Pine-Richland lacrosse players shine at summer tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, July 6, 2018 | 11:00 PM

The Low and Away 2019 team, a competitive summer boys lacrosse team composed of some of the top rising seniors from the WPIAL area, took part in the Baltimore Summer Kickoff Tournament on June 23-24 in Baltimore and did more than hold their own against some of the elite summer clubs in the country.

In the two-day tournament, Low and Away racked up a 4-1 record, and in the process, had three players — Ryan Springer, Reis Ravotti and Will Harnick — named to the Baltimore Summer Kickoff Tournament All-Star Game team. All three also were members of the Pine-Richland varsity boys lacrosse team in the fall.

The Pine-Richland connections with the Low and Away 2019 team don't end with the trio of players, however, as Rams assistant coach Pat Donnelly serves as the summer club's coach.

For Donnelly, his team's success in the tournament and the individual honors his players earned boiled down to embracing versatility and working hard.

“Ryan Springer and Will Harnick, they both play attack and they both had great tournaments and played simple and unselfish lacrosse. They both had a few nice goals for us, but they also both played some midfield for us this weekend,” Donnelly said.

“That involves playing a little defense and having to clear balls for us, too. They're both the type of kids that do anything that the team needs, and we needed them to do some unconventional things for us this weekend. They both did and they succeeded for us in those areas, too.”

Ravotti, on the other hand, is a defenseman. And with the Low and Away team's lack of defensive depth over the weekend, he had more than a full workload.

“We actually only had three defensemen on the weekend, so none of those guys got to sub out. The really impressive part with that group, and Reis, was the communication,” Donnelly said.

“It's all based on communication out there, and I thought Reis did a real nice job this weekend of talking to the group and leading the group while also handling his individual matchups.”

Pine-Richland varsity players Ben Barnes and Brendan Hein also play for the Low and Away 2019 team, which will play next on July 13-15 in the FLG 3D Summer Shootout in Boyds, Md.

Kevin Lohman is a freelance writer.

Tags: Pine-Richland