The second quarter commenced as Murphy forced a Chatham turnover, fed a streaking Cordrey but his shot was thwarted by a late arriving Chatham defender. The Cougars scored again to take a 1-2 advantage on a fast break opportunity. That goal proved short lived as Murphy scored off a beautiful Kyle Waldron assist above the crease. Andrew Chase connected on an unassisted goal with three minutes left in the half to give the Hilltoppers their first lead, 3-2.

Chatham opened the third quarter by scoring two goals and jumped ahead 3-4. Chris Zanelli tied the score at 4-4 on an unassisted goal with fourteen seconds remaining in the third quarter. The fourth quarter came and went without either team scoring. However, the Hilltoppers played very aggressively and came very close to a game winner when Jarrett Ross drilled a powerful shot, hit post and barely missed finding the back of the net. The first overtime ended with the score still knotted at 4-4. As time was winding down in the second overtime, Chatham scored to win 4-5.

Goalie Sam Bebout deserves special mention as he literally put the entire Hilltopper squad on his back, making one thrilling save after another to keep Summit in the game. He ended the contest with nine saves and continued his fine start to his senior campaign.

The rejuvenated Hilltoppers came out of halftime charged up and connected again, increasing the lead to 3-1 when Strabley found the back of the net from a Andrew Chase assist in a man up situation.  Two minutes later, Jack Johnson scored his first goal of the season with the aid of Cordrey’s third assist of the game on another man advantage play.  West Essex responded by scoring the next two goals to tighten the score 4-3 Hilltoppers. That would be as close as they would come to the Hilltoppers as Cordrey scored his first unassisted goal with three minutes to play in the third quarter.

The Hilltoppers padded their lead early in the fourth quarter when Jarrett Ross scored unassisted on a powerful left handed shot.  Kyle Waldron added to the fray and also scored unassisted on a strong move to his right side.  With the score 7-3, goalie Sam Bebout scooped up a ground ball and led a Summit fast break, hitting Murphy at midfield who in turn found a streaking Cordrey who converted for his second goal.  With the game in hand, the Hilltoppers froze the ball to wear out the remaining time to seal the victory.

Summit enjoyed a great, unselfish team victory and will have a well deserved 5 day break before they lace of their cleats for the much anticipated West Morris game. (reporting by Steve Murphy)

The Hilltoppers evened the count when Matt Fischetti found the back of the cage on a strong, unassisted play.  The Wolfpack gained the advantage two minutes later and led 1-2 heading into halftime.  Not indicative in the score was the fact that the Hilltoppers dominated the time of possession but were still on the short end…funny game.

Summit wasted no time as the third quarter commenced when James Strabley delivered an awesome assist to Chris Zanelli to push the score all square at 2-2.  West Morris responded with another goal to make the count 2-3 but that goal was equalized by Andrew Chase on Strabley’s second assist with ten seconds remaining in the third quarter.

In a game that played out like a back and forth tug of war battle, the Wolfpack scored once again to take a 3-4 advantage, three minutes into the fourth quarter.  That lead lasted nearly five minutes until Strabley rose to the occasion again and delivered his third assist on a goal by Connor Murphy.  The possessions and momentum remained with the Hilltoppers as Fish secured his second goal of the game on the fourth assist from red hot James Strabley, taking a 5-4 lead into the waning moments of the game.  The lead was short lived however, when West Morris scored their fifth goal of the game and knotted the tally to force overtime.

West Morris controlled the face but the defensive minded Fischetti intercepted a ball and several seconds later, Strabe's delivered his eye popping fifth assist to Murphy who drilled a powerful right-handed shot which found the net to seal a victory for the Hilltoppers!

Credit is once again given to the strong Summit defense and goalie Sam Bebout who stuffed the Wolfpack on numerous occasions, made 12 saves and cleared the ball with a very high level of efficiency.  Great win for the Summit Hilltoppers!

Lincoln-Sudbury opened the second quarter by scoring at the eight minute mark to tighten the score, 5-1.  The home squad then erupted for three straight goals.  Max Graeb scored his first Varsity goal on a beautiful bounce shot off a Murphy assist.  That was followed by Murphy’s second goal on a nice fake move above the crease.  Strabley closed out the first half, scoring his second goal with 22 seconds remaining when he connected to push the count to 8-1.  Not only did the offense rise to its best half of the season, but the defense shone as well and was led by Matt Sajer, Andrew Helmer, Sean Andrews, Peter McKinlay and Will Delaney.  Brian Hadley dominated play at the face off which led to several long, deliberate Summit possessions.

The second half began with Lincoln-Sudbury scoring three times to pull the score to 8-4 and that was as close as they would come.  Chris Zanelli closed out the Hilltopper barrage after he scored with 23 seconds left in the third quarter on a pinpoint assist from Fish. 

The teams traded many possessions throughout the fourth quarter and it appeared the home team had taken its foot off the pedal, very content with a 9-4 victory.

Kudos are again extended to senior goalie, Sam Bebout, as he registered another strong performance, saving 10 and again thwarting many Lincoln-Sudbury offensive stands. (reporting by Steve Murphy)

The second quarter began right where the Hilltoppers left off.  Matt Fischetti ripped a shot that just missed the cage but was backed up beautifully by James Strabley on the fly.  Without missing a beat, he delivered a perfect strike to Connor Murphy who in turn buried it in the back of the net.  Five minutes later, Johnny Cordrey grabbed a loose ball in front of the crease and scored to push the count to 4-0 Hilltoppers.  The Bulldogs scored two quick goals near the end of the half to tighten the score 4-2 Hilltoppers.

