Hayes’ All-American numbers lift PHS’ play
By: Justin Feil
Whitney Hayes had an impressive sophomore season last year. He led the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team with 40 goals and 51 assists, great numbers on a team that finished 17-1.
It was also easy to see how Hayes could have such a successful season. The next three leading scorers were seniors, all who went on to make collegiate teams this year. They were great feeders and great finishers.
The mark of Hayes’ greatness came this season, when he tallied 45 goals and a New Jersey state record 82 assists for a team that finished 15-5, and, like last year’s team, won the Bianchi Division title and reached the state tournament quarterfinals, where they fell to eventual state champion Moorestown. PHS was able to do so with a completely different supporting cast for Hayes.
"We definitely lost a lot last year," said the junior attackman. "Coming into the year, we knew we would have a good team, but we didn’t know who would play the big roles."
Hayes was a good starting point. He was at his best in PHS’ biggest games, particularly in the state tournament. He had four goals and seven assists in a 16-7 win over top-seeded Arthur L. Johnson Regional and then had a goal and four assists against Moorestown.
The New Jersey Lacrosse Coaches Association recognized Hayes’ outstanding play by naming him as a member of the high school All-America team.
Whitney Hayes is the Princeton Packet Player of the Year.
"We really take all this as a team award," said PHS head coach Peter Stanton. "All the guys that practiced against him, like Alex Hobson, who went to battle with him every day. He shares that award with them and all the guys that scored off his assists. They deserve credit for making him a better player."
While PHS got key contributions from several new starters, it was the veteran play of Hayes that made the offense go. The only other offensive player that Hayes had any real experience with was Alex Goodman, who had seen some playing time as a sophomore. New to the attack was Bennett Murphy.
The two had a combined 26 points last year. Goodman and Murphy scored 51 and 58 goals, respectively, this season.
"He brings out the best in other people," Stanton said. "He definitely helped Alex and Bennett Murphy achieve what they did this year.
"He gets guys open. When he has the ball, he’ll beat the first defender, and at that point, somebody has to slide to him. That creates an opening and he’s great at finding the cutters. Our offense all began with him."
A couple years ago, Stanton began a tradition of handing out Tiger paw stickers to players who scored a goal or had an assist or made a big play. Stanton still hands out some stickers for the players’ helmets, but he doesn’t do it as liberally any more because players like Hayes wouldn’t have room on their helmets. But Hayes isn’t so much concerned with statistics and awards as with his team’s performance.
"It was really a good year," he said. "Definitely the best part was how we gelled so well as a team."
And that helped get Hayes the recognition he deserved, with the crowning achievement being named All-America.
"It’s the biggest team you can get on in high school," Hayes said. "I didn’t really think I’d get it. It’s really exciting. It’s really a testament to the hard work that not only I put in, but the whole team put in."
Hayes, who also plays for the Little Tigers boys’ soccer team, will continue his development at some of the top national lacrosse camps and by playing in a competitive league in preparation for his senior season. He hopes that it will help make him a highly recruited player for college.
Being named All-America is a good start. It was this season’s finish, most notably in the state tournament games against some of the strongest teams in New Jersey, that solidified his selection. Matched up against some of the top players in the state, Hayes fit right in.
"I’m still amazed at the game he had at Moorestown," Stanton said. "He played against an outstanding defenseman, and I saw their other two games, and (Hayes) gave him more trouble than anyone from Mountain Lakes or Summit did."
Making it that much more remarkable is that Hayes, as the focus of the PHS offense, is also the focus of every opposing defense. Yet his numbers still managed to increase from last season. And while his assists jumped the most, he’s still a solid goal-scorer, though it has taken a back seat to his assists in high school.
"Through middle school, I was more of a goal scorer," he said. "In high school, I have guys that have better shots than I do. I try to get them the ball in the best position to score."
"You would ordinarily think of 45 goals as a lot," Stanton added, "but he has so many assists that it doesn’t look like that much."
With the entire attack returning next season, Hayes will have a shot at his own record, but his focus remains on helping the team to reach new heights.
"The record’s not that big a deal," Hayes said. "We lose a lot of guys, and we have to replace them. We do return our whole attack and we return my favorite two targets, Alex and Bennett."
As Whitney Hayes proved this season, he has no trouble finding any cutters that don the blue-and-white jerseys of Princeton High. The All-American attackman was one of the big reasons that the Little Tigers were as successful this season as they were the year before, and Hayes is one reason they will be looking to do just as well next year.