Swartz, record-setting Herron lead Wyoming Seminary boys lacrosse to D2 playoff win

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KINGSTON — For the first 12 minutes of Thursday’s quarterfinal clash between Dallas and Wyoming Seminary, it looked like the Mountaineers might be able to keep up with Sem’s high-octane scoring attack.

Then the Blue Knights kicked into high gear and showed exactly why they’re the two-time defending District 2 Class 2A champs.

Matt Swartz and Jack Herron combined for 16 goals, and Wyoming Seminary broke open a game tied after one quarter to rout Dallas 24-12 in the Class 2A boys lacrosse district quarterfinals.

Herron, who was already the state’s all-time leading goal-scorer, also set the state points record on Thursday, adding another milestone to his decorated high school career

He finished with seven goals and a pair of assists, despite a bit of a slow start while the Mountaineers made a dedicated effort to deny him the ball at every chance.

“They were locking me off from the start, they really weren’t letting me get the ball,” Herron said. “Which is fine, I have complete trust in my teammates and they were doing a good job of scoring.”

They did just that to open the game, taking a 4-0 lead just three minutes into the contest. But the Mountaineers struck back with a run of their own, tying the game 6-6 at the first quarter whistle.

After a quick break and a chat with the coaching staff, the Blue Knights went out and swiftly took control of the game. While the offense kept scoring at will, the Seminary defense and goalkeeping found their footing and eliminated Dallas’ chances of keeping up.

“Dallas has a great team, they played really well in the first quarter,” Sem coach Terry Herron said. “We had to get the defense locked down.”

The defense certainly stepped its game up; after allowing Dallas to score six times in the first quarter, the Blue Knights held the Mountaineers to six goals over the final three quarters combined.

More saves and more forced turnovers allowed Sem to get the ball to their two-headed scoring monster of Swartz and Jack Herron.

The two have been playing lacrosse together for most of their lives, and it showed on Thursday as the two picked apart the Dallas defense, always knowing where the other was or where the ball needed to be.

“It means a little more when I’m suiting up next to 22,” Swartz said, referring to the jersey number of his teammate Herron. “Over the years, playing together for so long, we know each other’s tendencies really well.”

Swartz led all scorers with nine goals, the last of which was fired through his legs while facing away from the goal.

Dan Fisher added five goals for Wyoming Seminary. Will Sordoni had two goals and four assists. The 24 team goals set a new season-high for the Blue Knights, beating the previous high of 23 set in the team’s season opener against Bellefonte Area.

The Mountaineers were led by Andrew Machulski, who had four goals and two assists. LJ Long had a hat trick as well for Dallas.

Wyoming Seminary will advance to Monday’s semifinal round of the District 2 Class 2A playoffs, hitting the road to take on top-seeded Scranton Prep. The two teams met in the regular season with Scranton Prep pulling out an 18-16 victory.