GRACEFUL MOVE: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Gracie DePrince heads to goal last Thursday as PHS hosted Hun. Attacker DePrince tallied three goals and two assists to help the Tigers prevail 17-6 over the Raiders as she and her fellow members of the Class of 2026 were honored in the program’s annual Senior Day celebration. PHS, now 10-3, will be starting action in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament this week where it is seeded third and will host 14th-seeded Nottingham in a first round contest on May 7. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
While Senior Day celebrations have triggered mixed emotions for a lot of athletes over the years, Gracie DePrince was all smiles as she reflected on being honored last Friday as part the Class of 2026 for the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team.
“I was just really excited to have my Senior Day,” said DePrince, whose fellow seniors on the Tiger squad include Leah Bornstein, Quinn Gallagher, Nicki Lee, Zoie Reynolds, Katie Callen, Ronin Scott, and Marisa Consoli.
“I have waited since I was a freshman playing on varsity to be a part of a Senior Day to have the joy and excitement of it and celebrate my four years here. It is such an amazing group of girls with the chemistry that we have built together.”
As PHS hosted the Hun School after the ceremony, that chemistry helped the Tigers overcome an early 2-0 deficit on the way to a 17-6 win over the Raiders.
The one-two punch of senior standouts Leah Bornstein and Quinn Gallagher turned the tide for the Tigers as they tallied two goals apiece to put PHS up 4-3 by the end of the first quarter. PHS then outscored the Raiders 6-0 in the second quarter to seize control of the game and never looked back as it improved to 10-3.
“Leah got us going, it was the two of them and the combination of all of the girls in the attack, midfield, and the defense getting the ball back up,” said DePrince, who tallied two goals in the second quarter. “In the second quarter, we were just going and we were good from there.”
DePrince kept going as she ended up with three goals and two assists in the victory.
“I was feeling it today, it was nice,” said DePrince. “The energy was coming back, the fire is coming back. It was awesome.”
Connecting with Bornstein and Gallagher to help spark the Tiger offense has been an awesome experience for DePrince.
“I have played with them since freshman year,” said DePrince.
“Me and Leah have the unspoken bond. I know when she is going to pass. Quinn has those amazing feeds from down left. We just all know each other’s games.”
Raising her game this year, DePrince has tallied 14 goals and 16 assists so far in her final campaign.
“I think senior year I have come out and I have been able to blossom and play my game,” said DePrince. “I am confident in my skills and my teammates. It is being able to start some plays up and get some goals going.”
DePrince recently reached the 100-point milestone in her career.
“It was special to me,” said DePrince. “Being a part of varsity as a freshman and getting a couple of minutes and then being able to get 100 points is really nice.”
PHS first-year head coach Kait Birnbohm-Kaminski credited the squad’s senior group with making a special impact.
“Each and every one of them, they are like a leadership group,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “They all bring this really lovely energy with them to practice and to games. Even though it is my first year here, I know they have done so much for the program.”
Those seniors dominated the stat sheet in the win over Hun. In addition to DePrince’s five-point game, Bornstein tallied five goals and three assists with Gallagher chipping in three goals and three assists and Lee adding four goals and two assists.
“Quinn has so much trust in her teammates and then I realize it is because of the chemistry that they have built together throughout the years,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “It was a nice showcase of the chemistry today.”
Birnbohm-Kaminski likes the way DePrince has showcased her skills this spring.
“Gracie has been so coachable for us this season,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “She just has a nose for the goal.”
Another senior, Reynolds, has spearheaded the Tiger defensive unit. “Zoie sees the whole game very well,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “She is so athletic. Her one versus one defense and her presence is just consistent.”
While PHS lost a pair of nail-biters in the last week of April as it fell 11-10 to Hillsborough on April 25 and 12-11 to Montgomery on April 28, Birnbohm-Kaminski believes those setbacks will benefit PHS as it gets into May.
“I have acronyms for everything and one of them is GFG — it is good for growth,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “You have to win, you have to lose and you can learn a lot from either.”
With the Tigers starting action in the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament this week where they are seeded third and will host 14th-seeded Nottingham in a first round contest on May 7, Birnbohm-Kaminski believes the team’s Class of 2026 is primed for a big finish.
“It is going to be our senior class bringing it,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “They definitely play like it is their last year and they want everyone to play like it is their last year. They rise, they bring the team up. The seniors are an amazing group.”
DePrince is confident that PHS will bring it in postseason action.
“Our key to having a big run is making sure that we all have that confidence in each other while supporting each other,” said DePrince.
“It is doing our best to get each other going and keep each other up. We are in a really good spot, we have really had time to jell together. I am really excited to play out the rest of the season.”