Novak plays his part well

Senior finally gets his chance and is making the most of it

By: Justin Feil
   Kyle Novak doesn’t want much more than to be a part, even a small part, of a tight-knit team.
   The Princeton High School boys’ lacrosse team is happy to provide that home for its suddenly mighty impact player from Cranbury.
   "He’s been the guy that’s emerged as someone who can produce when we need it," said PHS head coach Peter Stanton. "He’s a senior. He always showed promise. He played varsity sophomore year. He only started playing lacrosse when he was a freshman, but he’s shown promise all along. He’s someone making the most of his opportunities for sure."
   Novak scored a career-high four goals in a 9-8 win over previously unbeaten Hopewell Valley on Wednesday as the Little Tigers improved to 6-1. The outburst from a player who scored eight total points last season followed a two-goal game in a 7-6 loss to Lawrenceville, the fourth-ranked team in the state by laxpower.com and a 7-6 win over Moorestown in double overtime on a goal by Novak.
   "This is my first real competitive sport I played," he said. "I had a lot of catching up to do. Junior year, I felt like I got the stick skills. I got the shooting and passing. This year, I started honing my field sense and becoming a student of game and filling in the holes that were there."
   Novak has been filling up the nets even though his opportunities still aren’t as great as those of some area players. He doesn’t start and isn’t expecting to start when PHS plays at North Hunterdon today. He plays as a second-line midfielder for the Little Tigers and might not have ever shown up on opponent’s scouting reports until he broke through with a double-overtime goal to beat Moorestown last week. Since then, his teammates have been looking to him more and he’s been delivering.
   "My turning point was when I scored in the Moorestown game," Novak said. "They recognize I’m a good shooter and capable of making a good play. Given enough opportunities, I’m confident I can make the plays and my teammates are confident."
   Their confidence was rewarded in a big way against Hopewell. The Bulldogs entered the game unbeaten in six games and gearing up to knock off PHS.
   "This one was probably up there in the most important games we play," Novak said. "They were the only other undefeated team in the CVC. We were calling it the championship game. Both teams came to play. We were a little lackadaisical the first half. Towards the end of the first half, we started producing. Every player on our team was involved, from guys on sidelines, injured players, and guys on the field. Everyone was pulling for each other. It’s really motivating and inspiring to be a part of."
   In what has become all too familiar a scenario for Stanton, his team fell behind early, then relied on a defensive stance to enable it to crawl out of a 6-3 halftime deficit. It was 7-3 in the third quarter when Hopewell scored the first goal of the second half, but the Little Tigers scored the next six goals of the game with Novak tallying the final three. PHS also came back from deficits against Christian Brothers Academy in a one-goal win and against Moorestown.
   "We’re able to hold teams scoreless for long stretches," Stanton said. "Today, we held them to two goals in the second half. We held Lawrenceville to two goals in the second half. And we held Moorestown to two goals in the second half. It’s a combination of our defense and goalie."
   Stanton said the offense is still working on sustaining its composure for those same long stretches and making even better decisions. Lately, the Little Tigers’ choice to go to Novak has been rewarded.
   "He’s a good shooter," Stanton said. "He’s a good dodger. Sometimes he’s in the right place at the right time. That was the story in the Moorestown game. But it’s one of those situations where success breeds success."
   Novak will enter tonight’s North Hunterdon game a far more confident player than he was only two weeks earlier.
   "Walking into a game now, I know I’m a threat to do something," he said. "I know the other team will be looking at me and hopefully every other kid and saying, ‘That kid might score,’ or, ‘That kid might take ball from me.’
   "What’s great is you know you have the entire team to help you out. For me, it’s amazing to play well for the past few games. But it’s just as important that I have the team I have right now. There’s a lot of camaraderie."
   It’s been building since the team’s spring break trip to Florida. While other teams enjoyed the sights and sounds of Orlando, the Little Tigers did conditioning drills and focused on getting in as much lacrosse as possible. It’s paying off with greater depth in a promising season that has just one blemish, the one-goal loss to Lawrenceville when the Little Tigers couldn’t quite come all the way back.
   "I think it was real heart wrenching for everybody on the team," Novak said. "Everybody wanted it real badly. We went in with enough dedication and zeal that we were able to give them a run for their money. We showed we’re one of best teams in the state. If anything, it just made our team stronger and we still have something to prove."
   Beating Hopewell was one step back in proving that the Little Tigers were ready to push past their only loss of the year. It just took a half to get it going after they fell behind, 6-3.
   "I don’t think we would say we were in a panic," Novak recalled. "We just got a sense of urgency and knew we had to step it up. We knew we weren’t going to have another chance. And looking at the (final) score, we did it in the nick of time. Coming back from that much of a deficit isn’t easy to do. It shows we have a lot of heart."
   The Little Tigers were able to stick together through the rough times, which was just what Novak was looking for before he discovered some newfound firepower. PHS would like to see that play from the outset of games.
   "If we come out ready to play like we did in the second half," Novak said, "we would be able to dominate the entire state. I’d like to get to that point. It’s going to take a little work."
   It’s something that Kyle Novak will gladly take any part in for the PHS boys’ lacrosse team.