Episcopal boys advance in Inter-Ac Invitational lacrosse
The Churchmen downed Springside Chestnut Hill, 9-4, to earn a rematch with an Indiana power.
The heart wants what it wants. For Episcopal Academy senior Conner Delaney, that means a career in college basketball, not lacrosse.
However, that doesn't mean the long-stick midfielder isn't still a force on the field.
On Wednesday, Delaney's defense helped the Churchmen hold off Springside Chestnut Hill, 9-4, in the sweltering heat during the quarterfinals of the Inter-Ac Invitational.
"Our defensive guys have gotten better and better and we've asked a lot of our first-year starters, Colin [Loughead] and Ryan [McAnn], to guard some of the best kids in the area and today it really showed," said Delaney, also a standout point guard on the Episcopal basketball team. "And we had the same [great] goaltending we've had all year. I think Jake Floyd-Jones has been the best goalie around from what I've seen. He was a stone wall tonight."
Floyd-Jones finished with eight saves (three in the fourth quarter). Connor Ringwalt, Gabe Furey, C.J. McAnally, and Nate Emrick led Episcopal with two goals apiece.
Delaney, who will play Division III basketball at Johns Hopkins next year, bolstered the defense.
Springside Chestnut Hill nabbed the early momentum after Mac McLaughlin netted the game's first goal.
But Delaney forced a turnover, chased and recovered the ball near the sideline, and started a fastbreak that led to a Ringwalt goal, which sparked a 3-0 Episcopal run.
It was a sequence that was reminiscent of Delaney's basketball career: a selfless play that led to a teammate's getting the glory.
Delaney had committed to Division I Villanova for lacrosse during the summer before his junior season. But after a stellar junior basketball campaign, the wheels of change churned in his mind.
"Basketball was my first love," he said. "I always thought I was a basketball player. And a little bit of the Division I thing caught my eye. When I got to thinking after I committed, I just couldn't imagine myself not playing four years of basketball in college."
Delaney was first-team all- league in his final two basketball seasons. He's also one of the area's best long-poles in lacrosse.
The temperature touched 91 degrees just before game time. An exhausted Delaney praised sophomore Kevin King for earning enough trust to become a valuable sub throughout the season.
McAnally, another senior lacrosse convert, scored a goal that gave the Churchmen a 6-4 lead with 10 minutes, 37 seconds left. McAnally had committed to play lacrosse at the University of Maryland but instead will play football at Delaware.
McLaughlin led Springside Chestnut Hill with two goals.
In other action at the Inter-Ac Invitational, Malvern knocked off Lawrenceville, 19-7. Next up for the Churchmen will be Culver Academy, which won the tournament last season. The Indiana-based school also beat the Churchmen, 11-6, earlier this season.
"This is huge for us because it's always tough to beat a team three times, and to beat a tough Chestnut Hill team three times in tightly contested games means a lot," Delaney said. "And we get another chance at Culver, which is what we wanted all year."
Episcopal 3 1 2 3 - 9
Springside Chestnut Hill 1 1 2 0 - 4
EA: Gabe Furey 2, Connor Ringwalt 2, CJ McAnally 2, Nate Emrick 2, Quinn Chambers.
SCH: Mac McLaughlin 2, Brendan Clark, Parker Popky.
Saves: EA - Jake Floyd-Jones 8; SCH - Bern Popky 7.
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