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NJAC SoftballShines

Page 2Balanced Seasonin NJAC Baseball

Page 3Chatham Rules inGirls' Lacrosse

Page 4Boys' Lax TeamsBounce Back

Page 5

J u n e 1 8 , 2 0 1 2V o l u m e - I I / I s s u e - 5

The resul ts of this year ’s s tatetournament make i t c lear. The bestsof tbal l conference in New Jerseyright now is the NJAC.

Three Northwest Jersey Athletic Conferencemembers—Pequannock, High Point and WhippanyPark—reached the state finals, and all won statechampionships. It was an even more impressiveshowing by the league than 2011, when four NJACteams reached the finals but only one came out awinner.

By the numbers, about one in every eleven schoolsthat contends for state titles in New Jersey is an NJACmember. That means, on average, the league shouldhave one state finalist each year and win a state titleevery other year.

Instead, in the three yearssince the NJAC formed, theleague has sent eight teams tothe softball state finals andcaptured five championships.Those are the highest numbersfor any conference during thatperiod.

What makes the NJAC’sperformance even moreimpressive is the league’sdepth. The five state titles havebeen won by five differentschools, and six NJAC teamshave reached the finals in thepast three years. The next-bestleague during that time, theShore Conference, had twoteams win titles and threefinalists.

The only honor the NJAC has yet to capture is the #1 ranking in NewJersey. Pequannock will end up this season as #2 in most polls, behind onlyImmaculate Heart Academy. IHA—led by pitcher Steph Thomas, who livesin Pequannock—went undefeated this season, and deserves the top ranking.It should be noted, though, that NJAC teams face a more difficult road to anunbeaten record because of the challenging conference schedule they mustplay.

And playing in the NJAC willremain challenging into theforeseeable future. Two of the statechamps, High Point and WhippanyPark, will return their ace pitchersnext year. So will surprisingsectional champion Hanover Park.Pequannock, Chatham and MorrisKnolls will suffer significant lossesto graduation, but those programshave plenty of talent coming downthe pipeline.

Throw in solid programs likeLenape Valley, Roxbury and Sparta,and teams like Morristown andBoonton which showed greatpromise this season, and you’ve gotthe recipe for some great softball.

Panthers back on topMuch was expected of Pequannock this season, with star players like

pitcher Dana Nielsen and outfielder Ally Thomas returning for their senioryears. The Panthers stumbled early, suffering losses to Chatham and TomsRiver East. But Pequannock quickly found its stride, and concluded the

season on a 29-gamewinning streak.

The Panthersearned their fourthconsecutive MorrisCounty title,knocking offWhippany Park inthe semifinals andthen Morris Knollsin the final. Theyavenged their loss toChatham to forge atie for the NJACIndependenceDivision crown. Andthen Pequannockrolled to the Group II

state title for the second time in four years.Along the way, the Panthers handled one of Bergen County’s top teams,

Ramsey, in the sectional final, then topped Hanover Park in the statesemifinal. The final was a rematch of the 2011 championship game, whichPequannock lost to Robbinsville in a 2-1 heartbreaker. This time, thePanthers left no doubt, winning 3-0.

The Panthers’ stars came up big in the biggest moments. Nielsen, whowill pitch at Bucknell next year, ended the season with a 0.43 ERA and 247strikeouts. She allowed just one run in the state playoffs, and was at herabsolute best in the final, where she struck out 19 Robbinsville batters andallowed just one bloop single.

Thomas, headed for Lafayette, had seven home runs, including two in theMorris County final to account for Pequannock’s only runs in a tough 2-1victory. She also delivered a 3-for-3 performance in the state final and drovein the first run of the game.

Other seniors played major roles, like shortstop Dana Torchia, whohandled a key position while placing third on the team in RBI. Thirdbaseman Alyssa Senatore and reserve pitcher Gina Martucci also madesignificant contributions.

