PUSHING BACK: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player Matt Whittaker, left, battles to get past a foe in a game earlier this season. Last Friday, senior attacker Whittaker tallied a goal and two assists as top-seeded PDS topped eighth-seeded Ewing 15-0 in the opening round of the Mercer County Invitational. PDS defeated fourth-seeded WW/P-South 11-3 in the MCI quarters as Whittaker tallied five goals and one assist. The Panthers, now 6-10, will host the winner of the semi between Lawrence-WW/P-North in the MCI final on May 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Matt Whittaker was part of the supporting cast last spring for the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team as it won the Prep B state title and advanced to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B state final.

“Last year, I only had half the season, I was a transfer from Lawrence High,” said Whittaker, who tallied 12 goals and 11 assists in 2023.

This spring, senior attacker Whittaker has emerged as a star for the Panthers.

“I am starting to have the ball on my stick more,” said Whittaker. “I am starting to get a bigger role, I have had a full season.”

Last Friday, Whittaker tallied a goal and two assists as top-seeded PDS topped eighth-seeded Ewing 15-0 in the opening round of the Mercer County Invitational.

With the Panthers jumping off to a 7-0 first quarter lead, Whittaker was able to take a break as PDS cleared the bench.

“It was a bunch of people who don’t get in a lot,” said Whittaker. “I was good to get them in.”

Last Monday, Whittaker had another big game as PDS topped fourth-seeded WWP-S 11-3 in the MCI semis as he tallied five goals and one assist to help the Panthers improve to 6-10. PDS will host the winner of the semi between Lawrence-WW/P-North in the MCI final on May 16.

Whittaker has displayed a lot of flexibility this spring as PDS experienced a major turnover in players and coaches.

“It is a big culture switch, with a lot of seniors leaving from the team last year and the coaches leaving,” said Whittaker, who is headed to Vassar this fall and will be playing for its Division III men’s lax program. “It is a new experience, you just have to adjust.”

One constant for Whittaker in his two years at PDS has been his connection with fellow senior star Sebastian Rzeczycki.

“It has been good, I have been playing with him since I have been little,” said Whittaker. “We have played together for a while.”

PDS first-year head coach Nick Taylor was happy to play his whole roster in the win over Ewing.

“I think the unique thing about our sport is that if you are a really good athlete and you pick up a stick for the first time, there are ways that you can play,” said Taylor. “You saw that today with a lot of guys who are either first-time lacrosse players or maybe have not played as much as our more experienced players. Those guys got a chance to play today and that is always a lot of fun.”

As PDS looks ahead to culminating its season by playing in the NJSIAA Non-Public tournament, Taylor sees the MCI as a good prep for that competition.

“It just keeps us in a regular schedule,” said Taylor. “Right now, we are looking at least one game next week and potentially two games. That keeps us on that schedule. The one thing I said to the team was that it does give us an opportunity to continue to work on us and be best prepared for the state tournament. That is where our heads are at.”

Taylor credited his players with keeping their heads as they have worked through an up-and-down spring.

“It has been roller-coaster of a year, we have had some injuries and some adversity,” said Taylor. “That is why you play the game. For us, we have tried to segment it into little pieces. We have had our regular season and now that is behind us now so it is can we focus on this tournament and then move to the next thing. We are playing a lot of guys who have gained valuable experience this year.”

A pair of freshmen, Tucker Seamens and Landon Lewis, have developed into valuable performers for PDS.

“Tucker is a guy who has played a whole lot,” said Taylor. “He had a nice start today. He has done a lot for us. Landon is another one, he has played a bit here at the end. Those are two freshman who have done a nice job.”

Whittaker is doing a very good job this spring in his final campaign with the program.

“We have asked Matt to do a lot; he is usually getting guarded by the other team’s best pole as an attackman,” said Taylor of Whittaker, who has scored 46 points this spring on 34 goals and 12 assists. “The ball has had to be on Matt’s stick a little more than he was ready for. He stepped up to the challenge and has produced very good numbers for us. We are excited to watch him as a college player next year.”

Although senior star Rzeczycki has been banged up this year, he has still produced, tallying 35 goals and 12 assists.

“It has been a challenge for him, that is sports,” said Taylor. “He has been a great leader. He has been great ambassador for the program. He is one of our all-time leading scorers. He is starting to get back into form which is great.”

In Taylor’s view, PDS will need to be in top form to make an impact in the Non-Public competition.

“The big thing is that we need to beat a team that we shouldn’t,” said Taylor. “We have beaten the teams that we should. We have had some inflated wins and we have some big losses. We have been in a couple of close games but we are not really battle-tested in that regard. I have really challenged the team to say let’s focus on Non-Public. When we get seeded, likely in the middle, let’s make sure that we are ready to play and beat a higher seed. Hopefully that is the motivation that we can rally around and end up having a nice tournament run.”

Whittaker, for his part, believes that the Panthers have what it takes to end the spring on a good run.

“We can’t be playing down to people’s levels, we have to make sure that we are playing at our level,” said Whittaker. “We have to play as a team, pass the ball around, and make sure that we are moving the ball well. I feel like we are getting better.”