ON THE BALL: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Carmine Carusone scoops up the ball on a faceoff last Thursday as PHS hosted Peddie in its season opener. Senior midfielder Carusone tallied a goal and an assist and won 10 of 14 faceoffs in a losing cause as the Tigers fell 11-6. PHS, which lost 8-7 to Somerville on Saturday to move to 0-2, hosts Eastern on April 2 and then plays at Robbinsville on April 7. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Carmine Carusone and his teammates on the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team were fired up to get their 2026 campaign going as they hosted Peddie School last Thursday.
“We have been waiting for this moment,” said PHS senior midfielder and team co-captain Carusone. “We have been training very hard in the mornings and after school, grinding it out.”
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-1 first quarter lead with Carusone notching the second goal.
“The defense kind of got clogged up in the crease,” said Carusone, reflecting on his tally. “Gavin [Pomraning] turned the corner and I rolled outside and I had an open shot. It was top left, I saw the net and shot it.”
PHS, though, hit a wall after that quick start, getting outscored 7-1 over the next two quarters on the way to an 11-6 defeat.
“We were totally clicking it it is these little dips and waves that you see in a game,” said Carusone. “You have to stay strong. When they come back you have to come fire back. We struggled to do that today. It is a good learning lesson. It was a tough one. We have got a lot of things to work on, we are a young team.”
Carusone kept working as he won 10-of-14 faceoffs on the day as the Tigers tried to get back into the contest.
“Those are really important for us — the wing play and the faceoffs,” said Carusone, who also picked up an assist in the game. “The possessions mean a lot. It is get the ball on offense and hold the ball. We are going to cherish that ball. Like coach said, it is a gem so don’t give it away, don’t throw a dumb pass, don’t lose the ball.”
As the squad’s faceoff specialist, Carusone looks to play smart in the X.
“I like to look at the sideline and see who is on my wing and see where they are lined up,” said Carusone, who won 14 of 17 faceoffs as PHS fell 8-7 to Somerville on Saturday to move to 0-2. “I will know in the heat of the moment whether I will need to go forward if we need some offense or pull it back if maybe we should slow it down a little bit. It is the time of the game.”
Having starred for the Tiger football team and having also competed in wrestling, Carusone brings strength and leverage to the spot.
“Boxing out and getting in the low stance, I think all of that helps,” said Carusone.
Heading into his senior season, Carusone is determined to help the Tigers all over the field.
“I always played a little d-middie, but I was able to work on my stick this offseason and get a little better,” said Carusone. “I need to clear the ball more and get a little bit more in the offense and be more of a threat than just the faceoff thing and run off the field.”
Being a team captain, along with classmate and fellow midfielder Nico Pisapia, has given Carusone the chance to make an impact as a leader.
“We are doing really good together,” said Carusone. “Nico has been a very good captain. We are both vocal guys but it is not just us. All of the seniors chip in, all of them lead. It is a whole senior leadership experience.”
While PHS head coach Chip Casto was encouraged by his team’s 4-1 start against Peddie, he acknowledged that it ran out of gas.
“It was good, they were kind of running the offense,” said Casto. “As soon as we got tired, there was a three quarter lull. That is conditioning.”
In Casto’s view, that fatigue led to that lull. “As the season goes on we will get in better shape, but you could see the bad decisions, the bad shooting,” added Casto.“They were tired.”
Juniors Koby Smith and Ty’Shawn James gave the Tigers a spark against Peddie.
“He is good off the ball, he is sneaky and he gets in the right places,” said Casto of Smith, who scored two goals in the defeat.
“Ty’Shawn played the best of anybody — picking up the ball, playing defense and doing everything he had to do.”
The Tiger defense played well at the start but faded as the game went on.
“We go up 4-1, 4-2, 4-3; we wanted to slide early to 7 (Devin Dzwolak) and 16 (John Giblin),” said Casto. “We were doing it. We were shutting that down but when that stopped, they were getting by us and stinging it.”
Senior goalie Jacob Topolewski made some big stops in the game as he recorded 15 saves.
“Jacob stood tall,” said Casto. “When he starts facing seven-yard shots, it is hard to make saves.”
Casto credits Carusone with working hard to become a more complete performer.
“He is an actual lacrosse player now,” added Casto, noting that Carusone has become a key midfielder for the Tigers in addition to his faceoff work.
In Casto’s view, getting the first game under its belt should help PHS fine-tune things going forward.
“We didn’t really run anything we practiced,” said Casto, whose team hosts Eastern on April 2 and then plays at Robbinsville on April 7. “There were a little jitters. Now we have film to work with and a blueprint.”
Carusone, for his part, believes that the Tigers need to pay more attention to detail to get on the right track.
“I would say just discipline and simple mistakes, we have to fix the little wthings,” said Carusone. “We will definitely look back at the tape and see all of the little mistakes and we will come back hard.”