POLE POSITION: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Ryan Farrell, left, thwarts a foe in a game last season. Senior defender and tri-captain Farrell will be a steadying presence for a PHS squad that is welcoming a lot of new faces to its lineup. The Little Tigers play at Notre Dame on March 28 in their season opener. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Saying goodbye to 14 seniors from a 2017 squad that advanced to the semifinals of the North Jersey Group 3 tournament last year, the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team will have a new look this spring.

“We have holes that a lot of JV kids are going to fill,” said PHS head coach Chip Casto, who guided the Little Tigers to a 10-9 record last year and an appearance in the Mercer County Tournament championship game. “We will see who rises basically. We are basically a senior defense and everything else is underclassmen.”

Senior defensemen Ian Jacobs, Pat Jacobs, and Ryan Farrell have risen to the leadership challenge for the Little Tigers.

“We have three senior defensemen as captains who are pretty serious guys in Ian, Pat, and Ryan,” said Casto, whose team opens the season by playing at Notre Dame on March 28. “They run a tight ship. They want to win, they want to run more in practice. They are pushing the kids as much as I am.”

Casto is going to push his trio of defensive stars to wear many hats this spring.

“They are going to have to do everything; shut down the other team’s best players, help clear the ball, and they will probably face off,” said Casto, noting that junior Joe O’Donnell and sophomore Sam Brandt are vying for the goalie spot.

“When they carry the ball down on offense, we will let them stay for a little bit. We are going to ask them to score goals.”

The Little Tigers will be looking for goals on attack from juniors Alex Park, Dylan Westerman, and Evan Filion.

“Alex Park is head and shoulders our best attackman, he is going to run the show,” said Casto, noting that Ben Drezner and Ben Zief could emerge as key offensive contributors. “We have two middies that got a good amount of time last year in Dylan Westerman and Evan Filion.”

With so many new faces seeing time this spring, PHS will need those young players to grow up quickly to produce another winning campaign.

“The key is getting the kids more consistent,” said Casto. “Our system is a little different than the JV team so they need to play a little faster, make quicker decisions. For a lot of them, it will be their first varsity experience. We have to calm them down to get them to do the basic stuff well.”