The Summit struck early in the third quarter when James Strabley scored his first goal of the game off a Chris Zanelli assist in a man up situation.  With only seconds remaining in the third quarter, déjà vu occurred when James Strabley once again backed up an errant shot and tacked on his third assist, connecting with Connor Murphy who scored the hat trick and increased the Summit advantage to 6-2.  Rumson scored a late goal in the fourth quarter and time expired with a 6-3 Hilltopper victory.

The Summit defensive unit was once again very stingy throughout the afternoon and was led by James Tully, Peter McKinlay, Andrew Helmer, Matt Sajer and Sean Andrews.  Standout goalie, Sam Bebout was solid once again between the pipes and was credited with an outstanding twelve saves. Congratulations Hilltoppers!

The second quarter was a carbon copy of the first.  Chris Zanelli continued the onslaught when he found the back of the net on a beautiful Strabley assist.  Moments later, defenseman Andrew Helmer scooped up a ball at midfield, made a gorgeous move and scored to up the lead to 5-0.  Summit’s next two goals were generated by Cordrey off a Matt Fischetti assist and then Cordrey reciprocated, assisting Fischetti in a man up situation to increase the lead to 7-0 at the end of the half.

Princeton tallied their first goal of the game early in the third quarter but that was negated forty seconds later when Cordrey scored unassisted to complete his hat trick.  Later in the quarter, Strabley connected on his first goal of the game off a Cordrey assist to push the count to 9-1 Hilltoppers.  The visiting Tigers then scored their second and last goal of the game.  The Hilltoppers responded with two very quick goals.  Midfielder Riley Flynn, in his first game back after suffering a pre-season injury, scored a highlight reel goal unassisted.  Seconds later, Max “Lax” Graeb connected off a Strabley assist to increase the lead to 11-2 as the quarter expired.

The Hilltoppers would score three more times in the fourth quarter.  Strabley opened the frame from an Andrew Chase assist.  Kyle Waldron registered the next goal on a perfectly threaded Connor Murphy assist.  Lastly, senior midfielder Kyle Crotty connected on his first goal of the season on a blast high and away, the beneficiary of a Graeb assist.

The Hilltoppers’ defensive unit arguably played their finest game of the season, limiting the visitor’s chances each time down the field.  Strong play was exhibited by Helmer, Sean Andrews, Matt Sajer, Peter McKinlay, James Tully, Will Delaney, Matt Muller, Tommy Kane and Nick Zachara.  The “D” truly kept the Tiger’s offense in check all day and supplied the impetus for goalie Sam Bebout.  He responded with an impressive twelve saves before turning over the cage to Jay Winchell, who had a pair of stellar saves.

The Hilltopper victory today proved that the sum of the parts will always equal one.  The boys played as one strong, cohesive unit and completely dominated the contest. Congratulations on a great win! (reporting by Steve Murphy)

The first quarter was the ultimate see-saw battle as both squads squandered opportunities to take the advantage.  The Hilltoppers had two man-up situations but the Blue Devils defense dug in and thwarted the Summit offensive.  The period ended in a scoreless 0-0 tie.

The scenario changed in the second frame when Riley Flynn drilled a beautiful left-handed unassisted shot into the back of the net to give the Hilltopper’s 1-0 lead.  The score held until 16 seconds remained in the quarter when Westfield evened the count on a near crease shot.

After half time concluded, neither team was ready to jump off the see-saw as each team’s movement seemed to be countered by the opponent.  However, the Hilltoppers were the next to strike after midfielder Matt Fischetti scored unassisted with a powerful left-handed shot.  Westfield again scored late in the quarter, this time with 3 minutes left to make the count 2-2.

The Hilltoppers headed into the final quarter with a strong will and their typical team oriented focus.  After two minutes passed to open the stanza, Fischetti connected again unassisted to increase the Summit lead 3-2 on a nifty move in front of the cage.  This time the lead held as Fischetti scored again off a left-handed shot to up the Summit advantage to 4-2 with five minutes remaining.  The Hilltoppers held on to several long possessions to kill time but Westfield scored with 27 seconds remaining to close the score to 4-3. The home team won the ensuing face-off and a shot at the 14 second mark was stuffed by goalie, Sam Bebout. Time expired and Summit left Kehler Stadium with a 4-3 road victory! (reported by Steve Murphy)

The Summit Hilltoppers hosted the Seton Hall Pirates on an absolutely miserable and rainy afternoon.  The spring weather has not been very kind to our boys this season but playing in a torrential downpour truly tested the resolve of the Hilltoppers.  They showed a tremendous amount of heart today at Investors Bank Field.

The contest opened on the positive side for the Summit squad when midfielder Jarrett Ross blasted a shot one minute into the game to put the Hilltoppers up 1-0.  Seton Hall responded 5 minutes later and knotted the score at 1. However, this did not last long when FO specialist Brian Hadley won the ensuing face-off.  Twenty seconds later midfielder Andrew Chase ripped a shot to put the Hilltoppers back on top 2-1. The Pirates then scored with 4 minutes to go in the quarter to even the score 2-2.