The cupboard is hardly bare for the Panthers, with slugging first basemanBridget Carr returning next season, along with players like NicoleHernandez, Eleni Lutas, Melissa Tahan and Stephanie Pomante. Otheryoung players will be asked to step up next season, and Pequannock hasplenty more talent coming from its tremendous youth program.Rise of the Ally-Cats

Few would have figured High Point to have the kind of season the

Wildcats enjoyed. But who knew sophomore Ally Frei would turn into theNolan Ryan of high school softball?

Frei fired four no-hitters, including three perfect games, as she led HighPoint to the Group III state championship. In 179 innings, she had anamazing 362 strikeouts and allowed just 11 earned runs. In fact, Frei wasundefeated this season, as High Point used a different pitcher in its 1-0 lossto Cedar Grove, the Wildcats’ only blemish in a 26-1 campaign.

Frei’s heroics were necessary because High Point had struggles scoringruns at times. In three games, the Wildcats came out on top only afterreaching the international tie-breaker in the 10th inning. One of thosevictories was the state final against Kingsway, which High Point finallypulled out in the 11th inning when Jamie Christensen delivered an RBIsingle for a 1-0 win.

The Wildcats also won the NJAC American Division title and theHunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament, capturing the final with—whatelse?—a 1-0 win over North Hunterdon.

To be sure, High Point was not a one-player show. Senior captainsChristensen and Justine Hall helped lead the way, aided by younger playerslike Carly Satter, Chelsea Eckert and Meghan O’Leary. The return of thoseunderclassmen, along with Frei, makes High Point a real threat to hoistmore hardware again in 2013.Whippany reaches the summit

While it didn’t get nearly the notice as Pequannock entering the season,Whippany Park had high expectations of its own. After winning a sectionaltitle in 2010, and then reaching the Group I state final last year, the Wildcatsbelieved they could take that final step this time around, especially withnearly every key player coming back.

An early-season victory over Morris Knolls showed that this team wasfor real, and Whippany Park went on to earn regular-season wins over PopeJohn, Chatham and West Morris, among others. The Wildcats also securedanother NJAC Liberty Division crown, defeating a surprisingly strongBoonton team twice.

In the Morris County tournament, Whippany Park knocked off Roxburybefore suffering its only loss of the season in the semifinals, 4-2 againstPequannock. The Wildcats bounced back to roll through the North 2,Group I field to win a third straight sectional title.

Whippany Park then showed a flair for the dramatic in winning theGroup I state championship. In the semifinal, the Wildcats scored twice inthe bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 3-2 win over Cedar Grove.Then in the final, a rematch with the New Egypt team that beat the Wildcatslast year, Brianna Cetrulo’s RBI double in the top of the seventh providedthe winning margin in a 1-0 triumph.

Junior pitcher Jenn Sanislo, who shared mound duties last year, took overas the team’s main pitcher and threw 196 innings, striking out 311 battersand allowing just 21 runs. Sanislo was also a part of a strong lineup that putup more than six runs per game. Cetrulo, Hannah Mucerino, Sam Melleaand Ashley Belott were also key contributors on offense.

Whippany Park will take a bigger hit from graduation this time around,but with Sanislo back again, the Wildcats will surely be strong once morenext year.Hornets win one for Ralph

The most unlikely sectional titlist from the NJAC was Hanover Park,which captured the North 2, Group II crown as an eighth seed. But theHornets’ triumph was about much more than softball.

On May 5, Ralph Politi Jr., the father of two members of the HanoverPark team and one of the Hornets’ biggest supporters, was struck and killedby an alleged drunk driver. Up to that point, the Hornets had played .500softball, but the tragedy seemed to galvanize the team.

Hanover Park won its next four games before a loss to Pequannock, thenopened the state tournament with an easy win. As the #8 seed, the Hornetsthen had to hit the road, facing defending section champ and top seedCaldwell. An upset 3-1 victory, featuring two hits and an RBI by DanaPoliti, kept the season going.

