Kittatinny boys lacrosse completes historic season

It was not only a memorable season for the Kittatinny High School boys lacrosse program, but indeed a historic one as well.

“This was only the second time in program history where we got to the second round of the (NJSIAA) State Tournament,’’ Kittatinny head coach John Lade said. “There are many contests that stand out, but probably the Delaware Valley, Pa., (a 9-8 win on March 31) and Cedar Grove (an 11-5 victory on May 28) games. Delaware Valley is a very large school district that had beat us up pretty good in the past. The boys came out strong and played well enough to earn a win versus a very solid opponent.

“Also, the Cedar Grove game might have been our most complete game. We dominated for 48 minutes to earn a really solid victory in the first round of states.’’

In both victory and defeat on the field, the Cougars benefitted from dependable leadership.

“Our captains, Niko Martinez, Jack Brex, Shane Carman and Michael Strong provided great leadership throughout the year,’’ Lade said. “Also, we had other seniors like Kevin O’Keefe, Luke Hendershot and Greyson Lobb provide excellent leadership as well. We were upper class driven this year and the boys did a nice job holding each other accountable.’’

Coach Lade definitely noticed those student athletes on the roster who showed steady improvement throughout the course of the season.

“Kenny Williams and Ben Calache showed a lot flashes [of potential],’’ Lade said. “They have a lot of potential and even though they did not get a lot of playing time, they showed promise for the future.’’

The Cougars tallied a solid overall record of 11-10 against a considerably tough schedule including three wins in the always challenging NJILL Polley Division.

Kittatinny advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 1 Sectional Tournament as the No. 8 seed and defeated No. 9 seed Cedar Grove in the first round. They were defeated by top seed and eventual Sectional and State Group 1 champion Mount Lakes in the quarterfinal round on May 30.

The Cougars have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the 2027 season and beyond.

“We have a lot of returning production on offense, so we’re expecting the offense to perform well next year,’’ Lade said. “We have some newcomers that should be able to contribute right away.’’