The goal for the West Orange High School boys lacrosse team this spring is simply to keep improving, growing. While the high school level squads chase their own goals, there is also the program's quest to get children in town to embrace the sport much earlier.
Mountaineer head coach Brian Cohen would like his current team — off to a 1-3 start — to challenge a .500 record by season's end. That's one of the tangible goals for a young program that will play its third season in the rugged Klank Division. That's another goal — for the Mountaineers — to win their first divisional game
"We're taking steps in the right direction," said Cohen, adding that a town youth program has just started.
Find out what's happening in West Orangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The team will be young, but not young in experience.
Senior co-captain and midfielder John Dennis leads the team with 10 goals. Junior co-captain and attack man Peter Zipf is a three-year starter. Junior keeper Dan Shelley is back. The defense is anchored by junior Jason Millien and senior attackman Ryan Oelz and junior Dan Schuster are part of the experienced group returning.
Find out what's happening in West Orangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Dennis and junior midfielder Sheldon Piggot, in his second year at the varsity level, had four goals apiece in the team's 14-3 season-opening win against Newark East Side.
Junior Anthony Angelone, who hadn't played the sport since middle school, has been a pleasant surprise on defense, Cohen said.
"It's like he picked up the sport where he left off," said Cohen, who's in his fifth year as head coach.
Cohen took over for the start of the 2007 season after Craig Buckley had been coach of the team the first two years of the program. The team went 2-15 two years ago, 0-15 in 2008 and 3-11 in 2007 the first year Cohen was head coach.
Cohen points to last week's loss to Morris Knolls as a gauge of how far the team has come. The Mountaineers lost to Knolls 15-2 last year, but had a 4-2, second-half lead last week.
The team is developing depth with the likes of juniors Justin Mault and Dan Contreras in the midfield. Sophomore Tom Schuster, Dan's brother, is another new player to watch.
Cohen said that 61 candidates tried out and for the first time as head coach he had to make cuts. The program kept 46, he said.
"We used to have to beg kids, but now they want to try it and I welcome it," he said.
