Mt. Lebanon sacrifices all for WPIAL title
Blue Devils win lacrosse crown
Mt. Lebanon literally gave its eyetooth for its third straight WPIAL championship in girls lacrosse. At least Cali Green did.
Despite wearing a mouthguard, she lost a tooth during a collision on her second tally as the Blue Devils defeated Pine-Richland, 14-9, in the Class 3A final played May 20 at Upper St. Clair High School stadium. It was Lebo’s third consecutive district crown and eighth in program history.
“Oh my gosh, this was the most physical game I’ve played. I got hit in the head and lost a tooth,” Green said, covering her mouth. “We sacrificed a lot but it was all worth it. We’ve wanted this so bad for the seniors especially because we’ve all gotten so close with them,” continued Green, who is a junior. “Everybody contributed and without all our teammates, their passes, their drives, we wouldn’t get the open shots we do and our defense plays so well.”
Nina Crago agrees with that statement. She made more than a dozen critical stops in goal to insure Lebo’s triumph. She’s played lacrosse for years and for four seasons on the varsity but only got her break as a starter as a junior last spring.
“I’ve been with these girls for seven years so this is truly amazing. We’ve been working for this for years.”
Yet, Crago was apprehensive. Actually a bundle of nerves in the nets.
“My heart was racing when I was in there, and I was taking deep breaths the whole time. I was stressing, shaking. It’s a lot of pressure,” she admitted. “What it all comes down to is all you have to do is lock down on the ball.”
Even when the score favored Mt. Lebanon, 5-1, Crago zeroed in on her task as did the defenders in front of her including Chloe Shea. Rainiah Turnbull and Lily Kramer.
“I knew this was not over. There was still a lot of time left in the game and Pine-Richland is still a great team. They can come back from deficits. So you have to stay locked in and composed; trust your defense, keep the communication up and find new tactics. Most of all, watch the ball the whole time into my stick.”
The ball was flying off the sticks of Lebo’s as well as Pine-Richland’s high scorers.
Cate Gentile led all scorers. She tallied five goals in a losing effort. The Virginia Tech recruit made it a one-goal game, 8-7, with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
Lucy Pryor responded. She converted a free-position goal to make it 9-7 before the Blue Devils reeled off five in a row, including three tallies in 30 seconds.
Pryor had another goal in the spree and finished with four scores. Grace Manning notched two of her three goals during the stretch.
Vivi Warhola scored twice in the game. Despite being heavily defended, Quinn Murdoch also provided a tally for the Blue Devils, who led 3-1 after the first frame.
“It’s been a total team effort,” said Lebo skipper Brian Kattan. “We have seven or eight people who score goals every game for us and we have a tremendous defense and a great senior class. They’re all great kids, great players and leaders. I can’t say enough about them.”
In addition to Murdoch, who is a Cincinnati recruit, Crago, Cramer, Pryor, and Shea, the senior class also includes MJ Gill, McKenna Wertz, Kat Walters, Lilly Evan and Madelaine Whalen.
“This championship is very significant because I’ve gotten to do this with my best friends and I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else,” said Pryor, who will focus on environmental studies at Lehigh University after she graduates.
“I know I could not have done this without my team and my best friends always supporting me on and off the field. We’re always helping each other. We have each other’s backs whenever everything goes sideways. That’s why this is so awesome.”