Lacrosse players improve during season

Despite an overall record of 2-15, the Kittatinny Regional High School boys lacrosse program made progress during the spring season.

The Cougars’ only wins were against Morristown Beard, 6-4, at home on April 9 and Lenape Valley, 8-5, on the road on April 23.

“Our Morristown Beard and Lenape Valley wins stand out for two different reasons,’’ head coach John Lade said. “In the Morristown Beard game, we took a large lead early and were able to maintain the course and get a win. Against Lenape Valley, we fell behind early and were able to make some big plays to earn a nice win.’’

Team leaders were plentiful.

“Our captains, Owen McGill, Alex Laoudis and Ethan Dalling, displayed great leadership throughout the season,’’ Lade said. “Matt Stenderowicz and Carter Festa also supplied solid leadership. These guys showed on and off the field how to work and approach each day. They showed the young guys how to fight to the very end.’’

Many players steadily improved during the season.

“We knew Niko Martinez was going to help us, but he got a lot better as the season went on and displayed a fearless attitude in games,’’ the coach said. “Our freshmen, Michael Strong, Callum Trilling and Greg Roycroft, improved each day and were playing at a high level by the season’s end.’’

Kittatinny was the No. 12 seed in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Group 1 tournament and lost to fifth-seed Ramsey, 14-4, in the first round.

The Cougars are looking to build momentum for the 2025 season and beyond.

“Although we lose some solid seniors, we had a lot of young players play vital minutes for us on both sides of the ball,’’ Lade said. “Their experience will be important as we look to take a large step next year.’’