Top photo caption: The Notre Dame High boys lacrosse team celebrates after defeating Robbinsville in the CVC Tournament finals. It is Notre Dame’s first local tournament title since winning the Mercer County Tournament in 2011. Courtesy photo
By Rich Fisher, Contributing Editor
The Notre Dame High, Lawrenceville, boys and girls lacrosse teams both became the champions of their respective Colonial Valley Conference tournaments last week.
Both coaches are as happy for the other team as for their own.
“It’s truly special,” boys coach Bryan Rice said. “It makes winning the title that much sweeter, that we get to share it with coach (Bryan) Fisher and the girls program.
“Both teams really deserve it. They were there to cheer us on in our championship game, and we were in attendance for their game. Watching the kids celebrate together was really amazing.”
Fisher felt the championships were a testament to the talent and character of the Notre Dame athletes. He, too, felt the excitement of dual championships.
“Coach Rice and I have been friends for over a decade, and we were so excited to watch his boys capture their title [May 14],” Fisher said. “We really felt their energy and support [May 15] when it was our turn. Having both programs climb the mountain at the same time makes it an incredibly special moment for all the players, their families, and the coaches. It’s a true Irish Pride milestone for the entire school.”
The only difference in the teams’ situations is that the boys were expected to win it while the girls were underdogs.
The top-seeded boys (15-3) claimed their first conference/county crown since 2011 by taking a 16-11 victory over 2nd-seeded Robbinsville at Hopewell Valley High School.
Powered by one of the best offensive units in CVC history, the Irish got goals from eight different players in the final. Roman Klish had four, Caden Federigo and Ryan Bernstiel tallied two each, Emanuel Jastrzebski scored two and Kenny Romano, Alexander White, Ande Soos and Merritt Long added one apiece.
Rounding out the lineup are Juan Bustamante, Michael Spooner, Joey Kloc, Alec Butunoi, Jay Benjamin, Luke Spearnock, Eli Coffman and goalie Andy Wong.
“The past four seasons have been a build-up to prepare for this moment,” Rice said. “We talk daily about having to earn everything we strive for. Our guys have worked tirelessly on and off the field, in season and during the offseason to earn this title
“Before we started the game on Thursday, we talked about relying on our preparation and letting the game come to them. We reassured them they were ready. We learned a lot from falling short in last year’s championship game. We had unfinished business and weren’t going to leave on Thursday empty-handed.”
The coach praised his offense, which is the second highest scoring unit in New Jersey. He noted that the chemistry between the players is the best he has ever coached and that, combined with their IQ, helps put pressure on teams.
Most impressive is that ND has not succumbed to outside pressure of being expected to win this year.
“They’ve handled the expectations very well,” Rice said. “Our message all season is to play simple, disciplined and confident. Our senior leaders do a great job of staying composed and communicating well with the rest of the team to ensure that we manage our emotions, despite the ups and downs of big games.”
The girls (14-2) were not under the same scrutiny, as Allentown – the defending CVC and Group 2 state champ – was expected to win. But paced by Capri Valentino’s six goals and four assists, the Irish sprung a 12-9 upset on the Redbirds home field. Aubrey Davis added three goals, while Reese Parker, Gigi Pawar and Erin Gioschio tallied one each.
Rounding out the contributors were Grace Marrone, Kate Moog, Mickala O’Connell, Clementine Bowden, Delanie Meszaros, Carolyn Race, Megan Castro, Paige Marrone and goalie Stevenson Calabro. Their efforts helped the Irish to their first county/conference crown since winning back-to-back in 2014-15.
Prior to the bus ride to Allentown, the Irish girls talked about leaving behind their fears of playing a dominant team that had owned them in the past.
“It’s one thing to talk about leaving your fears behind, but it takes an immense amount of mental toughness to actually execute it on the field, especially against a team that had beaten us 10 games in a row,” Fisher said. “What allowed this team to step up was a complete shift in how we managed our mindsets, our time and our energy.
“You have to control where your attention goes and value what you give your energy to. Before the game, we broke it down mathematically. The CVC Final was 2,880 seconds. That’s just 3.3 percent of your day. I asked them, can you be ‘all in’ for 2,880 seconds and make every second count? Because if you can, the celebration will last a lot longer than that. And yes, that celebration continues!”
Fisher felt a key to the success was the chemistry between Valentino, Parker, Davis and Moog, saying, “It’s almost telepathic at this point. They have put in countless hours together, and it shows in the way they manipulate opposing defenses.”
Both Bryans raved about the support their teams got from the entire Notre Dame community of students, administrators or teachers. They also feel the CVC titles can provide momentum entering the state tournament, which begins May 27.
“This reinforces to them that we can execute in big moments,” Rice said. “They know we have a special group. But it provides us with an extra boost of confidence for the state tournament, and the belief that we can compete with anyone in New Jersey.”
Fisher noted that, “Winning a title gives you that tangible taste of success, but breaking that skid (against Allentown) gives us an entirely different level of self-belief. This win validated everything we talked about before the game. The girls now have living proof that when they leave their fears behind and make every single second count, good things happen. We’re ready for the next challenge.”