CLEAR THINKING: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse goalie Leo Godefroy clears the ball during a game this spring. Junior Godefroy emerged as a star in the cage for PHS this spring as it went 12-5 and advanced to the North Jersey, Group 3 semifinals. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

It wasn’t easy but the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team advanced to the the sectional semifinals for a fourth straight year.

Playing at fourth-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the North Jersey in late May, Group 3 quarterfinals, fifth-seeded PHS trailed 7-6 going into the fourth quarter of the contest.

Outscoring the hosts 4-2 down the stretch, the Little Tigers pulled out a dramatic 10-9 victory.

First-year PHS head coach Chip Casto liked the grit his team displayed in crunch time.

“We knew going in, it was two pretty equal teams, we saw a lot of film on them, they probably saw a lot of film on us so we knew each other’s tendencies,” said Casto.

“They were able to go on a little run late and you just don’t know how long that momentum will carry. We made a couple of plays that stopped the momentum. There was a turnover by them at the top of the box and we take it out and went the length of the field and scored. That was a good sign and we took the momentum back. We just held on at the end. They got a good look at the goal with seven seconds left and they shot it high.”

But the Little Tigers fell short in the semis for the fourth straight year as it lost 13-2 at top-seeded Northern Highlands.

“We felt we were prepared but we weren’t; we made some mistakes early that showed that we didn’t have the discipline to stick to the game plan,” said Casto, who got two goals from senior star Rory Helstrom in the defeat as the Little Tigers finished the spring with a 12-5 record.

“Things that we saw on film and we talked about, we said don’t do this but then we did it anyway. So we have got to work on the discipline of trying to stay to the game plan; that should be a good message for next year.”

Falling again in the semis provides good motivation heading into next year.

“That is something that we have talked about; let’s get that game and try to get to the sectional final,” said Casto.

“The group final is really where we want to get to. We are about two games away which is a lot so it is a good thing to talk to them about.”

Casto saw a lot of good things this year from his lone seniors, Helstrom and Nick Halliday.

“They finished their careers very well; Rory took the offense on his back and Nick filled in a lot of the gaps, helping on face-offs, picking up the ball, stopping key offensive people, and scoring a couple of key goals,” said Casto.

“It became a running joke, late in the season an opponent’s coach called out ‘hey watch out 28 (Halliday) is a shooter;’ it is the first time Nick has ever been called a shooter. He is a scrappy player and it is the end of an era with his two older brothers (Zach and Kevin) having been stars for us.”

It was the start of an era for PHS as Casto moved into the head coach post after having served as an assistant coach for several seasons.

“I had a great time, it was unusual circumstances that the ex-head coach (Peter Stanton) stayed on the staff but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Casto.

“He was a tremendous mentor and helped me get through some of the overwhelming paperwork. The staff came together; we had great assistant and JV coaches. Things are starting to click a little more; we need to keep cultivating the talent.”

Junior attacker Johnny Lopez-Ona helped keep the offense clicking this spring.

“He really wants to play college ball so he has put in a lot of time in his game over the summer and the fall,” said Casto, who also got a big season from another junior, attacker Eamonn McDonald.

“He came back as a much, much improved player who could shoulder the offense. A lot of the offense ran through him and Rory so he was very key.”

In Casto’s view, PHS has the pieces in place to keep improving. “Next year is a big deal, they are going to get a little more pressure on them from us and from other people because there are so many people returning who got a lot of time this year,” said Casto, noting that the program had 20 freshmen in uniform this year.

“We should be able to amp up practices a little more and amp up our concepts and put a little more pressure on them having to make some more plays, which is how good teams get better. We are very excited about the future.”