Over the course of of his career with the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team, Jack Amaral has grown into a leader of its defensive unit.

“I started as a shortstick freshman year and then I made a move to longstick at the beginning of junior year,” said Amaral.

“Last year we had great senior leadership that I got to lean on and learn a lot from and this year I was able to implement that.”

Last Wednesday, co-captain Amaral implemented that knowledge, keying a stifling defensive effort as top-seeded PDS defeated third-seeded Rutgers Prep 11-2 in the state Prep B title game. It was the second straight Prep B crown for the Panthers, who earlier won the Mercer County Tournament for the second year in a row.

Amaral helped set the tone for PDS, scooping up a ground ball on the opening face-off and advancing the ball upfield, leading to a goal by Will Brossman as PDS took an early 1-0 lead.

“That is a great way to get the energy up, especially on the first face-off,” said Amaral. “We went down and scored and that was good.”

The PDS offense had its game plan down, methodically picking apart the Rutgers Prep defense as it built a 7-1 advantage by halftime.

“It is control tempo, we don’t have a lot of depth on the team so we know that we have got to conserve legs,” said Amaral.

“They did a great job of controlling the tempo and finishing when they had their opportunities.”

On the defensive end, PDS was in control as well. “We watched a lot of film on these guys, we knew they had a couple of gunners on their team so I think our defense did a great job with figuring out what their tendencies are and preparing for them,” said Amaral.

“I think we executed and Greeny [sophomore goalie Connor Green] played great; he made a couple of great saves.”

Despite jumping out to a big lead, the Panthers weren’t about to let up.

“We talked about not getting ahead of ourselves,” said Amaral. “Anything can happen, especially in the game of lacrosse, where a game can swing just like that. So at every timeout, we had to refocus ourselves and just take a breath.”

Helping PDS take a second straight Prep B title, its third in four years, along with the two straight MCT crowns, has been a special experience for Amaral.

“That is incredible, we have come a long way in this program,” said Amaral, who has been at PDS since kindergarten and is heading to Gettysburg College this fall where he will be playing for its men’s lax team.

“We are a really, really tight knit group that plays together and loves being with each other. It says a lot going back to back in the MCTs and Prep and three preps in the last four years. It is unbelievable; I would have never expected it. Growing up and watching these guys and then to be able to be on the field and see little kids who I used to be like watching us. It is interesting to come full circle.”

PDS head coach Rich D’Andrea liked watching his team’s offensive execution in the win as junior Elon Tuckman (4 goals, 2 assists) and senior Will Brossman (3 goals, 3 assists) led the way.

“Rutgers Prep runs that great 3-3 zone, we have seen it for a number of years,” said D’Andrea.

“We came out and generated some looks that I really liked in the first quarter. Elon and Will were really good. When you go against a zone of that caliber, you have to be really methodical and really patient. These guys needed to keep it simple. We had a pretty clear-cut plan coming into this and we were lucky that we did execute it.”

The Panthers also executed their plan on defense. “It was amazing, they have played that way all year,” said D’Andrea of his defensive unit.

“They have just played really strong, fundamental, aggressive defense and if there is breakdown, then you face Greeny in goal. He was just unbelievable, he had three or four point blank saves today. Any time we have needed anything from Connor, he just has a way of getting it done. He is calm and he is just poised when he plays, it is fun to watch.”

D’Andrea credited Amaral with playing a big role in helping the defense get things done.

“Jack is big, physical and fundamentally sound, he is known as one of the best defensemen in the state,” said D’Andrea

“He is not flashy, that is one of the things I love about Jack. He takes the ball up the field and he is just a presence for us. He found the right position for himself. He is going off to Gettysburg next year and they are lucky to have him.”

In D’Andrea’s view, the title run produced by PDS over the last few years has not been a matter of luck.

“You look at lasting power and it is the testament of the program,” said D’Andrea.

“I think our program is confident but humble, the players have really developed a winning mentality. That is prevalent in the middle school and it had found its way up. At this point we have strung together some really talented classes back to back here. That is important and the kids buy into it. Every team is a little bit different but they are part of this common thread, they love each other, and they are part of this brotherhood.”

In reflecting on the 2017 campaign, D’Andrea was proud of how his players developed into a powerhouse as the spring unfolded.

“This year’s team, without expressing it, felt tremendous pressure coming into the season coming on the heels of last year’s 15-1 team,” said D’Andrea.

“It was a big personality senior class last year. These guys had a quiet way of going about it in a very different way. You look at the course of the year, they found a cadence to the year that was perfect for them. At the beginning of the year, we had a sense of what the roles were going to be. They grew in different directions and the guys got a good sense of how they could best serve the team and everyone really bought into that selfless mentality.”

In Amaral’s view, it is that selfless mentality that has paved the way to success for the Panthers.

“I think that it is our motto of ‘together,’ every year we play together,” said Amaral.

“We know the types of players that we have and we know how to play with each other. Our coaches do a really great job of getting the most out of all of us.”