St. Augustine boys’ lacrosse downs Haddonfield behind David Burr’s three-goal second quarter
It was the kind of statement the Hermits have been making all over South Jersey through four games of a young season.
David Burr’s third goal of the second quarter was a vicious overhand shot that blew past the defense and past a helpless Haddonfield goalie.
If there was any question to that point, there wasn’t anymore: This was St. Augustine’s game.
It was the kind of statement the Hermits have been making all over South Jersey in the first four games of the season.
All of it has added up to a clear message: Atlantic County’s St. Augustine Prep is the area’s best team.
There was little doubt Saturday afternoon, after a convincing 10-3 road win over the Bulldawgs.
The win improved the Hermits to 4-0, against some of South Jersey’s most respected programs: Moorestown, Lenape, Washington Township, and Haddonfield. The first two were among the state’s top-ranked teams in the preseason, a top-20 poll that the Hermits didn’t even crack.
“We knew we had to come out and take care of business against these South Jersey teams,” Burr said. “We know coming in that they look at us as a big team, and they’re going to give us their best. So, we have to come hard and try to put in a complete game.”
Burr’s individual performances have looked particularly complete this season. Earlier in his career, he was known more as a pure catch-and-shoot attackman. This season, he has four assists to go with a team-high 11 goals. He scored three goals on Saturday; no other Hermit had multiple goals. Aiden Blake scored all three goals for Haddonfield (1-2)
“Dave’s evolved,” St. Augustine coach JC Valore said. “We’re starting to see him make some plays with the ball in his hands, whether it’s an assist or just getting his legs free and getting a little spark for us.”
Burr’s teammates have made it easy for him to build his assist total. The Hermits have been a machine, with virtually no drop off in any part of the field, starting with goalie Joey Serafine, who has notched several huge performances, including 13 saves against Moorestown and 14 against Lenape. He recorded just three saves on Saturday with the Hermits dominating the tempo throughout. The junior goalie even took a seat for most of the fourth quarter, after the Hermits ended the third with a 9-2 lead.
“There’s a lot of equity on the field for us right now,” Valore said. “There are a lot of guys who have been in the program for a while, know our standard, and we’re starting to see a lot of accountability on their end.”
The Hermits play an independent schedule against schools from around the region, which means there is no division for them to win. They play a postseason without a sectional tournament, which means there’s no South Jersey title for them to win. And they play in the Non-Public A state tournament, a bracket that’s annually considered one of the best in the country. That means that despite perennially being one of the state’s top teams, the Hermits have no hardware to prove it.
It makes this early-season stretch all the more satisfying. St. Augustine has bigger goals -- the team is working toward a state title -- but it feels nice, whenever the Hermits have the chance, to remind South Jersey who they are.
“We know we’re doing pretty well, so we don’t see it as a big deal to be playing an independent schedule,” Burr said. “We just have to give it our all and see where it takes us toward the end of the season.”
St. Augustine 3 4 2 1 — 10
Haddonfield 1 1 0 1 — 3
Goals: SA - David Burr 3, Danny Bennett, Logan Hone, Mike Vanaman, Colin Wingate, Brendan Roth, Evan Keane, Matt Vanaman; H- Aiden Blake 3.
Saves: SA- Joey Serafine 3, Chris Dindino 2; H- Will Gramigna 6.