Little Tigers host rematch with Hunterdon Central today
By: Justin Feil
When Brian Cohen first saw the bracket for the New Jersey state boys’ lacrosse tournament, he couldn’t help but to think beyond the Little Tigers’ first game.
PHS had no history with 50th-seeded Camden Catholic, but down the road lay a path littered with teams with whom the Little Tigers are quite familiar.
"Immediately we saw it when we got the bracket," said Cohen, a PHS senior. "It was like, ‘Oh, we can play every team that we have revengeful-type feelings for.’"
Following a 16-0 shutout of Camden Catholic on Tuesday, PHS put itself in position for the first step in what could be quite an interesting ride. The 15th-seeded Little Tigers will host 18th-seeded Hunterdon Central 3:45 p.m. today. Hunterdon Central defeated PHS, 6-5, last Monday.
"It was a battle of defenses," said Cohen of the game in which the Red Devils held PHS scoreless for the final six minutes of the game. "They have a pretty strong defense too."
PHS is hoping a similar defensive effort and more effective offense will result in a win this time, a win that would likely put them up against No. 2 seed Mountain Lakes, which ended the state tournament for PHS last season with an 11-6 defeat. A win there could put them up against West Windsor-Plainsboro North, the only Bianchi Division team to beat the Little Tigers, who clinched their third straight division crown this season.
But first things first, and that means a chance for revenge against Hunterdon Central.
"We’re excited that we have the opportunity to play them again," said PHS head coach Peter Stanton after his team improved to 13-4 Tuesday. "We would have preferred that it be farther down the road, but it’s now. It’s a team we have a lot of respect for and I think they respect us.
"As much as we controlled the tempo and outshot them, 41-19, and would like to do that again, I’m sure that their coaches are looking at things they could do better. We did play well at both ends. Their goalie came up big. Even though we took a lot of shots, we could generate better scoring opportunities. I’m very satisfied with how we played at the defensive end, and we’ll have to do that again."
Cohen was part of the Little Tiger defense that held Hunterdon Central in check for all but the final five minutes, 43 seconds when the Red Devils got two goals to win it after PHS led, 5-4.
"Their offense wasn’t that much of a threat to go to goal," Cohen said. "They were mostly role players. We have Bennett (Murphy, who had three goals in the teams’ first meeting) and James (Kadar), who when they get the ball, they create. They didn’t have any one leader. They just kind of moved the ball around and they scored off of cuts from the midfielders."
This time, PHS’ midfield defenders will be ready for that wrinkle. With a veteran defense that includes Cohen and two other senior close defenders along with goalie Chris Lalli, the Little Tigers have made it hard for teams to score on them this year. They lost just one defensive starter from a year ago. Add in the fact that PHS has taken a deliberate approach on offense, and it’s a tough formula to crack.
"It’s been our game plan," Stanton said. "Be patient and work for good shots and give the defense some rest. We take advantage of Chris being in goal and if we can shorten the game, we feel good about ourselves."
And with the way the Little Tigers opened the state tournament, with a big offensive day and a shutout on the defensive end, PHS feels that it’s ready for a rematch with Hunterdon Central. PHS will need a few more goals than last time from a young offense, which will be helped by the consistent play of a veteran defense.
"You kind of saw that (Tuesday)," Stanton said. "The defense, they were the guys most ready to play. They really brought the energy. They have to be the ones ready. I told them a few weeks ago that they’re the ones replacing (graduated offensive leaders Alex) Goodman and (Whitney) Hayes."
Cohen has come quite a ways to become a leader for the PHS defense. That he moved from the midfield to defense was almost an accident.
"I played on JV as a freshman and at the end of the year, they move some guys up to the state tournament team. I was one of the guys," Cohen recalled. "They just needed poles to fill in on defense and I did it, and I liked it a lot. The next year, I started working there."
Cohen received some of the best on-the-job learning from PHS practices in which he battled guys like Goodman, Hayes, Josh Miller and Brian Lalli. It helped mold him and the defense into the veteran presence they are today.
"We’re like the ground level, the building blocks now," he said. "Everything builds up after that. That’s from playing with those guys. They were the best attack guys in the state."
Cohen’s playing career won’t end regardless of how PHS does today. He’ll continue next year as a freshman at Drew University. But he’s still highly motivated to exit the high school lacrosse scene on a high note.
"The big thing for me is playing with these coaches," Cohen said. "Coach Stanton and Coach (Greg) Malfa have been great. I love our program and I love playing with these guys. I started with Malfa in eighth grade and he sort of just followed us up to high school. It’s been a lot of fun."
And it’s been great for the coaches to be able to work with Cohen.
"He’s a great story in that regard," Stanton said. "We brought him up for practice and went on to convert him. He’s played a few positions and finally found something he liked doing. He’s really taken it to heart.
"The thing with Brian is he is a big contributor to our team spirit. The fact that he’s had such a good experience that it makes him want to continue with, it’s gratifying to see someone want to grab onto it."
Cohen and the Little Tigers would like most to grab wins against some teams that have given them problems recently, and to do so when it matters most, in the state tournament. The first big step for PHS begins today with a rematch with Hunterdon Central.
"The defense played well enough for us to win," Stanton said. "You can’t say it’s because of this or that that we lost. But if we hold them to 19 shots and to six goals again, I like our chances to win."

