Boys' Lacrosse Team of Year in Bucks County area made it to PIAA Class 3A championship game
They didn't reach their ultimate goal, which was the loftiest one a high school team can aim for, but they sure came close.
For that, La Salle High's lacrosse team has been named the Courier Times/Intelligencer boys' lacrosse Team of the Year.
Their goal? From Day One of this season and from as soon as they lost in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals a year ago, was to win the PIAA title, which is something a La Salle High team hadn't done since 2019.
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"Win the state title," said La Salle High senior standout Matt Wills, without a hesitation back in April.
"That's been our goal for a long time and that's what we're shooting for."
The Explorers, after losing just one game during the regular season (to national power Malvern Prep of the Inter-Academic League) and winning a remarkable eighth straight PIAA District 12 Class 3A title, raced all the way to the PIAA title game by dispatching District One's Upper Dublin, District Three's Manheim Township and another District One power, Springfield-Delco, in the state playoffs to make it to State College for the matchup against Radnor.
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La Salle High jumped out to an early lead against the Raptors in the championship game but couldn't hold off the four-time PIAA champs, falling 9-6.
"I can't say enough about this team," La Salle High head coach Rob Forster said.
"They have a lot of talent, but they grew as a team, kept working hard every day in practice and just wanted to get better. I couldn't be any prouder of them."
La Salle High's team was led by eight seniors — Stevie Davis (University of Pennsylvania), Wills (University of Pennsylvania), Matt Nelson (St. John's University), Paul van Bastelaar (University of Pennsylvania) , Logan Missett (Cornell University), Karson Seth (Hampton University), Andrew Van Stone (Harvard University) and Jack Koch (Villanova University) — who will all be playing Division I-A lacrosse in college.
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"All of these guys are going to do very well academically and athletically in college," Forster said. "They've been through it all and will be remembered as one of the best senior classes we've ever had."
This group will also pay dividends for the Explorers going forward.
"Our younger guys came to practice every day and worked and learned against really good players," Forster said. "That only made them better as they learned and that's going to help us in the future."
Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: High School Boys' Lacrosse: La Salle High earns team of year honors