With the rain soaking the turf field, the Hilltoppers opened the second quarter with continued focus.  After four and a half minutes passed, Summit was awarded a man-up situation. Johnny Cordrey fed fellow attackman Connor Murphy, who buried a shot in the back of the net.  The Summit lead jumped to 4-2 two minutes later when Chase scored his second goal in front of the crease.  Seton Hall cut the Summit lead to 4-3 forty seconds before the half ended.

The Hilltoppers returned to the field in their rain soaked uniforms.  Some long possessions led to several quality shots but none accounting for a goal.  This scenario changed with six minutes to go in the third quarter when midfielder Matt Fischetti connected on his first goal of the game, after making several strong spin moves near the crease.  At the end of three, the Hilltoppers led 5-3.

The visiting Pirates scored two goals in the fourth quarter, the second with just 3 minutes to go in the game.  The 5-5 score held at the end of regulation play and forced overtime.

The first OT period concluded without either team scoring, although the Hilltoppers had several opportunities, one being a Ross blast that hit the pipe.

Jarrett Ross redeemed that close shot when he scored the game winner with just under 3 minutes to play in the 2^nd OT.  The senior calmly exploded by his defender and deposited his shot top left shelf and sent the entire Hilltopper squad rushing the field to congratulate their teammate!

Goalie Sam Bebout had a solid 6 saves.  Hadley was simply awesome by winning 15 of his 16 face-off opportunities and the defense was nearly impenetrable throughout the game.

Today was another very memorable victory for the Hilltoppers.  They never quit and played with plenty of heart! The victory guaranteed the Hilltoppers at least a share of first place in the Fitch-Pitt Conference! (reported by Steve Murphy)

After Wednesday’s deluge, the Hilltoppers returned to action today with dry equipment and uniforms.  They traveled south on the traffic jammed Garden State Parkway to face the Old Bridge Knights; the first time the two schools have squared off.

Under partly cloudy skies, the first quarter commenced with the visiting Summit squad playing aggressively and creating several scoring opportunities.  However, they were unable to capitalize and the frame ended with the score tied at 0-0.

The Hilltoppers and Knights switched ends to open the second quarter and to the surprise of many, Old Bridge struck the first goal of the contest.  Matt Sandor, a junior attackman and son of SHS’s Mr. Sandor, connected on the goal.  The Hilltoppers evened the score at one when Connor Murphy fed Chris Zanelli, who laced a shot into the back of the net.  Three minutes later, defenseman Peter McKinlay made a great steal, led a fast break and assisted Johnny Cordrey to up the score to 2-1.  Thirty seconds before the half ended, defenseman James Tully forced a Knight turnover and fed fellow pole Andrew Helmer who dished to James Strabley, who in turn assisted Matt Fischetti and the Hilltoppers headed into halftime up 3-1.

The floodgates opened for the Hilltoppers in the third quarter.  They dominated play throughout the twelve minutes and racked up seven goals.  The team’s fourth goal was scored by Cordrey, courtesy of a Strabley assist.  Less than one minute later, Zanelli fed Andrew Chase to make the count 5-1.  28 seconds later, Cordrey connected for his third goal of the game off a Fischetti assist.  24 seconds later, Strabley assisted once again to midfielder Jack Johnson to make the score 7-1.  The red hot Strabley was no where near done for the day and assisted Murphy, who blasted a strong left handed shot.  The combination of Strabley to Cordrey added another goal to increase the Hilltopper lead to 9-1.  Lastly, Summit hiked its lead to 10-1 when Kyle Waldron assisted Strabley, who ended the quarter with 4 assists and 1 goal!

Coach Davidson substituted freely throughout the fourth quarter and received solid contributions from every team member.  Special recognition is extended to Stevie Rainero, who snared 14 out of 15 face offs for the Hilltoppers.  Other notable play was exhibited by defenseman Will Delaney and LSM Nick Zachara.  The goalie tandem of Sam Bebout and Jay Winchell played very well between the pipes.

The Hilltoppers will not have much time to savor the victory as they prepare for the highly anticipated match-up Monday afternoon vs. Ridgefield High School in CT.  Good luck to our 13-1 Hilltoppers!

After Mother Nature postponed the start of the semifinals of the Union County Tournament, the Summit Hilltoppers traveled to Clark on Friday evening to face neighboring New Providence in a semi-final match up.  Under the lights, the number one seeded team seemed very determined to remain focused and sharp in their pre-game warm-ups.

The Hilltoppers wasted little time to take a 1-0 advantage when Chris Zanelli connected off a Jarrett Ross feed in the opening moments of the game.  One minute later, Max Graeb assisted Kyle Waldron to increase the lead to 2-0.  The high octane offense continued on its path as they scored two more goals in a span of the next 38 seconds; the first being a Johnny Cordrey connection off a James Stabley assist and the second a Strabley goal from Cordrey on a powerful left handed blast.  Before the Pioneers could call a time-out, they were down 4-0.

The second quarter featured more of the same for the Hilltoppers when Cordrey assisted Matt Fischetti 90 seconds into the frame.  The junior attackman Cordrey then made a beautiful dodge and scored on the crease to increase the Hilltopper lead to 6-0.  The tandem of Strabley to Cordrey struck once again four minutes into the quarter as #15 picked up the hat trick.  The Hilltoppers closed out the half when Ross scooped up a Fischetti rebound and scored with 90 seconds remaining in the stanza.

