Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/28/14
The Bucks County high school boys’ team won the gold medal at the Keystone State Games in dominant fashion this past weekend as Bucks swept the three championships – scholastic (high school), junior (7th & 8th grade) & youth (5th & 6th grade) – for the first time in the history of the tournament.
When Bucks County defeated Blue Mountain (Lancaster area) 4-0 in the scholastic championship game, it capped a seven-game run that saw the team outscore its opponents by a combined 75-10, including 47-1 in the first half, and outshoot its opponents 223-65.
The team did not allow a goal in either of its two medal round games, as Bucks defeated Montgomery County 11-0 in the semifinals before the shutout win over Blue Mountain in the final. In fact, Bucks did not allow a goal for the final 106 minutes it played and gave up on average one goal every 35 minutes in the seven games.
Bucks – which had players from 11 high schools – went 5-0 in pool play to win its division. The team opened with an 18-2 win over the Poconos and then defeated Blue Mountain 14-3, Allegheny 9-1, Lehigh Valley 7-3 and Berks 12-1 to reach the medal round.
Garret Trucksess (Germantown Academy) scored four goals and Michael Major (Holy Ghost Prep) had three goals and two assists in the win over Montgomery, setting up a rematch with Blue Mountain, who defeated York County, the winner of the other division.
Bucks got one goal each from Matt Vetter (Central Bucks East), Zach Keller (Hill School), Sam Presley (Council Rock South) and Jordan Smith (Quakertown) in the first half. Blue Mountain goalie Cam Epple (Warwick) made 14 saves and kept Bucks from scoring in the second half, but the four goals would turn out to be plenty.
Bucks even survived being two men down for three minutes without allowing a score. Goalies Sean McGovern (Central Bucks East) and Greg Price (Holy Ghost Prep) combined for nine saves in the final.
Vetter (16G, 9A) and Major (14G, 11A) shared the team lead in points with 25, followed by Trucksess (11G, 7A) and Zach Drake (La Salle/10G, 3A).
Jack Auteri (Central Bucks East) had a great tournament, winning 56 of 77 face-offs (72.7%) and leading the team with 42 ground balls. McGovern, Price and Rob Richik (Central Bucks South) combined for a 1.43 goals-against average and .688 save percentage.
The team:
Matthew Anderson, Pennsbury
Jack Auteri, Central Bucks East
Anthony Bozzelli, Germantown Academy
James Diver, Germantown Academy
Zach Drake, La Salle
Mike Eveland, Central Bucks East
Jake Henze, Central Bucks South
Brandon Huegel, Archbishop Wood
Zach Keller, Hill School
Matt Kruemenacker, Central Bucks East
Michael Major, Holy Ghost Prep
Sean McGovern, Central Bucks East
Sam Presley, Council Rock South
Greg Price, Holy Ghost Prep
Rob Richick, Central Bucks South
Blake Schoenmeier, Pennridge
Brandon Sharman, Central Bucks East
Jordan Smith, Quakertown
Garret Trucksess, Germantown Academy
Matthew Vetter, Central Bucks East
Brad Walentukonis, Central Bucks East
Heac coach Mike Sharman
Assistant coach Steve Henze
Assistant coach Paul McGovern
Assistant coach Brian Vetter
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