FAST START: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Johnny Lopez-Ona heads past an Allentown defender in the season opener for both teams. Junior attackman Lopez-Ona tallied four goals and two assists to help PHS roll to a 14-4 win and give new head coach Chip Casto a victory in his debut. The Little Tigers, now 3-0, play at Notre Dame on April 8 and host the Lawrenceville School on April 11. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

As Johnny Lopez-Ona and his Princeton High boys’ lacrosse teammates hit the field last Wednesday for their season opener against nemesis Allentown, they were feeling positive about their prospects.

“We had a really good preseason,” said junior attackman Lopez-Ona. “Coach [Chip] Casto was very confident that our March practices had gotten us ready for the first game. We were ready to go out there, there weren’t any holes.”

The Little Tigers didn’t waste any time showing they were ready to roll, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead and stretching the advantage to 7-0 by halftime as they cruised to a 14-4 victory.

From the opening face-off, the PHS attack was in synch, something Lopez-Ona attributed to familiarity.

“We returned everyone besides one or two guys, it continued from last year and we put in a slightly different offense that has allowed us to start clicking,” said Lopez-Ona.

After having lost to Allentown on last year’s season opener, PHS was fired up to turn the tables on the Redbirds.

“Your first game against a rival is going to set you up for a good season,” said Lopez-Ona.

“They did the same to us last year, it was a big loss for us so it is great to come out here and rebound from that.”

Lopez-Ona has developed a great connection with classmate Eamonn McDonald. who scored five goals in the opener.

“Eamonn and I are on the same summer team and that also continues into the fall,” said Lopez-Ona, who plays for the Team Turnpike club program with McDonald.

“We play all year long, our playing styles really complement each other. I find him on some cuts, he will find me on cuts. Working together the whole year lets you get a chemistry together.”

With two years of high school lacrosse under his belt, Lopez-Ona is getting a the chance to play a bigger role in triggering the PHS offense.

“It has definitely changed through the three years,” said Lopez-Ona, who tallied two goals and four assists to help PHS defeat WW/P-S 13-5 last Monday as it improved to 3-0.

“On offense, I might be running some of it. Rory [Helstrom] might be running some of it or Eamonn. Everyone is part of it. It is a very heavy junior team with a lot of leaders.”

With Casto going from offensive coordinator to head coach and New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Famer Peter Stanton moving to assistant coach from the top spot, there haven’t been any drastic changes in the program’s approach.

“Practice is somewhat different but coach Casto has always been a big part of the team and coach Stanton is still a very big part of the team,” said Lopez-Ona. “You get different flavors from different coaches overall but the style hasn’t changed that much.”

Head coach Casto, for his part, was thrilled to see PHS cruise to victory in his debut at the helm.

“My mentor Chris Johnson, who I coached under at Montclair High and won state championships with, is here today so that made me feel real good,” said a smiling Casto.

“The team has taken care of me. The coaches have taken care of me. They have all gotten me pumped up. My family has taken care of me, they are my biggest fans.”

Casto was pumped up by his attack’s cohesive play. “I was surprised at how we clicked early on, we were swinging the ball and finishing the shots,” said Casto. “We made some typical high school mistakes which you want. I want them to have stuff to work on.”

Junior midfielder Oliver Hamit got things off to a flying start as he took the opening face-off and raced down the field and fired the ball into the back of the net to set the tone.

“Oliver is on the under-19 Australian team, he made that and I think his confidence is through the roof,” said Casto.

“For him to start the season like that for us was great, he scored the first goal of my tenure as a head coach so he gets a big lunch. He had the first face-off, the first ground ball. He comes focused, he is ready to play everyday in practice. He is a good kid.”

Casto is confident in the play he is getting from Lopez-Ona and McDonald on attack.

“They have been playing together for years,” said Casto. “They play together in the summer and they talk a lot during practice. They are good shooters and good players.”

With PHS not giving up a goal until the second half against Allentown, the defense proved it can be very good.

“We have two junior goalies, Sawyer Peck and Leo Godefroy, we are splitting them and they are each playing tenacious in practice every day,” said Casto, whose team plays at Notre Dame on April 8 and hosts the Lawrenceville School on April 11.

“That is the start of it, the backbone. We have Tooker Callaway who was named captain because we saw his leadership. He is talking, he is motivating guys so we are getting the slides that we need. It was good.”

While things are being tweaked a bit with the new leadership at the top of the PHS program, the influence of longtime head coach Stanton remains a motivating force.

“There are no scheme changes but we are all trying to bring new drills to practice,” said Casto.

“We are trying to be fresh with our drills but hammering home the same basic stuff that Peter has hammered home for 20 years. He is as loud and boisterous as ever.”

Casto believes the Little Tigers can make some noise this spring. “We will know in a month, come May 1st when you got to be clicking,” said Casto, whose team plays at Notre Dame on April 8 and hosts the Lawrenceville School on April 11.

“We will see then, that is our goal. We are working on what we have to work on every day. The daily stuff is what is key. It is fun.”

Lopez-Ona, for his part, likes the way PHS is clicking on and off the field.

“We have a really great chemistry,” said Lopez-Ona. “The practices are fun. We are having fun out there in the games. There is no pressure. It is our culture that is letting us do that. We have a lot of juniors and a lot of upperclassmen who are really good friends.”