Mt. Lebanon boys take second in WPIAL LAX
Less than 12 hours after a 7-2 loss to Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL Division I championship game at Highmark Stadium at Station Square in Pittsburgh, the Mt. Lebanon boys’ lacrosse team was back on artificial turf practicing. Back to the basics would be the lesson of the day at the Blue Devils’ stadium.
“They’ll remember this lesson,” assured head coach Mike Ermer of the bitter defeat that ended Lebo’s reign as district champion.
“Fundamentals have helped us in the past but they failed us,” added Ermer of the decision against Shady Side. “That’s a product of our inexperience. We teach them these things,” he added of the basics, “but sometimes they don’t stick.”
Meanwhile, Dan Marous stuck it to Lebo. The senior captain, who will attend Notre Dame this fall, recorded a hat trick in lifting the Indians to victory. A four-sport standout, excelling also in football, soccer and basketball, Marous had scored 59 goals this spring.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Marous, who plans to major in chemistry in college, snapped a 1-1 halftime deadlock. Though Brendan White knotted the game, 2-2, for Lebo, Marous registered back-to-back goals, giving Shady Side a 4-2 advantage with 40 seconds left in the third frame.
“Marous is a great athlete. We certainly tried to be cautious of him and be aware of him at all times.
“He’s certainly a difference maker,” Ermer continued, “but he wasn’t the difference. One couldn’t pick out one point. It was a collective effort.”
Collectively Lebo featured nine seniors including captains Matthew Lee, Tim Donoghue, White and Brian McMullen along with John Marshall, Mark Kokot, Caleb Reynolds, Ben Marks and Louis Lucerne, who scored the team’s initial tally at 6:47 of the first frame..
The rest of the roster comprises underclassmen including leading scorer Sam White and top playmaker Brian Kelly. Both are juniors.
“We have no four-year letter winners,” Ermer said. “Our youth showed all season. I’m pleased to get to this point.”
Meanwhile, Shady Side reached the point as champions not just because of Marous. The Indians benefited from three, fourth-frame goals by Alec Bernstein, Clayton Krol and Pete McDonagh as well as solid play in the nets. Tucker Gillman recorded 20 saves against the Blue Devils. That performance came on the heels of a 12-save outing in a semifinal win against Upper St. Clair for the senior captain, who is a Georgetown recruit.
Despite the defeat, the Blue Devils, however, are qualified for the PIAA tournament. The 12-9 squad will play Erie Cathedral Prep, a 6-5 winner against District 6 champ State College in a play-in game, in first-round action.
“That’s the good thing,” said Ermer of the state qualification. “The sun will come up tomorrow and we’ll practice at 10:30 a.m. and see what we can do in the state tournament.”