USC looking to etch name on a WPIAL lacrosse trophy
Since 2009, the WPIAL has crowned champions in boys lacrosse but none have been from Upper St. Clair. The Panthers hope to etch their name on the 2024 trophy.
“We want to win a WPIAL championship. That is the goal,” said Matt Trella, who shares coaching duties with Ryan Shorts. “We have a team capable of doing that and we have a capable group of players that can make a run in the playoffs.”
The Panthers are considered one of the top four teams in Class 3A. They finished runner-up to Mt. Lebanon in the Section I race with a 6-1 slate. USC’s only other losses were non-section battles against three teams from Philadelphia and Mars, which has won the past seven Class 2A titles.
“Mars is pretty amazing,” Trella said. “We’ve played a tough schedule in Philly. We are battle-tested.”
So are Mt. Lebanon and Shady Side Academy not to mention North Allegheny and Pine-Richland. The Blue Devils are the defending 3A champions. SSA, which took the crown in 2022, claimed this year’s Section II championship with a 7-0 record followed by NA and P-R.
“Lebo is strong and Shady Side is very talented as well,” Trella said. In addition to the Tigers and Rams, Trella added that Peters Township, which placed third in the section and earned a postseason berth, is “solid” as well.
So reaching the WPIAL finals set for May 22-23 at Joe Walton Stadium on the campus of Robert Morris University will be a challenge for all playoff teams involved. The Panthers received a first-round bye in the tournament and will start their playoff run May 16.
“The goal is to get there and win but making it (to the finals) makes you an automatic PIAA qualifier,” Trella said. “So being one of the two top AAA teams is another goal.”
Individually, Dalton Yates and Ryan Buonomo have accumulated their share of goals this season.
Yates became the school’s all-time points leader. The University of Indianapolis recruit had 207 going into the team’s final games against Bethel Park and Pine-Richland.
In a 17-7 win against the Black Hawks, Yates led the offensive attack with three goals. He tacked on two assists in a 15-8 win against the Rams.
“Dalton’s is very quick. Skilled,” Trella said. “He has a great lacrosse IQ, possesses great vision and makes defenders miss because he dodges well.”
Buonomo became the school’s all-time goal getter. The junior had 160 scores after firing in seven tallies in the regular-season finale against the Rams. He chalked up two scores in the win against BP as did Oscar Leimkuehler, Nathan Haberman and Cooper Rackley.
“Ryan also has a great IQ and is a great player,” Trella said. “He has an awesome shot and he’s very good at turning the corner at the net. He has a fast release and a fast shot.”
Yates and Buonomo share duties as team captains with Sam Levine. The senior is a midfielder on the team. He will attend Ohio State in the fall.
“Great leaders,” Trella said of the trio. “A lot of the younger guys look up to them and they have been great resources for us coaches. Very supportive because it hasn’t been easy. They are excellent kids who helped us a lot.”
USC’s season started in upheaval as the head coach resigned abruptly. Former teammates at Westminster College, Trella and Shorts took over the reins. A Moon graduate, Trella served as the head coach at Greensburg last year. Shorts, who was born in Upper St. Clair but spent his youth living in California, served as an assistant coach for the Panthers in 2023.
“We’ve overcome some adversity this season,” Trella said. “All-around we’ve managed to have a good year because we have a good core of players.”
In addition to the captains, Holden Rickel anchors the midfield with a host of junior players, including Evan Proud, Charlie Bywalski, Leimkuehler and Haberman. Rickel is a St. Joe’s commit.
Luca Grilli, who is bound for Walsh University upon graduation, anchors the USC defense along with Beck Shields, Bobby Fleckenstein, Gianna Disora, Logan Lapinski and Rackley.
Tyler Newton and Ashton Kearns have shared the duties in goal while Sullivan Mayfield has handled the faceoff duties for the Panthers.
Seniors Mason Chambers, who will play football at John Carroll University, and Connor McQuade, who study political science at Miami (Ohio) University, along with Ryan Popp, Robert Elliot, Seth Williams, Jake Stalder, Chase Dusi and Tyler Holt have also contributed to the team’s success.
“We are a physical team that can move the ball fast and pass well,” Trella said. “Staying healthy in the playoffs is the goal.
“A big thing also will be consistency,” he added. “We have to limit mistakes and mental errors. Down the stretch that is what we have been doing and gaining momentum at the right time.”
A senior recognition to remember
Sam Levine had a senior recognition to remember. The 18-year-old son of Stephen and Kara Levine received a standing ovation from the overflow crowd assembled May 6 for Upper St. Clair’s lacrosse match against Bethel Park.
A midfielder, who has been accepted at Ohio State University to study business, Levine was diagnosed only four days earlier with a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Brain Tumor.
DIPG is an aggressive childhood cancer that forms in the brain stem. It is extremely rare, inoperable, and difficult to treat.
Levine will begin radiation treatment shortly which will be followed by participation in clinical trials.
According to Alissa Mammana, who has started a GoFundMe page to help offset the expenses that will result from his treatment, “Sam’s energy and silliness is infectious. He brings happiness to those around him.”
That was evident as his other senior honorees Connor McQuade, Chamber Mason, Dalton Yates and Luca Grilli, lifted him up and carried him through the balloon display for the recognition ceremony with their parents. In addition, all of the players affixed a sticker with his initials and number onto their helmets and will continue to wear them through the duration of the playoffs.
In the crowd as well were many of his classmates, which make up the vocal Upper St. Clair student section that provides the enthusiasm and cheers during sporting events, especially football and basketball games. The seating area designated in the stadium for the students was entirely filled with Levine’s fans.
“We were very thankful for the support,” said USC coach Matt Trella. “The outreach and showing is surely a testament to the type of person Sam Levine is.”
As of May 8, $180,612 has been raised for the care Levine will need that is not covered by insurance, including travel to various cities for medical trials and other unanticipated expenses.
Visit www.gofundme.com to make a donation.