HHS girls set to move on without DeLuca

Lacrosse team young but still talented

By: Rudy Brandl
   Time will tell how good the Hillsborough High girls’ lacrosse team will be this spring.
   The Raiders begin a new era after the graduation of superstar player Ali DeLuca, who is one of only five players in state history to score 300 goals. DeLuca, who is playing at the University of Pennsylvania, and her older sister Krystina, now a sophomore at Brown, led the team for the past three years.
   Hillsborough won its first Somerset County title in 2005 and captured the Skyland Conference crown in 2006. The HHS girls also reached the sectional final last spring but lost at West Morris Mendham in Ali DeLuca’s last game.
   Hillsborough returns several quality players with experience. Many of these girls have played key roles in the team’s success the past two years. Now, they’ll be asked to take it up another notch to maintain the program’s high level.
   "We’ve always had a team atmosphere," HHS head coach Beth Murrin said. "Ali was a key player and a dominant player and everything ran through her. We’re going to be a more evenly-spread team this year. We have a lot of good players back."
   Seniors Katie Marino and Nikki Smartt, who will continue their lacrosse careers at Rutgers University next year, will be the team leaders. Marino, a fourth-
year varsity player, has the speed and skill to become a top scorer. Smartt, a relentless defender, begins her third varsity season as the team’s best stopper.
   Hillsborough also returns senior goalkeeper Lauren Griggs, who is coming off two solid seasons in the cage. Griggs was the starting goalie on the 2005 county and 2006 conferýPage=013 Column=001 OK,0002.00þ
ence championship teams.
   Other returning players include senior defender Lisa Cannellos, junior attacker Lindsey Watts, junior center Sara DiClemente, sophomore midfielders Kelsey Palmer and Katie DeLuca and senior defender Katie Fernald.
   This also will be a different experience for Murrin, who begins her first season coaching lacrosse without Ali DeLuca on her team. Murrin coached DeLuca in middle school and all four years at HHS. While there won’t be a dominant player of that caliber on this year’s team, the Raiders expect to be very balanced in their scoring.
   Watts returns to the attack after finishing second on the team in scoring last spring. Watts and Marino should share the load as the team’s go-to offensive player, but it will certainly be a scoring attack by committee.
   "We have a lot of people who will score," Murrin said. "Katie and Lindsey will lead us, but we have other people who can put the ball in the back of the net."
   Although it will be difficult to replace the offense provided by DeLuca, Murrin believes her team is less experienced on defense. The Raiders lost three-
year starter Chrissy DiClemente, two-year starter Danielle Iwanechko and defensive starter Jade DeNapoli.
   "We know we’ve been hurt by graduation," Murrin said. "We’re actually more concerned about defense coming into the season. Our defense has been hit harder by numbers. We’re looking for Nikki and Lisa to lead us back there."
   Hillsborough will start six sophomores, including four who are in their first varsity season. Midfielders Katie DeLuca and ýPage=013 Column=002 OK,0006.05þ
Palmer earned varsity letters as freshmen, but sophomores Dorian Gilmartin-Dzitko, Alexa Jarvis, Tina Marino and Nicolette Minutillo will make their varsity debuts as starters. Gilmartin-
Dzitko, a field hockey standout, will start on attack, while the younger Marino will fill a midfield slot. Jarvis and Minutillo will be the team’s new young defenders.
   "They’re young and they have a lot to learn but they’re eager," Murrin said. "It’s going to take some time for them to get it all right. If they keep working the way they are now, we’re going to be fine by May. It’s just going to take us some time."
   Murrin already saw major progress in the team’s scrimýPage=014 Column=003 OK,0001.05þ
mages. After watching her girls overmatched at times vs. Mendham, she was pleased with the performance against an Oak Knoll team that’s among the best in the state.
   The HHS girls expect to battle the same old teams for county supremacy this spring. Pingry, Bridgewater-Raritan and Ridge have become Hillsborough’s rivals in recent county tourneys. Murrin is hoping her team is ready to maintain its recent success.
   "It’s a challenge for us to keep up the tradition," Murrin said. "We have a core of players who were on the county championship team. Everyone is learning to work together and wants to get better every day. They definitely want to defend that tradition."