Penncrest had one semi-anxious moment in what was otherwise a textbook performance Saturday in the PIAA Boys Lacrosse championship game.
The Lions, making their first ever PIAA final appearance in any sport, had to weather a three-minute man advantage from District 1 champ Avon Grove early in the fourth quarter. They did and then promptly reclaimed the momentum en route to a 12-7 win at Hersheypark Stadium.
Both teams were making their first PIAA boys' lacrosse championship game appearance, but it was the Lions who looked like they had been here so many times before.
Will Manganiello led the way with a game-high five goals, Alex Bonnett scored two goals and two assists and Ethan Trusty added two timely goals of his own for Penncrest, which also got a fine effort in goal from Dylan McCleaft (14 saves).
Eric Russo scored three goals and an assist, while Tanner Peck and Beau Kush each scored twice for Avon Grove.
AFTER SHAKY FIRST QUARTER...
Penncrest grabbed this game by the throat and blanked Avon Grove over the second and third quarters. The Red Devils led 3-1 on a Kush goal with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
It was all Penncrest for the next two quarters.
The Lions scored the next eight goals as Manganiello scored four straight, including a second quarter tally in which he scooped the ball and flipped it behind his back in one fluid motion. His unassisted score with 9:34 left in the first half gave his team its first lead at 4-3.
Manganiello then scored on a feed from Drew Hanna with 4:42 left in the second quarter to make it 5-3 at the break. Penncrest scored four more times in the third quarter and took a commanding 9-3 lead into the final frame.
AVON GROVE'S RUN
An illegal stick penalty at the end of the third quarter gave the Red Devils and three-minute, non-releasable man advantage.
Avon Grove managed to scored three times during that stretch - all three from Russo - to claw within 9-6 with just over nine minutes to play. But it also lost two ensuing faceoffs after goals thanks to a dominating effort from Penncrest senior faceoff Dylan Protesto.
After Russo's last score made it a three-goal game, Trusty stepped on the field and scored nine seconds after the penalty expired to make it 10-6. Bonnett and Robert Logan also solved AG goalie Will Schreiner to stretch the lead to 12-6.
Schreiner, a senior, still turned in a solid effort for Avon Grove with nine saves.