
YORK, PA - How did the 2008 Spartans finish the second-best
season in program history? Only with a thrilling seven-overtime
10-9 victory. York mounted a tremendous comeback win over former
Capital Athletic Conference foe Catholic University, after the
Spartans found themselves down 9-5 with just over ten minutes
remaining in the contest. Senior midfielder Chris Chappelle
(Stevensville, Md./Chesapeake) tallied the game winning
score with 2:19 left in the seventh overtime; quite a fitting
ending for a senior class that has compiled the best four-year
record (31-27) since the inception of the program back in 2000.
“What an incredible way to end a season,” Spartan head
coach Jim Griffin said. “For our seniors it was a great way
to end their respective careers. That win is something each of our
players will remember for a long time.”
The Spartans embarked on the 2008 campaign looking to regain their
2006 form, a year in which they were 11-5 including a strong 4-2
mark in the CAC. York achieved that goal by putting together a
solid 10-7 season while they played to a 3-4 league record in the
tough CAC.
“This program is continuing to build,” Griffin said.
“We went out and improved every day. The kids worked hard and
won some big games. We had a very successful year.”
York began the season winning five of their first six contests, as
their only defeat in that spurt came in sub-freezing temperatures
to a tough Washington & Lee squad in Lexington, VA. Over the
early season stretch, the Spartan offense outscored their opponents
76-39 notching 20, 19, and 15 goal performances.
“We began the season really well,” Griffin said.
“We played some good teams in that period [including Messiah
and Widener] and came away with solid victories. The early part of
the year was key for us to start out with some
confidence.”
The middle portion of the schedule was not so kind to the green
and white. York ran into a patch of exceptional squads, including
perennial powerhouse Salisbury, and dropped five of six
contests.
“That part of the season was a tough ride for us,”
Griffin said. “We had chances to win three of those games
which makes those losses especially tough to stomach. We did learn
a lot from those defeats which helped us have a quality end of the
season.”
Toward the end of the schedule, the York side won four of their
last five including three straight wins and a fantastic 10-8
comeback victory over CAC rival Mary Washington on Spartan Senior
Day. After a strong CAC tournament first-round victory over Wesley,
a team that had stolen one from the Spartans earlier in the season,
York ran into the buzz saw that is Salisbury lacrosse. The green
and white then closed out the season with the incredible victory
over Catholic.
“I was very encouraged by the way we finished the
year,” Griffin said. “After that stretch of defeats and
being down to Mary Washington we could have just tanked it the rest
of the way. Instead, the boys rallied and made a fantastic push at
the end of the schedule.”
As a team, the green and white registered 163 goals, averaging
9.35 scores per game. Ten of York’s 17 games were decided by
four goals or less as the Spartans played to a strong 7-3 mark in
those contests.
The success experienced during the season led to several CAC
post-season individual accolades for the green and white. Junior
defenseman Steve Mersinger (Westminster,
Md./Westminster) landed on the all-league first-team while
senior defensive midfielder Rob Marine (Bel Air, Md./Bel
Air) and senior attack Steve Roy (Feasterville,
Pa./Archbishop Wood) each earned second-team honors.
Mersinger backed up his 2007 all-CAC second-team selection with a
stellar campaign that proved he is one of the top defensemen not
only in the CAC but also the region. The six-foot five-inch
Mersinger picked up a team-best 72 ground balls and caused a
team-high 29 turnovers while chipping in a pair of assists.
Marine firmly established himself as one of the top short-stick
defensive midfielders in the conference with his impressive work in
2008. Scooping up 33 ground balls and causing 21 turnovers, Marine
also notched five goals and four assists as his athleticism and
work ethic was evident all over the field.
Roy’s senior season was his best, as he tallied a
career-high 20 goals to go along with two assists. The
senior’s quickness and nose for the goal provided several big
scores for the green and white.
“Each one of these young men have worked so hard not only
this season but during their whole careers,” Griffin said.
“Steve [Mersinger] is absolutely one of the top defensemen in
the entire region. His play in the back has been invaluable to our
success. Rob is one of those hard-nosed, tough players that every
team would love to have. Steve [Roy] really came on strong this
year and provided another dimension to our
attack.”
