Five Who Flourished: Mt. Lebanon Completes WPIAL Three-Peat

IIn a sport that is ever-changing, Mt. Lebanon has remained a constant. For the third consecutive season and eighth time overall, the Blue Devils have claimed the WPIAL District championship, and they looked every bit like a state championship contender from the opening draw, going on to defeat Pine-Richland 14-9. And while the score suggests Mt. Lebanon ran away with this one, it was not until the final few minutes of the fourth quarter that the Blue Devils began to separate. This was a neck-and-neck game for three and a half quarters, but it was ultimately the depth of Mt. Lebanon that made the difference down the stretch, fueled by a stellar late-game performance from [player_tooltip player_id='72583' first='Grace' last='Manning'].   All told, five different players found the back of the net for the Blue Devils, but it was the trio of [player_tooltip player_id='72583' first='Grace' last='Manning'] (3G), [player_tooltip player_id='72621' first='Lucy' last='Pryor'] (4G), and Cali Green (3G) that combined for ten of Mt. Lebanon's fourteen goals on Wednesday.   Here are five standouts from both sides of Wednesday night's contest — and with both teams having qualified for the state championship tournament, expect these individuals to pick up right where they left off in a few short weeks.    [player_tooltip player_id='72583' first='Grace' last='Manning'] is one of the hidden weapons of Mount Lebanon and one of the more underrated attackers in the WPIAL. She may not light up the scoresheet with flashy goals, but she is a fundamentally sound prospect who quarterbacks one of the best offenses in Pennsylvania.   Typically operating from the X, her crease roll is as good as any in her class, and she has a quick first step and lateral speed to take her defender to the cage at will. When Manning draws the slide, she does an excellent job of reading the play as it develops and finding the open player. A natural lefty, Manning is plenty comfortable with both hands, but when she goes left, her speed and release angle are often too much for an opposing defender to handle.   What may separate Manning's game most from the average X attacker is her relentless pursuit of the ball on redefends. Manning is extremely quick on her feet, relentless on the ride, and has exceptional stick work that allows her to consistently cause turnovers on the short end of the field.   Her fundamentals are off the charts, and she will enter college as one of the more battle-tested athletes in her class after playing her high school lacrosse in the WPIAL, a district loaded with Division I talent from top to bottom. Her game will translate well to the next level, and if college programs have not already begun reaching out, they should not wait much longer.     There was no doubt that the WPIAL's all-time leading scorer across both boys and girls lacrosse would make her presence felt in her final district championship. And although the Rams would fall short, it was an incredible effort from the Virginia Tech commit, who recorded a hat trick in just over five minutes of play in the second quarter.   Gentile's offensive onslaught brought her team back within striking distance on more than one occasion, and she was the ace up the sleeve for Pine-Richland. When they needed a goal, the ball found the stick of number seven, and good things happened from there.   Gentile needs very little space to fire off a shot and is comfortable shooting from anywhere. At 6'1", she is typically the tallest player on the field, but she moves nothing like her frame suggests — more like someone a foot shorter, with the awareness to use her height and reach to get off shots that are essentially uncontestable. She is quick on her feet, has an explosive first step, and has the downhill speed to get past defenders 1v1.   Gentile led all scorers on Wednesday with five goals, and she is one of the most college ready players in all of the state. She is going to make an immediate impact in the ACC next season, and it is easy to see why Virginia Tech was all over Gentile the moment she could be formally recruited. The same plays she is making on the WPIAL stage right now will be made on national television in just a few short months.     There are few players as physically tough as Cali Green. To prove it, she has one less tooth after Wednesday's contest.   The Mt. Lebanon junior was everywhere, and her strong play on both ends of the field was a monumental reason why Mt. Lebanon was able to pull away from Pine Richland late.   On her second goal of the game, Green made an excellent cut towards the goal from the top of the arc, and her teammate [player_tooltip player_id='72583' first='Grace' last='Manning'] hit her in stride with a perfect pass. As Green fired a shot on goal, she took a pair of hits to the face from her defender and the Pine Richland goalie. Although the foul was not called, Green found a way to score with two defenders crashing in. One of the slashes to the face knocked out a tooth, but Green managed to come back in and continue doing what she does best — decisive, purposeful cuts to the cage that often result in open looks. And it did not stop Green from being her typical aggressive self on the offensive end. She is an excellent off-ball scorer and has the physicality and stamina to remain a true two-way midfielder at the college level.   