Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse showing improvement amid 5-game winning streak

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, April 13, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse team has reached the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals in the past two seasons.

Can they make it three in a row with a young team?

Warriors coach Charlie Hach thinks they have a shot if they continue to improve.

The Warriors have won five consecutive games after starting the season 1-2. They are 6-2 overall and 3-1 in Section 1-2A.

“This team never quits regardless of the situation,” Hach said. “They always battle.

“Our section loss was to South Fayette. They are a very good team. Our next big test is (April 11) at Peters Township. They lost to South Fayette, too.”

The Warriors are coming off wins against Trinity, 14-3; Seton LaSalle, 13-4; Greensburg Central Catholic, 19-0; Shaler, 14-7; and Hempfield, 16-5.

Penn-Trafford is led by three co-captains — senior attacker Gavin Weaver, senior midfielder Elias Habura and senior defender Blake Branthoover.

“They are all good leaders,” Hach said. “They provide leadership for the underclassmen.

“Gavin is a good attacker. Elias and Carter (Vandrak) are the leading scorers, and Blake is a strong defensive player.”

Sophomore Joshua Maga is a strong faceoff player. He is won 62% of his faceoffs.

Habura and Vandrak have scored 26 points so far this season and Weaver has scored 17.

“We are pretty young at some positions,” Hach said. “There are times we can play well, and then we have dropoffs. We need more consistency in our play. We are working on it. There are improvements in this area.”

Hach said the tandem of senior Chase Morocco and junior Abram Stahl have been strong in goal.

“Both have played well,” Hach said. “Sometimes we use them in the same game, and there are times we let them play the entire game. Both have accepted how we use them. It is nice to have two solid goalies.”

Hach said the 12-team section has a lot of balance. Through April 9, South Fayette (9-0, 4-0) led the way, followed by Peters Township (5-4, 5-1), Bethel Park (7-2, 4-1), Penn-Trafford, Chartiers Valley (2-3, 2-1), Franklin Regional (3-4, 2-1) and Latrobe (5-2, 3-2). Baldwin, Gateway, Greensburg Central Catholic, Seton LaSalle and Trinity were seeking their first section wins.

“South Fayette is obviously at the top,” Hach said. “Peters Township moved down from Class 3A where it was strong. Bethel Park is playing well, and Latrobe and Franklin Regional have some nice wins.”

Penn-Trafford lost to South Fayette in the semifinals last year. The Warriors then fell to Hampton in the third-place game.

“My goals for the team are to continue to improve and play well,” Hach said. “We are getting there. We also want to make the playoffs and get to the quarterfinals. We would also like to make the PIAA playoffs since we just missed the last two seasons.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

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