Toms River North Lacrosse Ends Season at Washington Township

Toms River North Lacrosse Ends Season at Washington Township

By Jim Rosa

 

TOMS RIVER – The Toms River North boys lacrosse team recently concluded their season with 10 wins. The Mariners sustained a winning season, ultimately falling to Washington Township, 8-3, in the first round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV playoffs. Eighth-seeded Washington Township got on the board quickly as they scored the first four goals of the game en route to the win over ninth- seeded Toms River North.

 

Despite the playoff loss, it was a good season for Toms River North. They finished in third place in A South behind Jackson Memorial and perennial contender Southern Regional.  In division, the Mariners finished with a 6-2 record defeating Jackson Liberty, Brick Township, Brick Memorial, Toms River South, and Toms River East. 

 

Toms River North got off to a fast start as they won their first two games of the season defeating Brick Township, 7-1, and Brick Memorial, 13-6. However, the Mariners would go on to lose a couple of tough games as they fell to Holmdel, 5-4, and Shore Regional, 14-2. They would then lose a close 9-7 game against Jackson Memorial putting them at under .500 for the season at 2-3 before going on a two-game winning streak to bring their record back to 4-3 on the season.

 

Despite falling to Southern Regional, 6-3, in their next game, the Mariners held the Rams to just six goals. At 4-4, Toms River North once again went on a winning streak as they defeated Jackson Liberty, 7-4, Toms River East, 12-9, Toms River South, 15-4, and Marlboro, 15-4. 

 

At 8-4, the Mariners were matched up with Middletown North in the Shore Conference Tournament play-in game, where they came away with a 6-5 victory. In the next round, the Mariners took on eventual Shore Conference champion Manasquan where they lost, 16-0.  The Mariners went on to win one more game against Donovan Catholic before entering the state tournament. 

“I personally think that our season went very well going a solid 10-4 and winning our first conference game in a few years and making it to states,” said TRN junior attacker Cody Kromer, of his team and their achievements. “Even though we didn’t go very far in states we still showed up and showed that we belong.” 

 

The Mariners were certainly a tough team this season as they put the most into every game that they played.

 

“We put our heart and soul into every game that we played up until the last while,” Kromer explained. “Some of the strengths that we possessed this season were how we controlled the offense and how we had patience running our plays. We also have a very good group of players so that’s a big help. Our defense always strives to be on their A game and they play hard every game no matter what. Some of our weaknesses were when we were down a few points we tended to put our heads down. Sometimes the offense would take shots too quickly and not settle down. Also, sometimes the defense would forget where to slide, but besides that, there weren’t too many weaknesses,” Kromer continued. 

 

One of the important factors that he explained was how the team was able to hold their own against the teams that finished at the top of division. “Jackson Memorial was just an even game between both teams and it came down to whoever wanted it more. Both teams put their heart into that game. However, we ended up falling short,” said Kromer. 

“When we played Southern we just couldn’t find a way to put the ball into the back of the net until the end of the game. Again, both teams put everything into that game and they ended up coming out on top,” Kromer continued.

 

 TRN’s winning season certainly gives them motivation heading into next year as they look to improve upon their third-place finish in the division. “We will just have to come back ten times harder next year and at that point beat both of them,” Kromer said. 

 

The Mariners know that the little adjustments throughout the season can go a long way when it comes to winning or losing games,  especially when it come to tournaments. 

With Southern at the top of the division year after year, it will be hard for the Mariners to win A South. However, what TRN has shown us this year is that they are willing to put in the work to compete in the near future. Just as they did in the beginning of this season, stringing wins together can go a long way for them, especially when it comes time to compete for tournament titles. Getting into the state tournament was a big goal for them this season and despite the loss at Washington Township, the Mariners were a top 10 seed in the section. This was amazing for a team that did not have a ton of state tournament experience. 

 

Their goals for next year will be to grow with every game and continue to work hard in order to reach the top of the division. Additionally, Toms River North hopes to compete in both the Shore Conference and South Jersey Group IV tournaments next season.