FACE-TO-FACE: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Ryan Donahue, right, battles for a face-off last week against Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals. Junior defender Donahue chipped in a goal and an assist in the May 10 contest as top-seed Hun defeated fourth-seeded Allentown 11-7. Hun went to defeat second-seeded and host Hopewell Valley 13-10 in the MCT title game last Thursday evening. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Ryan Donahue did a little bit of everything for the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team as it faced Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals last week.

Junior defender Donahue gobbled up ground balls to help his younger brother, freshman goalie Luke, handled face-off duties, and added a goal and an assist for good measure to help top-seeded Hun defeat the fourth-seeded Redbirds 11-7 in the May 10 contest held at Hopewell Valley.

With Hun making its first-ever appearance in the MCT, Donahue was excited for the opportunity.

“It is a really special thing; a lot of these games are just games but now we get to be in a postseason,” said Donahue. “It is really fun, it is a really great experience for everybody. It is great just to play some extra games.”

In the early going, the Raiders played some great defense, stifling high-powered Allentown as it built a 7-2 halftime lead.

“They definitely have a few very good players, No. 40 (Jake Searing) is very good, we trusted our matchups,” said Donahue. “We could sense some frustration a little bit. We had them right where we wanted them. We were playing good defense, that is really what you just look for.”

When Allentown made a 4-2 run to narrow the gap to 9-6 early in the fourth quarter, Hun held the fort down the stretch.

“I trusted our team the whole time,” said Donahue. “Teams are going to make runs, it is how lacrosse works. We stay composed, the team didn’t crumble under pressure.”

Donahue was proud of how his brother handled the pressure in goal as he made 19 saves on the night.

“It is just awesome that I get to play with my brother,” said Donahue. “He had some huge saves at the end; it is cool to get to play defense with him.”

While Donahue’s primary focus is defense, he liked showing his versatility against Allentown.

“It is just get the ground balls, that is my thing,” said Donahue. “I also get into transition. It was cool to get to do the face-offs, I don’t usually get to do that. Usually I can push transition. I don’t score many goals so it was nice to get one.”

It was nice for Donahue and his teammates to earn a shot at the MCT title and they made the most of that chance two days later, going on to defeat second-seeded and host Hopewell Valley 13-10 in the championship game.

“It is great to play with all of these guys,” said Donahue. “I never really played for a championship before because last year the tournaments got canceled. It is cool to get out there and play for a championship.”