PIAA Class 2A Boys Lacrosse: Penncrest tops Devon Prep to reach state quarterfinals
NETHER PROVIDENCE – A rematch can be a tricky challenge in the playoffs, but it wasn't Tuesday for the surging Penncrest boys' lacrosse squad.
Two months after topping Devon Prep by eight goals in the regular season, the Lions fared even better in a second meeting against the Tide, cruising to 17-4 victory in the opening round of the PIAA Class 2A Tournament at Strath Haven. It's the sixth win in a row for the District 1 champion.
"We didn't play well the first time around against (Devon Prep), but we came together today. We had a ton of assists on our 17 goals," said Lions' senior Aaron Goldstein, who registered half of his team's 14 assists.
Now 15-7, Penncrest advances to the PIAA quarterfinals to face Abington Heights (17-4), the District 2 runnerup, on Saturday at a time and location to be announced.
"The Central League is unreal," Lions' head coach Evan Pettit said. "It's been one of the strongest public school leagues around, and the fact that we get to go up against titans like Springfield, Radnor and Ridley all season long definitely prepares us in a way that a lot of the other parts of the state just don't get."
The Tide's season ends with a 10-12 mark, but the squad advanced all the way to the District 12 final despite fielding a youthful roster.
"We were a little outmatched in some areas like transition breakdowns," Devon Prep coach Mark Consolo said. "We were a little frantic in the clearing game which killed us. It's all growing pains. A lot of our guys have never played at this level in a state game. This is probably the youngest group we've had that I can remember. We lost 17 seniors in the last two years."
The contest seemed to turn in the final minute of the opening quarter. With the score deadlocked at 1-1, Penncrest got late goals from junior Luke Young and senior Chuck Bevan in the final 27.4 seconds. Goldstein notched assists on both, and it propelled the Lions to finish the first half with six straight goals for a 7-1 lead.
"It was 1-1, but we handled some adversity," Goldstein said. "We did what we needed to do and got on the run. I am proud of our team for that."
"There were some moments early where we had to remind our guys that this time of the season is one day at a time," Pettit added. "They are high school kids and they get excited about the big picture. There were some jitters to start but ultimately our experience figured it out. We have 14 seniors on this team.
"We started to finish our shots. We didn't shoot well early in the game, and credit to Devon's goalie (Grant Napoletano)."
The Tide scratched their way back with goals by senior Declan Sullivan and junior Peter Angelakos in the first two minutes of the second half, but Penncrest immediately responded with six more scores to take a commanding 14-3 advantage into the final period. Three came from sophomore Matt Kamin.
"It was huge," Goldstein said. "We really preach the ‘we not me' approach, and all six of those goals were assisted."
Devon sophomore Andrew Murray went 12-for-23 in the faceoff circle against a pair of foes, but the Tide had trouble transitioning from defense to offense. The Lions had a noticeable edge in ground balls.
"Penncrest did a good job of swarming the ball when (Murray) got possession," Consolo said. "But he had an awesome game for us. Honestly, if he didn't win all of those faceoffs, it could have been a lot worse."
A junior, Napoletano finished with a dozen saves for Devon. He was the backup goaltender to Riley Brennan until an injury ended his season.
"Grant stepped in for a guy that had over 200 saves for us this season," Consolo said. "He came in and I can't say enough about him. He had some unbelievable saves, and he hasn't been playing the game very long."
Overall, the Lions had a big edge in shots on goal, 29-15. with three goals and seven assists, Goldstein was a dominant force. He has signed to play collegiately at Drexel.
"He is such an important piece to our team," Pettit said. "He's a captain and a four-year varsity player and he pretty much runs the show out there on offense.
"Especially in games where you get off to a slow start, the worst thing you can do is try to play bully-ball. The fact that we were able to settle in, be disciplined and find the passing lanes and the openings, it speaks to our leadership."
Nine different players scored for Penncrest, including four by Kamin, and two each by Young, Shane Pettit and Zach Delprato. The Lions are three wins away from a state crown, but according to Goldstein, a big key moving forward is avoiding any look-aheads.
"The key is staying focused," he said. "Lacrosse is a spring sport, and there are a lot of distractions. We need to stay together, focus on our goals, and continue to work to improve."
As for Devon Prep, there were just five seniors on the roster in 2026. Sophomore Manuel Strid paced the Tide with two goals.
"We are asking the underclassmen to really invest themselves into the offseason, and learn from their mistakes," Consolo said. "But our seniors also made their mark. They made it to four district title games and won two of them. So there was a lot of good that came out of this season."
Penncrest 17, Devon Prep 4
Devon Prep 1 0 3 0 – 4
Penncrest 3 4 7 3 – 17
Devon Prep goals: Strid 2, Sullivan, Angelakos.
Penncrest goals: Kamin 4, Goldstein 3, Young 2, Delprato 2, Pettit 2, Persichetti, Cleary, Bevan, Poole.
Goalie saves: Napoletano (DP) 12, Patti (P) 10, Crawford-Preston (P) 1.
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