After a 5-1 win over Lyndhurst, Hanover Park visited Rutherford for thesectional final. Danielle Politi delivered a key RBI single to help theHornets build a 3-0 lead, and they were able to hold on for an emotional 3-2victory.

Sophomore pitcher Sam Snyder stepped up big during the state run,while seniors Christina LoConte and Jenn Corbo helped lead a very youngsquad during a trying time.

The Hornets’ streak ended with a 6-1 loss in the state semifinals againstPequannock, but even in defeat Hanover Park accomplished somethingnoteworthy. By pushing across a run in the sixth inning, the Hornetsbecame the only team to score against Dana Nielsen during Pequannock’srun to a state title. And with nearly everyone returning next year, HanoverPark will be another team to watch for 2013.Divisional Champions

Chatham shared the Independence Division title but fell in the sectionalfinal to Warren Hills. The Cougars, led by pitcher Amanda Fazio, spentmuch of the season ranked in the state's top 20. Morris Knolls, which alsohad a long run as a ranked team, captured the National Division crown.Lenape Valley scored several impressive victories and won the FreedomDivision title.

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NJAC Softbal l : Sh inesw i th Th ree State T i t l esBy Paul Mencher – ASM Northern Review Managing Editor

June 18, 2012 Volume-II Issue-5

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Whippany Park Softball Team

Whippany Park’s Jenn Sanislo

Pequannock Softball TeamPequannock’s Dana Nielsen

2 / ASMNorthern Review Vo lume- I I Issue-5 6 / 18 / 12

Pequannock Photos by: Ed Leonardwww.edleonardphoto.smugmug.com

Whippany Photos by :Bob Dan ie l s

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NJAC Baseball: Green Wave, DodgersStand Out in Season of ParityBy Paul Mencher – ASM Northern Review Managing Editor

In retrospect, the baseball game of the year innorthwest New Jersey may have come on April29th in the Morris County tournamentquarterfinals. It didn’t draw huge notice at thetime, but Delbarton’s 3-2 triumph over Madisonmatched the two area teams that ended upmaking the most noise this season.

Delbarton, the top seed in thecounty tournament, went on tocapture the title, and finished theseason 22-7 after falling in the NorthNon-Public A sectional final to DonBosco Prep. The Green Waveclearly earned the right to be calledthe NJAC’s top team this season,

thanks in large part to its one-two punch on the mound.

John Masella pitched one-hitters in both the countysemifinal against Morristown-Beard and the final againstHanover Park. Masella was theteam’s ace, and suffered hisonly loss of the season in the 3-0 sectional final loss to DonBosco. It was Adam Schreck,though, who toed the rubber ina number of Delbarton’sbiggest games.

Schreck fired a shutoutagainst Poly Prep of Brooklyn,

one of New York’s top teams, and then did the same in a 7-0 win overRed Bank Catholic, which was ranked #1 in New Jersey at the time.Schreck also started that game against Madison, allowing two runs overfive innings of work. Brian Rapp came on to close the door.

Delbarton wasn’t all about pitching; the Green Wave featured abalanced offensive attack. Dennis Benscko, Kevin Kennedy and EricFajardo were the leading hitters for Delbarton, but the Green Wave oftengot big contributions from others. Catcher Andrew Christie had the key

hit in Delbarton’s two-run rally that lifted theWave to a 2-1 win over Hanover Park in theMCT finals. Delbarton also captured theNJAC National Division title.

While Delbarton was the top area team,the Green Wave hardly dominated thecompetition. Delbarton had a number ofclose contests and lost three times to MorrisCounty foes. Likewise, Madison won theNJAC Independence Division, but had sometough days against local teams as well.

Madison ended up 21-8, setting a newschool record for victories. After a three-game losing skid to end the regular season,the Dodgers rebounded to capture the North2, Group II sectional title, their first since

1986. Madison was the only NJACteam to take a section crown this year.

Like Delbarton, Madison leanedheavily on two starting pitchers. AceMike Wallace went 9-2 on the season,while Connor Higgins was a stellar #2,going 8-1, including the sectional finalvictory over Bernards.