Kent State picked up a great prospect in Green. She has tremendous upside and the physicality that coaches dream of having on their team. She is not a player that you have to tell to be physical — it is a second-nature ability for Green.     [player_tooltip player_id='72621' first='Lucy' last='Pryor'] is one of the shiftiest midfielders in the class of 2027, and that was on full display during the WPIAL championship on Wednesday night. Pryor's footwork is elite, and her change of direction is as quick as anyone in her class — giving her enough separation at the top of the arc to reach into a deep bag of dodges and hesitations. She can shake just about any defender 1v1, and when she draws the slide, she is an exceptional passer who has no problem finding the open teammate.   If the slide never comes, it usually results in an open look at the cage for Pryor, who is comfortable inside and outside the eight. Watching her play, you genuinely cannot tell which hand is dominant — she uses both with equal effectiveness and fired off more than one shot on Wednesday night with her non-dominant hand.   Pryor led all Blue Devils on Wednesday night with four goals, and she was everyone on both ends of the field on a day where her team desperately needed it. College coaches should certainly be reaching out to [player_tooltip player_id='72621' first='Lucy' last='Pryor']. She has one of the most developed and college-ready offensive games in the entire WPIAL, and more of the same should be expected in the state championship. When Mt. Lebanon needs a goal, you can give the ball to [player_tooltip player_id='72621' first='Lucy' last='Pryor'] 1v1 and trust that good things will follow.   Pryor has been on the varsity team since her freshman year, and with a large senior class set to graduate, she is expected to take on a significant offensive role for Mt. Lebanon next season.     A lot of credit goes to Mt. Lebanon and the way they were able to defend [player_tooltip player_id='71338' first='Mallory' last='Boivin'] on Wednesday night. One of the most electric X attackers in all of Pennsylvania, Boivin is dangerous around the crease and an excellent feeder with elite field vision on a team full of high-level finishers. But for much of the first half, Mt. Lebanon kept Boivin and the Rams' offense out of rhythm. Every time she looked to turn the corner to the cage, she was immediately met by a relentless help-side defender.   However, players like Boivin can only be contained for so long. Eventually, they find their rhythm, and that is exactly what happened on Wednesday night.   When scoring opportunities were not coming naturally, Boivin started creating them herself. On one sequence, Catherin Gentile fired a laser from outside the eight that deflected off the goalie toward the backside of the crease. Boivin reacted instantly, cutting back and attacking the ground ball at full speed. She won the race, collected it just behind the cage, and in one motion turned and finished with a shot that gave the goalie no chance.   Even when she is not filling up the stat sheet the way she usually does, Boivin consistently does the little things that keep her team in position to win, regardless of opponent. She is patient behind the cage and shows strong discipline, rarely forcing feeds into tight windows and instead allowing plays to develop.   Alongside Gentile, Boivin forms one of the most dangerous one-two punches in all of high school girls' lacrosse. Their games complement each other perfectly, and more often than not, both are involved in the same scoring sequence. When they run the two-man game, it is textbook. Boivin sets strong, physical screens at the top of the arc, freeing Gentile to create separation. If Gentile does not shoot from range, she is able to locate Boivin on a well-timed cut to the cage, making them extremely difficult to defend in tandem. Boivin tallied a pair of goals on Wednesday night, and despite the loss, she was an impact player for the Rams offensively.   Like Gentile, I expect Boivin to come out firing in the opening round of the state championship tournament. They may not have had the district finish they had hoped for, but they have two of the best players in the entire state coming off a hard-fought loss. I truly feel for whoever is tasked with guarding Boivin in the opening round of states.

IIn a sport that is ever-changing, Mt. Lebanon has remained a constant. For the third consecutive season and eighth time overall, the Blue Devils have claimed the WPIAL District championship, and they looked every bit like a state championship contender from the opening draw, going on to defeat Pine-Richland 14-9. And while the score suggests Mt. Lebanon ran away with this one, it was not until the final few minutes of the fourth quarter that the Blue Devils began to separate. This was a neck-and-neck game for three and a half quarters, but it was ultimately the depth of Mt. Lebanon that made the difference down the stretch, fueled by a stellar late-game performance from Grace Manning Grace Manning 5'3" | Attack | Left Hand Mt. Lebanon | 2027 PA .