St. Joe's Prep Signals Fresh Start in Commanding Win over Upper Dublin

FORT WASHINGTON, PA – It feels like there is a new beginning for St. Joseph’s Prep lacrosse.

The Hawks defeated Upper Dublin 12-1 on Tuesday, a game in which the Prep dominated from start to finish. The Prep battled the Cardinals last season and secured a 9-2 victory, but this year the win felt much more impactful in showing where the Prep’s season trajectory could go.

Something very new for the Prep is their face-off men. The Hawks' new “Face-Off, Get Off” (FOGO) players in Mason Proctor ‘28 and Javier Gonzalez-Cruz ‘27 combined for 14 wins in 17 attempts in the game, with Proctor going nine for ten and scoring two goals in the process. Proctor showed superstar flashes in the game, using his speed throughout to dominate the Upper Dublin defense. 

“Mason can do what Mason can do. Good days or bad days. You know, we’ve got to support him and play around him, and he’s to do the same for us offensively, defensively. But we like where we’re at with that position [face off] now and moving forward.” Hawks Head Coach Mark Princehorn said after the win.

More new faces in the Prep’s lineup include starting goalie Matt Corrado ‘28. Corrado sat behind Keegan Dunn last season for the Prep, but earned varsity time when the Prep had large leads over PCL teams. Now, Corrado has big shoes to fill as he steps in after Dunn, who was a four-year starter for the Prep. Corrado had eight saves on Tuesday and only let up one goal while the Prep were down six to four in personnel. 

“I’d say if you talk about a guy who’s improved drastically and dramatically since May, he’s one of those guys. I think that there’s a few of his classmates that you could lump in that same category. But Matty, obviously replacing a four-year starter, Keegan Dunn. He has done a phenomenal job as a leader, as a field general, saving the ball, clearing the ball. He is right on par, where now it’s kind of watching him do his thing, and we’ve got high expectations for Matty. He’s got high expectations for himself, but he certainly played to meet those expectations, and we’re really excited about him,” Princehorn said. 

While the Prep has new faces on the field, the audience did not see many of them from last season. There are a few familiar faces who have now seen a role increase. 

Mason Warrick ‘28 and Chris Bryan ‘28, to just name two, were freshmen getting considerable varsity time last season, and now they see themselves taking on a big challenge as two starting attackmen. Warrick dominated in the game as he ripped three goals and one assist, while Bryan added two goals of his own. 

The Prep really proved that their new additions will make a great impact not just on the offensive end but on the defensive side as well. One of the most notable standouts on defense for the Prep in Tuesday’s game was Matt Lamey ‘27. Lamey plays as a long-stick defensive midfielder and was absolutely ruthless in his on-ball defense against opponents. Almost every possession, he knocked the ball free and was able to clear it to the other end. Christian Witzke ‘27 also stood as having good on ball defense and not letting attackmen get by him.

The Prep’s new additions certainly seem to be making an impact early, but we will see how they fare against the Gilman School on Friday as the Hawks travel down to Baltimore to take on the Greyhounds.