LACROSSE
Morristown Daily Record
And then there were three.
A trio of Morris/Sussex lacrosse teams will play for the ultimate prize on Friday. The Mountain Lakes girls and boys will travel to Ridge High School for a Group 1 doubleheader. Sparta heads south to Seneca to take on Allentown in the Group 2 girls final.
Here's what you need to know about each game:
Group 1 girls: Mountain Lakes vs. Rumson-Fair Haven, 4:30 p.m. at Ridge
Mountain Lakes erased a 6-0 deficit to overcome Glen Ridge, 11-10, in the Group 1 North final on June 10. Despite being down five goals at the start of the third quarter, the Lakers got three goals apiece from senior Kaylin Oey (53g, 18a, 156dc, 29gb, 10ft) and sophomore Shea Sutter (19g, 12a, 19dc, 27gb, 9ft).
Though Mountain Lakes (12-8) has won four straight sectional titles, it hasn't won a Group 1 title since 2014. The Lakers lost to Rumson, 17-8, in the Group final on June 10, 2023.
Daisen Iwan (41g, 12a, 24gb, 10ft) and Rachel James (61g, 16a, 137dc, 29gb, 23ft), now both Bulldogs seniors, each had a hat trick and a pair of draw controls in that game two years ago.
Rumson (18-4) comes into the final on a 11-game winning streak, including the Shore Conference Tournament title. Mountain Lakes has won seven of its last 10.
"That's one thing about this team. We don't give up," said Lakers midfielder Abby Hawes (48g, 12a, 69dc, 35gb, 20ft), who earned at least a sectional title in each of her senior seasons. "It only takes a second to score. We talk about that in practice."
Group 1 boys: Mountain Lakes vs. Glen Ridge, 7 p.m. at Ridge
For those asking why the Lakers boys (14-7) are playing Glen Ridge when the girls just beat that same school in the sectional final, it's complicated. The Ridgers boys (15-8) are in Group 1 South, just like the girls had been a year ago – when they topped Mountain Lakes in the final.
It's the Lakers who have been a perennial power in Group 1 North. Mountain Lakes has played in 17 of the 20 Group 1 finals since the tournament expanded in 2004, winning 10. The Lakers have 16 Group titles dating back to 1974, second only to Delbarton statewide.
Glen Ridge defeated Mountain Lakes in the 2011 Group 1 final, and lost to Summit in 2011.
In the sectional final on June 10, senior Connor Sutton (45g, 34a, 54gb) and junior Carson Ross (42g, 15a, 52gb) had two goals apiece in the fifth-seeded Ridgers' 7-4 victory against Caldwell. It is their third straight road win in the NJSIAA Tournament, including an overtime upset of top seed Rumson-Fair Haven.
Glen Ridge has won eight of its last 10. The Lakers are on a six-game winning streak.
For Mountain Lakes, sophomore Lawson Fagan (48g, 52a) had six goals and three assists, reaching 100 points for the season in the sectional final. Freshman Jayden Hernando, the third of his brothers to be the Lakers' faceoff man, won 92% of his opportunities at X.
Group 2 girls: Sparta vs. Allentown, 7 p.m. at Seneca
With three-time defending champion Summit off to Group 3, Sparta has a chance to earn its first Group title. The Spartans (17-5) have won just one past sectional title, falling to Haddonfield, 18-11, in the 2018 Group 2 final.
South champion Allentown (22-3) has played for only one Group title as well, falling 16-11 to Summit in 2013. The Redbirds' three losses this year were all on the road: at Westfield, Hunterdon Central and Rumson. Two of those teams are also playing for Group titles.
Senior attackers Delaney Nolan and Mya Lourenco are Allentown's leading scorers. The Redbirds are averaging almost 14 goals per game, as junior Megan Conroy and the defense allow less than five.
Notre Dame bound midfielder Uma Kowalski (107g, 41a, 135dc, 56gb, 27ft), Sussex County's all-time leader in both goals and points, leads the way for Sparta. Junior Moira Sweeney (62g, 27a, 59dc, 36gb, 14ft) and sophomore Joey Roque (40g, 29a) also make significant offensive contributions.
The Spartans, who reached the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex final, come in on a seven-game winning streak.