PIAA Class 3A Boys Lacrosse: Kennedy helps Springfield adapt to handle Downingtown West

CHESTER - In their PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal Saturday morning, Downingtown West made the logical tactical play.

The Whippets opted to shut off Springfield dangerman Brad Barber. The bet was, even taking top defenseman Evan Wolfington out of the mix as Barber's personal shadow, that West would stand a better chance by muzzling the Maryland signee and playing 5-on-5 with the rest of the Cougars.

Right as it seemed on paper, Springfield rose to the occasion, winning just about all of the other matchups in the offensive half on the way to a 15-8 win to advance to Tuesday's semifinal.

Barber was quiet, with just an assist and only a handful of shots. But fellow attackmen Luke Valerio and Jared Kennedy stepped up. Valerio had three goals and two assists. Kennedy, the prime beneficiary of attention elsewhere, scored five times to go with an assist.

It's a fitting bookend for Kennedy, who scored six goals in this round last year as the Cougars beat Easton on the way to a state title. The Cougars (21-2) are two wins away from another.

"It changes a lot because he gets the ball to me a lot, because he's usually open," Kennedy said of Barber. "So it wasn't as much him today, so I was moving off ball for other guys."

Springfield didn't play its A game the whole way. But when they brandished it in the second quarter, that was plenty.

The Cougars racked up a 9-1 edge in the second quarter, turning a 4-2 lead after one quarter to 13-3 at the half. It made West's 5-2 advantage in the second half both some consolation for the fourth-place team in District 1 but still adroit game management from the Cougars to take the sting out of the game.

In the second quarter, Springfield scored three times in the first 54 seconds of the frame. Kennedy's goal at 10:37 triggered a West timeout and made it four goals in 55 seconds of game action.

Kennedy and Valerio scored 1:04 apart midway through to make it 10-2. A man-up goal for Ryan O'Donnell briefly slowed the steamroller, but AJ Clark answered within a minute, Iggy Bradley popped one 30 seconds later and Valerio buried a feed with six seconds left to make it nine goals at the break.

"It's a lot of momentum," Kennedy said. "It gives us juice. I think the momentum just shifted and we kept going on them."

Ty Rush fueled the run with a 19-for-26 performance at the X. Off a rare loss to start the second quarter, Mason Ellis created a turnover and outleted to a rare goal for stay-at-home defender Brady Wainwright. Fellow poles Jackson Sheffield and Tommy Toomey added assists, both on Kennedy goals.

Part of the reason why the Wolfington-Barber gambit didn't work was the advantage Springfield's middies had on their defenders.

Ellis had a goal and an assist, Gabe Ryan two goals. Each got going downhill and created chaos by getting a step on their short-stick marker. Whether it turned into goal contributions for them or not, it started the cascade of failures that opened space for others.

"They've been good all year," Kennedy said. "They get a shorty sometimes and I take them over any shorty in the league. If they beat a shorty, my guys slides to them, and I'm popping out for a shot every time."

Downingtown (21-3), in its deepest postseason run in program history, put up a credible fight, though it was too dazed from that first punch for it to make a difference.

Chase Teti had three goals and two assists. Ryan O'Donnell and Cole Epps had two goals each, O'Donnell adding an assist. The West offense created problems for a Springfield defense that had allowed a total of nine goals in its four playoff games outside of the District 1 final win over Radnor, their off-ball movement and crease slips an area Springfield will look to tighten up.

West goalie Landon Guameri was also excellent, making 14 saves. He had several point-blank denials near the crease and lined up a handful of outside shots from Valerio and Barber that he handled cleanly.

Springfield's Michael DePetris was also great, making seven saves and creating offense with his outlet passes.

The second-half struggle isn't a worry for a team like Springfield, which has plenty of playoff seasoning. But it is a warning for the challenge that lies ahead on Tuesday.

"We've just got to keep pushing," Kennedy said. "It's tough out here. It's hot, so we have to get our bodies right for Tuesday."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 11:58 PM.