Jun 14, 2017 By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read

When it mattered most, Mt. Lebanon played its best, and as a result there is cause for celebration in the community for boys’ lacrosse. The Blue Devils ended their 13-10 campaign with a loss to Conestoga, 13-3, in the semifinals of the PIAA tournament.

“Overall, it was a good year,” said Lebo skipper Mike Ermer. “We dealt with a lot of adversity. Obviously, the regular season record was not up to par, but we managed to circle the wagons and perform well in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs.”

Lebo, indeed, played well during the postseason. The Blue Devils reached the district finals only to fall to rival Peters Township, 12-11, in double overtime.

Lebo then defeated the District 1 and 6 champions to reach the Final Four in the state before falling to Conestoga. The Pioneers had won three PIAA titles and finished second for the third time since 2008, when they lost a double-overtime decision, 5-4, to Avon Grove in the championship match played June 10 at Harold Zimmerman Stadium in West Chester.

In the PIAA semifinals, Lebo played even with the Pioneers, tying them, 2-2, after one frame. The Blue Devils trailed, 5-2, at intermission. “We put up a good fight but things got away from us in the second half,” Ermer said.

In the loss, John Sramac, Tim McMullen and Connor Brumfield scored goals. Sramac also added an assist.

Brumfield was one of 13 seniors on the team, along with Matt Kelly, Colin White, Patrick Moeller, David Harvey, Matt Lackner, Owen Myers, Sean Witte, Jesse Dodd, Patrick McAnally, Ian Walsh, Nathan Bashaw and Cameron Haley.

In addition to garnering All-WPIAL and all-section acclaim, Brumfield, who will play lacrosse at Ithaca College, gained All-America laurels. Harvey, who will play football at Princeton, earned all-district and all-section honors along with McAnally, who will play at Swarthmore College. Meanwhile, Hayley will play both lacrosse and football at Grove City.

“This senior class is leaving some big holes,” Ermer remarked. However, he is “excited” to see the younger guys step up next year.

Sramac is one of those youth. He was one of six freshmen on the roster. The others were Jack Sullivan, Blake Nelson, Andrew Zundel, Tucker Welch and Carter Davidson.

McMullen is one of 14 juniors on the roster, along with Antonio LaSota, Sam Rothschild, Jon Stewart, Evan Rambo, Kenny Giarla, August Henry, Jake Brown, Sean Smith, Kyle Dalson, Mark Pesacreta, Matteo Fabi, Brendan McCarthy and Trevor Tocchet.

The roster also features eight sophomores: Daniel Kovalan, Tim Alder, Zach Nickolas, Gus Falbo, Adam Marks, Brendan Guest, Matt Vines and Ryan Kosmer.

“There are some great opportunities for these guys to step up and make their mark on the program,” Ermer said. “We played some freshman through the WPIAL and PIAA rounds, so they will have some great experience moving forward. The coaching staff is very excited about the 2018 season.”