(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) caption: HOT STREAK: Stuart Country Day lacrosse attacker Kara Weeks heads to goal in recent action. Last Thursday, Weeks fired in four goals as fourth-seeded Stuart topped No. 13 Ewing 12-1 in the opening round of the Mercer County Tournament. The win was the 10th straight for the Tartans, who are now 10-2. In upcoming action, Stuart will host No. 5 WW/P-N on May 8 in the MCT quarters. In addition, Stuart has been seeded No. 1 in the state Prep B tourney and is slated to host fourth-seeded Newark Academy on May 10 in the semis of that competition.

Star Attacker Weeks Savoring Senior Campaign as Sizzling Stuart Chases MCT, Prep B Titles

Bill Alden

Kara Weeks was bitterly disappointed last spring when an ankle injury sidelined her for the last few weeks of the season.

“That was really tough, watching my team play in Prep B and not winning,” recalled Weeks.

Back at full speed this spring, senior attacker Weeks has been making things tough on Stuart’s foes.

Helping Stuart rebound from a 0-2 start, Weeks has been a key offensive weapon as the Tartans have reeled off 10 straight wins, including victories over such formidable opponents as Hopewell Valley, Lawrenceville, and WW/P-N.

“I am glad to be back stronger this year,” said Weeks. “It has been a great season. I am really glad that I and the rest of the seniors get to finish out our high school career this way. It couldn’t be better.”

Last Thursday, Weeks fired in four goals as Stuart got postseason play in style as the fourth-seeded Tartans routed No. 13 Ewing 12-1 in the opening round of the Mercer County Tournament.

While the Tartans could have looked past Ewing in the MCT opener, Weeks said the Tartans were focused on the task at hand.

“We go into every game without fear and we play every team like it’s our hardest competition,” said Weeks, who will look to keep rolling when the Tartans host No. 5 WW/P-N on May 8 in the MCT quarters. “We don’t judge teams based on reputation or records. I think that has really helped us a lot.”

After opening the season with losses to Hun and Princeton Day School, it looked like Stuart might not live up to its reputation as a winning program.

“We were definitely not feeling great about ourselves,” said Weeks, who has piled up 59 points this season on 30 goals and 29 assists.

“Our Rutgers Prep game (a 14-3 victory) turned us around 180 degrees; it completely boosted our confidence. I think that is when it changed, I think our first win really set us in stride. We are really radically different from the beginning of the season. A lot of our younger players have gotten a lot more confident in addition to building their skills.”

Weeks has enjoyed getting to display her skills on offense. “I think attack is really a team effort,” explained Weeks.

“I finish a lot of goals but I think assists are a huge part of it as well. I think everyone on the attack has gotten a lot of touches this year, it just depends on who gets lucky and who gets that finish.”

Stuart head coach Sara Wagner feels lucky to have an attack that is clicking like the Tartan have during their winning streak.

“In general, we are on the same page and the team is working really well together,” said Wagner, whose team is seeded No. 1 in the state Prep B tourney and will host fourth-seeded Newark Academy in the semifinals on May 10. “They are enjoying each other. They are enjoying winning, it is better than losing. They like to see each other do well.”

Wagner is enjoying seeing Weeks’ progress. “Kara has really grown this season,” asserted Wagner. “She was a role player with Caroline [Passano] and Bucky [Elizabeth Bucklee] last year. She had to fight to make herself a prominent goal scorer. She has been doing it all year. She is great in the transitions on attack; she is really concentrating on getting good checks in and controlling her stick.”

The return of senior goalie Dewi Caswell from an early-season concussion helped the Tartans get things under control.

“Dewi has been solid and she has been happy,” said Wagner of her Hamilton College-bound goalie.

“She has had some great games where she has made outstanding saves. Our team rides that. She has always been solid on the clears and she has been working well with our offensive transition.”

The team’s core of seniors has been working well, producing one of their most outstanding efforts in a recent 7-6 win over nemesis Hopewell Valley.

“Usually before a game they are really loose; talking about the day and dancing to music,” said Wagner. “On that day in warm-ups, I couldn’t get them to talk. They weren’t listening to me; they were so focused. They just really wanted to win; I hope we can get that back.”

Weeks and her classmates are determined to get at least one title in their final weeks with the program.

“We have been playing together since before high school,” said Weeks, who is headed to Boston College this fall where she may try to walk on to the women’s lacrosse team.

“A lot of us play together in the summer. I also played Central Jersey select with Dewi and Amanda and Sarah. I have no doubts we can do well in the tournaments if we keep working as hard as we have.”

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