Higgins was also one of the top hittersfor the Dodgers, batting better than .400for the season. Joe Grato was the team’stop power hitter, and posted a better than.400 average as well. Cameron Dias andDilon Kluge were other key offensiveplayers.

Veteran coach Mickey Ennis said this was arguably the best season inschool history, but seemed justas proud that the Dodgers wonthe sportsmanship award votedon by local umpires.

Two other NJAC teamsreached sectional finals. WestMorris was the second seed inNorth 2, Group III, and lived upto its ranking by reaching thefinal. Along the way, theWolfpack defeated rivalMendham behind a one-hitshutout by ace Michael Feula.West Morris was a strong hittingteam, led by Charles Savite,Matt Marino and Connor Young.But the Wolfpack ran into abuzzsaw in the sectional final,falling 7-0 to Cranford, whichwent on to capture the Group IIIstate championship.

The other local team to reacha sectional final was a definitesurprise. Pequannock had adecent regular season but drewonly the ninth seed in North 1,Group II. With strong pitchingby Nick LaPorta and others, thePanthers allowed just five runsin their first three games.Pequannock also benefited from

a series of upsets inthe bracket thatgave it twounexpected homegames. But theluck ran out in thesectional final,where Mahwah aceChris Baldi fired ano-hitter to end thePanthers’ season.(Mahwah went onto beat Madison inthe state semifinaland win the GroupII state title.)

BesidesDelbarton andMadison, the otherNJAC team to reach 20 wins this season was Jefferson. The Falcons wereextremely impressive in league play, going 13-1 to edge Pope John by onegame for the American Division crown.

While most schools experienced a big drop in offense this year with thenew BBCOR bats, Jefferson somehow seemed immune, playing

numerous high-scoring games.With sluggers likeSteve Cuccio andJon Kristofferson,plus contributionsfrom JeremyDeCotis, EricVartanian andmany others, theFalcons piled upthe runs. But theyalso concededplenty of runs,and that provedthe Falcons’undoing in

tournament play, suffering upsets in the quarterfinals of both the countyand section.

Two other divisional titles came down to the wire. Kinnelon won theLiberty Division for the second straight season, besting Mountain Lakesand Morristown-Beard in a three-way battle. The Colts won two biggames against the surprising Lakers late in the season to secure the crown.Ben VanPut and Chris Villante led the Kinnelon offense while R.J.Giannetti and Ryan Price were the top pitchers.

In the wide-open Freedom Division, Hopatcong held off Wallkill Valleyand Kittatinny to win its first baseball title in 14 years. Hunter Guard hit.423 for the Chiefs with nine homers, and also went 7-2 on the mound.Frank Fendrock, Scootie Fischer and Ray Annett also keyed the offense.

Overall, NJAC baseball was marked by parity, and that was bestexemplified by Hanover Park’s run to the Morris County tournament finalas a 14th seed. The Hornets upset three higher-ranked teams, includingJefferson and West Morris, behind the pitching of Rick LaSalvia and thehitting of Matt Facas and Tom Pescatore.

In the final, the Hornets put on a defensive clinic, with shortstop JimSivolella making several sparkling plays. Centerfielder Vin Aulisi stolethe show with an unbelievable on-the-run, full-out, snow-cone divingcatch to take away an extra base hit.

It still wasn’t enough, as Delbarton scratched out two runs in the sixthinning to win the title. And that low-scoring, one-run win by the GreenWave—just like its victory over Madison a couple of rounds earlier—neatly encapsulated the 2012 baseball season in northwest New Jersey.

Pequannock Photo by: Ed Leonardwww.edleonardphoto.smugmug.com

Delbarton’s Baseball Team

Delbarton’s John Masella

Madison Baseball Team

Pequannock’s Nick LaPorta

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Even a week after Chatham’s amazing 13-12 victory over Mendham tocapture the Morris County Tournament title, Jaclyn Leto remembered hergame-winning goal as if it had happened seconds ago.

