(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith) CLASS REUNION: Former Princeton High star lacrosse players, Casey Rahn, right, and Tyler Moni meet up last Sunday after Rahn’s UMass team fell 10-7 to Moni’s Princeton squad in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Rahn, a sophomore longstick midfielder for the Minutemen, had two caused turnovers in the loss while fellow sophomore Moni saw action in the Princeton second midfield. The 2007 PHS grads led the Little Tiger boys’ lacrosse team to the NJSIAA Group II state semifinals in their junior and senior years.

Former PHS Star Rahn Enjoyed Homecoming Even Though UMass Can’t Stop PU Men’s Lax

Bill Alden

Sporting a blue blazer and rep tie, Casey Rahn looked dapper as he mixed with the crowd outside Class of 1952 Stadium last Sunday evening.

But the former Princeton High star athlete didn’t feel too sharp considering that his Massachusetts’ men’s lacrosse team had fallen 10-7 to fourth-seeded Princeton an hour earlier in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

“I am a little disappointed about today,” said Rahn, a sophomore longstick midfielder for ECAC champion UMass. “But the guys fought hard.”

Rahn was thrilled a week earlier when he learned that he would be coming home for the NCAAs and matching up against close friend Tyler Moni, a former PHS standout and sophomore midfielder for Princeton.

“I was expecting to play Cornell in the first round and then all of a sudden I saw the matchup between Cornell and Hofstra,” said Rahn, recalling his thoughts as he watched the NCAA tournament selection show on May 3.

“I took a step back. Tyler texted me and said ‘this must be it, I think I will be seeing you back in Princeton, pack your bags.’ Lo and behold it ended up being Princeton and UMass. I couldn’t have been happier.”

As the resident Princeton expert on the Minutemen, Rahn fielded plenty of questions from his teammates.

“The guys were all asking me about where we can eat and stuff like that,” said Rahn, managing a smile. “We were stuck in the Hyatt Regency the whole time so we didn’t get a chance to get out.”

Rahn couldn’t wait for the chance to get on the field at the Class of 1952 Stadium last Sunday.

“I have never gotten the opportunity to play there,” said Rahn, who chatted with Moni after the game and posed for pictures with PHS buddies as well as former coaches Peter Stanton and Jason Carter.

“It was kind of weird being back in Princeton. I hadn’t been here since winter break. To be home and playing against my best friend, it was just great.”

Unfortunately for Rahn, UMass ran into a great foe in Princeton. “They are fast, they are tall, they are a complete team,” said the 5’10, 187-pound Rahn, who had two caused turnovers on the day as the Minutemen finished the season with a 9-6 record.

“Everything that they say on TV about them is true; it’s just exciting to play against them.”

Although Rahn was disappointed about the final result, he is excited about UMass’s future prospects and the possibility of meeting up again with Princeton in the NCAAs.

“I think we have a great chance here,” said Rahn. “We have a young team. We have a lot of freshmen who are impact players. We are excited to come back next year and do the same thing. Hopefully we will be back here.”

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