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STATE COLLEGE — An eerie silence descended on Panzer Stadium at Penn State in the final minute Saturday evening.
It wasn’t shock, exactly, for no one should be surprised by the achievements of Radnor lacrosse. But for a program which has won every which way — with style and flair, with power and skill — Saturday’s installment was different, less a runaway train than the steady, inevitability of a steamroller.
Either way, nothing is left standing in its path.
Radnor kept Springfield off the board for three full quarters, a nonpareil defensive display from a program that has made that its calling card, in an 8-1 victory over its Central League rival in the PIAA Class 3A championship.
That championship victory completes a Class 3A three-peat for Radnor (23-3). It’s the Raptors’ fourth title since the PIAA started sponsoring the sport in 2009, breaking a tie with Conestoga and La Salle for the most. The win matches Conestoga’s three-peat from 2010-12, and it settles the season series with Springfield, the Cougars winning District 1 while Radnor took home league and state crowns.
“You think a state championship your junior year is the best feeling in the world, until you get one your senior year and it feels like your team,” senior midfielder Cooper Mueller said. “Our seniors, it feels like you’re really leading the squad and it’s all your brothers that you’ve been playing with since second grade, and it’s your last game together. And coming out on a win and getting a ring is the best feeling you could imagine.”
Perhaps most amazing about Radnor’s 3-peat is that it’s allowed just eight goals in the three state finals games – two to Kennett in 2021, five to Garnet Valley last year and one this year. Add it up and the Raptors have outscored their PIAA finals opponents by a margin of 30-8.
Saturday was a defensive performance that will be hard to top. They held Springfield to 12 shots in the first three quarters. They kept them off the board for the game’s first 41 minutes until Aidan Kreydt scored with 6:13 to play.
It brings the Raptors’ season total to 101 goals allowed in 26 games, a rate of 3.885. That narrowly undercuts the 3.96 goals/game in 2021 (99 in 25).
“It’s just about filling in new pieces,” junior defenseman Michael Savadove said, “figuring out your role and what you do best and putting it all together.”
Savadove was one of the biggest changes from a 10-8 loss in the district final. The junior Harvard commit didn’t play that day thanks to a leg injury, and it was a leg injury that befell Springfield’s Tyler Gougler that night, the district final’s four-goal hero ruled out of states. The swing was obvious.
“They came out on our gloves heavy and they pressured,” Kreydt said. “They gave us everything they’ve got. They have one of their best kids back in Savadove, so I feel like that didn’t help us very much. I think they adjusted well from the district ‘chip’ game.”
Radnor goalie Nick DeCain wasn’t heavily taxed, making five saves but coming up with some big ones. Springfield hit the post four times, including twice late in the third quarter in what seemed like a darkly comedic skit. Even Kreydt’s goal went post and in, lest the concussion risk from hands-on-head be further elevated on the Springfield sideline.
“It’s how it went today,” Kreydt said. “We were there but we’re not there at the same time. It’s hard, but we’ve got to learn from it.”
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It’s championship picture time for the Raptors Saturday after winning their third consecutive boys state lacrosse title, this one 8-1 over Springfield at Penn State’s Panzer Stadium. (MediaNews Group)
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