Senior helps MHS bounce back from slow start
By: Justin Feil
Jon Freimark loves to play soccer, but after three winless games he wasn’t so excited about the way the Montgomery High boys’ soccer team was shaping up.
"I wasn’t really looking forward to the rest of the season," said Freimark, one of the Cougars’ tri-captains. "I was hoping the rest of it wasn’t going to turn out like that."
Things went from bad to worse when Watchung Hills took a 1-0 lead one second before halftime on Thursday. The Cougars rebounded with three second-half goals two by Mike Papsin for a 3-1 lead.
"We knew we had to get a win there," Freimark said. "Our season was going to go downhill. Our start wasn’t that great. I was hurt for that half. I went off to see the trainer. I came back in the second half. I tried to rally up morale."
The Cougars were able to build on the big second half with an even more impressive win Saturday. MHS overwhelmed Hopewell Valley with five second-half goals for a 6-0 victory. It helped them improve to 2-2-1.
"We were just playing really well," said Freimark, who had a pair of second-half goals as well as an assist. "We were doing what we know we can do and using what our strengths are. It finally clicked.
"It’ll definitely boost our confidence going into counties and conferences. We had a tough time beating them last year so this was nice. I think we just possessed the ball some more. We got them tired. We’re playing in a style we were coached to do and it worked really well."
The boost of confidence couldn’t have come at a better time. The Cougars will play at unbeaten Voorhees 3:45 p.m. today.
"It’s a big one," said MHS head coach Bob Schwartz. "I think we have a really good team. There are a lot of good things I like about them. It’s a matter of them proving it and showing it.
"Saturday, they really wore down Hopewell Valley. The first 30 minutes, it was a scoreless tie. I was wondering which way is it going to go at that point. At halftime, we only had one goal at that point. We just kept coming at them and eventually wore them down."
It’s the same way that Montgomery has started to turn its fortunes. The Cougars have kept coming, kept fighting to get where they expected to be. They certainly never anticipated an 0-2-1 start.
"We took too much for granted with past seasons and making it to states no problem," Freimark said. "It was definitely a shock to get those results as early as we did. The Hopewell game definitely boosted our morale."
Freimark is one of just four starters back from last year’s MHS team. Fellow tri-captains Tom Murphy and Mike Paftinos are also part of a group that helped pull the Cougars through the season’s first challenges.
"In the past, you could depend more on the players you knew were there and the seasoned veterans," Freimark said. "Now it’s on my shoulders and Murphy’s shoulders and Paftinos’s shoulders to get it done. We’re no longer role players.
"I was definitely looking forward to it ever since the beginning of last season. I was really excited for this season."
Schwartz, too, is feeling that his team has learned some valuable lessons from the early struggles. He admits there was some early soul searching and there have been lineup and position changes already. Beyond those moves, there is a new focus among the Cougars, one that seemed to work best against Hopewell Valley.
"We’ve been talking a lot about preparation and getting ready for games and even practices and what that should look like," Schwartz said. "There are all these things outside of the soccer field that need to be done, but then we’re stepping on the field and thinking just soccer.
"When we step on field, we focus on getting ready for the game and visualizing a bunch of different things. Saturday, the guys were there at probably 12:45. They were taking care of getting to see the trainer, getting the balls, all the things that need to be taken care of. Then they were on the field, warming up and stretching. It was a much more focused group of guys. It wasn’t like that in the beginning."
The Cougars know they can’t lose that focus, particularly with so many challenging games coming up. Today, they’ll take on a Voorhees team that comes off an impressive 2-1 win over Group IV power Hunterdon Central. MHS looks to build on the Hopewell effort.
"We definitely don’t want it to get to our heads," Freimark said. "We have to stay composed and play our game and I think we’ll do fine."
Added Schwartz: "I’ve had a lot of confidence in the guys. I didn’t think we’d be 2-2-1 right now. I thought we’d be doing better. But we came together in a lot of different ways. And we still have a lot of ways to go."
Freimark figures to be a big part of the Cougars’ success. Freimark, who moved from Montclair as a freshman, continues to develop into a premier midfielder for MHS.
"He’s a force," Schwartz said. "There are going to be guys marking him like crazy. We still have a lot of good teams Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Voorhees a lot of good teams to see where we stand."
Before looking to continue his career in college, Freimark is looking forward to guiding the Cougars to another great season. As recently as a week ago, he wasn’t so sure of it. Now he’s focused on making his final season at MHS one of the best while building on back-to-back wins.
"A little because it’s my senior year, I want to get it done," Freimark said. "I want to leave, leaving my mark."