MHS boys’ lax rebounds from close losses
By: Justin Feil
Sean Hover doesn’t need to see any more opponent celebrations.
The Montgomery High senior has seen his share in the last two months, and wouldn’t mind if he never saw another in the final two months of his scholastic career. The celebrations started with the final game of the winter season when Hover and the Cougars ice hockey team fell to Randolph in the state championship in overtime. Hover was hoping those celebrations would end with the start of the spring boys’ lacrosse season.
"There’s a good amount of hockey kids on the team," Hover said. "I have a clipping from the final game. It shows a couple Montgomery kids and Randolph celebrating in the background. I’m so disappointed when I look at it. I know we could have won that game. It kind of inspires me to try to get back to the state final. I know we can. We’re all focused on lacrosse now."
The Cougar lacrosse team reached the Group II state semifinals last year, but didn’t get off to the start they were hoping for this spring. They lost four of their first five games, the losses coming by a total of five goals.
"You could tell the other teams were playing with a lot of heart," Hover said. "It took us to see the other teams beating us and watching them celebrate like they won a championship. That helped us."
MHS has turned it around since that frustrating start which included two losses in the last 10 seconds of games. The Cougars have beaten in succession Morristown-Beard, 9-6, last week and Immaculata, 8-5, Monday to pull within a game of .500 going into Thursday’s game against West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
"It was definitely tough," said Hover of the 1-4 start. "We kind of figured it out and had a little snag with Moorestown when we lost with one second left. I think we’re back in the groove again.
"We knew we were a good team. Last year we had a great team and had a lot of guys returning. On the score sheet, it didn’t work out. The captains stepped up and picked it up in practice."
Montgomery is hoping it will continue all the way to the state tournament. The Cougars host Princeton Day School on Saturday, then next week face Hunterdon Central and Hun.
"Morristown-Beard, they’re a great team. To play well against them, we’re happy," said MHS head coach Tim Sullivan. "To do well today against Immaculata, I was happy. Every team on our schedule is good.
"Our next two games are our first games against teams not ranked above us. We have to play every game like it means something. We have an opportunity to get our name recognized in the state. We got close last year. Nobody remembers who got close."
The Cougars didn’t forget how close they came to playing Delbarton last year for the state title. It doesn’t seem as though their opponents have either as they did just enough to top MHS by the slimmest of margins.
"It’s totally frustrating," Sullivan said. "It was a good wake-up call too. I had a great group last year. I have a great group too. Last year, we were playing teams for the first time and had everything to prove. We’ve found out when you do win, you have a target on your back and have to push yourselves. We weren’t doing that.
"It’s the team with the most heart that wins. That happened in the game against Moorestown, Bridgewater, Ridge and Hopewell. They pushed it harder than us especially in the end."
Hover thinks the early struggles were a function of the Cougars adjusting a bit to the new pieces in their lineup as well as changes in the offense. It didn’t help either that MHS lost one of its top defenders, Justin DeLuca, before the season started and was breaking in some new defenders.
"We lost a lot of speed," Hover said. "We lost four seniors in the midfield that played a lot. They were soccer players and could run up and down the field. We were real used to the run and gun and we’re still good at it. But we don’t create as many fast breaks. All our midfielders are good. All of them can beat someone. We put in a new offense. There was a learning curve with everyone figuring everything out."
It’s all started to come together in the last few games for the Cougars. They needed the win over Immaculata to contend for one of the top seeds in the Somerset County Tournament. The Cougars led, 8-3, before two late Immaculata goals made the score more respectable.
"Our defense, we’ve stepped up," explained Hover, a midfielder. "The first couple games, Bridgewater we only allowed seven goals which isn’t so bad. Today we let up two garbage goals. When your defense lets up five goals, our offense is so powerful we can at least have nine so that’s really helps. Our defense kind of stepped up and we played with more heart."
Added Sullivan: "Last year, we graduated a lot of midfielders who were hustlers. They created a lot of opportunities for us. My players didn’t understand how good they were and what role they had. You have to win the battles. If you don’t win the battles in the middle of the field, you never get the opportunities. Now kids are understanding that and stepping up and winning battles. It’s helping us."
Hover has been a solid contributor all season. The Rutgers-bound senior has elevated his game this season. All his totals are up over last year. He already has more goals and assists and is just three ground balls from tying his mark for last year.
"Sean Hover is a stud of studs," Sullivan said. "He’s the leader on the team. He’s having a great season. He’s been consistent throughout. He plays with a lot of heart and emotion. He’s showing he deserves to go to Rutgers."
Before he does, he’d like to help establish firmly that MHS is a state power. The Cougars are gaining confidence and starting to refocus on the goals they had at the beginning of the year, like making a name for themselves at the state level. Their first goal making it to and sustaining a .500 record, something that would have seen a foregone conclusion coming off such a big finish last year.
"No way at the beginning of the season did we worry about making states," Hover said. "We knew that’s where we should be. Hopefully once we get there, there will be a clean slate and we can go from there. We’re definitely a dominant team. But we didn’t play like that."
It cost them early in some tight-fought games, but MHS is on its way back to where it expected to be this season. And that should keep opposing celebrations to a minimum.