Article by Matt Miller, Chambersburg Public Opinion
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The old trick shot Chambersburg lacrosse coach Paul Flohr learned as an indoor player in Canada came in handy for Trojans midfielder Tyler Schott in Friday’s game against Mechanicsburg.
With a pair of defenders sliding to his left side, Schott turned his wrists over and whipped an underhanded, behind-the-back shot past Wildcats goalie Jordan Black to give the Trojans a lead they did not relinquish.
Schott was the star on Senior Night at Trojan Stadium, scoring six goals in Chambersburg’s 13-9 Mid Penn Commonwealth Division win.
Taylor Tolbert and Dan Stauffer added two goals each for Chambersburg and Kyle Kearns led the Wildcats with three scores.
It was Chambersburg’s third win in its last four games, putting them in a good position to make a serious postseason run.
“I like where we are,” Flohr said. “Ty’s carrying a tremendous load on his back, but he knew that going into the season. I knew that going into it and I think the team knew that going into it.”
Schott, coming off a five-goal performance against Northern on Wednesday, netted the home team’s first three goals, the third off an assist from Zach Boone.
Mechanicsburg entered halftime with a one-goal lead after Kearns scored two man-up goals within a 30-second span in the second quarter.
But Chambersburg came out firing in the second half with Taylor Tolbert scoring his first of two goals 53 seconds into the third quarter, followed by Schott’s behind-the-back dandy.
“These guys just wanted to win,” Schott said. “We all knew we were playing bad in the first half and the guys came out and showed everyone that they wanted to win.”
Stopping Schott proved problematic for the Wildcats, as he struck again four minutes later in the third and notched his sixth goal 90 seconds into the final period.
“We tried real hard to lock our long stick middie on him a fair amount of times and put some short stick players on him to try and contain him, but he’s just a good player,” Mechanicsburg coach Pete Anstadt. “He’s headed to Mercer, a Division I school, and that’s a lot to contain for a team made up of freshmen and sophomores like us.”
Schott was not the only senior to make an impact. Defender Matt Maple ran the length of the field for a goal in the waning minutes of the third followed by a Marc Jacobs score with 50 seconds to go in the period.
Logan Ocker added a goal midway through the fourth, followed by two from Stauffer.
Alex Schott made 13 saves in goal for the Trojans to earn his second consecutive win since being named the starter two weeks ago.
“Alex has stepped up and he’s doing well as the starter,” Flohr said. “He finally got his opportunity and he’s made the most of it. He knows what he can do and what he can’t do and the team’s been helping him. They’ve helped make it easier for him to step into that role. We’re really starting to gel as a team.”
Chambersburg 13, Mechanicsburg 9
Mechanicsburg 2 2 1 4 – 9
Chambersburg 2 1 6 4 – 13
Mechanicsburg scoring: G — Kyle Kearns 3, Tyler Rock 2, Dean Patton 2, Ben Connor, Jordan Black. A — Dakota Landis, Connor, Patton.
Chambersburg scoring: G — Tyler Schott 6, Taylor Tolbert 2, Dan Stauffer 2, Marc Jacobs, Matt Maple, Logan Ocker. A — Schott, Zach Boone.
Shots — Mech 23; Chbg 33. Groundballs — Mech 23; Chbg 27. Saves — Mech 14 (Jordan Black); Chbg 14 (Alex Schott 13, Drew Rife). Faceoffs — Mech 10; Chbg 11.
JV: Chambersburg 7, Mechanicsburg 5: John Wetzel led the Trojans with four goals, Drew Mayes scored twice and Drew Rife had six saves.