Former State Cup champs eye HS crown
By: Justin Feil
The Montgomery High boys’ soccer team did not bring much high school state tournament experience into its North Jersey, Section 2, Group III opener.
The Cougars are far from inexperienced when it comes to state level success. In 1998, six current members of the MHS varsity team were on the Montgomery U-11 team that won the State Cup.
"It was my first big soccer memory," said Mark Wiltse, a senior captain for the Cougars. "A lot of kids were on the team. It was amazing. We weren’t considered a very good team. We may have even been a Division 2 team. We played Hopewell in the finals. They had beat us like 5-0 before."
In the State Cup final, however, it was Montgomery that prevailed, 1-0, on a goal from Wiltse, while the defense around goalkeeper Brad Baldwin shut out the Hopewell offense.
"It was an awesome game," Wiltse said. "We were just a bunch of kids from Montgomery. They had got some guys from other towns. It was an awesome feeling."
Wiltse and the Cougars still a bunch of kids from Montgomery set out Friday to create an even more incredible memory. Wiltse’s second-half goal stood up as Baldwin made six saves for the third-seeded Cougars in a 2-1 win over No. 11 Holmdel in Friday’s quarterfinal action.
"There’s definitely pressure to do well," Wiltse said. "I try to do my best and have the biggest impact I can. If the ball comes to me, I try to put it away for the team. Anybody can do it. A lot of other guys have to be on for us to win games."
After Holmdel scored to take a 1-0 lead, it was Avril Ringheim who tied it in the first half. Wiltse then connected 20 minutes into the second half off a pass from Jon Freimark. MHS advances to play at second-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood today in the semifinals.
"We don’t really talk about the State Cup any more," Baldwin said. "We’re looking forward to playing in the semifinals for states."
The Cougars may not talk much about the State Cup, but that experience started the wheels turning for their success. A few years after the State Cup team, many of the players went their separate ways for club teams, but they were reunited in the Montgomery school system.
"We stayed good friends all over the years," Baldwin said. "We still stayed together and played in high school together. Most of were together our sophomore year. We went undefeated in JV."
In middle school, they were also unbeaten. They’ve proven at three different levels that they could be successful. The varsity high school level is the last for them to go after. With Friday’s win, the Cougars improved to 13-5-2, which comes as somewhat of a surprise after losing 15 seniors last year except to those that have seen this team through the years.
"It hasn’t surprised me," said Bill Baldwin, the coach of the championship State Cup team. "When you look at the level of competition they’ve played against at the club level, they’ve come in with a lot of good experience. Since they played together so long, they gelled together quickly when they had captains’ practices over the summer. I’m glad they have gelled and played so well together."
Montgomery, he explains, has always shown a special resolve in the biggest situations. In the State Cup, they defeated a Morris United team that they had lost to earlier before upending Hopewell. Those experiences together have paid off for this year’s MHS varsity team.
"I moved here in fourth grade, and we won the State Cup in fifth grade," Wiltse said. "The team had been together a little before I had been there. The core of the team stayed together through sixth and seventh grade. Definitely growing up together, it was awesome. It helps the chemistry a lot."
Added Brad Baldwin, "It helps us out a lot since we’ve been together so long. We know how to work together on the field. It makes things easier."
It helped the Cougars pick up quickly from a 15-3-1 season a year ago and not have a drop-off. With another win today, MHS will be one step from a sectional crown, and a step closer to another state success. It’s been seven years, but the memory of the State Cup hasn’t totally faded.
"I just remember it was a cold day in November," Brad Baldwin said. "A lot of us on the team were on that same team. I realized (how many were from the State Cup team) this year when we all got together and all the seniors were playing together in their last year."
Now, the senior group on the MHS boys’ team is looking for one more special fall memory. They experienced success early and carried it through as they rose through the ranks.
"I still often have flashbacks and memories to ’98 and the State Cup run," Bill Baldwin said. "We were the first team in like 15 years that won it with kids that represented one town. Especially at this time, it brings a lot of good memories. It makes me happy that so many of them continued to play and have success on the field. I know some of them want to go on to play in college. It’s been fun watching them over the years.
"They continued to get better. They continued to develop and look at the skills they needed to develop and work on them. They’ve grown into tremendous players."

