MSHLAX 6th Grade Boys Take Laker Lightening Tournament by Storm

The Millburn-Short Hills 6th Grade Lacrosse team stormed into the Laker Lightening Classic, demonstrating a brilliant combination of determination, focus, and skill. Regrouping just 12 hours after a loss to Livingston, the 6th grade team decided to make this tournament theirs, winning all three of their game with a combined score of 13-9. It was a breakout tournament for the team, and Coach Howard Shirley was very pleased to see the progress, “These boys deserved to win today, and I am excited to see this happening right at the mid-point of our season.”

Notable highlights from the 3 games include Reid Shapiro contributing (at least) one goal per game, Alex Faust’s debut in goal, 3 goals by Ander Berman and Dylan Ah Now, Luke Talbert’s first assist of the season, and 3 complete games by Evan Abraham. With a lineup that continued to shift over the tournament, Coach Berman kept the lines running, the boys in line, and had only great things to say about the tournament, “I honestly don’t want to leave this place. We played some really good teams today, and simply stepped up to the challenge.”

With an early start to the tournament and a constantly fluctuating roster throughout, the 6th graders came out with an intensity and a new chant to drive them through the day, “We don’t mess around!”

With Luke Talbert in goal and a reconfigured defensive line anchored all tournament by Evan Abraham, the 6th graders focused on improved communication and forced turnovers, something Coach Shirley has been focused on since pre-season. “It really was awesome to see the forced turnovers and to have our D bring the game to Mountain Lakes. We don’t let opposing teams have easy shots at our goal, and today was a big step forward for a unit that has changed frequently over the course of the season. Our Middies were excellent getting back to help, and then jumped at the chance to scoop the ball and tear down the field. Just like we practice.”

Getting things started for the team, Reid Shapiro snuck the first goal in for MSHLAX, the boys erased an early deficit to even things up by halftime. After some on-the-fly re-positioning by Coach Berman, the 6th graders surged ahead as Ander Berman switched into ‘beast mode’ and blasted two goals with 90 seconds left on the clock. “Ander was incredible out there today. He played almost the entire game, and gave us so much,” said Shirley. Millburn held off a few late surges by Mountain Lakes to win 3-2, and continued with their new chant as they celebrated with their goalie.

The second game, against Shark River, was a completely different look team, featuring Jake Roesler at LSM and Ben Li at SSM all game, and reconfigured defensive line with first-time defensemen Tyler Chmiel joining Abraham and D-pole regular Alex Faust. Reid Shapiro ripped two goals into the net, with both Jamie Nettune and Dylan Ah Now rounding out the goals for the 6th graders. This game was a completely different game from the first, with players in new slots, few rotations, and against possibly the best goalie the team faced all year.

“I was so impressed with our energy during the second game. We had a bit of a break to recharge, and we came out with everything firing at once. Our boys had some solid passing, good intensity on the offensive side of the ball, and simply swarmed all over the Shark River attack whenever the ball came towards Luke,” said Coach Shirley.

Final score 4-2, Millburn-Short Hills.

After a short break, the team turned around and put up one more look against a Brooklyn team that was the most athletic squad they faced all day. Coach Berman slotted first timer Alex Faust in goal, went with no LSM, placed regular goalie Luke Talbert on the field Attack, and the results were impressive.

“This game was tough – they scored their first goal in under 30 seconds, and we were battling the whole time”, said Coach Berman. With a depleted roster, Millburn-Short Hills put all their practice to work, driving players out of bounds, racing to win ground balls, and shooting with newfound accuracy. The team recorded a season high 6 goals, including one more by Reid Shapiro, 2 goals for Dylan Ah Now, one each from Ander Berman, Reid Sanders, and Jared Barishaw.

Of note, both Sanders and Barishaw scored their first goals of the season and Ah Now had one underhanded goal that eluded detection and a second fade away shot that left mouths agape.

The final score for game 3 was 6-5, and the final horn brought celebrations all around and chants of “MVP” directed at Dylan Ah Now. “This was, by far, the best day of our season. And I could not be prouder of the boys for being flexible, being tenacious, and playing as a family today. We won these games because we played together, and that is what lacrosse is all about”, said Shirley.