The Hilltoppers returned from the half and gave up their first goal in the opening seconds of the third. They countered that several minutes later when Riley Flynn threaded a beautiful pass to Graeb, who scored on the crease to push the count to 9-1 at the end of the third.

The Summit squad scored two more times in the fourth quarter.  In tight crease traffic, Graeb struck again on Strabley’s third assist to hike the Hilltopper lead to 10-1.  The second hat trick of the game was cemented by Graeb on a Zanelli assist to close out the Summit scoring.  New Providence netted 2 goals in the quarter and the final score was 11-3.

FOGO Brian Hadley snared 14 out of 18 faceoffs and goalie Sam Bebout made 8 saves.  The defense was solid once again as they held another opponent below the 3.6 goals against average for the season.

The Hilltoppers will face the second seeded Blue Devils of Westfield on Monday evening at 7:30 PM for the championship. Good luck boys! (Reporting by Steve Murphy)

The Hilltoppers struck first when James Strabley assisted fellow senior Matt Fischetti three minutes into the contest.  The 1-0 Summit advantage held throughout the first quarter as the Hilltopper defense rose to the occasion and thwarted several Westfield possessions.

The Summit offense kicked it into another gear in the second quarter.  Five minutes into the frame and in a man-up scenario, Chris Zanelli pumped one into the back of the net off another Strabley assist.  Strabley was involved in the next goal as he scored from a Kyle Waldron assist to increase the lead to 3-0.  Then Johnny Cordrey made a crisp dodge and scored to push the Summit advantage to 4-0.  Westfield finally scored with one and a half minutes to play in the quarter, but the Hilltoppers were not done.  With fifteen seconds remaining, Cordrey choreographed another gorgeous dodge on the crease to score.  The halftime count….Summit 5-1.

The Hilltoppers took the field for the start of the second half and looked very determined to capture its seventh straight UCT title. The red hot Strabley continued on his point production path when he collected an unassisted goal to make the score 6-1.  Westfield responded twenty seconds later to tighten the score 6-2.  However, the Summit squad was by no means done for the quarter as Fischetti scored once again from a Strabley assist in a man-up situation.  The Summit lead after three was 7-2.

The fourth quarter saw the Blue Devils connect in the opening minute.  After many long Summit possessions, the Hilltoppers smelled victory but were not done in the scoring column.  With four minutes left, Connor Murphy fed a wide open Fischetti. Then,  Chris Zanelli nailed the last Hilltopper goal off another Strabley assist to increase its lead to 9-3.

With several minutes left, Coach Davidson inserted many seniors into the game.  Key contributors included Tommy Kane, Will Delaney, Nick Zachara, Jake Paytas and Chris Laughlin. As always, Sam Bebout was stellar between the pipes and Brian Hadley was dominant in the faceoffs.

The Hilltoppers battled hard for forty-eight minutes of play and truly deserved the UCT Championship trophy.  They came to Clark with a mission in mind and they earned this victory.  Congratulations to the coaching staff and team on another quality win!

The Summit Hilltoppers played host to the Ridgewood Maroons under cloudy skies.  The match-up marked the final regular season game for the Hilltoppers and at this point of the season, the term “last” can stir plenty of different emotions.  The Maroons came prepared to knock down the mighty Hilltoppers but instead ran into a Summit squad that is literally clicking on all cylinders.

In typical fashion, the Hilltoppers executed their game plan to perfection to start the game.  After a Brian Hadley face-off snag, Jarrett Ross scored the game’s first goal unassisted.  Nearly four minutes later, Johnny Cordrey fed Connor Murphy who drilled a left handed blast to up the lead to 2-0.

The second quarter began and the home squad built upon its lead.  After five minutes of play, Riley Flynn connected on another unassisted goal with a lefty shot.  Ridgewood scored its first goal with the Hilltoppers in a man down situation.  Summit countered that goal when Matt Fischetti sent a skip pass to James Strabley who increased the Summit lead to 4-1.  One minute later, Max Graeb scooped up a tough ground ball and sent it into the back of the net to give the Hilltoppers a 5-1 lead.

Summit returned from the break and put together one of their most dominating quarters of the season.  Thirty seconds into the frame, Fischetti found Murphy all alone fifteen yards above the crease and he calmly buried the shot.  On the ensuing face off, Hadley won the ball clean and bolted toward the cage.  In one of lacrosse’s favorite plays, the senior FOGO sent a blistering shot into the back of the net as the bleacher fans erupted! At this point of the game, Summit led 7-1. Three minutes later, Fischetti connected on his first goal of the game. Midfielder Chris Zanelli got into the action as he made a gorgeous dodge to score on the crease.  Summit’s next goal was some good old textbook lacrosse.  The boys ran a beautiful fast break and Strabley found Fischetti for the score and increased its lead to 10-1. Finally, the Summit fans were treated to another fan favorite goal when defenseman Andrew Helmer snared a loose ball from the next face-off and hiked the Hilltopper lead to 11-1 at quarter’s end.

The Hilltoppers opened the last stanza by scoring their final goal when Strabley sent a rocket past the Maroons goalie, courtesy of an Andrew Chase assist.  With the game clearly in hand, the Hilltoppers gave up four goals and ultimately cruised to a 12-5 victory.

The Hilltopper defense and goalie Sam Bebout were once again superb.  Their combined efforts throughout this contest shut down a high powered Ridgewood offense.  Bebout is credited with 16 outstanding saves in a typical stellar performance.

