Russell Young opened the scoring for York Catholic just four minutes into their PIAA Class 1A first-round match against Dock Mennonite, setting the tone for a dominant 5-1 victory that advanced the Fighting Irish to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.
The early goal came from Young himself, who took control of the ball and found the net, sparking a sequence where York Catholic controlled possession and created multiple chances inside the Dock Mennonite box. Coach Joe Nattans praised his side’s confidence and readiness, saying, “When you get to this point in the season, every team’s good. But I told them I’d put our 11 up against anybody.”
York Catholic extended their lead with two more goals before Dock Mennonite could respond. Kobin Proudfoot and Gabe Iroabuchi both scored, each finishing crosses delivered by Jonathan Baker and Derek Noel. Among the five goals York Catholic scored, three originated from well-placed crosses, illustrating their effective wing play and delivery in the attacking third.
Russell Young was involved again, scoring his second goal in the 57th minute, assisted by Landon Baker, who also contributed two assists in total. The final goal came late in the match, with Joey Kury sealing the 5-1 result over a minute before the final whistle.
Despite the heavy defeat, Dock Mennonite found a moment of hope late in the first half when senior Cade Jackson broke away and scored. However, York Catholic’s goalkeeper Brady Prendergast kept control for the remainder of the game, denying all other attempts on goal. Prendergast finished with two saves, and the Irish defense maintained a clean sheet through the second half.
“Had a few slip-ups back there, some balls getting through farther than I wanted to, but I was fully confident today that we were going to get it back,” Prendergast said. “If for whatever reason they got a cross up or a shot off, I had full confidence in myself that I was going to save it and get it back up there.”
Young pointed to the team’s passing and spacing as decisive factors. “Dock’s a great team; we just really distributed the ball well tonight. We always seem to find space behind their defense, and then we took our chances,” he said.
York Catholic’s progression marks their first District 3 title since 2011 and their first advance to the PIAA quarterfinals since 2019. The team’s confidence has grown throughout the season, with Nattans emphasizing the need to perform at their best in every game. “We’re playing with confidence, but we’re also playing with understanding that we have to have our best game every time,” he said.
Their next challenge comes against Moravian Academy, the District 11 champion, in a quarterfinal match scheduled for Saturday, November 14. York Catholic will look to build on this performance as they aim to extend their run deeper into the playoffs.
According to Yahoo Sports.
