The Ridgers run in excitement after winning the Group 1 state championship.
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — In Glen Ridge, the sport of lacrosse is king.
The Glen Ridge High School boys lacrosse team’s coronation as the best Group 1 team in the state this season was completed in dramatic fashion.
In the ultimate game of the season, the Ridgers defeated perennial powerhouse Mountain Lakes, 8-7, in overtime to capture the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Group 1 state championship on Friday evening, June 13, at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge.
Senior midfielder Brad Foster was the hero as he scored the sudden-death goal in overtime just 41 seconds into the extra session, setting off a wild celebration.
Foster finished with a game-high three goals. Senior attacker Connor Sutton had two goals and one assist, junior midfielder Jimmy Benson had one goal and one assist, and junior midfielder JP Labadia and junior attacker Carson Ross each had one goal for the Ridgers, who won its fifth straight game, all in the postseason, and nine of the last 10 games to improve to a 16-8 record.
Sophomore goalie Keller Goodwin was sensational in goal for the Ridgers, making 12 saves.
Mountain Lakes (14-8), which was coming off winning the North Jersey, Group 1 state sectional tournament title, its 12th state sectional tournament championship, had the first possession of overtime, but the Ridgers forced a turnover. GRHS first-year head coach Anthony Sicoli immediately called a timeout. The Ridgers quickly went on the attack, as Foster deposited the game-winning goal.
Connor Sutton and Foster scored the game’s first two goals before Mountain Lakes got on the scoreboard. Sutton netted a goal to make it 3-1, but ML answered to make a one-goal game after the first quarter
After ML tied it 3-3, the Ridgers took a two-goal lead on goals from Foster and Benson. But ML scored the final three goals of the quarter to take a 6-5 halftime lead.
The Ridgers’ defense shut down Mountain Lakes in the second half. Ross tied it 6-6 just 1:25 into the third quarter, but ML answered with 7:10 left in the quarter for a 7-6 lead. The teams didn’t score until Labadia tied it 7-7 with 9:10 left in regulation for the only goal by either team in the quarter.
The fifth-seeded Ridgers defeated second-seeded Caldwell, 7-4, to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s South Jersey, Group 1 sectional tournament championship on Tuesday, June 10, at Caldwell.
Sutton scored two goals and added one assist, Ross had two goals, junior attacker Stephen Grober had one goal and one assist, and Labadia added one goal. Benson collected two assists and senior defender Mason Giamo added one assist.
Junior long-stick middie John Leone, senior defender Cameron Atkinson and senior defender Chris Smith each had seven ground balls; Benson had four GBs, Sutton, Grober, BFoster and Ross each had three GBs; and Labadia, sophomore goalie Rory Winnik and junior midfielder Matty McCormack each had two GBs. Goodwin made 15 saves.
The Ridgers took a 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter on goals by Grober and Sutton., before outsourcing Caldwell,4-0, in the second quarter. Labadia and Sutton each scored before Ross scored two straight goals for a 6-1 lead. Foster scored in the fourth quarter. Caldwell, which was the Essex County Tournament runner-up for the third year in a row, finished 12-10.
In the semifinals, Grober scored the game-winning goal as time expired, after Goodwin made a save, to lift the Ridgers to a thrilling 9-8 overtime win over top-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven on June 5.
It was an incredible turnaround for the Ridgers, who started 1-5 on the year. The Ridgers persevered and the reward was a state championship.
Photos Courtesy of Toni Grober
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