The Summit squad begins their quest for a state championship on Saturday when they face Jefferson High School at 12:00 PM at Investor’s Bank Field.

The Summit Hilltoppers opened the first round of the NJSIAA, Group 2 Tournament under beautiful skies at Investors Bank Field. The number one seeded Hilltoppers hosted the sixteenth seeded Jefferson High Falcons and on paper, not many fans in the stands expected a competitive contest. The game was the first step on a march toward a state championship.

The home squad wasted little time to jump out to a lead when Matt Fischetti scored two minutes into the game, off a Connor Murphy assist. Murphy then connected off a Kyle Waldron assist to make the score 2-0. Fischetti added his second goal at the mid-way point of the quarter, the beneficiary of a James Strabley assist. Strabley poured in his first goal with four minutes remaining, courtesy of a Johnny Cordrey assist. Fischetti completed his hat trick and was again assisted by Strabley with two minutes to go. With 11 seconds left in the first, Strabley connected on his second goal and was once again assisted by Cordrey. The score at the end of one was 6-0 Hilltoppers.

The second quarter commenced and the Hilltopper offensive rolled forward. Cordrey increased the lead to 7-0 after a beautiful dodge on the crease. LSM Nick Zachara scored his first goal of the season after he snared a loose ball and buried his shot to make the count 8-0. The final score of the quarter occurred when Cordrey threaded a beautiful pass to Max Graeb, who connected on the crease.

The Hilltoppers returned from halftime and started the third quarter exactly where they left off. The Hilltopper’s point leader Strabley added to his production as he connected on four assists in a row, the recipients being Cordrey, Jake Paytas with his first goal of the season, and Murphy for two to complete his hat trick. The next two Hilltopper goals were the first ones of the year for Danny Childers and Evan Kulpan, who connected after he won the face-off.

The last frame featured many long Hilltopper possessions and a clock which did not stop due to the score. The 16th and 17thgoals were scored by James Holzer and Drew Mulholland, their first of the season. Jefferson finally scored their first goal of the contest with less than one minute to play.

The Hilltoppers will return to the field on Tuesday to face a familiar opponent in Mahwah. This second round match-up will be played at Investors Bank Field.

For the second time within a month, the Summit Hilltoppers battled the Mahwah Thunderbirds, this time being the second round of the state tournament.  With the weather at an absolute 10, the Hilltoppers warmed up on Investors Bank Field like a very determined and focused squad. The only piece missing from this gorgeous day was a third official…..no worries, it was game time.

The first quarter commenced and the Hilltoppers struck first.  After FOGO specialist Brian Hadley won the opening draw, Chris Zanelli fed James Strabley one minute into the game to make the count 1-0.  Summit wasted little time to up the lead to 2-0 when Johnny Cordrey scored 50 seconds later on a beautiful crease dodge. The home squad upped its lead to 3-0 when Zanelli connected with seven and a half minutes to play in the quarter.  The Thunderbirds landed in the scoring column five minutes later, however the Mahwah bench euphoria did not last long when Strabley nailed one in the back of the net off a Matt Fischetti assist. The score after one was Summit 4, Mahwah 1.

 The home squad erupted for five more goals in the second quarter and each was scored by a different Hilltopper.  After five minutes had elapsed, Strabley found fellow senior Connor Murphy on the crease and the attackman delivered a two ball fake move which froze the opposing goalie to score.  Thirty seconds later after Hadley won at the face, Fischetti once again delivered an assist to Strabley to increase the Summit lead to 6-1.  The Hilltoppers closed out the half by scoring three goals in the last thirty eight seconds of the quarter.  The first was delivered by sophomore midfielder Andrew Chase off a Kyle Waldron assist. With twelve seconds remaining, senior Jake Paytas made a strong cut to the cage and was the beneficiary of another Strabley assist.  The Hilltoppers were not ready to head into the halftime leading 8-1.  With just seconds left on the clock, Strabley threw a perfect strike from behind the cage to Max “Lax” Graeb who buried a shot with one second remaining to make the count 9-1. That was one spectacular play!

 The third quarter began and Summit showed no signs of letting up. Two minutes into the frame, Kyle Waldron assisted Murphy to make the count 10-1. Three minutes later, Chase sent a right- handed rocket into the top right corner of the net for yet another Hilltopper score.  Mahwah scored their second and final goal with five minutes to play in the stanza.  That goal was negated by Fischetti one minute later, courtesy of another Strabley assist in a man up situation.  Less than a minute later and again in man up, Chase sent a blistering shot past the Mahwah goalie’s waist to complete his hat trick.  At quarter’s end, the home squad led 13-2.

 The Summit offensive cruised into a slower gear in the fourth quarter and seemed very content with the 11 goal advantage.  Long possessions were marked by many Summit substitutions as many of the Hilltoppers gained serious playing time.

Today was a total team victory as the Summit squad dominated in all facets of the game.  Hadley was dominant as always at the face and goalie Sam Bebout and the defense were stifling. The Hilltoppers do not have much time to rest on their laurels as they resume with the third round at home on Thursday against the Lakeland Regional Lancers.  Game time is slated for 4:00. (reprted by Steve Murphy)

 Under threatening skies, the Summit Hilltoppers hosted the Lakeland Regional Lancers in a North Jersey, Section 2 semi-final match up.  At this point of the season, the higher seeded Hilltoppers do not take any opponent for granted and today was no exception.  The 17-3 Lancers traveled South to Summit with grandiose plans to eliminate the home team.  Thankfully, the Hilltoppers’ opponent and the weather were held in check throughout the day.

