Eight's not enough for Wilson; it's looking for ninth straight Berks lacrosse title

Mike Drago, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·2 min read

May 12—Like most around the Berks League, Wilson players entered the lacrosse season figuring they were headed for a ninth straight BCIAA championship.

With those lofty expectations comes a measure of pressure, something of which Bulldogs playmaker Corey Powers is well aware.

"We've gotta stay focused," the junior attack said after the top-seeded Bulldogs did just that in brushing aside fourth-seeded Berks Catholic 16-6 to set up a title game against third-seeded Gov. Mifflin Thursday at Gurski Stadium at 8.

"Eight (championships) in a row doesn't mean anything if we don't come out and play our game," Powers said. "We've just gotta stay focused and know that (beating Mifflin earlier this season) doesn't mean anything."

The Bulldogs (17-2) rolled over the Mustangs (12-4) much like they did against the rest of their league opponents, beating them 14-3. They won their league games by an average of nearly 14 goals.

Wilson features Berks' best one-two scoring punch in Powers and senior attack Ryan Strobel. Strobel is second in the league with 43 goals and with 71 points. Powers is second with 30 assists and third with 70 points. They rank second and third, respectively, in the league in scoring.

Powers had five goals and Strobel four in the first meeting against Mifflin. Nine different players scored and the defense was able to prevent junior attack Trey Rock from putting the ball in the net.

Rock, a junior midfielder, leads the league with 48 goals. He had one goal and one assist in an 8-7 semifinal win at Exeter. That avenged a 9-5 loss to the Eagles during the regular season.

The Mustangs haven't won a BCIAA title since 2011, when as the third seed they upset top-seeded Wyomissing 11-8 in the title game. They haven't been back to the championship game since and haven't beaten Wilson since that season, when they won 11-6 at Gurski Stadium.

"This is a big one," Powers said. "It's our rival. We've gotta come out and play hard. We know what happened during the regular season but that doesn't really matter, it's playoff time."