ON POINT: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Patrick Kenah, left, races upfield in a game this spring during his senior campaign. Star attackman and Lafayette College commit Kenah tallied 108 points on 61 goals and 47 assists as he helped PHS go 11-8 and advance to the Mercer County Tournament final. Kenah ended up with 372 points in his Tiger career on 217 goals and 155 assists. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Patrick Kenah prepared for senior season with the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team, he put his nose to the grindstone.

“This offseason was super crucial, I wanted to put in the work,” said Kenah. “I knew I needed to have a good season. I wanted to help the team and be a leader of this team. I think I have set myself up well to do that, and I have been put in a good position.”

Senior attackman and Lafayette College commit Kenah achieved that goal, triggering the PHS offense.

After tallying four points in a 15-4 opening day win over WW/P-North, Kenah exploded for nine points on five goals and four assists to help PHS defeat Hopewell Valley 17-11.

After a tough stretch in mid-April which saw PHS go 2-3, Kenah helped the Tigers get back on track with a 21-11 win over Notre Dame High under the lights at Mercer County Community College, piling up five goals and six assists.

“We wanted to work for each other, get each other open, and swing the ball around,” said Kenah, reflecting on the win over the Irish. “I thought we did a good job of that. They threw a couple of defenses at us so we had to adjust often. I thought we did a good job.”

Kenah’s connection with junior midfielder Brendan Beatty helped PHS get the ball moving all spring.

“It is awesome, me and Brendan are super close off the field too,” said Kenah. “We are always looking for each other.”

Building on the win over Notre Dame, PHS advanced to the Mercer County Tournament final for the first time since 2017 as it topped Lawrenceville B 19-11 in the semis with Kenah tallying five goals. In the title game against Hopewell Valley, Kenah had four goals and one assist but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers fell 16-11.

Kenah ended his stellar career by scoring four goals with two assists as ninth-seeded PHS fell 13-10 to eighth-seeded Northern Highlands in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament.

That output gave Kenah 108 points this spring on 61 goals and 47 assists. He ended up with 372 points in his PHS career on 217 goals and 155 assists.

PHS head coach Chip Casto credited Kenah with having an influence on the Tiger program that extended far beyond his glittering stats.

“Patrick was an outstanding leader,” said Casto, whose team ended the spring at 11-8. “He learned under the tutelage of Will Doran (a 2022 PHS grad) and just kept that going. It is a sort of a Doran/Kenah era coming to a close. Patrick is a student of the game. He has really learned the offense, he sees all six guys. He is as much of a competitor as anybody I have coached. He plays through all sorts of injuries. He is always getting beat on but he keeps coming back. I am really excited to see him at Lafayette.”

Kenah’s main goal this spring was to lead the Tigers to a title. “We have to meet the standard,” said Kenah. “It is just make the most of what we have. Our ultimate goal is to put something on the banner in our gym.”

While Kenah didn’t accomplish that goal, his production and leadership make him the choice as the Town Topics’ leading high school boy performer this spring.

DOUBLE DUTY: Hun School softball standout Lexi Kobryn smacks the ball during her stellar career with the Raiders. This spring, Kobryn starred with her arm and her bat in her senior season as Hun went 18-3, advancing to the Prep A state final and the Mercer County Tournament semis. Villanova University commit Kobryn piled up 205 strikeouts in 103 innings with a 0.27 ERA and batted .571 with seven homers and 44 RBIs. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Top Girl Performers

Lexi Kobryn made history this spring in her final campaign for the Hun School softball team.

On April 18 in a 5-0 win over Hightstown, senior righty fireballer Kobryn recorded her 500th career strikeout, the first Hun pitcher to reach that milestone.

Four days later, Kobryn pounded out her 100th hit of her career, making her just the second Raider player after Lauren McQuade to achieve the century mark.

Reflecting on her accomplishments, Kobryn was proud of the legacy she is leaving.

“It means a lot, I have been working for that my whole career,” said Kobryn, a Villanova University commit. “I knew I was getting close, it was just exciting to get that. I have been really working hard. I know a lot of Hun softball players haven’t done that so it is amazing. I am leaving my mark, which is pretty cool.”

Those accomplishments were the product of a lot of hard work on Kobryn’s part as she refined her talent. She would come to school at 6:30 a.m. for strength training and hone her hitting in home sessions after practice.