Our Summit squad ventured into unchartered territory when they gave up the first goal of the game, two minutes into the contest. Down 0-1, the boys went to work like surgeons in an operating room.  After four minutes had elapsed in the quarter, LSM James Tully forced a turnover at mid-field.  He distributed the ball to Johnny Cordrey, who in turn dished it to Connor Murphy for a score to even the count at 1-1. Several minutes later, Cordrey made a gorgeous dodge behind the cage and connected on the crease. Attackman Cordrey scored once again on the crease, this time the beneficiary of a James Strabley assist. Strabley was just starting to warm up when forty six seconds later he found Murphy on the crease to increase the Summit advantage to 4-1 at the quarter’s end.

The second quarter began and like the previous frame, the Lancers were the first to put one in the scoring column and tightened the Hilltopper lead to 4-2. However, the versatile Strabley connected for the Hilltopper’s next two goals. The first occurred with 5 minutes left to play in the half, courtesy of a Cordrey assist. The same tandem produced the same result ninety seconds later as the Hilltoppers headed to halftime with a 6-2 lead.

After the Hilltoppers rested between halves, they took the field with plenty of fuel in the tank. One minute into the quarter, Strabley continued his red hot streak and assisted Andrew Chase to push the score to 7-2.  Forty seconds later, Strabley threaded a beautiful pass through the Lancer zone and found Murphy for his hat trick. Midfielder Riley Flynn got into the scoring column when he connected to hike the Summit lead to 9-2.  Chris Zanelli closed out the Summit barrage when Chase assisted him to increase the lead to 10-2. The home team was not done for the quarter.  At the midway point, senior Matt Fischetti delivered a powerful check and recovered the loose ball. He found a streaking Andrew Helmer who in turn found Strabley for Summit’s last goal of the quarter. The lead was a comfortable 11-2 advantage at the end of the stanza.

In the fourth quarter, Zanelli found Strabley in a man-up situation and scored his fourth goal of the game. Four minutes later, this tandem executed the Hilltopper’s last goal when Strabley tallied his fifth assist and found Zanelli to push the score to 13-2. Strong play was exhibited by reserve attackman Chris Laughlin for most of the 4^th quarter. Lakeland scored their last goal with ninety seconds to go in the game.

Face off specialist Brian Hadley deserves special mention as he won an amazing fourteen out of fifteen draws at the “X”.  His play has been stellar and is such a big part of the offensive overall play. The defense also rose to the occasion with Andrew Helmer, Sean Andrews, Matt Sajer, Peter McKinlay and James Tully leading the lock-down. Well done, D unit! The goalie tandem of Sam Bebout and Jay Winchell combined for another impressive victory. Congratulations to the entire Hilltoppers squad for advancing to the North Group 2 finals.

The Summit squad will face Northern Highlands in the final on Saturday at Investors Bank Field. Game time is tentatively set for 12:00 PM. Go Hilltoppers!

It was a day marked with much anticipation and a little sadness. For those on the squad who will graduate on this same field in about a month, today’s quest marked the last time they would ever go to battle on Investors Bank Field. Playing together for eleven seasons and having enjoyed many memorable games on this storied surface, the seniors and their underclassmen teammates seemed determined to make this “last” one to remember forever. The Hilltoppers faced the Northern Highlands Highlanders in the final of the North Jersey, Group 2 and played in front of a huge Summit crowd.

After viewing a five minute motivational piece in the locker room, the Hilltoppers assembled outside of the field house and processed down to the field like an armed forces unit ready to wage battle. The boys started their traditional pre-game warm ups but with one noticeably different aspect. The Hilltoppers chanted through their drills like they were Marines at Quantico. Never has one heard the boys deliver the cadence and precision through each of their drills. Today was different and the boys were definitely focused and driven to win this big final home game.

The game opened and the Highlanders scored the first goal after five minutes had expired. Like so many times this season, the Hilltoppers would not buckle under the pressure of being down 0-1. Two minutes later, Johnny Cordrey delivered a beautiful pass to Connor Murphy who was camped out ten yards above the crease. He made a quick spin move and sent a blistering under-handed shot into the back of the net to knot the score at 1. With just under one minute to play in the quarter, senior midfielder Matt Fischetti did what he often does best; he made a nice dodge, blew by another defender and scored to make it 2-1 Hilltoppers.

The second quarter produced only one goal and that was posted by the Hilltoppers. With nine minutes left in the second, fans were treated to a great Summit play. LSM James Tully scooped up a loose ball and he kicked it into another gear. He led a Summit fast break that touched the stick of Murphy and then Cordrey, who in turn dished it to Fischetti as he connected to make the halftime score 3-1 Hilltoppers. Just like that, the Hilltoppers had built a somewhat comfortable halftime lead.

The home squad returned to third quarter action and refocused on the ultimate prize. After some long possessions by both teams, the Hilltoppers finally broke through when James Strabley made a gorgeous crease move and scored to increase the Summit lead to 4-1. Ninety seconds later, Cordrey made one of his patented dodges from behind the cage and connected on the crease with 3:30 to play in the frame. At the close of the quarter, the Hilltoppers led 5-1 and seemed destined to win the contest.

