North Allegheny boys lacrosse hopes to ride defense back to WPIAL title game

By: John Grupp
Saturday, March 29, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The North Allegheny boys lacrosse team is feeling a bit defensive.

After losing a 64-goal scorer to graduation and a 39-goal scorer to injury, the Tigers are counting on a talented, experienced backline in their bid to return to the WPIAL Class 3A championship game.

“Defensively, we have a good group,” 24th-year coach John Rullan said. “They keep (the opponent) down pretty good. We just need to fix the offense. We need to get them up to speed. But offense always takes a little bit longer.”

The Tigers’ attack is trying to find itself with the loss of Evan Lyon, an all-WPIAL midfielder who scored a team-high 64 goals last season, and senior attack Travis Lamark (39 goals), who is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.

“This year, they’ve got to play more of a team game,” Rullan said. “They’ve got to play together. That’s the only way they are going to score. We don’t have a guy like Evan who could just run past three guys.”

But they do have players who thrive at keeping the ball out of the net. Two all-WPIAL Division I-bound seniors, defenseman Colman Craft, a Hobart recruit, and goalie Logan Lyle, a St. John’s commit, anchor the backline.

“(Craft) is an impact player,” Rullan said. “He and Logan stand out on the field.”

After a couple of close losses to defending WPIAL Class 3A champion Mt. Lebanon (7-6) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (6-4) to start the season, the Tigers earned their first win with an 11-6 victory at Pine-Richland on March 25 behind junior attack Nick Sichak’s five goals and another stellar defensive effort.

Sichak, who scored 58 goals last season, has a team-best eight goals through three games for the Tigers (1-2).

“We’re competing,” Rullan said. “That’s all I can ask the kids to do early in the season.”

The defense is doing everything Rullan hopes, allowing an excellent 6.3 goals per game on the young season.

Starting defensemen Kaden Brown and Jake Burns and midfielders Jacob Clarkson and Jack Ferraro are all seniors.

A pair of underclassmen, junior Adam Bradley and sophomore Ryan Palmer, divide time at long-stick midfield.

“We all have experience on our defense,” Craft said. “If we keep these games low-scoring, I do feel like they will start to go our way. The offense is a little younger. We’re adjusting to that.”

Senior Sam Porter (19 goals, 21 assists) and junior Johnny Castillo (36g, 19a) also provide a scoring touch for the Tigers, who went 15-8 last season and haven’t missed the WPIAL playoffs since 2012.

After losing to Mt. Lebanon, 15-10, in the WPIAL finals last season, the Tigers used a dedicated strength coach in the offseason for the first time.

“The boys were dedicated this offseason,” Craft said. “I just feel like the guys are buying in, and we all have the common goal of getting back (to the WPIAL finals). You can definitely tell the intensity switched.”

The seniors, especially, are determined to earn another shot at the WPIAL championship. They went undefeated as eighth graders and won the league title. That same year, 2021, the varsity Tigers won the WPIAL crown.

“I feel like this senior class has been destined to get back,” Craft said. “It’s been our goal to get one in high school.”

Tags: North Allegheny