Cougars to face Ridge again
By: Justin Feil
The top seeds in the Group II and Group III boys’ lacrosse state tournament advanced with wins Friday.
It was good news for Montgomery High, the top seed in Group III, as the Cougars dismantled Fair Lawn, 16-2, to reach the semifinals where they will host Ridge 4:30 p.m. today. It was Montgomery’s eighth straight win and puts them in good company.
"You’re down to 24 teams in the state," said MHS head coach Tim Sullivan after his team improved to 16-3. "This is our third year getting to the semifinals. Every game is a big game and you have to think about it that way. You hope you don’t make a mistake to sway things in the wrong way."
It was bad news for West Windsor-Plainsboro North, which ran into a buzz saw in Group II top-seed West Morris Central. The ninth-seeded Knights were eliminated from the state tournament with a 15-2 loss to a team that was as good as any they have seen this season.
"They might be a couple steps behind Montgomery, but they were pretty solid," said Knights head coach Steve Czelusniak, whose team finishes 8-9. "Their long poles pressured us and were able to strip our attack. They got on ground balls. Their middies were very athletic and ran up and down the field. And their attack went to goal hard.
"Everybody put forth a good effort. We just played a much better team all over the field. But everyone played hard."
Ernie Park and Joe Moore provided the goals for the Knights. Pat Wade made 18 saves after facing 41 shots. Moore and Wade are among a senior class that Czelusniak credited with the Knights’ success this season.
"They’re the guys responsible for getting us here," he said. "The defense came together when we needed it. They’re responsible for keeping us close to Hopewell, Hun and Princeton which is what got us (in states). John Feuerstein had a monster game in our first game to get us here. I couldn’t ask for more from them than to get us this far.
"Ernie and A.J. (Reichert) are coming back. That’s something good to look forward to. We have some talented freshmen coming off the freshman team. We’ll lose our whole defense and we’ll have some big shoes to fill there. That will be a big question. We also lose a lot in the midfield. And replacing John Feuerstein’s goals will be tough. We’ll be young everywhere. The bar is set high. The young guys have to step up and see if they can come close to that."
Montgomery is still trying to establish its standards with a team that has shown amazing balance. The Cougars had eight players score goals Friday. Kevin Watson notched his 100th career point with two goals and an assist. Kevin Hover had three goals and three assists. Steve Watson had three goals and one assist. James Caruso had nine saves and Rudy Butler made five saves. The Cougars shut out Fair Lawn in the second and third quarters and Sullivan likes how his team is playing.
"There’s not one person scoring six or seven goals," he said. "We’ve been lucky. Going back to the county game with Ridge and the first state game, we’ve had a lot of different scorers. A lot of different people stepped up. James and Rudy both played well. They understand their roles."
The Cougars expect the tests to get stiffer in the semifinals. The Cougars have faced Ridge before, splitting their previous two meetings. The Cougars lost in overtime in the regular season, but beat Ridge for the Somerset County Tournament title May 20.
"Ridge plays real physical," Sullivan said. "It’s trying to make the most of whatever team you do face. Every team we can face, we can play with them. I’m not afraid to play anybody. I hope the players can adjust to their style.
"You want to make sure you’re prepared before the game starts. There are a lot of real competitors in the group. No matter what, they won’t be happy with a loss. They want to push the season as long as they can."