The spring sports season kicked off this week, and the Delone Catholic Squires couldn’t have asked for a better evening of weather when they hosted their lacrosse home-opener on a sunny and warm March 19 at J.T. Flaherty Field.
Riding the momentum of their season-opening win at Conrad Weiser two nights earlier, the Squires welcomed the Cougars of Lancaster Country Day on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup to stay undefeated in the early goings of the season.
Seniors Nate Smith and Sam Hall opened the scoring early for the Squires, who never relinquished their lead, even though the Cougars kept the game close in its opening stages. John Keely, Noah Hall and Will Holtz also found the back of the net for the Squires in the first half, with Holtz’s first of a game-high four goals coming in the final two minutes of the half after the Cougars’ goaltender turned the ball over after what should have been an easy pick up.
Early in the second half, Delone swarmed the Cougar net to sail to a 9-3 lead after third-quarter goals by the Hall brothers and two more from Holtz. But the Cougars wouldn’t go quietly, and their three tallies in the first four minutes of the final quarter found the Squire’s lead dwindling, 9-6.
Gathering his team in a much-needed timeout, Squires’ head coach Gregory Holtz gave his troops time to readjust after a few costly turnovers that threatened their lead. It was the reset they needed, as Noah Hall netted his third of the night and Holtz put the game out of reach, sending the Squires to an 11-7 win.
In a postgame interview, Senior Noah Hall said one of the team’s goals this year is to eclipse their number of wins last season. And with two victories already on their scoresheet, they’re already nearing last year’s three-win mark.
“We’re happy to get off to a hot start here in our first two games,” he said. “We have some tough teams coming up on our schedule – Dallastown, York Catholic, Central York – so we want to increase our intensity every day. And even in those tougher games that we might not win, we just want to play our hardest and bring 110 percent every game.”
This season is the final one for the Hall brothers, and Noah said he’s taking it all in.
“Playing the game with my brother Sam is just a joy. It has been awesome to share every moment with him these four years. I take all the highs and the lows and enjoy them with him. I just love every moment of the game,” he said.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
