GETTING TO GOAL: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Patrick Kenah goes to goal in a 2022 contest. Junior star Kenah figures to trigger the PHS attack this spring. The Tigers start their 2023 campaign by playing at WW/P-North on April 6 and then hosting Scotch Plains-Fanwood on April 8 and Notre Dame on April 11. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Peter Stanton enjoyed a legendary tenure as the head coach of the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team from 1996 to 2015, getting inducted into the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015.

Shifting roles within the program, Stanton has served as an assistant coach for PHS starting in 2016.

But with head coach Chip Casto on sabbatical for the 2022-23 school year, Stanton is back at the helm of the program this spring.

“It is pretty great but to be honest, I had some self-doubt just because stepping back there is lot more to being head coach,” said Stanton, who guided the program to more than 220 wins, two Mercer County Tournament crowns, and six Colonial Valley Conference titles during his tenure. “It is 24/7, it is always lacrosse season. I am very much an all-or-nothing person. I didn’t know if I could bring what I used to bring to it. It is not entirely like riding a bicycle, there are things that I forget.”

As PHS has gone through preseason training, it has been so far, so good for Stanton.

“Chip Casto had everything in place and we have a tremendous parents group,” said Stanton, who helped PHS go 9-7 in 2022. “The preseason has been great. The boys really want to work — they want to be challenged, they want to get better. It is a pretty straightforward game. We are not reinventing the wheel, but we are demanding their best and they are willing to give it their best shot.”

With Will Doran having graduated and gone to play for Willams College after tallying 55 goals and 73 assists last spring, Stanton is looking for junior Patrick Kenah (53 goals, 38 assists in 2022) to raise the level of his game.

“Patrick is really rising to the challenge of being the guy that carries the attack,” said Stanton. “He plays a lot of lacrosse during the year. His experience with the soccer team has helped him with his leadership skills. The mental toughness from being in a lot of competitive games has prepared him well to take on a leadership role with our team.”

The Tigers will be looking at sophomore Braden Barlag (19 goals, 2 assists) and junior Jason Singer, a former PHS boys’ tennis player, to join Kenah on the top attack unit.

“Braden is a nice player,” said Stanton. “He is good near the goal, he is good in the crease, he can also create and he can beat a defender now. He works really well with Patrick; he has got a really good feel of the game. Singer is a newcomer. He had played as a kid and he loved it. He wanted to give tennis a shot. It was ‘you know what, I want to play a team sport, I want to play a collision sport.’ Those are the three main guys.”

In the midfield, sophomore standout Brendan Beatty (23 goals, 23 assists) figures to be the main guy.

“Brendan is another guy that plays all year,” said Stanton. “What I have seen from the best players is that we are speaking the wrong language when we say work hard. For the best players, sports is play. You watch him in practice and you might think that kid works really hard — it is no he doesn’t, it is play for him. This is a game and it is fun, not that he is not competitive and not that he doesn’t want to be great. You can just tell that what some people might consider work is play for him.”

Along with Beatty, the PHS midfield will feature junior Archer Ayers (7 goals), senior Pierson Swanke (7 goals, 2 assists), sophomore Matt Thomson, and junior Graham Baird (2 goals, 1 assist).

“We have Archer he does a little bit of everything — a little face-off, a little defense, and a little offense,” said Stanton. “The same with Pierson; he is just one of those solid players who does everything well. Matt has been helping us out. Graham is doing a lot of face-off work, he plays very good defense.”

The quartet of junior Anthony Famiglietti, junior James Reynolds, senior Leo George, and sophomore Jack Crotty will be spearheading the Tiger back line.

“Anthony is back, his development preseason has been slowed by an injury but he will be fine,” said Stanton. “His absence has forced us to coach up some of the younger guys and James is one of them. He is also a soccer player. Leo is really cherishing the opportunity to get really pushed hard into becoming a better player. He is just soaking up the coaching he is receiving. Jack is a promising defender.”

At goalie, junior Rory Dobson (105 saves in 2022) and sophomore Corbin Kasziba (6 saves) are vying for time.

“Rory is making progress and developing,” said Stanton. “Corbin has an attitude of trying to take in as much teaching as he can. He is coachable and learning and a very good teammate.”

With PHS starting its 2023 campaign by playing at WW/P-North on April 6 and then hosting Scotch Plains-Fanwood on April 8 and Notre Dame on April 11, Stanton is looking for his squad to develop at both ends of the field.

“We are not going to have a ton of depth, so we have really emphasized fitness and we have to be really scrappy,” said Stanton. “Offensively we have six guys that can handle the ball and we have some guys who can really create. We expect that Patrick and Brendan are going to lead the team, but they are not going to be doing it by themselves. We feel like they have the support around them to help them get to those levels. On defense, we are relying on them to play as a group of six. We are not relying on individuals. How well they can mesh and get the team defensive concepts takes a lot of time and a lot of repetition.”