Dominant run leads SV boys past Butler, 21-8
JACKSON TWP — A back-and-forth first quarter quickly turned into a one-sided affair.
Seneca Valley scored 14 straight goals in a 20-minute span en route to a 21-8 boys lacrosse victory over Butler on Monday. It was the sixth consecutive win for the Raiders (7-1, 2-0), who outscored Butler 9-0 in the second quarter.
Butler’s Ayden Davis scored the game’s first two goals, Landon Dubyak found the net to hand the Golden Tornado a 3-2 lead with 6:46 remaining in the opening quarter and Jake Stevens’ tally knotted the game at four nearly five minutes later.
“Early in the game, we were being selfish with the ball,” said SV coach David Hall. “Then we started moving the ball around and it turned into look after look for us.
“(Davis) is one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen on a lacrosse field. To score 21 goals against a good team, we’ve got a lot to be happy about.”
Sparking SV’s avalanche of offense was sophomore Colton Garner, who scored 10 goals, nine of them coming in the first half.
“I like playing against Butler,” Garner said. “Last year, in my first (varsity) game against them, I scored four goals. Tonight, we started playing with a lot of energy late in the first quarter. We were all playing together and balls just kept going into the net.”
It was Evan Vetter who began SV’s impressive run, putting his team up 5-4 with 1:17 left in the first period. Garner scored his fourth of the game just over a minute later for a 6-4 edge.
Butler (6-4, 1-2) managed eight shots in the second quarter, five were off the mark and junior goalie Dylan Kunkelmann stopped the other three. He finished the game with seven saves.
“He played very well,” Hall said of his goalie. “He makes the saves we expect him to make, but also ones that we think are going to be goals.”
Also scoring in the second period were Grant Adams (3) and Ian Wheland and SV led 15-4 at the break.
“Seneca Valley had some really good shots, we fell behind and instead of going on a run of our own, we just kept letting them score,” said Butler coach Justin Steiner.
Vetter, who has picked up his production on offense this season, finished with two scores. Aiden Burns, Evan VandeWater, Nicholas Fischer, Kaden Tuell and Tanner Bokash each found the net once.
Adams and VandeWater both contributed two assists.
“Bouncing back from this game has to begin in practice,” Steiner said. “Because of vacations and other obligations, we haven’t had more than 10 guys at our recent practices. Hopefully, that’s over with and we can get back to work.”
Davis scored three goals for the Tornado, Brody Simko and Stevens had two goals and Dubyak one.
Both teams will be in action Tuesday. Butler plays at Fox Chapel and the Raiders will visit Pine-Richland.
