh, I want to beat him.’”