Lacrosse

We call it corn, the Native Americans call it maize. Whatever you call it, there's a ton of it the screenplay of Crooked Arrows . It's billed as the first movie about lacrosse, the country's fastest-growing sport and also the continent's oldest, played by the six nations of the Iroquois confederacy going back a thousand years or more - a heritage reflected in the underdog scenario that drives Crooked Arrows. Former Superman Brandon Routh (part Kickapoo, who knew?

Notre Dame will look to unseat defending national champion Virginia at noon Sunday when the Irish and Cavaliers meet in the NCAA men's lacrosse quarterfinals at PPL Park in Chester. Colgate and Duke will follow in the second game of the day, beginning at 2:30. The other two games are set for Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Johns Hopkins will play Maryland at noon, and Loyola will meet Denver at 2:30 p.m. On Sunday, Jim Marlatt scored three goals and had two assists as fourth-seeded Notre Dame defeated Yale, 13-7, in the first round to advance to Sunday's quarterfinals.

The Inquirer TOP 10     BOYS' LACROSSE Team   Record Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses.   1. St. Augustine (1)   10-4 2. Moorestown (2)   8-4 3. Shawnee (5)   10-5 4. Haddonfield (3)   11-3 5. Lenape (4)   9-4 6. Eastern (6)   10-3 7. Kingsway (7)   11-4 8. Seneca (8)

La Salle senior Mike Morsel, one of the area's top attackmen, didn't have a clue about lacrosse until his freshman year at the Wyndmoor school. Morsel had been well-schooled in baseball, a sport in which he batted .350 as a catcher for the Catholic Youth Organization's all-star teams in seventh and eighth grades. He also had played soccer and basketball. Football looked as if it would be fun because of the physical contact, so he played tight end for the Explorers' freshman football team.

Freshman Brielle Morichetti pitched three consecutive shutouts, including a no-hitter, to earn most valuable player honors and lead Burlington City to the Palmyra softball championship on Saturday. Burlington City claimed the crown by slipping past Burlington Township, 1-0. McKenna Booker tripled and scored on an overthrow in the seventh inning for the game's lone run. Morichetti held Trenton Catholic hitless, and the Blue Devils erupted for nine runs in the fourth inning to finish off the Iron Mikes, 14-0, in a quarterfinal.

Washington Township is ahead of schedule, and so are the Tiernan twins. That's typical for the Minutemaids' sophomore midfielders. They always arrive faster than expected. "They have nationally ranked speed," Washington Township coach Sandy Stockl said. The Tiernans played a major role Wednesday as Washington Township built a big lead and held on for a 13-12 victory over Lenape in an Olympic Conference American Division lacrosse game. Although they combined for just one goal, the Tiernans made an impact with their ability to collect ground balls, race from end to end with the ball, and use their speed and quickness at the defensive end. "Our speed helps us out," said Megan Tiernan, the slightly faster, slightly smaller of the twins.

Player             School           Class           Major Robert Church    Drexel             So.       Sport mngmt. Jeff Crosby          Cabrini             So.           Finance Chris Ficke          Villanova          Sr.       Accounting Travis Gregory       Haverford          Sr.        Economics Dillon Hamill       Haverford          Jr.

According to Bob Ruoff, executive secretary of District 1, boys' lacrosse is likely to become a sport sponsored by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Last week, a proposal was made by District 3 officials at a PIAA meeting in Shippensburg. There were no votes against district playoffs in boys' lacrosse - an opportunity already accorded girls' lacrosse teams. "I think the time has come for it," Ruoff said. "Lacrosse is growing in numbers and popularity every year.

Friday night's showdown in boys' lacrosse between No. 1 St. Augustine Prep and No. 3 Moorestown should be a good game. It also will be for a good cause. The 7 p.m. game at St. Augustine will be part of "Jack McGetrick Night" as the two lacrosse powers combine to help raise funds for a long-time lacrosse coach. McGetrick, head coach at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., is battling prostrate cancer. There will be a $2 admission charge to the game, with all proceeds going to help with McGetrick's medical costs.