Several additional Spartans posted solid seasons. Senior attacker
Kyle Henninger (Millers, Md./Hereford) led the
green and white with 38 points on 23 goals and a team-high 15
assists. He leaves the program having amassed 57 career scores, a
mark that ranks him fifth all-time in Spartan scoring.
Chappelle capped his four-year career with yet another solid
campaign. His 15 goals and eight assists give the senior 47 and 32
for his career, respectively. Chappelle’s name is dotted
throughout the record books, as he ranks eighth in career goals,
sixth in career assists, eighth in career points with 79, and third
in face-off wins with 152. Even more telling of Chappelle’s
impact on the Spartan program, the midfielder was a three-year
captain as his leadership was invaluable to York’s success
during his tenure.
Sophomore Ryan McNicholas (Fallston,
Md./Fallston) led the green and white in goals from his
attack position, notching 27 scores in 2008. Freshman Josh
Gamble (Easton, Md./Easton) came on strong toward the end
of the season to register 17 goals in his rookie campaign.
Midfielders Brian O’Neill (Lititz, Pa./Manheim
Township) and Ryan Schab (West Islip, N.Y./West
Islip) recorded 18 and 14 points respectively.
Kalen Roundy (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) played in
all 17 Spartan games during his freshman season, posting eight
goals and five assists, and has the potential to become a potent
scorer for the Spartans.
“We have a solid group of offensive players returning next
season,” Griffin said referring to these five
student-athletes. We have the talent and the potential to score a
lot of goals next year.
On the defensive end of the field, York continued to improve. Led
by the exploits of Mersinger and Marine, several Spartans posted
notable performances in 2008. Matt Keeler (Morton,
Pa./Ridley), York’s senior goalkeeper, started all
17 Spartan contests this year, playing 812:24 of the squad’s
1,045:26 minutes. Keeler registered a .494 save percentage on the
season, amassing 133 saves. His 437 career stops ranks Keeler
second in program history.
Senior long-stick midfielder Mike Stokes (Ellicott City,
Md./Mt. Hebron) brought an emotional fire to the squad
picking up 52 ground balls and causing eleven turnovers along the
way. Junior defenseman Dan Wood (Montauk, N.Y./East
Hampton) made a significant impact totaling 25 caused
turnovers, the second-best mark on the team, in addition to 49
ground balls. Freshman goalkeeper Chris Collins
(Westminster, Md./Westminster) showed a great deal of
promise serving as Keeler’s back up this season and is primed
for a big season in 2009.
With the defense returning Mersinger, Wood, and Collins to go
along with Gavin Scherr (Reisterstown,
Md./Franklin) and James Greenwood (Bel Air,
MD/Fallston), the Spartan defensive unit looks to be in
good shape for next season.
“We lose some talent, some very good talent, on the
defensive side of ball,” Griffin said. “But when you
look at the guys we have coming back, we certainly have a great
core of defensive players. I am excited to see what they do next
year.”
Junior midfielder Mike LaRoque (Arnold,
Md./DeMatha) and sophomore Zach Scherr
(Reisterstown, Md./Franklin) held down the majority of the
face-offs duties for the York side. LaRoque captured 66-of-138
while he also picked up 60 ground balls and chipped in with five
scores and four assists. Scherr went 61-for-148 including a
brilliant showing against #17 Dickinson in which he won 8-of-13
face-offs, helping the Spartans almost top the Red Devils.
“Mike and Zach did a great job for us in face-offs,”
Griffin said. “Face-offs are a key aspect of the game and
both of those young men worked hard and performed well.”
With the off-season now beginning, the Spartans are looking to
2009 to continue their ascent in the region. The departure of ten
quality seniors, including the graduation of 39.2% of their scoring
and a great deal of leadership, means that a number of players will
need to step up to even greater levels next season.
“We lose some key guys, but we also have key guys
returning,” Griffin said. “We made strides in the right
direction in 2008 and we definitely want to continue that through
the off-season and into next year. I am excited to see what we can
do in 2009.”