Boys face Bernards in SCT opener Monday
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
When the Montgomery High School boys lacrosse team needed a goal to tie Watchung Hills, Josh Reinson won the faceoff and raced down the field to score.
The senior midfielder also converted the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining. His sixth goal capped a Senior Night to remember in a 13-12 win Wednesday.
”I knew at some point I had to start taking over and my team was behind me 100 percent,” Reinson said. “Without them behind me, I would haven’t have had six goals. I’m pretty sure they were all assisted. It wasn’t just me taking over.”
Reinson is the one player that the Cougars can depend on to do just about anything they need. He’s trying to do a little of everything in his final year, from being a more dangerous shooter, to taking meaningful faceoffs, to speaking up more as a leader.
”Everyone knows who Josh is,” said MHS head coach Tim Roy of the Maryland-bound Reinson. “He’s an all-county kid and all-state kid. When you step on the field, you’re trying to find No. 9. He’s scoring this many points with the best guys that the other team has on him, or the most amount of attention given to him.”
Reinson is just fulfilling the role he expected. His junior year was cut eight games short after two broken bones in his hand required surgery. He has returned with a vengeance as a leader for a Cougars team that has a broad mixture of experience.
”It’s been a completely different year than I’ve had the past three,” Reinson said. “The past three years, I’ve been surrounded by kids who have played all four years. Now it’s my time to be that person for everyone around me.
”I knew it was coming. I knew I had to accept it. If I didn’t accept it, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am. The team follows me. I need to be there for them.”
Reinson has been there all year, the focus of opposing defenses, yet a player that can lead the Cougars in a variety of ways. Roy has seen development in a short time. This in his second year as the Cougars head coach and he also had Roy on his summer team.
”He’s evolved,” Roy said. “He went from a straight-up standstill shooter, and we asked him to shoot on the run and dodge. He’s an ACC athlete — it came down to Maryland and (Johns) Hopkins, so obviously he has talent. Over the summer, we asked him to do more stuff. And this spring we’ve asked him to do more stuff.”
Reinson keeps trying to help whatever way he can. He’s above 50 percent on the faceoffs he has taken in the place of regular senior faceoff specialist Byron Gurzo. And he’s closing in on 70 points this season.
The biggest change for Reinson is how he is getting his goals. They aren’t all stand-alone howitzers from the top. He is shooting on the move, becoming a tougher target.
”They’re definitely asking me to do a lot, but I understand where they’re coming from and I don’t mind it,” Reinson said. “They’re asking me to do something different and it’s only going to make me a better player. I want to be prepared to be able to play next year.”
He isn’t quite sure how tough the jump will be from his high school and club teams to Maryland and the ACC, but he knows he will have to improve to earn playing time at the next level.
”It’s more on myself,” he said. “Doing these little things to get ready for the big picture helps. It’s on me to do the little things to get me ready.”
Reinson’s late game goals gave the Cougars back-to-back wins for the third time this season. They have yet to win three straight, but hope to change that when they play as the No. 9 seed at No. 8 seed Bernards in the first round of the Somerset County Tournament on Monday.
”We definitely had games where we’ve been really tested,” Reinson said. “At some points, we’ve stepped up and at other, we’ve shied away. We need to work on stepping up.”
There is no better time than the county tournament. MHS sits at 7-6 after topping Watchung Hills.
”At the beginning of the year, we knew that we had lost a bunch of firepower, something like 220 of 250 goals last year,” Roy said. “We knew we lost some guys. It was a different dynamic last year. This year, we knew we’d have to be a little more calculating with the things we did.
”We knew we had freshmen coming up and knew we were going to play those freshmen. We have some sophomores, some freshmen, one or two juniors and then some seniors that have contributed well. We knew it was going to be a challenging year.”
The Skyland Conference and Somerset County schedules are unforgiving, but the Cougars have seen progress.
”We were competitive against Hunterdon Central with a chance to win, close with Bridgewater early and let it get away,” Roy said. “We have some potential when we play well.”
Added Reinson: “It’s not so much a rebuilding season, but kids had to step up. Kids are doing a great job of stepping up and it’s making the season go by. Going into the last part of the season, we have to keep it up and not let things slide by, and go in confident, no matter who we’re playing.”
Regardless of record, Reinson is proud to be back on the field for the Cougars and a bigger leader in his final scholastic season in the program. While his playing style and practice habits say plenty, he has grown more vocal in lacrosse than at any time in his athletic career.
”It might not be the same team as last year, but it’s about us getting out and playing and having fun with it,” said Reinson, who also played football in the fall. “You’re going to win and lose some, but have to take it how you are. You have to learn from your mistakes and keep getting better.
”Me being a leader is just another thing that will help me in the long run. I definitely feel myself being more of a leader now. Everyone is looking at me to do something. I’m going to be on a field with everyone who’s as good or better than me next year, and I have to do things under pressure. Having to do things now under pressure will help with that aspect.”
It’s just one more way that Josh Reinson can elevate his level of play in preparation for the big step ahead.