“Our comeback really came out of that because we were able to winpossession off the draw,’’ Leto said. “There were about 12 seconds left.Kelsey Perselay got direction. One of my teammates Kate Murphy got theground ball off the line and we were quickly behind the goal with LaurenMaiorano.

“I was being tighly marked but I think someone set a pick. I was able toroll off my defender and I had a little room for my stick. Lauren perfectlyfed it to my stick and I was able to just shoot it.’’

Leto gave the Cougars another triumph in a season filled withsatisfying victories. Chatham rallied back from an 11-8 deficit to capturethe MCT title in a game against defending champion Mendham held atRoxbury High School on May 12. Chatham never held the lead until thefinal seconds and outscored the Minutemen 5-1 over the final sevenminutes of play to earn the triumph.

One of the skirmishes inside the battle was Perselay’s competition withMendham standout Paige Russell. Perselay’s draws got stronger late inthe game and Chatham was ableto capitalize.

“We weren’t boxing out asmuch as we should have and thenas halftime hit we thought, thiswas not the end of the game,’’Perselay said. “We were onlydown by three goals (6-3). Wecan score 15 goals in a half. Thisis absolutely nothing. The secondhalf I started drawing to myselfand boxing out.

“If I’m not getting strongdirection where my teammatescan’t easily pop out and get it,then I should take it upon myself.So I drew to myself and I won afew on the line. The girls weredoing a great job boxing out. Thatenabled me to get it to myselfwith a lot of room. Paige is verystrong and athletic. They had agreat game plan on the draw butit came down to our passion andour desire to win the countytournament.’’

The county title was a previewof even more thrills for theCougars. They swampedneighboring rival Summit 21-8 to earn sectional honors. Chatham won theGroup II title with a dominating 19-6 victory over Red Bank Catholic.

Chatham played great defense and had an often dominating offense.Leto, Perselay, Murphy, Kallan Murray, Mary Kate O’Neill and LaurenMaiorano found the net regularly. Defensively, Liz Hyde, CallieFarmakis, Kit Whiteman, Ashley Perselay, Brittany Marriott and goalieHannah Reader stepped up big when they were needed.

“We have alot of speed inthe midfieldand ourmidfielders aregreat,’’Maiorano saidafter the RedBank Catholicwin. “Thetransitionlookedbeautiful todayand we allconnect so wellwith eachother. Wethreaded somepasses and putit in the net.’’

The Cougarsedged GroupIII championRidgewood 11-10 for a chanceat the Tournament of Champions title. Chatham nearly mounted acomeback for the ages against undefeated Moorestown. The Cougarsrallied from a 12-4 deficit and scored seven consecutive goals before timeran out on them. It was an emotional ending for a thrilling 23-3 season.

“We really just love being with this team,’’ Brittany Marriott said. “Wetalked a lot about it going into today. We absolutely never give up. This isour last game together. We really just enjoyed the season so much that wewould never, ever give up.’’

Mendham (19-5) had a strongrun in Group III, but unfortunatelyit always has to meet up in thestate final with traditional statepowerhouse Moorestown.

Mendham took a 3-0lead early in thecontest but it wasn’tenough against theunbeaten Quakers. TheMinutemen fell 13-8.Mendham’s sectionaltitle came with adominating winagainst 16-5 againstWest WindsorPlainsboro North.Strong performers forthe Minutemen thisyear included NorthCarolina-bound AlyMessinger, MaggieSinzer, Sarah Gillespieand defensive stalwartCarly Horan.

West Morris (10-11)battled through atough schedule andreached the semifinalsof both the MorrisCounty Tournamentand North Group III.Megan Monaco andEmily Delaney werethe Wolfpack’s keyperformers.

Mountain Lakes (12-8) also hadits moments. The Lakers advancedto the MCT semifinals beforebeing knocked out by Mendham.They also had state wins againstMadison and rival Kinnelon beforefalling to eventual Group I

champion Glen Ridge13-6. Casey Drollinger,Victoria Kalamaras,Allie LaBeau and HallieWalker were among theLakers that made adifference.

