WYOMING – Wyoming Area controlled parts of the middle of the game, but was never able to overcome a shaky start in its first District 2 boys lacrosse semifinal appearance.
Crestwood used the game’s first six and last five goals to post a 13-6 victory in the Class 2A semifinal that Wyoming Area earned the right to host by winning the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 title in just its third season.
“For a year three program, I’m excited that we’re at the level we are,” Wyoming Area coach Shaun Rohland said. “I’m happy with where we’re at overall.”
Rohland, however, was not happy with how flat his team was early and how it did not take the shots necessary to score.
After the Warriors possessed the ball for the first 4:17, Crestwood scored six times in a span of 4:50 to open a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Wyoming Area fought back to within 6-4 before halftime and 8-6 before the midway point in the third quarter, but the Warriors did not score again.
“Their high-pressure defense worked for them,” Crestwood coach Brian Zabroski said.
Zabroski was impressed with Wyoming Area’s efforts to get the ball.
“Their face-off guy (Justin Joseph) is phenomenal,” he said. “That gave them a big advantage.
“They were a different team in the second quarter. They were all hustle on the field and best us in the groundball game.”
Alex Hawk scored at the end of the first quarter and again early in the second quarter to get the Wyoming Area comeback started.
Jake Switzer, Sam Greenfield and Dominic DeLuca each finished with a goal and an assist.
F.J. Braccini had the other goal while Jake Urban added an assist.
Curtis Hager made 10 saves in the loss.
Crestwood’s Reed Karaska also made 10 saves, six of which came after Wyoming Area scored its last goal.
BASEBALL
Pittston Area used a five-run fifth inning and a clutch game-ending play by shortstop Kyle O’Fier to defeat host Coughlin, 5-4, May 20 in a District 2 Class 5A quarterfinal.
The Patriots, however, were eliminated Wednesday with a 5-0 loss at the Lackawanna League Division 2 champion Wallenpaupack, the tournament’s second seed.
Coughlin had just broken a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the fourth when Pittston Area came back, first breaking up Chase Nowak’s no-hitter, then moving in front by scoring all their runs in the inning.
Freshman Joe Cencetti broke up Nowak’s no-hitter with a leadoff double.
The Patriots loaded the bases before a single by Joe DeLucca and a triple by O’Fier each drove in two runs.
Coughlin closed to within 5-4 on back-to-back RBI singles by T.J. Wozniak and Nowak in the sixth, then loaded the bases in the seventh.
O’Fier charged a slower grounder in front of him, picked up the ball and threw across the diamond just in time to get the game-ended out.
Tyler Jackson scattered 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings to get the win. Hunter Ralston got the last four outs without allowing a run to pick up the save.
DeLucca and O’Fier each finished with two hits.
O’Fier also had two of his team’s four hits in the season-ending loss at Wallenpaupack.
The Buckhorns did all their scoring in the first two innings with one in the first and four in the bottom of the second.
SOFTBALL
Wyoming Area had its District 2 Class 4A playoff opener postponement Thursday because of rain.
The Lady Warriors, seeded fourth in the 11-team field, were rescheduled to host West Scranton Saturday afternoon in a game that was not completed before deadline for this edition.
GIRLS LACROSSE
West Pittston’s Kate Romanowski was the leading scorer in both the semifinals and finals when Wyoming Seminary won its seventh straight District 2 title.
Romanowski had five goals and an assist in Monday’s 12-4 semifinal win over Dallas, then had four goals in Wednesday’s 13-9 championship game win over Lake-Lehman.
The senior midfielder had three goals in the first half of the final when the Blue Knights jumped out to a 9-1 lead.
