Third time's the charm: Pleasant Valley girls' lacrosse wins district gold

BETHLEHEM — Toni Bush wasn't sure how to feel at first.

The Pleasant Valley girls' lacrosse coach was so focused on winning Wednesday's district championship game vs. Easton that she didn't think about how she would feel afterward. But as time passed, and it set in that the Bears were finally district champions after two unsuccessful attempts, she found her answer.

"I feel complete," Bush said after the game where Pleasant Valley won 14-3. "We started this journey 15 years ago as a little youth program. Seeing our alumni here, all of the families, the youth coaches. I just feel like this win was for all of us. We reached the top, so I feel content and happy."

The victory was even sweeter as Easton was the team that defeated Pleasant Valley in last year's district title game, where the champion was the only team to qualify for the state tournament. Now the Bears are on the other end, extending their season by one more game and bringing home the school's first girls' lacrosse district title in school history.

As significant as the win was for Bush and the Bears, the opening period of the game was not kind to the No. 1 seed at Lehigh University.

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The Pleasant Valley pace was nonexistent in the first quarter as Easton was able to keep the Bears tamed. Moreover, the Bears didn't look as clean as they've looked all season, evident by some uncharacteristic turnovers and missed passes.

Even though the Bears scored the first goal and showed signs of finding their rhythm, the Red Rovers responded with a goal from junior Tyler Long, ending the first quarter tied 1-1.

"We knew coming in this wasn't going to be a walk in the park with Easton," she said. "Trying to get ready to play a tough team like that is hard when you don't have consistently tough opponents. They face-guarded three of our players, two of which were ready for it, but one wasn't.

"We explained to the other girls that they needed to step up."

But it was Devon Bush, who made a beautiful move to get past her defender, to score Pleasant Valley's second goal of the game and open the floodgates like so many times before.

Soon everyone got involved in the second quarter: Samantha Miller, who scored two goals, along with Morgan Ryals and Alivia Rath. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the score was 6-1 in favor of Pleasant Valley.

"People like to call us a two-man team, which really bothers us because the stats don't show that," Pleasant Valley senior Devon Bush said. "Rylee Rath and I may be the highest scorers, but there are others who can score. That's what we like to show."

The offense continued into the second half, when junior Olivia Iandoli score the Bears' seventh goal in 26 seconds. Pleasant Valley continued to pour it on, scoring four goals in the third period to extend the lead to 10-3. The Bears added four more goals in the final frame, winning the title by a score of 14-3.

Many of the key players were on the previous two teams that lost in the district title as well, so for them, this was a victory years in the making. But after the game, Toni Bush made it a point to take a picture with a certain group of young women, who turned out to be alumni from last year's team. The district title was validation for them as well.

"Most of them were on the 2022 team that was here. They were the first ones to lose, followed by the 2023 team," Toni Bush said. "They were so happy for their teammates. They set the pace, they started this, season after season. And I feel like they don't get the recognition they deserve, but they laid the foundation for what this year's team has accomplished."

Pleasant Valley will have a short window to celebrate as the Bears will take on District 2 champion Delaware Valley on Friday at Wilkes-Barre for a play-in game, where the winner moves on to the 16-team PIAA bracket. When she was asked about the quick turnaround, Bush recited the quote that's been the motto of the season for her team.

One step. One punch. One round at a time.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pleasant Valley girls' lacrosse District 11 title game vs. Easton