Over the next several weeks, the Rochester Knighthawks will be front and center on the local high school lacrosse scene as part of a weekly series that will feature the latest news and notes, scores and stats of select games around the Greater Rochester Area.
This week’s High School Game of the Week features the Webster Thomas Titans (6-3) visiting the Pittsford Panthers (7-3) in boy’s lacrosse action on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. matchup at Pittsford Sutherland.
2022 WEBSTER THOMAS TITANS STATS 2022 PITTSFORD PANTHERS STATS
Thomas comes into the matchup having turned their recent two-game skid into a two-game win streak, over which they have outscored the opposition 23-7, including a 15-2 rout of Greece on April 28. It marked the second time this season the Titans held their opponents two goals. The Titans boast a 2-2 record conference play, good for fifth place in Monroe County-2 standings, which includes five teams having two or more conference wins.
The Titans are led by 19-year head coach Rob Ruller, who has posted a 234-107 career record since starting the program at Thomas. The Titans return a core group from the 2021 team, which earned the school’s fourth Section V championship and second in the last five years after finishing with a 15-1 record. Among those include Eli Adams, Chase Gottstein, Nathan Hoban, Evan Pashalidis, David Petz, Ethan Shappee, Thomas Wolford and Steven Zielke.
All eight players received league honors, named to either the All-League’s First Team, Second Team or Honorable Mention, for their play in 2021.
Despite being in his second season with the Titans, Shappe leads the team with 18 goals in nine games. The SUNY Cortland commit has scored at least one goal in seven of the nine games so far in 2022 and has recorded three multi-goal outings, including a five-goal game this spring.
Gottstein has found the scoresheet on a consistent basis this spring for the Titans as he has totaled 17 goals while also pacing the club in both assists (16) and points (33) in nine contests. The senior midfielder and Mercyhurst commit has registered four four-goal efforts while also a pair of four-goal performances.
Hoban, Pashalidis and Petz all have reached double digits in goals with 16, 15, and 12, respectively.
After posting a 5-0 record in 2021, senior goaltender Owen Dalberth shows a record of 6-3 in his second season as netminder for Thomas. Dalberth has made 61 saves in 384 minutes this season while fellow backstop Zachary Isaac (2-2) has stopped seven shots in four games.
Notable Webster boy’s lacrosse alumni include Jacob Allen (Maryville) – CJ Battiagila (Penn State) – Kyle Bullard (Wheaton) – Ryan Canham (Clarkson) – Pierce Currie (Clarkson) – Travis Ford (Fairfield) – Trevor Ford (Fairfield) – David Gutman (MCC) – Matt Hill (UMass) – Brian Jantz (St John Fisher) – Stevie Katz (Mercyhurst) – Ben Lagoner (Potsdam) – Ryan Ledermann (Lycoming) – Joe Luconte (Geneseo) – Nick Mabe (Mercyhurst) – Ryan Prine (Roberts Wesleyan) – Ethan Ruller (Cornell) – Joe Russo (Geneseo) – Cade Spencer (Geneseo) – Ben Welch (Potsdam) – Matt Yonko (Clarkson).
Winners of four straight and seven of its last nine games, Pittsford enters tonight’s game in second place in the Monroe County-1 standings while showing a 7-3 overall record. The Panthers are led by head coach Andrew Whipple, who shows a 204-100 mark since taking over the reins in 2005. The Irondequoit High School and University of Maryland graduate has helped the program claim three of its five Section V championships.
Pittsford returns James Cook, Charlie DeBiase, Gustav Murphy, John Santowski, Caleb Lewis, Ben Steingass and Ben Norten after receiving either first, second or honorable mention awards in 2021.
Cook, a University of Tampa commit, currently leads all Panthers in both goals (22) and points (24) in nine games. The senior attackman has eight multi-goal outings this season and has scored in 23 of his last 26 games dating back to the start of 2021.
Steingass, an All-League Honorable Mention in 2021, is tied for the team lead in points (24) while adding 17 tallies and seven assists in nine games. Murphy is the third member of the Panthers’ offense to record double digits in goals (11) and points (12). The senior midfielder produced a career-high five-goal game in Pittsford’s 18-5 over Webster Schroeder back on April 28.
Similar to Thomas, Pittsford has used two different goaltenders with one earning majority of the time in the crease. Junior Nolan Dehan (7-3) has stopped 75 shots in 556 minutes while fellow classmate Jack Garland has made three saves in one appearance.
Notable Pittsford boys’s lacrosse alumni include John Avery (Utica) – Matt Bender (OCC) – Gavin Catalano (St Johns) – Thomas Cincebox (Nazareth) – Jared Conners (Virginia) – Harrison Cross (Williams) – Ben DiGiovanni (Dartmouth) – Nick Dominic (SUNY Cobleskill) – Ryan Dumont (Oswego) – Jake Erskine (Canton) – Connor Fitzgerald (Tampa) – Andrew Forte (GCC) – John Galbraith (Colgate) – Michael Gigantelli (St Lawrence) – Bernie Haims (Oswego) – Connor Haims (Le Moyne) – Trevar Hall (Tufts) – Frank Imburgia (Hobart) – Sonny Imburgia (Binghamton) – Jeremy Jacob (Nazareth) – Jack Kaufman (Union) – Michael Mascitti (Geneseo) – Chase Morley (Adelphi) – John Mozrall (RIT) – Sean Regan (St Michaels) – Jake Robinson (Buffalo) – Matthew Rodenhouse (Baldwin Wallace) – Patrick Sanna (Clarkson) – Nathan Strauf (Ohio Northern) – Patrick Sullivan (Lenoir-Rhyne) – Dylan Sulzbach (Penn State) – Jordan Testa (Brockport) – Sammy Thomolaris (Seton Hill) – Connor Thornton (Rollins).
