Wigley scores seven in Shawnee boys' lacrosse win over Cherokee
Dan Wigley's teammates kept asking him how many goals he had scored. He lost track. "I didn't know for sure," Wigley, a junior attack, said after generating a career-high seven goals in Shawnee's 14-1 victory over Cherokee Wednesday in the boys' lacrosse season opener for both teams.
Dan Wigley's teammates kept asking him how many goals he had scored.
He lost track.
"I didn't know for sure," Wigley, a junior attack, said after generating a career-high seven goals in Shawnee's 14-1 victory over Cherokee Wednesday in the boys' lacrosse season opener for both teams.
Junior attack Brad Scheffler collected two goals and two assists, and junior midfielder Mike Shinske added two goals for Shawnee (1-0), the No. 2 team in the Inquirer's preseason Top 10 rankings.
"There was a lot of jitters with the first game, but I was proud of the boys," Shawnee coach Erik Stilley said. "I thought they came out focused. They rode well. They cleared well, and we got a lot of ground balls, which always is big for us."
Wigley had a hat trick in the first quarter as Shawnee broke to a 4-1 lead on school-district rival Cherokee (0-1), the No. 8 team in the rankings.
Wigley showed a knack for perfect placement and good timing. His third goal came with just two seconds remaining in the first quarter, and his fourth resulted from a blast into the top right corner of the net with 19 seconds left in the half.
"I had some openings, and I was able to hit them," said Wigley, a Loyola recruit.
Stilley believes the Renegades will be a potent, balanced offensive team. The coach said Wednesday was Wigley's day.
"He turned it on," Stilley said of Wigley. "He was the guy today. Hopefully, another game will be another guy. We have that kind of offense."
Wigley said he never scored seven goals in a game, not in youth lacrosse, not in travel play.
"I've had a few in some games, but maybe not seven," Wigley said.
With a huge advantage in possession, Shawnee was able to spend most of the game in the offensive end. Wigley took advantage of great ball movement by his teammates to pump in three more goals after halftime.
"It feels great," Wigley said. "It was all my teammates. They set me up. It was a six-man show."
Cherokee 1 0 0 0 - 1
Shawnee 4 6 3 1 - 14
Goals: C-Ryan Rafferty. S-Dan Wigley 7, Mike Shinske 2, Brad Scheffler 2, Mike DiGenova, Mike Githens, Lucas Stroud.
Saves: C-Sam Stasio, 5, Chase Campbell 5. S-Ryan Miller, 3.
@PhilAnastasia
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