“It is hard to get my workout in. I can’t lose what I have done, so coming in the morning is what works best,” said Kobryn. “It is weights. I am always getting extra reps hitting. If I feel I don’t get enough here in practice, I will go home and hit off the tee.”

Kobryn kept up the good work through the spring as Hun went 18-3, advancing to the Prep A state final and the Mercer County Tournament semis. Kobryn piled up 205 strikeouts in 103 innings with a 0.27 ERA and batted .571 with seven homers and 44 RBIs.

Hun head coach Kathy Quirk created Kobryn with leaving a special legacy.

“Lexi has been doing a great job, she works hard,” said Quirk of Kobryn. “I am happy for her. She is leaving here with some nice records, she has done a great job. She knows that her teammates have her back.”

Kobryn, for her part, had a great time over the course of her Hun career.

“I know that the friends I have made in the four years, I am going to have them forever,” said Kobryn. “It is sad that I am moving on. The memories I have had, you can never take that away.”

FOR THE RECORD: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse star Tessa Caputo, left, heads to goal in action this spring. Senior attacker and Fairfield University commit Caputo tallied 161 points this spring on 100 goals and 61 assists as PDS went 15-6, making the Prep B state semis and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B quarterfinals. During her career, Caputo totaled a school-record 435 points on 275 goals and 160 assists. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Across town, senior standout Tessa Caputo was achieving milestones this spring for the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse team.

Star attacker and Fairfield University commit Caputo tallied 161 points this spring on 100 goals and 61 assists as PDS went 15-6, making the Prep B state semis and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B quarterfinals. During her career, Caputo totaled 435 points on 275 goals and 160 assists, setting all-time program records in goals and points.

While Caputo was proud of those achievements, she doesn’t dwell on stats.

“It is definitely something fun to look at but at the end of the day — it is not something that I am focused on going into games,” said Caputo. “My mom is all over it, she loves it.”

Caputo loved competing with fellow senior stars Kelly Christie and Jesse Hollander.

“Me, Kelly, and Jesse are all super close off the field as well, I think that definitely helps,” said Caputo. “We have all been playing together since freshman year, so that really helps. We just have such a great bond. We see each other, we work together in practice every day. We all trust each other so much.”

PDS first-year head coach Lucia Marcozzi marveled at Caputo’s achievements and unselfish play. “Tessa is great — that was so well-deserved,” said Marcozzi, referring to Caputo passing the 200-goal milestone. “But the thing is, besides the 200 goals, she passes to a freshman or a senior — she doesn’t care. She sees assists the same way she sees goals. I am lucky and this team is lucky that she has that mindset. “Tessa raised the bar for whoever is going to come in to try to break the scoring record.”

Next year, Caputo will be looking to make an impact on the college level as she joins former PDS teammate Paige Gardner at Fairfield.

“I am so excited, I can’t wait; I have talked to her once in a while, She loves it and I am so excited to get out there with her and be a part of such an awesome team,” said Caputo. “I am really excited to work hard this summer for a chance at playing time.”

For putting up such awesome stats and leading their teams on postseason runs, Kobryn and Caputo are the pick as the co-top girl standouts this season.

Top Newcomers

With the Princeton Day School baseball team having gone 1-22 in 2023, the program needed an infusion of talent.

Heading into this spring, PDS head coach Eric Schnepf saw the addition of junior transfer Santino Cignarella as a big plus for his squad.

“Santino will most likely play shortstop and pitch for us,” said Schnepf. “We anticipate Santino hitting at the top of the order.”

Living up to those expectations, Cignarella emerged as a star for the Panthers, sparking the offense from his lead-off spot and playing a solid shortstop.

Cignarella batted a team-best .421 with team highs in hits (24) and runs (18). He helped PDS go on a late run that saw it win four of its last five games, including its first-ever victory in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public B tournament.

“Santino was a great addition for us, he helped physically on the field as our shortstop and leadoff hitter,” said Schnepf, whose team ended the spring at 6-17. “He played a really big role on the physical side but also culturally, just coming in putting his head down and grinding, overcoming obstacles and challenges. It was definitely great to have added him.”

Santino’s instant impact as PDS showed marked improvement makes him the choice as the top boy newcomer.

As Geoff Chrisman took the helm of the Hun School girls’ lacrosse team, he was a bit anxious about the team’s goalie situation.

The program had no returning goalies and sophomore Julia Wolfe, who only had a year of JV experience, was the leading contender for the spot.