Three other area teamscaptured division titles.Kinnelon (14-4) washelped by somespectacular offensivedisplays by HeidiAnnaheim as it won theIndependence North.Annaheim scored over100 goals and her sisterVirginia added morethan 40. Kara Cramptonand Haley Femblaux also made major offensive contributions.

Villa Walsh (14-5) grabbed the crown in the Freedom South division,led by the offensive power of Nicole Baiocco and Candace Pallitto.Mount Olive (15-2) took the Colonial North title with the help of sharpgoalie Alex Tepper and the scoring of Francesca Verrone and AlinaSantana.

Montville (15-5) excelled with good performances by Shelby Labe,Maura Johnston and Danica Witty. Madison (12-6), Sparta (11-8) andRandolph (14-3) also had standout seasons that should help theirprograms grow and develop.

Chatham Lacrosse Team

Chatham’s Jaclyn Leto

Girls' Lacrosse: Cougars Soar toHistoric SeasonBy Mark Kitchin – Staff Writer

Mendham's Aly Messinger

Chatham's Kelsey Perselay & Mary Kate O'Neill

Photos by :Ma rk K i t ch i n

Bounce-back victories seemed to be the theme for boys’ lacrossethis season in northwest New Jersey. Mountain Lakes, Delbarton andChatham all enjoyed major triumphs, but not before overcomingsome crushing defeats.

The Lakerschose the MorrisCountyTournament as thevenue for theirchance atredemption. TheMountain Lakesplayers werevisiblyembarrassed at a17-7 regularseason loss theysuffered againstDelbarton in ahome game. Theyreturned the favorby topping theGreen Wave 10-8in the semifinals of the Morris County Tournament. Mountain Lakeswon its 12th county title with a 12-4 romp over another rival,Kinnelon, in the championship game.

All-American Rob Orazietti and Christian Cuccinello each fired hattricks to spark Mountain Lakes in the title game victory. Jon Broomeearned MVP honors with a two-goal, four-assist effort. Dylan Mutiand Spencer Herman had two goals apiece for the third-seededLakers. With its 12th title, Mountain Lakes pulls ahead of Delbartonwhich has 11 county championships.

The win also brought back a bit of history. It was the 25th runningof the tournament. Kinnelon was the inaugural winner in 1988. Thetwo teams had not played in the title game since that year. MountainLakes was ready for some long-awaited vengeance.

“It feels great,’’ Mountain Lakes midfielder Muti said. “BeatingDelbarton (in the semifinals) last week was amazing and this kind oftops it all. The first time they played Kinnelon in the first countytournament we lost, so it is nice to get some payback on them.’’

“It feels awesome,’’ Mountain Lakes defenseman Tyler Bateskoadded. “I’ve been waiting to do this for a very long time -- ever sinceI was little. It was great to get the win.’’

The Lakers finished with a 15-4 record. They registered statetournament triumphs against Woodstown, Madison and Caldwellbefore falling to Glen Ridge in the Group I semifinals.

After that sameMCT loss,meantime,Delbarton rallied tohave a stellar statetournament run.Following thedefeat to MountainLakes and a tightloss against LongIsland foeChaminade, theGreen Wave wonits next five games.Two of thetriumphs madetheir seasonmemorable.

The GreenWave’s victoryagainst Don BoscoPrep in the Non-Public A state final was nothing short of astounding. Delbarton ralliedfrom a 7-3 deficit with 1:48 to go in regulation and scored fiveunanswered goals to edge Bosco 8-7 in overtime.

Senior midfielder John Shaffer notched the game-winner with 2:45left in the overtime period. The win gave Delbarton its second

consecutive Non-Public A title and sixth inthe last seven years. Connor Bilby had twogoals and two assists, including the game-tying goal with 13 seconds left in

regulation.

