 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: |
The note on Devan Darby's wall said "NCAA Champions" and she has looked at it everyday this school year for inspiration.
The simple missive reminded Darby, the senior captain of the Princeton University women's open crew, of how she and her teammates wanted to end the spring.
At various points last Friday in its clash against Voorhees in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA Group 2 state playoffs, the Princeton High boys' lacrosse team didn't look like the tourney's No. 1 seed.
Seconds into the game, PHS found itself trailing eighth-seeded Voorhees 1-0. Midway through the third period, the upset-minded Vikings scored two straight goals to knot the contest at 5-5.
But with junior attacker Tyler Moni taking charge of the offense, PHS looked like a championship team down the stretch as it closed the game out with a 5-1 run on the way to a 10-6 triumph.
Coming into the spring, Becca Schild was hoping that the Princeton High girls' lacrosse team could post the .500 record necessary to qualify for the NJSIAA state tournament.
The junior captain's goal, though, seemed to be a bit of a reach considering that PHS was coming off a 4-12 season and had no seniors on the roster.
The Little Tigers surprised Schild and many in local lacrosse circles as they brought an 11-1 record and a Bedesem Division crown into the state tournament last week.
It was mid-April and the Hun School softball team hit rock-bottom.
Hun traveled to defending state Prep A champion Peddie and absorbed a 10-0 beating in which the Raiders looked like they didn't belong on the same field with the Falcons.
With her team at 1-4, longtime Hun head coach Kathy Quirk read her players the riot act.
"I told them that this wasn't the team we were used to having," recalled Quirk. "I told them that if they were afraid of a team they may as well not get off the bus."
Those stinging words apparently got the attention of the Raiders as they went on a hot streak, starting with a 12-2 win over eventual state Prep B champion Princeton Day School.
Chris Barcless' meticulous preparation and ability to trigger his players' emotions have been two of the hallmarks of a coaching style that led the Princeton Day School boys' ice hockey team to unprecedented success.
Barcless has guided the Panthers to the state Prep title in eight of the last nine years, including this past season when PDS blanked Morristown-Beard 3-0 to earn the championship.
So after being forced out of his post in the wake of an April 13 memo from the PDS Head of School, Judith Fox, which contended that the program had violated rules through the activities of a booster group, it's no surprise that Barcless is utilizing his preparation and fiery approach in countering the allegations.