West Milford boys lacrosse captures division title, finishes 12–6
West Milford. The West Milford High School boys lacrosse finished a 12-6 season and shared the Pooley Division championship, highlighted by an 8-7 victory over Wayne Valley in the county tournament final and a berth in the NJSIAA North Jersey Group 2 sectional tournament.
| 15 Jun 2026 | 04:31
Through all of the tough challenges that they faced on the field, the West Milford High School boys lacrosse team finished as winners during the 2026 season with 12 overall victories.
One contest in particular stands out as most memorable for veteran and knowledgeable West Milford coach Gary Stoll.
“This has to be the County Tournament finals against Wayne Valley (8-7 win on May 9),’’ Stoll said. “We finally got over the hump and beat them on their own turf. We went up early and were able to close things out late in the game.’’
Not just in the important victory over Wayne Valley, but all year long, leadership was dependable on the roster for the Highlanders.
“Our seniors stepped up in every aspect, especially in the big games,’’ Stoll said. “Senior captains Tyler Acanfrio, Patrick Foley, Evan Melucci, Jacob Price and Stephen Dellagicoma, along with fellow seniors Jeffrey Papineuk and Mark Schinasi [stood out as leaders this spring].’’
Plenty of players got considerably better at every opportunity, especially on the offensive side of the field.
“Coming into the season we really only had three returning offensive players so we knew we would be young,’’ Stoll said. “But they managed to gel much quicker than we imagined. Attack Dean Lombardo, Kaiden Wilm and Luke Maslanek, midfield Cole Riley, Ryan Czeczuga, Jacob Price, Cameron Piecuch, Daniel Burke, Logan Rembrandt and Jake Riley [all improved], along with a dominating season by our face-off specialist Brendan Coscia.’’
The Highlanders advanced to the NJSIAA North Jersey Group 2 Sectional Tournament as the No. 10 seed and were defeated by seventh seeded Mendham.
“We finished 12-6 with a 6-1 record in Pooley Division which was enough to share the Conference title,’’ Stoll said.
Stoll is happy with what the future has to offer for West Milford boys lacrosse.
“We only lose one offensive player, everyone else returns,’’ Stoll said. “Although we will replace our defense, we feel very good about the group that will replace them.’’