It was a typical game that ended in typical fashion: with a dramatic overtime victory for Clearview over Washington Township in girls' lacrosse. But the result was anything but typical for the Pioneers. Clearview won the first sectional title in the history of the program with a 7-6, double-overtime victory over host Washington Township on Thursday in the championship game of the South Jersey Group 4 tournament. Freshman Gianna Bowe scored two goals, including the winner with 22 seconds remaining in the second overtime, and senior Kim Tumolo added two goals as Clearview (17-4)

Connor Frisina scored four times and added one assist as Conestoga claimed its fourth straight District 1 lacrosse championship with a 12-6 win over Garnet Valley in the final Thursday night at Radnor. Conestoga scored four times in a 2-minute, 15-second span of the second quarter and entered halftime with a 6-3 lead. Two of the goals came from Tyler Brooke and two came from Bradlee Lord. Brooke and Lord each added an assist. Goalie Robbie Zonino recorded nine saves for the win. Garnet Valley's Jules Raucci scored twice in each half for a team-high four goals.

Both teams had already gone their separate ways. For the Moorestown girls' lacrosse team, it was another win in a flawless season. A 19-8 triumph over rival Shawnee in the South Jersey Group 3 title game. Another milestone, but not exactly something on the minds of the team's seniors immediately after Thursday's win. One group hug wasn't enough. Neither was a second, lengthier embrace. The 10 seniors decided to walk to the center of the field, lie down, and spend a couple of minutes pondering where the last four years have gone.

Episcopal Academy scored 15 goals in its final game of the year. Jon Garino didn't account for any of them, yet still managed to be the dominant player in what Churchmen coach Andrew Hayes called the "biggest" win in program history. Garino won 20 of 28 face-offs to lead Episcopal to a 15-11 upset of top-seeded Haverford School and clinch its first Inter-Ac Invitational lacrosse championship in front of a sellout crowd Thursday night at Cabrini College. Garino's ability to dictate play by winning 71 percent of the draws allowed the second-seeded Churchmen (18-5)

La Salle avenged last year's championship game loss to St. Joseph's Prep by edging the Hawks, 8-7, in the Catholic League boys' lacrosse title game on Wednesday night at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Matt Rambo scored five goals for the Explorers, who will face Public League champ Northeast for the District 12 crown on Thursday at Germantown. Prep's Pat Walsh cut the lead to 8-7 with his fourth goal of the game with 3 minutes, 20 seconds left, but could not add the tying goal. Public.

David Martin, Germantown Academy boys' lacrosse coach, has stepped down after eight seasons, the school announced Wednesday. Martin, who will remain at the school in the physical education department and as coed golf coach, resigned with a record of 89-71 at the Fort Washington school. He led the Patriots to a 10-10 record (4-6 Inter-Ac League) in his final season. "It is just my time to step aside," Martin said in a statement released by GA. "I have been coaching lacrosse for more than 35 years, and I feel like this is the right time to step aside and let someone else take over.

Twelve players from the Philadelphia area punched tickets to the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four after wins Sunday at PPL Park in Chester. Notre Dame (13-2) outlasted Virginia (12-4) in the fourth quarter to knock out the defending national champion, 12-10, in front of 10,770 fans. In the other quarterfinal at PPL Park, Duke dominated Colgate for a 17-6 victory. Notre Dame will play Loyola-Maryland in the semifinals Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Duke (15-4) will meet Maryland.

Twelve players from the Philadelphia area punched tickets to the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four after wins Sunday at PPL Park in Chester. Notre Dame (13-2) outlasted Virginia (12-4) in the fourth quarter to knock out the defending national champion, 12-10, in front of 10,770 fans. In the other quarterfinal at PPL Park, Duke dominated Colgate for a 17-6 victory. Notre Dame will play Loyola-Maryland in the semifinals Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Duke (15-4) will meet Maryland.