By Matt Chandik
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/30/12
TOWSON, Md. – Bradlee Lord’s done a lot of winning in his high school career.
Those three straight PIAA titles that he and his Conestoga teammates racked up are a testament to that. The Pioneers have built a dynasty, one that will likely be significantly put to the test next season when Lord is plying his craft at the University of Maryland.
Another thing that Lord’s gotten used to in that time is scoring, and scoring a lot, and while he didn’t fill up the stat sheet the way he’s done for so long, Lord still got his points and got another win to end his brilliant high school career in style as the South fended off a late North charge to seal a 12-11 win in the Under Armour Senior game tonight here at Towson University.
Yet the win and the points weren’t even the most important thing for the Conestoga sniper.
“It was incredible,” Lord said. “I’m incredibly fortunate to play in this game. We were spoiled the whole week, and it was the time of my life. It’s amazing. I’ve never been treated like that, and it’s also nice getting some new free gear.”
While he knew that he wouldn’t be the focal point of his team’s offense like he is for the Pioneers, Lord still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He netted the final goal of his high school career and also chipped in an assist, three groundballs and a caused turnover in a game that featured a valiant comeback attempt from the North that was finally stymied in the waning seconds.
“We’ve got a ton of talent on our team,” Lord said. “I was fortunate to get one or two. We had an incredibly unselfish team and it was just fun to get the ‘W’. I didn’t mind (not being the centerpiece of of the offense) at all.
“I love playing with better kids. There’s nothing better than to be able to throw it to a kid who might be better than you or just as good as you. It was just incredible to be playing with kids that you’re going to be playing with and against in the future.”
Lord was joined on the South team by his Pioneer teammates of defenseman Jamie Ikeda, LSM Miles Thomas and fellow attacker Connor Frisina, but the Philly power didn’t stop there. The Haverford School midfielder Sam Rohr (one goal) and the Garnet Valley duo of Ryan Lehman and Ryan Guittare also joined in on the fun, while Rohr’s teammate Will McNamara was named to the team but couldn’t play due to injury.
For the North, Lawrenceville School defenseman Walker Kirby turned offensive and scored one goal while adding a groundball and a caused turnover.
Thomas made a strong push for the game MVP award, which ultimately went to Denver-bound Gilman attacker Gordie Koerber, who finished his hat trick with the eventual game-winning goal. The Drexel-bound Thomas scooped up seven ground balls and caused three turnovers while generally making life miserable for the North offense. The Dragons got a steal in Thomas, and he showed why in the prestigious game. Much like Lord, though, Thomas preferred to revel in the experience afforded to him by Under Armour.
“It was an awesome experience,” Thomas said. “Under Armour brought us down here, they put us up in an awesome hotel. It was a great time meeting everyone. There are so many good players out here, and it was awesome to test ourselves against the best.
“It just shows you that the Philadelphia area, we just show up when it counts. I love the game, and when you get into a groove like that, it just comes natural.”
Apparently, so does winning, and winning a lot.
