Boys Lax Captures 2nd Tournament of Champions Crown

NEW BRUNSWICK–Saturday was a big day for the Summit boys lacrosse team and the hundreds of Hilltopper fans that came out to support their team in the Tournament of Champions final at Rutgers University. Not only did No. 1 Summit secure their second consecutive TOC trophy with a 6-1 victory over No. 2 Saint Joseph, the team also preserved their undefeated season and set a new state record by improving their winning streak to 45 games.

"It feels unbelievable, I can't even describe it," Summit senior attacker Johnny Scioscia said. "This is everything our team has dreamed of the whole year. All we wanted after the last game of last season was to repeat as state champs. We did it, and I couldn't be happy for the team. The whole town is behind us. We all worked together for this."

Win or lose, Saturday afternoon would be the last time the seniors for both Summit and Saint Joseph would ever suit up for their respective school. With so much on the line, it wasn't surprising to see that both teams had come to compete. When the Hilltoppers' offensive unit possessed the ball, they were not shy about pulling the trigger.

Tough defense by Saint Joseph forced Summit to take difficult shots, however. While a couple of Summit's first quarter shots were simply off the mark, Saint Joseph's sophomore goalie Harrison Burke made his presence known in the cage by tallying a pair of saves in the opening quarter. Burke also received a little help from the goalpost when Hilltopper Danny Feeney fired a low shot to the corner that ricocheted off the post.

Both teams' defenses were strong and aggressive during the first quarter. Summit's Bobby Lawrence and Ryan Troy teamed up to swarm an unsuspecting Kevin Cernuto on two separate occasions to force a Saint Joseph turnover. At the end of the first quarter, neither team had found the back of the net; the score remained 0-0.

"We felt like we were playing well but just couldn't seem to get it in the back of the net," Summit junior Terry McKenna said. "Coach told us to keep working and stay patient."

Early in the second quarter, Summit's defense presented the team with a transition scoring opportunity, but Burke made a point-blank save off a Hilltopper shot. With 3:33 remaining in the first half, junior Tim Yager broke free from his defender and fired a shot, but once again, the goalpost proved to be unfriendly and another Hilltopper attempt escaped the net.

Just as the capacity crowd expected the game to be scoreless at halftime, Summit's Johnny Scioscia found a cutting Sonny Round for the first Hilltopper goal with 1:12 left in the half. With the assist, Scioscia broke Summit High School's career scoring record with 231 career points. At the half, Summit held a 1-0 lead.

"(Saint Joseph's) defense was very strong," Summit senior middie Danny Feeney said. "At halftime, coach told us to just calm down and get it together."

Summit came out with more energy in the third quarter and fired off two shots in the first 20 seconds of play. Although neither shot found the back of the net, the offensive assertiveness was a sign of things to come. With 4:40 remaining in the third quarter, Summit junior defender Jules Godino made a hard check to win the ball for his team. As it has so many times this season, the defensive play resulted in an offensive opportunity when, just over a minute later, Danny Feeney dodged his way around a Saint Joseph's defender and scored on a low shot to give the Hilltoppers a 2-0 lead.

Riding their newfound momentum, junior Terry McKenna sprinted past his defender and scored a low bouncing shot just 51 seconds later to make the score 3-0. With 1:28 remaining in the third quarter, senior goalie Brian Feeney outran everyone on the field to gain possession for his team. The hustle paid off and Summit scored their third goal in less than three minutes when senior Marcel Godino laced a hard shot in transition into the back of the net. Entering the fourth quarter, Summit had built a 4-0 advantage.

"We knew we had to push it in the third quarter," Summit head coach Jim Davidson said. "Saint Joseph's defense was good, but we needed to wear them down a bit."

Brian Feeney helped to preserve the Hilltopper lead with two clutch saves in the fourth quarter. With 2:22 remaining in the game, Round took advantage of a scrambling Saint Joseph's defense and scored in an open net. Summit now led 5-0. Saint Joseph won the following face off and scored their only goal of the game 25 seconds later off of a low shot by sophomore Edward Lubowicki.

It was clear that Summit wanted to have the last hoorah, however, and with 19 seconds remaining in the game, they did so when sophomore Nick Kilkowski assisted Danny Feeney for the final Hilltopper goal of the season. As the final horn sounded, Summit players, coaches, parents, and fans cheered as the Hilltoppers defeated Saint Joseph by a final score of 6-1 to win their second consecutive TOC title.

"To do the things these kids have done this year is unbelievable," Davidson said. "These young men came out and worked hard everyday, and all of that hard work paid off."

Summit ends the 2010 season with an undefeated record of 23-0. The team looks forward to adding to their record-breaking 45-game winning streak next season.