Northern Highlands dominates its way to 1st sectional title by Sean Farrell of The Record
ALLENDALE – No one can doubt Northern Highlands anymore.
The Highlanders went from under the radar to on top of the world, leaving a pile of equipment on the field and years of heartbreak behind after the greatest win in program history. The North Group 3 championship is finally coming to Allendale. And in the end, there was no question about it.
Northern Highlands blew past Mount Olive with a 13-4 win in Saturday’s final to earn the first sectional title in school history. The moment was a long time coming for an 18th-year program that got knocked out in the 2014 and 2016 finals. Surprising everyone who predicted a rebuilding year only made it even sweeter.
“This group just wanted it,” coach Kyle Ojakian said. “I think they were underdogs. They have nasty personalities when it comes to being doubted. I remember last year as juniors, guys were telling them that you’re in trouble next year when this guy graduates or that guy graduates. I remember thinking that we would be just fine. Just check the scores at the end of the year. We’ll be just fine. They believe in themselves and they love the challenge of people not believing.”
Northern Highlands came out hot by taking the lead just 36 seconds into the game. It began with a goal by Max Paparozzi, who scored five in each of his last three games and now leads North Jersey with 94 points. After a back-and-forth start, the Highlanders put the Morris County school away with an 8-0 run that spanned the second and third quarters. Cooper Richards and Joe Nirchio added two goals apiece in the win.
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“We just decided to turn on the switch,” senior Charlie Ratner said. “We were a little bit nervous coming out of the gates. It’s hard not to be in this situation. We have a lot of young guys out there. But everybody just stepped up and realized that it’s just another lacrosse game.”
The championship was also won on the defensive side, where Northern Highlands kept opponents to single-digit goals for nine straight games. Conor Breen only had to make three saves on Saturday with Bergen County’s No. 1 rated unit giving him protection. Mount Olive’s Jackson Tilves was held to two shots and no points, after coming in with 70 goals on the year.
“We play very good team defense,” defender George Travers said. “It’s not one individual. We play as a team. We don’t just care about our guy. We worry about the team as a whole and try to let up the least goals possible.”
Northern Highlands (19-2) faces Moorestown in the Group 3 final on Wednesday. One more win would set a program record for single-season victories.
“We’re paving our own path,” Richards said. “They’ve paved it up to here and we’ve taken it one step further to really cement our legacy.”
“We’ve been climbing from the bottom,” said Ojakian, in his 11th year. “When I started here, it was a dream to get to this point. Then we got to a point where we were nipping at the heels but couldn’t get over the hump. This is the group that was finally mentally ready. They’ve been through it. They’ve been burned before. They’ve had the heartache and they’ve had the tears. Now they get to hold the trophy and I’m really, really proud of them.”