After going 1-1 against Northern Burlington – the 2024 division champions – the CHS boys lacrosse team sits at the top of the division after Northern’s loss to Delran, giving the Pirates their first division title in school history. The Pirates finished the season with a record of 11-6, similar to last year’s 11-7 ending.
Mr. Craig Angelini returned as the coach of the Pirates team. Alongside teaching classes like Environmental Science and Marine Biology, Angelini oversees the team.
Angelini credits the team’s success to strong chemistry and cooperation on the field.
“I think the team is getting along great, teamwork is essential for success in lacrosse,” Angelini said. “At the high levels, it’s a very fast game, so everyone has a role.”
Angelini acknowledges that the team is reliably dominant in face-offs, goaltending, and other important aspects of the game.
“We’ve been getting contributions from everyone, which is great,” Angelini said.
This year’s team brought a shift to the program. It has become more competitive than in years past, but it is still finding ways to utilize every player.
“I feel like team chemistry plays a big part in our team this year, just because of how little our numbers are this year,” Gantt said. “We’re a very close team.”
Similarly, goalie RJ Siwiec, a senior, said he thinks teamwork is what helps the team win.
“I think team bonding is definitely a vital part, and teamwork on and off the field is vital to success, and that’s why we are 4-1 on the season,” Siwiec said earlier in the season.
When asked at the midpoint of the season, Siwiec stated that the team had been performing better and more consistently than usual.
“We’ve been having greater success as a team than years prior,” Siwiec said. “We beat Northern, which is a big division matchup that we won, and we have a chance to win the division for the first time in team history, so this is definitely a different and special team.”
Looking ahead to next season, when asked about seniors leaving, Angelini was not concerned.
Angelini went further to push the message that the team is strong and built for winning.
“I think we’ve got a resilient bunch, we’ve got some skilled freshmen co
ming up, and we’re keeping a large core of the team that we have in play,” Angelini said, “so I think we’ll be fine.”
Angelini isn’t the only one with that view; Gantt expressed similar sentiments.
“You take it game by game. We’re pretty junior-heavy, so I mean they’ll do pretty well next year,” Gantt said.
These factors, along with other factors such as teamwork, communication, and planning for the future, are what make this team special and successful.
Angelini also notes this and expresses his pride for the team’s accomplishments.
“They are a great group of guys, it’s a pleasure coaching them. It’s a lot of fun.”
The boys ended their season in the second round of the playoffs after dominating Lacey 18-5 in the team’s first-ever home playoff game and first-ever playoff win. They unfortunately played the one-seed Manasquan in the second round, where they were defeated.
