Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/3/23
Staff Report
Salesianum School senior faceoff specialist Ryan Cunningham put it simply after his Sals rallied past Cape Henlopen, 13-11, Saturday to win their third straight Delaware state championship at Dover High.
” This championship will definitely be one I’ll remember forever,” he said. “We have overcome so much adversity with injuries this year. We always had the next man up mentality and we all had trust in each other.”
That trust paid off Saturday on a day top-seeded Sallies (14-4) was forced to come from behind against an underdog but determined Vikings’ challenge.
Cape Henlopen (16-4), which fell to Salesianum, 10-6 in the regular season, used a 7-2 surge in the second, third and fourth periods to seize a 10-8 advantage. But then Sallies went on a 5-0 run to take control.
“This championship means everything to myself and the team,” said junior Rowyn Nurry, who had four goals for Salesianum. “Injuries scared this team like I have never seen before. We were playing for the guys injured, especially Carson Robins who was not able to play due to league restrictions. Jack Gormley set the standard for this year’s team and was there for us each step of the way, playing or not. Today was the product of a team win.”
Indeed, when Cape’s Joe Coveleski scored off a feed from Michael Guenther to give the Vikings a 10-8 lead with 11:06 to play, the Sals showed their resilience.
Luca Pompeii (three goals) started the Sals’ comeback with 9:09 to play. Then Noah Driggs found Cunningham to tie it, 10-10, with 7:42 left. Cunningham, who combined with fellow senior Connor Riley to win 19 of 26 faceoffs, fed Chase Black for the winning goal with 5:47 left before Nurry made it 12-10 just 30 seconds later. Elliot Dotson (three goals) added a late insurance goal.
“Nothing really changed, we stayed the course over the game and trusted each other,” said Nurry of the mentality of dealing with the deficit. “We knew that we weren’t going out without a win, so when we got the ball back we capitalized. Cape had a fantastic year and we knew how difficult the game was going to be. After we gained the lead we held onto it by possessing and playing smart.”
“After halftime, they went on a bit of a run,” Cunningham said. “I think our defense adjusted well to their offense after they scored a few and (goalie) Cam (Taylor) made a big save, then we were able to possess the ball on offense and capitalize.”
Riley and Chase Wildermuth also scored for the Sals. Luke Burton and Jahden Cannon each added two goals.
Salesianum was making its 16th consecutive appearance in the championship game, and has won 10 of the last 12 titles. Cape Henlopen made the finals for the seventh time in the last nine seasons and defeated the Sals in the 2008, 2014 and 2019 title games, while losing to Sallies in the 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022 finals.
” We know them and they know us inside and out,” said Cunningham. “So it came down to who wanted it more and who executed and we were able to execute in crunch time.”
Concluded Nurry: “The target was on our back and we realized this. Our coach stresses that we are the top program here in Delaware and that is exactly where we want to be. A special thanks to the coaching staff, players, parents and fans.”
Said Sallies coach Bobby Healy: “Losing Zack Friend Jack Gormley and Chase Cellucci to season ending injuries was a huge obstacle to overcome. Everyone stepped up and had each other’s backs and we stressed that we are never out of the fight. Really proud of this group the way they came together and overcame adversity! Great group of guys to be around!”