(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith) LEAVING IT ON THE FIELD: Princeton High boys' lacrosse senior star Tyler Moni sprawls out as he heads to goal last Friday in PHS' 12-9 win over Northern Highlands in the quarterfinals of the state Group II tournament. Moni contributed two goals and three assists as the Little Tigers improved to 10-5 on the season.

Moni's Intensity Makes Big Difference as PHS Boys' Lax Wins State Opener

Bill Alden

A high school lacrosse team certainly needs talent to do well in the state tournament but Princeton High attacker Tyler Moni will tell you that's not the key factor in surviving playoff pressure.

"When it come down to the states and people are really tired, it's the hard workers who win the states," said Moni. "Even though we have a ton of talent, we have a lot of guys who work really hard."

Last Friday, Moni was one of the hardest workers for fourth-seeded PHS as it topped No. 5 Northern Highlands 12-9 in the state Group II quarterfinals in a game played in sweltering 85 degree heat. The speedy Moni intercepted passes, worked hard on the ride, scooped up ground balls, and chipped in two goals and three assists.

In reflecting on the win, a sweat-stained Moni said the Little Tigers felt a sense of urgency as they stepped on the field for the third quarter clinging to a 5-4 lead.

"We came out a little flat in the first half; we talked at halftime that it's one and done," said Moni, who was hoping to prolong his PHS career when the Little Tigers played at top-seeded West Morris Central on May 29 in the Group II semis for a spot in the June 1 championship game.

"If you don't do it now, its done. We wanted to keep that dream of a state title alive and we came out in the second half and stuck it to them."

Moni and junior attacker Brandon Polakoff stuck together as they combined to shred the Northern Highlands defense. "Brandon is getting better at finishing everyday," added Moni of Polakoff who scored a team-high five goals in the victory.

"He has always got his head up; we like to look for each other all the time. We have been on the same line for the last year or two. I trust him and he trusts me. I know where he is and we try to work two-on-ones. It starts off the field. We hang out together all the time; he's one of my best friends."

Moni has savored giving everything he can for his PHS friends. "It's senior year and nothing is promised to us once we get to college," said Moni, who will be playing for the Princeton University men's lacrosse team next year. "You've got leave it all on the field. We have all summer to relax."

PHS head coach Peter Stanton appreciated the way Moni doesn't relax when he's on the field for the Little Tigers. "We have some traditions where we allow the kids to applaud each other," said Stanton.

"The first guy I talked about was Tyler. He gets all the attention for his goals and assists but we know how hard he rides and the ground balls he comes up with and the intensity he brings to the field. He's as intense as anyone."

PHS' intensity was forged by ending the regular season with a three-game stretch that saw it lose to Lawrenceville 14-4 and Hunterdon Central 11-6 before beating crosstown rival Hun 11-8.

"We played Lawrenceville tough for a half and Hunterdon Central tough for four quarters," said Stanton, whose team improved to 10-5 with the win in the playoff opener.

"Beating Hun is a matter of pride. They bring out the best in us and I hope we bring out the best in them. Beating them means the most to the guys."

As the Little Tigers trudged off the field halftime last Friday with several players suffering from the humidity, Stanton wasn't so sure his team was going to beat Northern Highlands.

"It was interesting at halftime, Adam Jeevaratnam and Jake Irving were both showing pretty intense fatigue," recalled Stanton. "I was pretty scared actually that we were going to run out of guys. The fact that Mike Lynch was winning all those faceoffs meant that we were able to hold on to the ball for a little bit and that got us a little rest. When you're tired, it's harder to play defense."

Stanton liked the way his team played defense, citing, in particular, the effort from unsung senior Chad Pinto.

"Casey Rahn has been a first-team All-Pitt defender the last two years and Jesse Mostoller gets that kind of recognition," said Stanton.

"But you need three good guys back there. Chad is a guy who has always been a physical player but he's gotten much better at picking up ground balls. He's helping us in the transition."

Moni, for his part, believes the work he is getting in the playoffs will aid his transition to the PU program. "That's a great team; I couldn't be looking more forward to that," said Moni.

"I've always watched Princeton and it's a dream to go there. I'm going to take this post-season and all the tough games and the good players we are going to play and just put that towards training for next year."

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