It didn’t take long for Chrisman to realize that he had something special in Wolfe as she worked hard through the winter and then starred on the team’s preseason trip to Florida.

“I was shocked when I found out she was a first year player last year,” said Chrisman. “She bought in after last season. She started playing club and started working with some goalie-specific trainers. She played lights out in Florida, she had 16 saves against Deerfield.”

Wolfe went on to make great strides in her first varsity campaign, recording 148 saves and yielding 11.47 goals a game. Her progress helped Hun go 9-8 as it advanced to the Mercer County Tournament semifinals.

“Julia had a tremendous season,” said Chrisman. “We put out a plan in the beginning, this is what we need to work on. She embraced it, and then down in Florida I was like, ‘She is going to be special.’ She is still learning to be a goalie and really the big thing is that she just continues to get better and get comfortable and get reps. She has already set out her goals for the offseason and is doing those things.”

Wolfe’s development into a star goalie in her debut season for Hun earns her the nod as the top girl newcomer.

Top Coaches

In 2022, the Hun School baseball team won the Mercer County Tournament for the first time in program history and took first in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) standings but fell to Pingry on the Prep A state final.

A year later, the Raiders lost to Allentown in the MCT final but won another MAPL crown and took the Prep A title.

Coming into this spring, Hun was shooting to achieve the elusive championship triple.

“The team had a very, very distinct goal in mind before the season started which was to win all three titles which we have never done before,” said Hun head coach Tom Monfiletto.

Once the season started, Hun displayed some championship form, winning its first six games. Stumbling a bit in the midseason, the Raiders went through a 4-4 stretch.

But with the postseason on the horizon, Hun caught fire, winning its last eight games. Along the way, the Raiders clinched the MAPL title, defeated Lawrence High 10-2 in the MCT championship game, and edged Lawrenceville 8-7 in the Prep A final to achieve the triple crown as it ended the spring with a 20-5 record.

“This would be the coolest thing that we have ever experienced,” said Monfiletto, looking ahead to the final round of the Prep A tourney. “One of the cooler things that we have witnessed over the past week was that the guys who weren’t’ able to play in the county tournament were going crazy all three games in support of each other. When people see that selflessness and everybody pulling for each other and if you have talent, you will be tough to beat.”

Hun senior catcher E.J. Balewitz credited that selfless attitude with playing a key role in the squad’s success.

“The one thing is that we are just a family,” said Balewitz. “We have all been together for a while and we all have each other’s back. We have a great coaching staff too.”

For helping to create that family atmosphere that led to the historic championship triple, Monfiletto is the pick as the top coach of a boys’ team this spring.

Things fell apart for the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team down the stretch in 2023 as it lost nine of its last 10 games to post a disappointing 7-12 record.

PHS head coach Katie Federico acknowledged that it was a rough spring for the Tigers.

“It was a hard year, it was a good growing year,” said Federico. “It helped the seniors become the leaders that they needed to be. They are doing a nice job, there is a great vibe within the team, a cohesiveness within the team.”

Displaying cohesive play this season, PHS got back on the winning track. The Tigers got off to a 7-2 start before going through a 1-3 stretch.

After losing to Notre Dame in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals, PHS produced a breakthrough win in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament. The Tigers pulled out a 9-8 overtime win against Montgomery in a first round contest as the 11th-seeded Tigers avenged a 15-9 regular season loss to the sixth-seeded Cougars. It marked the program’s first win in the state tourney since 2021.

PHS ended the season with an 11-5 loss at third-seeded Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. In a reversal of fortune, the Tigers finished 2024 with a record of 12-9 as they nearly doubled their win total from the previous season.

“It is really great, I am just so happy for the team,” said Federico, whose team posted big wins over crosstown rivals Hun and Princeton Day School along the way. “They have had a really great season. We have had fun. We have some really high highs and we have had some great milestones that have occurred. It has just been overall a very successful season. That is all I can ask for them.”

The squad’s senior group which included Riley Devlin, Sarah Henderson, Sylvie LeBouef, Phoebe Steiger, Ava Caruso, Joci Lee, Avery Gallagher, Julia Engelhart, Theona Hsu, and Allegra Brennan helped set the tone for that success.

“The seniors really took on that leadership role this year,” said Federico. “It was the confidence and trust in each other, they played so well as a unit. That year of rebuilding really did help, as hard as it was.”

Federico’s role in getting PHS back on the winning track makes her the selection as the top coach of a girls’ team.