Spring-Ford and Owen J. Roberts Face Off (Again!) in Boys Lacrosse PAC-10 Final

When the creators of this great game competed, the games would go on for days and over great distances, probably not unlike the distance between these two high schools.  Spring-Ford and OJR will square off for the 7th consecutive season in the PAC-10 Championhip in Boys Lacrosse tonight at 6:30 PM at Phoenixville High School.  Each team holds 3 conference titles so far so this will be more than just championship glory, overall bragging rights on the line as well.

Furthermore, rivalries require two teams that respect the other greatly, but certainly have no love for each other either.  Like last year, these two teams split the regular season series 1 game apiece winning on their own home turf each time.  Last year's incredible come-from-behind victory for Spring-Ford with under one second to go in the game was as thrilling as any game these two have played in their series history.

Suffice to say, tonight will be a game where you throw out all the stats and all the history and just watch two teams go at it for conference supremacy.  Be ready for another terrific game between the two storied programs.

As for the game, it will come down to which team can instill it's style of play on the other.  Spring-Ford can run with most teams and has the depth to do it but would much more prefer to control the pace and choose when they want to run and when the want to possess.  That's not to say the Rams can't do damage in the wide open game, their snipers, and there are many on this team, can score from just about any where inside the restraining line.  They can break you down one on one and they can use motion and ball movement to open up high quality looks.  

Owen J. Roberts wants to the game to be fast paced and unsettled.  They are like a basketball team that loves to press you all over the court and create turnovers and get into transition.  They move the ball in those situations better than just about any team in the Philadelphia area.  When Owen J. Roberts gets the game going this way, they score in bunches and can just swallow the game up and put you away.

Spring-Ford led by a decorated group of seniors, some looking for their third straight conference title, will have to continue to confidently lead this team to victory.  While Tuesday nights semifinal had some tense moments, the seniors came thru on both ends of the field to put away a Bears squad that was primed to knock the Rams off.

When you play 18 games in 35 days, no one can say their are completely healthy at this time.  Owen J. Roberts has had serious blows to their overall health with leading scorer Ryan Kent playing on virtually one leg, if he is able to go at all.  Kent is possibly the best crease scorer in the area and if he can't go, that is a big blow. John Pannell is also slowed by a knee injury.  These two injuries upset their offensive balance.  Having said that, don't be surprised that both of these players will have a significant impact on tonights game as they will pour their heart in to whatever they can provide for their team.  The Wildcats have been bouyed by some young players stepping in like Andrew DeCarlo and Austin Delgatto and others like Sam Garges and the always dangerous Chris Antich still providing explosive offense.

In this game, possession if everything, you can't score without the ball which will place special emphasis on the face off X.  Dan Garges and Matt Della Croce are exceptional face off specialists and they should have an epic battle for pride and possesion for their squads.  Garges can create instant offense off his wins and Della Croce has the ability to stop surges because of his prowess in the trench.

Goaltending always has been a major factor in this rivalry.  While both Christian Wood and Matt Messerle would both tell you, their semi-final performances weren't what they pride themselves in, they also made several critical saves when momentum was swinging towards their opponents.  Neither will be phased by the importance of this game.  These two are two of the best in the conference and expect both to live up to their expectations and provide their team a chance to take home the prize.

As we said earlier, throw everything out the window when these two step on the field to face each other.  Their is to much pride and heart on both these benches and they will let it all hang out because their is nothing better than victory, their is nothing sweeter when you have victory over you rival.

Expect Spring-Ford to win some early face-offs and try to get out early on the Wildcats.  The key will be when the Cats make their run, and they will make their run, can Spring-Ford counter either with big saves and their own transition, or regaining possession at the face off X and not let Owen J. Roberts get a multi-goal run.  In the end, if the Wildcats can't make this a wide open game, they may find it very difficult to stay with the Rams ability to score.

6 years, 3 championships for each team.  Much like the early days, tonight will swing history to one side or the other and the 7th year will give one of these programs their 4th and the right to say, they will be the most succesful program in PAC-10 Boys lacrosse history.