By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/10/10
Pennsylvania was well-represented Wednesday and Thursday at the adidas National Lacrosse Classic at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds.
Both the Philly team and the Central Pennsylvania team – featuring several Philly players – advanced to the quarterfinals Thursday in the 20-team tournament. The event drew more than 500 players from 20 regions around the nation and attracted dozens of college coaches.
Team Philly, coached by Josh Hanlon (Neshaminy head coach), fell to New Jersey, 7-4, in the quarters. The Central PA squad was defeated by Maryland Prep, 6-3, in the quarters.
“It was a great experience and a great opportunity to coach a variety of players from the area,” said Hanlon. “The players represented many different high schools and club teams.
“Adidas put on a great event and made it a good experience for the kids and the coaches. There was a lot of talent and we were excited to get out of pool play.”
The Philly team (3-2 overall) posted first-day wins over Georgia (5-3), Syracuse (7-6) and Missouri, (9-5). The win over Syracuse was the biggest as Team Philly scored twice in the final 30 seconds to rally.
“The kids came together as the day went on and really built a lot of camaraderie after the comeback win against a strong Syracuse team,” said Hanlon.
The Team Philly attack was led by Plymouth Whitemarsh rising senior Colin Joka, who had eight goals and was named to the All-Star team. Haverford High rising senior Mike Leyden also was a key on offense while defenseman Jim DeCarlo (La Salle), Max Carroll (Downingtown West), and Anthony Greco (Abington) were standouts and Kevin Gulyas (Allentown Central Catholic) and Graham Seuffert (Salesianum, DE) were keys at midfield.
“The diversity of schools and the high level of talent made it enjoyable,” said Hanlon. “All the players made great contributions during the event.
“I split the playing time right down the middle for everyone, no matter what group was on the field we were confident that we could execute our game plan.”
The Central PA team got strong contributions from rising senior midfielder Andrew Caldwell (Penncrest) and rising senior attackman Rob Watts (St. Joseph’s Prep).
Hanlon said he would enjoy seeing his players next spring when the scholastic season arrived.
“The best part of being a coach is that you get a chance to build really positive relationships with the players and their families. It will be exciting for me to follow and in some cases coach against them in the upcoming seasons.”
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