The visitors scored with 5:30 remaining in the game to tighten the Summit lead to 5-2. Then, after the Highlanders committed two personal fouls and their defense in disarray, Kyle Waldron was the recipient of a Strabley assist and pushed the Summit advantage to 6-2. This score would stand up even as the Highlanders took many cheap shots at the Summit players.

In addition to the Summit offensive, the story behind the story was the play of stand out goalie Sam Bebout. He played his best game of the season and truly neutralized the NH offense. He made several clutch saves from point blank range and stuffed several other shots. Bebout was in “another place” with his play today as was FOGO Brian Hadley who won 11 out of 12 draws at the X. The stalwart defense played exceptional lacrosse as well and made several key adjustments to slow the Highlanders offense.

On this Memorial Day weekend as we remember those who paid the ultimate price for us, we also reflect on a team that has brought many wonderful memories to our community throughout this season. We are extremely proud of this squad and all that they have accomplished. Congratulations to the Summit Hilltoppers, the 2014 North Jersey Group 2 Champions!

The march toward the Tournament of Champions continues on Wednesday. The Hilltoppers face Somerville High at Ridge High School (Basking Ridge) at 5:00 PM. Let’s cheer on the Hilltoppers to another victory!

Having captured the North Jersey, Group 2 Sectional Final on Saturday, the Summit Hilltoppers set their sights on the Group 2 State Finals. They traveled west to Ridge High School and faced the Somerville Pioneers who won the South Jersey Group 2 title. Today’s contest was for the right to advance to the Tournament of Champions. The setting provided the perfect backdrop for the Hilltoppers as our boys, coaches and fans vividly remember an epic 2011 Summit victory on this field and were hoping the stars were once again aligned for the Summit squad. The 2014 team was determined, prepared, focused and driven to capture yet another Summit state title.

The game commenced under cloudy skies and the Hilltoppers delivered an early message to the Pioneers; our top rated defense in the tri-state area was no fluke. On Somerville’s first possession and the ball behind their cage, defenseman Andrew Helmer blanketed his opponent and punished him with one of his patented checks to win possession. The play clearly set the tone for the game and the entire defensive front would not disappoint. On the offensive side, the Hilltoppers peppered the Pioneers with many shots early in the quarter. Their hard work paid off five minutes into the game when Kyle Waldron sent a beautiful assist to Johnny Cordrey, whose goal gave the Hilltoppers an early 1-0 advantage and the quarter ended with that score.

In the second quarter, our defense continued to thwart any offensive attempt by Somerville. In fact, the Pioneers were not able to deliver a shot for the first seventeen minutes of the game. The Summit defensive lockdown forced many Somerville turnovers and created several opportunities for the number one seeded team. With five minutes remaining in the half, Waldron saw a wide open James Strabley on the crease and attempted a pass to up the Summit lead. However, his pass was deflected by a Pioneer defenseman and the ball was sent sailing into the base of the goal. This fortunate play increased the Summit lead to 2-0 and held until Somerville scored their first goal with two minutes remaining. Our defense held firm with seconds to play in the half and the Hilltoppers clung to a 2-1 halftime lead.

The start of the third quarter featured the resumption of some aggressive Summit lacrosse. After FOGO Brian Hadley won the face-off, Chris Zanelli dashed down the middle of the field and delivered a hard blast to score, pushing the Summit lead to 3-1. Several minutes later, Connor Murphy found fellow attackman James Strabley open on the crease and the senior calmly produced another Summit goal. With one minute left in the quarter, Somerville scored their second goal of the contest to tighten the Summit lead to 4-2.

The final twelve minutes of the game produced another defensive gem for the Hilltoppers. Any attempt by Somerville to score, much less shoot, was extinguished by Helmer, Matt Sajer, Sean Andrews, Peter McKinlay, Matt Muller and James Tully. Their play, along with that of stand-out goalie Sam Bebout, carried the team through the end of the quarter. With seconds remaining in the game and the battle clearly in hand, the team members began their celebration. The Hilltoppers were the Group 2 Champions and mobbed Bebout in front of the cage. The Summit Hilltoppers were awarded the Championship trophy and will continue their journey next Wednesday at Bridgewater-Raritan, 5:00 PM against the winner of Mountain Lakes/Westfield in the semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions.

Congratulations to the 2014 Summit High School Men’s Lacrosse Team, the Group 2 State Champions – well done!

The great basketball coaching legend John Wooden once stated, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” This quotation could not have been more true when the Summit Hilltoppers faced the Mountain Lakes Lakers in the semi-final round of the Tournament of Champions at Bridgewater High School.  Coach Wooden had it right and on this particular Wednesday evening, the Hilltoppers breathed, lived and executed this.

Under beautiful skies, the TOC number two seeded Summit wore their home white uniforms while the third seeded Mountain Lakes took the field in their away orange jerseys.  The battle commenced and ML won the opening face-off and were able to deliver two errant shots in their first possession.  However, this was the extent of their highlights as the Hilltoppers focused on the “little things.” While the Lakers still possessed, stand out goalie Sam Bebout stepped out into a passing lane and picked off a ML pass and the Hilltoppers were off to the races. After three and a half minutes expired in the first quarter, senior midfielder Jarrett Ross accelerated down a right alley, beat his defender and delivered a top shelf goal to give the Summit squad a 1-0 advantage. With a little less than two minutes to play in the frame, Bebout made a nice save, cleared the ball to Connor Murphy at midfield who found James Strabley down low. He in turn delivered a strike to Chris Zanelli who scored to finish a perfect fast break and hiked the Hilltopper lead to 2-0 at quarter’s end. Oh, the little things!

