Tiger Comeback Falls Just Short To Manheim Township
By: Jared Barton
The North Allegheny boys’ lacrosse team fought hard in the fourth quarter, but comeback efforts fell short as Manheim Township beat NA 11-8 in the first round of the PIAA Tournament at the Manheim Football Stadium.
Senior Simon Bowen was the star for the Blue Streaks, scoring six of the 11 total goals, including three man-up markers. Bowen scored the first two goals of the contest before junior Nick Sichak found the back of the net with seven seconds remaining in the frame to cut the lead in half.
Ellis Vorhis Witmer and Bowen extended the lead to 4-1 in the second period before junior Johnny Castillo cut the lead in half once again. Bowen netted his fourth to take a 5-2 lead at the half.
Township kept the momentum going off goals from Adan Garaffa and Charlie Hill before Sichak found his second of the game, assisted by senior Sam Porter. Bowen scored his fifth at the end of the stanza to take an 8-3 lead.
Hill scored his second marker to start the fourth, giving the Streaks a six-goal cushion that would disappear quickly. Senior Colman Craft started the comeback, followed by back-to-back tallies from junior Colt Gibson, assisted by Porter and sophomore Mason Brown respectively. Castillo netted back-to-back markers off two crazy bounces to bring the score to 9-8 with just over two minutes to play. In crunch time for the Tigers, Bowen scored his sixth on the man-up opportunity and Hill buried a hat-trick marker for good measure in the final minute to seal the deal for the Streaks.
Junior Luke Rohan earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game laurels for his 18/23 performance from faceoff “X” unofficially. Senior keeper Logan Lyle finished his Tigers career with some critical stops throughout the contest. Senior defender Jake Burns was a factor throughout the game as well.
With the loss, NA falls to 11-10 overall on the season. Congratulations to the Tigers for another successful year!
BOYS LACROSSE SUMMARY VS. MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, 6-3-25
| SCORE BY QUARTERS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Allegheny | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Manheim Township | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
