CARLISLE WINS PIAA DISTRICT 3 TITLE

(Herd celebrating a time expired)

CARLISLE 11 WILSON 8

What a GREAT night of lacrosse. To be honest we are still on cloud nine. The district final between Carlisle and Wilson was everything a lacrosse fan could hope for. Two excellent squads fighting till the very end. The Herd has had a tremendous run through the post season and has beaten all their competitors in impressive fashion. This is a great team built on senior leadership and deserves all the praise they will receive for this land mark victory. No Mid-Penn team, or team outside of Lancaster-Lebanon, has ever won a PIAA District 3 Title and we can not think of a better group to get over the hump.

There were a number of coaches, players, and parents from other schools in the crowd and by the fourth quarter every single one of them was pulling for the Herd. We tried to maintain objectivity but following these young men the past few months, and knowing the story-lines and hard work/commitment they give to the game, made it impossible to not cheer for the green and white.

(Much more after the jump)

     

This is a team built on senior leadership and it shows. Names like Breschi, Bowser, McGrath, Mundell, Wallace, Scott and of course Ewell are among  the best in the area. Combined with an excellent coaching staff who is second to none in terms of preparation this team had everything required to complete this historic run. Congratulations to the players, coaches, families, and fans. We can't wait to see how much further they can go.

We'd like to point out one moment in the above video where an attack-man embraces his coach during the celebration (15 second mark). This is not just any attack-man. It is senior captain, 3 time first team Mid Penn all-star selection, 2014 Mid-Penn player of the year, and all-time Herd leading scorer #25 Max Breschi. The coach he is embracing is his father Dave Breschi. These two have had a run together for the ages. Dave Breschi was instrumental in building the Herd program back in the early 2000's as a head coach and returned to the high school team with his son Max four years ago. To see something like this happen really transcends lacrosse and sports in general and it was truly a touching and heartfelt moment.

1st Quarter

Carlisle: 2

Wilson: 3

     The Game Started under the best possible circumstances for the Herd early. Ball control and a lot of Carlilse possesion time with some great looks at the cage. They seemed to be in control but Wilson is a great team (23-0 before tonight) and when they had the ball you knew they could score quickly. Mitchell Phillips (1 goal, 1 assist) was able to strike first blood for the Bulldogs. Max Breschi (4 goals) started his day by answering shortly after that with a bang-bang pass sequence and an assist from Drew Amsley (5 goals, 1 assist). Breschi would then score his second goal late in the quarter from the crease courtesy of a remarkable Hunter Scott (1 goal, 1 assist) feed to put the Herd up 2-1. 

     Wilson standout attack-man Matt Close (3 goals, 2 assists) got involved by making a great feed to Ryan Connolly (1 goal) to even things back up at 2-2. In the closing seconds of the first quarter Close would find the back of the net with an excellent outside shot and Wilson was up 3-2. Less experienced squads may have paniced here but the Herd recognized they had played the better quarter and trusted in their coaches and game plan. Dividends would be paid shortly.

2nd Quarter

Carlisle: 7

Wilson: 5

     Mark Bowser (1 assist) made the first of several of his clears from the cage and hit a cutting Amsley inside the box who was able to dodge and score to tie things back up at 3. This was the start of Amsley's career day and showcased that Bowser is very capable of self-clearing, among other things. This is when Carlisle started to seize the evening. A holding call put the Herd man-up and Amsley took advantage with a sharp shot into the upper corner. Shortly after that we had deja vu as Brechi dodged from the top and hit a diving shot very similar to a goal he had Tuesday against Manheim. At 5-3 in the second the question of weather or not Wilson had trailed this "late" into a game all season came up. Amsley would score again off a terrific outside shot and the Herd was in control 6-3 with 2 minutes in the half.

     With a player like Matt Close you knew Wilson wouldn't back down so out of timeout, after the Amsley goal, they had Close face-off. In classic great player fashion he won the face and dodged to the cage for the score unassisted. At 6-4 a sense that Carlisle's momentum could fade by the half was evident. Amsley captured it right back with his third goal of the quarter. With Wilson's poles looking confused and disorganized everything was going the Herds way. Again Close would rise to the occasion and dodge from the top to score with 23 seconds left in the quarter and keep things tight at 7-5 headed into halftime.

     The half belonged to Carlisle but no one was celebrating just yet as a lot of lacrosse was left to be played. A flag as time expired put the Herd man down to start the second half and presented an excellent opportunity for the Bulldogs.

3rd Quarter

Carlisle: 9

Wilson: 6

     It took a few minutes but the younger Close brother Adam (1 goal, 2 assists) was able to find the back of the net off a great feed from Connor Howell (2 goals, 1 assist) and the Herds lead had shrunk to just one goal at 7-6. Again, a less experienced team may have crumbled under a dwindling lead and talented opponent, but not Carlisle. They dug in and played tough D. They locked off Matt Close from getting the ball and Bowser continued to frustrate the Wilson attack with great saves. There was some sloppier transitional play but both teams were excellent at playing smart lacrosse and recovering in those situations.

    Amsley would net his fourth goal of the evening off a rebound from a shot he took (it hit his defender) and then scooped to find the goal. Jon Mundell (1 goal) had been getting doubled and slid to early and often so stat wise he was not a huge factor. In terms of game play he was opening things up for his teammates and when his time came he would not be denied. Mundell fired an incredible outside shot and the Herd was back in control 9-6 at the end of the third quarter.

4th Quarter

Carlisle: 11

Wilson: 8

    At the start of the fourth we had gone from can "Carlisle really run with these guys" to " they have dominated this game, lets hope they can finish strong." And boy did they. Breschi would get his fifth goal with an excellent wrap around goal from X to extend the lead to four. Shortly after that Scott would score and draw a flag after the shot. The Wilson team looked confused, frustrated, and dejected. At 11-6 with close to 10 minutes left nobody was celebrating just yet, but victory was in the air.

   Wilson would again keep their title hopes alive off a short handed Howell score. A few minutes later sophomore net-minder Jason Roland would hit a fantastic full field clear that setup the Wilson fast break and another Howell goal. 

   Sitting at 11-8 with 8:21 to play it was again time for the Herd to play tough defense and have great offensive ball control. This was their recipe for success most of the season so they were more than prepared. Even after an illegal substitution penalty with a 30 second man down sequence the Herd held their 11-8 lead. Bowser had several big backups from the net to grab possession and some great saves. As the clock ticked and ticked the Carlisle faithful began to rejoice as their team was going to capture their first ever PIAA District III Title.

Congratulation to Coach Kidder, his players, staff, their families, and all the Herd fans and alumni who should enjoythis victory for a long long time to come.