On March 27th, 2019, Ridgewood boys lacrosse team had its opening game against Lawrenceville. After devoting a great amount of time to off season work and scrimmages, the boy’s lacrosse team is off to a strong start with a 5-1 record as of April 22nd. With it being one of the most popular and highly anticipated sports at RHS, all eyes are on this upcoming season.
Thanks to many strong juniors and the talented senior class, the team has had an overall successful preseason. Junior Thomas Bourque stated, “This preseason, we played against some very high quality teams and had many incredible moments. I’ve had a great experience so far and am looking forward to our season being as strong as the preseason.”
The team has earned victories against Lawrenceville, Bernards, Ramapo, Hunterdon Central, and Westfield, making them one of the strongest teams in the state. Even with the upsetting loss against Mountain Lakes, a close 4-6 game, the Ridgewood boys are still ranked 4th in the state.
The Ridgewood boy’s team has averaged 11 goals in the first five games and has yet to score fewer than seven. North Jersey wrote: “Ridgewood is the team to beat in the Bergen County race with four straight championship appearances and two titles in that span. The Maroons always play organized ball under coach Mike Pounds and have another dozen college commits to work with.”
Luke Trevisan, another junior on the varsity team, stated “It’s been a grind so far this season. We are striving to become the top team in New Jersey, and we have been working hard to accomplish that goal. I think that it is definitely possible and I am excited to be a part of it.”
The team had an incredibly strong season last year and is working towards similar goals this year. Junior Jack Wittmack says, “We have ambitious goals but with our training and hard work, we know we can accomplish them. We have a good record so far and we plan to keep it up.”
Notably, the boys team had an incredibly successful game against Don Bosco on April 17th ending with a score of 9-3. With many high scoring games such as the 15-5 win against Moorestown, the team has a high chance of making it far this year.
The team also has college commits to Ohio State and other top schools, making this year not only successful on the field but in the future as well; the strong group of seniors look forward to playing in the years following high school.
On April 27th, Ridgewood hosted the 22nd annual Ridgewood Lax Day at RHS stadium. The entire Ridgewood community was invited to support grades K-8 and the high school boys and girls lacrosse teams. With events scheduled throughout the day, the Ridgewood Varsity Boys game and senior night proved to be a successful and thrilling experience.
Kevin Collier and Sophie Howard
staff writers
Graphic: Sofia Lee