By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/21/09
Championship time has arrived. Tonight at Swarthmore College at 7:00, No. 1 La Salle and No. 2 St. Joseph’s Prep meet for the District 12 (Catholic League) title and the lone berth in the first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) tournament. And Friday at Villanova University at 8 p.m., No. 3 Conestoga meets No. 4 Downingtown East for the District 1 crown, while Emmaus hosts the Parkland-Southern Lehigh survivor in the District 11 finals at 7:30.
This week’s Phillylacrosse.com Boys’ Rankings:
1. La Salle (16-4) – The Explorers shoot for their sixth straight Catholic League title tonight against St. Joe’s Prep. This one is the biggest because the winner goes to the PIAA tourney and the loser goes home. Last week: No. 1.
2. St. Joseph’s Prep (16-1) – The Hawks have done everything right this year aside from their first matchup against La Salle, a 16-6 loss on April 28. Did they learn enough from that game? Last week: No. 2.
3. Conestoga (20-1) – The Pioneers looked nearly flawless in Tuesday’s 15-2 rout of Central Bucks East in the semifinals. They shoot for the first District 1 crown Friday against red-hot Downingtown East at Villanova. Last week: No. 3
4. Downingtown East (19-2) – The Cougars have yielded just four goals a game in their 10-game win streak and now face the ultimate test Friday night against Conestoga. Last week: No. 5.
5. Haverford School (16-8) – The Fords endured a number of ups and downs and put it all together in the final weeks to tie Malvern Prep for the Inter-Ac League crown and then defeat the Friars, 9-5, Wednesday, in a brilliant game to win the first postseason title. Last week: No. 7.
6. Malvern Prep (11-9) – The Friars fought injuries all year and finally hit their stride in the final weeks before bowing to Haverford School, 9-5, in the Inter-Ac league playoff finals. Last week: No. NR.
7. Emmaus (17-4) – The Green Hornets have completely dominated the Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 tourney so far. They host Parkland Friday in the title game at 7 p.m. Last week: No. 9.
8. Springfield-Delco (16-5) – The Cougars were handled for the second time this year by Downingtown East in the district semis. They meet CB East Friday at Villanova at 6 p.m., for third place.Last week: No. 6.
9. Central Bucks East (16-4) – The Patriots were simply overmatched against Conestoga in the semifinals. Still, they can do no worse than fourth place. Last week: NR.
10. Radnor (15-4) – The Red Raiders are left to ponder what happened in their 8-5 second-round loss to upstart West Chester East in the district tournament. The plus side: wins this year over Malvern Prep and Haverford School. Last week: No. 4.
Teams to watch (in alphabetical order): Abington, Archbishop Wood, Episcopal Academy, Garnet Valley, Hatboro-Horsham, Lower Merion, Owen J. Roberts, Unionville, Upper Dublin, West Chester East.
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