Fast start helps fuel victory for Mt. Lebanon boys lacrosse team
Mt. Lebanon boys lacrosse coach Mike Ermer appreciates quality talent, and he's had plenty of that on his Blue Devils' team for the past few years. But it's no surprise that he appreciates the abilities of players on opposing teams.
Such was the case last Wednesday night when Sewickley Academy standout senior attack Rob Kendall scored two late fourth-quarter goals to get his Panthers within striking distance before the Blue Devils successfully survived a 6-5 victory over the Panthers to take sole possession of first place in WPIAL Division 1, Section 1 with an overall record of 9-3 and section mark of 5-0.
The No. 2 Blue Devils played University of Detroit Jesuit last Saturday. They finish the regular season at No. 4 Upper St. Clair (11-4) on Wednesday.
"I have a lot of respect for Rob, and I've known him for a number of years," Ermer said of Kendall moments after his team's victory. "You can shut him down early, but you have to keep him down. I think that was proved tonight. It's never easy between Sewickley and Mt. Lebanon and that goes back to when I was playing (in the 1990s). It was a great game and a lot of fun."
Ermer noted that his team had lost 12 seniors from the 2011 team that won the WPIAL Division 1 championship. But if this season is any indication, the future is bright for the Blue Devils as their leading scorer on Wednesday was sophomore Louis Lucerne.
"This is Louis' first year starting on varsity," Ermer said. "He's been brought along by Tim (McNichol) and Doran (Graham) throughout the year," he said. "Bu there comes a time in every kid's life where he has to step up, and Louis certainly answered the bell for us tonight. That was great to see. The kid works so hard every day. He has a great work ethic, and I couldn't be happier with it."
Ermer was pleased that his team had the section lead all to itself, but he and his team aren't overlooking archrival Upper St. Clair. The 11-4 Panthers fell to Sewickley Academy, 6-3, on April 11. That loss was the first of three successive setbacks for the Panthers, which also lost to No. 1 Seneca Valley (14-5) and District 6 stalwart State College (9-8).
Since the loss to the Little Lions, Upper St. Clair has has won five games in a row with four of those victories over ranked opponents Pine-Richland (No. 5/ 9-7), Hampton (No. 10/ 7-6), Butler Area (No. 9/ 13-6) and Peters Township (No. 6/ 12-10).
Coach Mike Messina's Panthers team visits No. 8 North Allegheny (8-6) on Monday before hosting Mt. Lebanon.
"We have to try to take care of (Upper St. Clair) on Wednesday," Ermer said. "There's just something about Panthers and Blue Devils that don't get along. It's their Senior Night, so they'll be flying around. The way the playoffs are shaping up, there will b no easy teams that we'll match up against. Being first in the section is great, but it doesn't set up any easy table for anybody."
Such was the case last Wednesday night when Sewickley Academy standout senior attack Rob Kendall scored two late fourth-quarter goals to get his Panthers within striking distance before the Blue Devils successfully survived a 6-5 victory over the Panthers to take sole possession of first place in WPIAL Division 1, Section 1 with an overall record of 9-3 and section mark of 5-0.
The No. 2 Blue Devils played University of Detroit Jesuit last Saturday. They finish the regular season at No. 4 Upper St. Clair (11-4) on Wednesday.
"I have a lot of respect for Rob, and I've known him for a number of years," Ermer said of Kendall moments after his team's victory. "You can shut him down early, but you have to keep him down. I think that was proved tonight. It's never easy between Sewickley and Mt. Lebanon and that goes back to when I was playing (in the 1990s). It was a great game and a lot of fun."
Ermer noted that his team had lost 12 seniors from the 2011 team that won the WPIAL Division 1 championship. But if this season is any indication, the future is bright for the Blue Devils as their leading scorer on Wednesday was sophomore Louis Lucerne.
"This is Louis' first year starting on varsity," Ermer said. "He's been brought along by Tim (McNichol) and Doran (Graham) throughout the year," he said. "Bu there comes a time in every kid's life where he has to step up, and Louis certainly answered the bell for us tonight. That was great to see. The kid works so hard every day. He has a great work ethic, and I couldn't be happier with it."
Ermer was pleased that his team had the section lead all to itself, but he and his team aren't overlooking archrival Upper St. Clair. The 11-4 Panthers fell to Sewickley Academy, 6-3, on April 11. That loss was the first of three successive setbacks for the Panthers, which also lost to No. 1 Seneca Valley (14-5) and District 6 stalwart State College (9-8).
Since the loss to the Little Lions, Upper St. Clair has has won five games in a row with four of those victories over ranked opponents Pine-Richland (No. 5/ 9-7), Hampton (No. 10/ 7-6), Butler Area (No. 9/ 13-6) and Peters Township (No. 6/ 12-10).
Coach Mike Messina's Panthers team visits No. 8 North Allegheny (8-6) on Monday before hosting Mt. Lebanon.
"We have to try to take care of (Upper St. Clair) on Wednesday," Ermer said. "There's just something about Panthers and Blue Devils that don't get along. It's their Senior Night, so they'll be flying around. The way the playoffs are shaping up, there will b no easy teams that we'll match up against. Being first in the section is great, but it doesn't set up any easy table for anybody."
lacrosse