Lewisburg goalie Tony Burns learns from one of the best goalies in Logan Cho
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Standing on the turf at Danville's Ironmen Stadium on Tuesday night, Lewisburg's players were smiling and joking around with each other after coach Ben Kettlewell's post-game speech. The Green Dragons just secured themselves a berth to Saturday's state quarterfinals with a win over Wyoming Seminary.
Lewisburg goalie Tony Burns asked his coaches if their hearts skipped a beat when he dashed outside the 18-yard box to boot away a ball Wyoming Seminary's forwards were closing on in the second half.
Burns sprinted as fast as he could to clear it, getting to roughly 30 yards out to boot it out of bounds to prevent any possible shot attempt.
Lewisburg's senior goalie joked that assistant coach Logan Cho didn't have the speed to do that.
Cho didn't argue it. Truth is he may not have been fast enough to clear it when he played, but it was all in jest. Burns and Cho share a special bond with each other this season.
Burns is the latest of a long line of talented goalies that goes back to the start of last decade. After Christian Gallagher left huge shoes to fill following his senior season in 2011, Cho stepped in and ended up as the state's all-time shutouts leader when it was all said and done. He graduated after hoisting a state title in 2015 with Lewisburg.
Now he's back at his alma mater helping as an assistant coach.
"This will be his only year to be able to coach me and it has helped me tremendously. Not only as him being a coach, but as a role model. Him being there just pushes me to be better," Burns said. "Not only the two other goalies behind me, but he pushes me to be better every single day and his knowledge and his experience at collegiate level has made me an even better goalie. I'm so thankful for him to be on this coaching staff."
Having a former standout goalie on the coaching staff, one who played collegiately at Brown, is a huge assett for Burns to have when he needs help and advice.
Cho played under Kettlewell when he was a Green Dragon, so he knows what the program stands for, what the tradition is and what Kettlewell wants to accomplish. All in all, Burns is more than happy he has the state's all-time shutout leader on his sideline providing nuggets of advice and tips, not just during practice but before and during games as well.
After all, Cho knows a thing or two not only about winning a state title and going undefeated -- Lewisburg went 25-0 in 2015 -- but how to make excellent reads and plays in the goalie box.
"It has helped and even considering he played with coach Kettlewell and knows what coach Kettlewell wants," Burns said. "Logan knows what Kettlewell wants and how we play and how we're supposed to play and it makes it just so much easier for me."
Lewisburg has one of the best defenses and overall teams in the state. The Green Dragons have yielded just six goals in 19 games and opponents have recorded just 41 shots against Lewisburg.
You won't see Burns' name high up on the saves list this season, but that doesn't mean he isn't staying loose and active on the field. He doesn't get tested a ton, but he always is focused if an opponent does manage to fire a shot.
"Throughout the season all my coaches have been telling me just keep communicating to my team and that will keep me in the game and that's really helped keep me in the game and occupied," Burns said. "If a ball does come through, I am there to make sure it doesn't go into the goal and it has helped tremendously."