After the second quarter began, the floodgates opened for the Hilltoppers. In a span of one minute and fifteen seconds, the Summit contingent collected three goals to increase its lead to 5-0. The third score occurred when the Hilltoppers took advantage of a man-up situation. Strabley connected with mid-fielder Matt Fischetti who was camped out above the crease. He delivered a blistering shot for the goal. After FOGO specialist Brian Hadley won the ensuing face-off, midfielder Kyle Waldron hit a wide open Strabley for the next goal. Fifty seconds later, Ross connected for his second goal unassisted to send the Hilltoppers to a commanding 5-0 lead. With just under eight minutes left in the quarter, junior Johnny Cordrey assisted Fischetti for his second goal and pushed the lead to 6-0. Summit did not rest on its laurels and padded its lead to 7-0 when Waldron accounted for his second assist and delivered a beautiful pass to midfielder Riley Flynn for the goal. ML finally scored with ninety seconds left in the second and the Hilltoppers headed into the half with a dominating 7-1 lead.

Returning to the field well rested, the third quarter produced only one goal and fortunately it was another for the Summit squad. After two minutes passed, Strabley found fellow attackman Murphy cutting down toward the crease and he sent his shot blazing by the goalie to increase the Summit lead to 8-1. The balance of the stanza saw the Hilltoppers playing outstanding defense and the offense holding for very long, deliberate possessions.

The final twelve minutes of the contest saw ML strike for two goals midway through the quarter. Their momentum was subsequently squashed when Waldron delivered his third assist to Strabley who scored his second goal of the game with two and a half minutes to play. Cordrey put the icing on the cake when he scored on an empty netter with just under two minutes left. The final score stood at 10-3 and advanced the Summit Hilltoppers to the finals of the TOC.

This game was truly about the little things a team does in order to produce a win. It was about our defense completely shutting down a high powered ML offense. Special recognition is given to Andrew Helmer, Matt Sajer, Sean Andrews, Matt Muller, Peter McKinlay and James Tully. It was about Brian Hadley doing his part by winning 13 out of 17 face-offs. It was about Sam Bebout making one beautiful save after another. It was about the resurgence of a solid offensive effort. It was about the ground ball battle which Summit clearly won. It was about an energetic bench which provided the lift for the Hilltoppers and most definitely about the perfect execution of the coaching staff’s plan. Yes, it was all about the little things that propelled the Summit Hilltoppers to within one step of the ultimate prize.

Coach Wooden also stated, “ The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” So true of the 2014 Summit Hilltoppers! The final will be played Saturday evening at 7:30against Delbarton, again at Bridgewater High School. The boy’s game will follow our own Lady Hilltoppers as they face off against Moorestown High School at 5:00. Please come out, wear your maroon and cheer on our great women’s and men’s lacrosse teams as they pursue TOC Championships!

Even in defeat, there are many silver linings our boys will take with them from this season.  Their final record of 23-2 will surely rank them as one of the best teams to ever go through the storied Summit High School lacrosse program. They shared first place in the ultra-competitive Fitch-Pitt Conference.  They won another Union County title. They won the North Jersey, Group 2 Sectional final. They topped that and won the New Jersey Group 2 final. The squad cemented the number two seed in the Tournament of Champions and won a big semi-final match up against Mountain Lakes. And through all of this, the Hilltoppers were ranked number two in the Star-Ledger poll throughout most of the season.

Like those who have played before, the 2014 team was not defined by an individual or two, but by a team of thirty seven young men who played for each other and who played for the program. They sacrificed much and played with a sense of determination to be the best they could possibly be. The team won the admiration of the coaching staff, the parents and families, and the entire Summit community. We could not be more proud of them and all of their accomplishments.

We salute each and every member of this memorable team: Captains Connor Murphy, Matt Fischetti, Brian Hadley and Sam Bebout. Seniors Kyle Crotty, James Tully, Nick Zachara, Max Graeb, Dan Childers, Jake Paytas, James Strabley, Chris Laughlin, Jarrett Ross, James Holzer, Tom Kane, Matt Muller, Matt Sajer, Kyle Waldron and Will Delaney. Juniors Charlie Guttilla, Drew Mulholland, John Cordrey, Jack McCarthy, Riley Flynn, Chris Zanelli, Colin Andrews, Peter McKinlay, Andrew Helmer, Stevie Rainero, Sean Andrews and Jay Winchell.  Sophomores Tucker Hall, Evan Kulpan and Andrew Chase. Freshmen Corey McManus, Jack Johnson and Sam Zanelli.  These young men epitomize what a team is all about.

In the past month, I have written extensively about “lasts”. Sadly, this is the last time I will write about the 2014 SHS Men’s Lacrosse Team. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed the ride through this historical season and I know I speak for all of the parents and fans. Boys, it is my wish that you carry through life all of the wonderful memories you have created throughout this season and please remember, It’s always a great day to be a Hilltopper!

Go Hilltoppers!

Steve Murphy

Let me add my thanks for the great job Steve has done in his coverage of this grand season. He has received accolades from Summit lacrossee fans in Summit and those who have moved away and follow the Hilltoppers via the website. His will be an impossible act to follow.

Go Hilltoppers!

Steve Pardee