By Garrett Hemmerich
WEST MILFORD – The West Milford High School lacrosse team is set to kick off the 2019 season on March 28 against Eastern Christian High School.
“We will be in a new division,” said Head Coach Gary Stoll. “We feel like we can be more competitive and truly build up our program.”
This will be Coach Stoll’s seventh season in West Milford.
One of the primary reasons behind Stoll’s optimism about the upcoming season is the fact that numerous key players from last year are returning to the team.
That includes team captains Ray Gorny, Ryan Pomeroy, Shane Fava, Justin Pinedo and Mike Podmokly.
“They all bring something unique to the table,” Stoll said of the captains. “But the key thing they give us is leadership.”
Besides the captains, attackman Casey Fagan, midfielder Matt Dellapi, and defensemen Joe Heisler, Brandon Cerone, and Joe DeSanno are also all returning.
Goalies John Gaffney and Ryan Kirwan will both be coming back this season as well.
In addition to the returning players, the Highlanders will be counting on some new members of the team to help.
“We have an extremely strong freshman class and are looking for them to contribute right away,” said Coach Stoll.
According to the coach, it’s that mixture of team veterans and newcomers that makes this squad different.
“This team is unique because we have a great senior class that needs to gel quickly with an extremely talented freshman and sophomore group,” Stoll said.
The coach cites building confidence and executing the basic lacrosse skills as the keys to a successful 2019 season.
“We need to come together as a team and really hone in on our fundamentals,” he said.
One thing that Coach Stoll said he knows he can count on is the team’s work ethic.
“These kids want to win and it shows,” he said.
The Highlanders will get a chance to see if their hard work is paying off when they take on Eastern Christian High School on March 28.