In a Saturday afternoon PIAA Class 3A state playoff match, the Hempfield boys' lacrosse team held a lead over Saint Joseph's Prep for most of the way.

Saint Joe's came back and evened the score at 6-6 before scoring the game-winner to win 7-6 in overtime in this quarterfinal round match played at Twin Valley High School on June 4.

"We were leading the entire game," Matt McAlpine, the Hempfield head coach, pointed out. "They made a comeback at the end. They won a face-off in overtime, and it led to their winning goal."

The Black Knights concluded their season at 16-6. It was the longest a season had gone for the boys' lacrosse program since 2011 when that squad had reached the state quarterfinals as well.

Jason Hilton and Zack Antesberger each scored two goals for the Knights. Toby Marco and sophomore Carston Rankin each netted one goal.

The Knights were coming off a close 7-5 victory over Downingtown East in the opening round of the state playoffs on May 31. The game was played on the home turf of the Cougars, who entered the PIAA's as the second seed out of District One.

Max Grube, one of the senior leaders on the squad, registered a hat trick for Hempfield. He also dished out two assists.

"He's just one of those 'another level' types of athletes," commented the coach. "He had 77 goals and 34 assists and he's going to Penn State."

Antesberger scored twice and added one assist while Rankin and senior Ryan Heuston each netted one goal. A.J. McAlpine came through with one assist.

"Ball control was key for us in that game," said McAlpine. "We had great possession and our defense played a phenomenal game.

"We just wore them down," he added. "We are a run-and-gun fast-paced team. We slowed the game down and we also killed on ground balls."

Goalie Matt Wiest made 12 saves in the win. He is one of about half a dozen graduating seniors who saw significant playing time in 2022.

"Matt Wiest has been in goal for us since he was a freshman," McAlpine said. "He plays well in the big games and rises to the occasion always."

Gabe Calon-Munoz, Sean Tollett and Aiden French are a trio of talented likely replacements vying for the goalie position in 2023.

Successful high school sports programs are continually in the cycle of reloading when any significant number of star players graduate.

"When you build a program, you want to reload," McAlpine said. "That's the way you need to be, and we are in that mold.

"The older kids are great with the younger kids coming in," he added.

Another key to the Black Knights' success has been the commitment to staying in top physical shape, according to the coach.

"Our guys have put in the work in the off-season," he said. "We had a strength and conditioning program that Ryan Grube put together for us. You can see the gains the kids have made not just in muscle mass but in speed and agility."

In terms of saying farewell, the Knights will also lose A.J. McAlpine, Ryan Heuston and David Gross while welcoming back Hilton, Marco, and Seamus Mack - all of whom will be juniors - as well as Isaiah Martin, who will be a senior.

"Logan Klinger and Drew Bennett got significant playing time for us as freshmen," added the coach.

In Heuston, the coach added, "He does so many things besides what the stats show. He is such a nightmare for matchups with other teams.

"A.J. McAlpine was a three-year starter at attacker," continued the coach. "He was the quarterback of the offense - 46 goals and 23 assists."

McAlpine also added, "David Gross is probably the best defender in the league."