Higher intensity pays off for PHS

Senior leadership pays off for girls’ lacrosse

By: Sports Editor
   Whitney Brunner knew as far back as the fall that she wanted this year to be different for the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team. So she and fellow captain Rena Deitz went about taking the steps to do just that.
   "Rena and I decided we wanted to make it more serious," said Brunner, a senior in her third season with the Little Tigers’ varsity. "You could still have fun, but on the varsity it was going to be serious and intense. Even though we might not see it pay off with wins this year, maybe next year it will make a difference. People have come in and given it their all every single day.
   "We really wanted to make the pre-season intense. In the past it was just come if you want to. But we started to get people into the weight room and build our strength. I think we saw the difference in pre-season. Everybody was sharper and from there we just kept going."
   Princeton came out of the gate quickly this season, winning its opener, 13-12, over Willingboro. Since then the Little Tigers have been up and down, improving to 4-6 with a 15-2 win over Ewing on Tuesday.
   "We’re 4-6 and we have some tough games coming up," said Princeton coach Joyce Jones, whose team was scheduled to face West Windsor-Plainsboro North Thursday and will play at Hun on Tuesday. "We have West Windsor North and that will be tough. Then we still have Hun and Lawrenceville coming up. So we have some tough games.
   "We lost our center, Allegra Formento, to an ACL injury. She was a force in the center for us with her stick work and her intensity."
   Intensity is something Brunner was hoping to see more out of her teammates this season, and thus far she has seen a big change in the Little Tigers’ approach to the game.
   "Our whole team is seniors and sophomores, so we’re kind of a young team," said Brunner, who has 19 goals and 14 assists this season. "We have a lot of rebuilding to do from last year. We lost most of our starting lineup to graduation, so we’re trying to build from game to game.
   "We did a lot over the winter to get ready for the season. The weight room had always been male dominated, but we wanted to get in there and we did it as a team together and that made it easier for all of us. After a while, it didn’t matter that all the boys were in there."
   Brunner and Deitz didn’t mind having their team in with the boys all winter to get ready for this season. And Jones was happy to see her team putting in the extra effort.
   "She’s been an outstanding captain," Jones said of Brunner. "She and Rena Deitz have both done a great job. They started back in November doing the off-season thing. They got the team together playing in the indoor league at Peddie. They got them in the weight room. So I’ve been pleased with both the enthusiasm and the leadership they’ve shown.
   "Up until a couple of weeks ago I was coaching both teams because we didn’t have a JV coach. So it was helpful for me to have great captains like that. It’s great to have that kind of leadership when you are down a coach. Whitney is a key to the offense for us. She’s one of the leaders for us on offense as well as setting up the plays. I can’t say enough about her."
   And she has certainly enjoyed her lacrosse experience. It was a sport she had never played until high school, but quickly adjusted to.
   "Coming from Cranbury, I had not been introduced to lacrosse until my freshman year," Brunner said. "I started playing that year and the next year I made the varsity. It’s kind of surreal knowing that it’s almost over. As the games start winding down you realize you don’t have that many more games left on the field. But it’s great being part of the team and knowing that you can come back next year to a game or a practice and know you’ll have friends there."
   Next year she’ll head to West Chester University, where Brunner hopes to eventually continue her athletic career with field hockey.
   "I’m going to try field hockey, but we’ll see how that goes," she said. "I talked to the coach and I have to try out in the spring. They’ve got a good program that is Division I, so I have to wait until the spring and go through a tryout. I’m not sure what I’ll do before then. I may see if I can manage so I can be around the game and be able to pick up a stick."
   Until then, she’ll keep working on making sure the attitude is right with the PHS girls’ lacrosse team. And hopefully that leads to success down the road.