Much of thecredit goes to face-off expert Austin

Williams. The Delbarton All-American won 13 of 18 drawsand captured 5 of 6 in the fourth quarter which kept the rallygoing.

The emotional game energized the Green Wave as theyhandled their first Tournament of Champions opponent, Non-

Public B champs Montclair Kimberley Academy, by a 9-2margin.

“I think the Don Bosco game gave us a lot of momentum,’’Delbarton’s Matt Killian said. “This whole season we’ve had a lotof one-goal games. I think that helped us in the long run. We wereprepared to get back into it after a close game like that.’’

They continued the run with a 5-1 win over Group I championSummit. Williams’ draws helped Delbarton get a couple of

transition goals early. The Green Wave showed their versatility byswitching to an alert zone defense and didn’t allow the Hilltoppers,including Player of the Year Nick Kilkowski, to get many open shots.

The magic ride ended with a loss to Bridgewater-Raritan 11-5 inthe T of C final. The Panthers were a dominant team this year, but

getting back to the final showed that amotivated Green Wave team can always find away to emerge among the state’s best.

Chatham rebounded from a tough loss to goon to better things, too. The top-seeded MCTteam was upset by Kinnelon 10-9 in semifinalround play. The Cougars picked up the piecesafter the loss and rallied to win their firstGroup II state title.

Chatham (16-8), which also defeatedDelbarton for the first time in school historyearly in the season, earned victories overJefferson, Mendham, Hopewell Valley andSomerville, in a come-from-behind 8-6 win, tocapture the title.

The title game held extra meaning for manyof the Chatham seniors who played in a marathon overtime loss toSummit in last year’s Group final.

“It’s the best feeling,’’ Chatham goalie Corey Fritts said. “After lastyear’s five overtime loss, it was the worst feeling I’ve ever had -- torebound like this is just awesome.’’

“We played so many toughgames throughout the year that atie game down the stretch – or aone-goal game – they werecomfortable in it,’’ Chathamcoach Tony Calandra said.

“We told them that we werehere last year and we played asgood as we could possibly playand came up a little short, buttoday I think they had the will togo get it.’’

The Cougars season ended atthe hands of Ridgewood in theTournament of Champions butthe sweet memories of theprogram’s first state title mayprovide incentive for even betterdays.

Morristown (13-9) sustainedmore losses than previouscampaigns but were a markedlybetter team. They advanced allthe way to the Group III state

final before falling to Ridgewood, 10-6. Stephen Delargy, ConorDolan and their teammates have given notice that the Colonials’program is on the rise.

Kinnelon (11-10) had an up-and-down season but saved its best forthe Morris County Tournament run with wins over Randolph, upstartMount Olive and Chatham. Kobi Frankel excelled at both feeding andscoring and Greg Budd, John Calia and many others helped the Coltsadvance to the title game for the first time in more than two decades.

Mount Olive had a breakthrough year. The Marauders finished at17-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the MCT before losing toKinnelon. Tyler McEvoy, Brandyn Merkle and Conor Buoye wereamong the standouts. Buoye had a prolific year by scoring 83 goals tolead the Garden State.

Montville also had a memorable season. Ryan O’Lear, JakeHaimson and Raf Correa helped the team to a 16-5 mark and somespirited performances. West Morris, Lenape Valley, Morris Knolls,Pequannock and Kittatinny also posted memorable seasons that willgive those teams something to build on for the coming years.

www.asmnorth.com ASMNorthern Review / 5

Delbarton’s Lacrosse Team

Boys' Lacrosse: A Season ofTurnaroundsBy Mark Kitchin – Staff Writer

Chatham’s Kyle Howard Johnson

Delbarton’s Jack Clarke

Chatham’s Lacrosse Team

Mountain Lakes’s Lacrosse Team

Mountain Lakes's Jon Broome

Photos by :Ma rk K i tch i n

6 / ASMNorthern Review www.asmnorth.com Volume- I I Issue-5 6 / 18 / 12