Radnor brings unpleasant end to Pleasant Valley’s dream season

By Michael Blouse
For The Morning Call

On paper, Saturday’s PIAA Class 3A girls lacrosse quarterfinal between District 1 champ Radnor and District 11 champ Pleasant Valley was a major mismatch.

Radnor is a perennial state power, with 13 state postseason appearances, 33 games played and four PIAA titles. Pleasant Valley is a newcomer to the state scene, qualifying for the PIAA tournament this year for the first time.

\On the field, the Bears battled until the final whistle but ended up with their lone loss in a historic season, 16-8, at Southern Lehigh Middle School.

Radnor (22-2) moves on to meet Penncrest (18-6) in Tuesday’s all-District 1 semifinal at a site and time to be determined.

Pleasant Valley (24-1) ended its season as maybe the most dominant District 11 girls’ team ever.

“We all knew what we were up against today,” said coach Toni Bush, who played lacrosse at Methacton. “I grew up close to Philly and it really is a different world down there. That’s why I’m so proud of our team hanging in there against such a talented team.”

Radnor’s class, depth and experience proved overwhelming to a Pleasant Valley team that relies heavily on the 1-2 punch of Devon Bush and Rylee Rath. The Raptors led 4-0 after one quarter. Though the Bears closed to within 4-3 early in the second, Radnor maintained its four-goal advantage at intermission.

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Radnor's Taylor Murphy, right, runs away from Garnet Valley's Damia Frati during a PIAA Class 3A playoff game on Tuesday. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)