Susquehannock earns dramatic OT win vs. Central York in boys' showdown; other Tuesday lacrosse
No one ever won anything by giving up.
That’s a lesson that the Susquehannock Warriors took to heart and displayed in full force on Tuesday night.
The Central York Panthers faced off at home against the Warriors in a York-Adams boys’ lacrosse showdown and Susquehannock emerged with a dramatic 10-9 overtime triumph.
It was the first win for the Warriors over the Panthers in almost a decade and the 10th overall win for the unbeaten Warriors, who improved to 9-0-0 in the York-Adams League.
It was an exciting match that featured a game-winning score by Ben Tomasic.
The Panthers dominated the first half, taking a 5-3 lead, but couldn’t protect that lead against the visiting Warriors. A statement third period helped the Warriors tie the game entering the fourth period at 8-8.
Both teams struggled to score in the final period, with strong play from the defenses. Susquehannock did a great job controlling ground balls and kept the ball away from the Panthers.
When overtime opened, the Warriors quickly gathered the ball and controlled it for the first few minutes. The Panthers barely touched the ball and could only watch as Tomasic converted the winning goal.
The Warriors then erupted in celebration.
Susquehannock head coach Thomas Mayne, who formerly coached at Central York, was impressed by the resilience his team.
“We trailed most of the game, but we kept fighting,” he said. “We took care of the ball better and they had a better game plan in the first half. We took our time and settled down.”
The outcome was a far cry from the 2021 result, when Central rolled to a 14-5 victory over Susquehannock.
It was 4-1 at the end of the first period, with the Panthers keeping the ball in their hands and taking plenty of shots at the goal.
The first half was an example of why the Panthers were probably considered the favorite entering the night. The second half, however, was a different story. Central struggled to keep possession of the ball and had many more out-of-bounds plays than in the first half.
Central, the defending York-Adams regular-season champion, entered the game at 11-0-0 and 9-0-0 in the league. The Panthers also entered the contest at No. 1 in the District 3 Class 3-A power ratings. Susquehannock entered No. 2 in the District 3 Class 2-A power ratings.
Both teams had been dominant against York-Adams competition. Susquehannock had won each of its league games by at least eight goals. Central York had won each of its league games by at least six goals. Something had to give on Tuesday.
Central York head coach Ryan Muller was disappointed in the second half and wished his team had played better.
“We struggled in defense,” he said. “We gave them six or seven goals. We have to take care of the crease and make sure we aren’t giving easy goals."
Myers Macon had two goals for Central York. Alec Fahs also had two goals and two assists for the home team.
Tomasic had four goals, including the game-winner, for the road team, and came up clutch in the second half. Dominic Eckels added two goals and an assist, while Ben Oestrike and Zach Pecunes each added a goal and an assist.
Tuesday’s outcome may just be round one. The two teams could well meet again in the York-Adams playoffs.
OTHER BOYS’ LACROSSE
West York 8, York Catholic 5: At York Catholic, Zach Richter and Conner Michael led the Bulldogs by each scoring two goals and adding one assist. Also for West York, Tyler Michael scored two goals, Nasir Jones scored one goal and added one assist and goalie Griffin Brumbaugh made 11 stops. For the Irish, Austin Marechal scored two goals and Austin Cremen scored one goal and added one assist.
Dallastown 16, Spring Grove 1: At Spring Grove, the Wildcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead after on quarter and never looked back, improving to 9-4.
Red Lion 18, Dover 4: At Red Lion, the Lions rolled to an easy win to move to 10-2 on the season.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Eastern York 13, New Oxford 7: At New Oxford, the Golden Knights moved over the .500 mark at 7-6 with the win. New Oxford fell to 7-3 and had its five-game win streak snapped. Victoria Zerbe led the Golden Knights by scoring seven goals and adding one assist. Also for Eastern, Sophia Hoff and Taylor Sawmiller each scored two goals, while Sadie Buser made seven stops in goal to pick up the win. For the Colonials, Ally Mathis scored three goals and added one assist.
Red Lion 19, Dover 0: At Red Lion, Hannah Connors led the Lions (7-5) to the victory by scoring seven goals and adding two assists. Also for Red Lion, Izzy Dill scored four goals, Tori Fumia scored two goals and added two assists, Kaelyn Eaches scored three goals and Kassidy Wagaman scored two goals.
York Catholic 23, West York 6: At West York, the Irish moved to 12-1 with their 10th straight win.
South Western 28, Gettysburg 3: At Hanover, the Mustangs improved to 10-2 with their fourth consecutive win.
Susquehannock 15, Central York 2: At Glen Rock, the Warriors are 10-1 after the easy victory.
Reach Dante Green at dgreen@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @TaySean14. Dave VanO'Linda contributed to this report.