Spring Sports Preview: Young Johnson Lacrosse Team is Holding Their Own

Building the Johnson lacrosse program back among the state’s elite isn’t going to happen overnight. But the squad is looking for signs of growth this season. Fortunately, the Crusaders have been seeing some glimmers of hope.

Coming off a 6-13 campaign last season, Johnson has been competitive for each of their first games this season, including a 6-5 defeat to neighboring Westfield. To put that score in perspective, Johnson lost a 15-3 decision to Westfield last season.

“We’ve really been pretty resilient this year,” Johnson Coach Louis Van Bergen said. “We’ve only lost three games by five goals total. We’re basically a handful of mistakes away from one thing or another.”

If the Crusaders can’t turn it around this season, the future definitely appears to be bright. In his second season at the helm, Van Bergen oversees a young core with only two seniors in the starting lineup. Senior attackman Devin Kanach and senior midfielder Dean Del Vecchio provide some much-needed leadership this season. With a lineup that features a trio of freshmen and four sophomores that are likely to see substantial playing time, Johnson (1-4) has plenty of candidates to mold into strong lacrosse players.

“The great thing about our seniors is they’re good character kids, and they’ll do anything we ask of them,” said Van Bergen, who played lacrosse at Johnson in the early 1990s, back when it was Johnson Regional. “We stress to our younger kids that this is what you want to be like.”

One aspect that hindered Johnson in the early portion of the schedule has been solid ball movement on offense. With the offensive power of Kanach and juniors Nick Mullery and CJ Francisco, the Crusaders are hoping to generate more scoring from a year ago when they averaged about 9.5 goals a game.

Mullery and Francisco each registered four-goal games against Cranford, while Kanach, who had two goals and three assists in the win over St. Peter’s Prep, has made a seamless transition from midfield to attack and has been a pleasant surprise for the more team-oriented Crusaders this season.

“I think this year we need to put the small things together,” Kanach said. “We’re not working as individuals this season.”

Johnson will look to one of its freshman, Jo Jo Francisco, as the top faceoff specialist in the center of the midfield. Del Vecchio and sophomore Alec Kellish round out the first midfield, while sophomores Alex Torres and Mike Cieslak and freshman Joe Lomeli compose the second midfield line. 

The defense is extremely inexperienced, composed almost exclusively of underclassmen. Junior John Atanasio, sophomore Lance Pecina and freshman Vin Banic protect junior goalie Kevin Eipel, who has shown quick reflexes as the last line of defense.

“It’s tough as a freshman or sophomore to cover juniors and seniors with as much experience as a team like Summit has,” Van Bergen said. “We’re shortchanging them to an extent to learn on the fly, but it’s going to be a learning experience for them.”

Senior Dennis Funk has been filling in as another starting longstick player on defense for the Crusaders. The team has held its own, holding the opposition to single-digit goals in three of the first five contests.

“It’s not a one-man team anymore,” said Eipel, who kept his team in the mix with 16 saves against Westfield. “We have to communicate more, use more of our mouths and not just our minds to let each other know what we’re doing. Communciation is the key.”

For a Johnson program that has been to a state final and has placed players on some of the top collegiate rosters in the country like Syracuse University, University of Maryland and University of Virginia, the small steps back toward the top are there. It just might take some time.

“We’re a growing team and a young team,” Kanach said. “We want to be the new Johnson and not the old Johnson. We don’t have any All-Americans, but we have a great youth program and we want a new tradition here.”

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JOHNSON LACROSSE 2011 SCHEDULE

April 1: vs. Westfield (Loss, 6-5)

April 5: vs. Cranford (Loss, 12-9)

April 6: at St. Peter’s Prep (Win, 8-7)

April 9: vs. Clifton (Loss, 10-9)

April 11: vs. Summit (Loss, 16-3)

April 13: at Millburn, 4 p.m.

April 14: vs. New Providence, 4 p.m.

April 18: at West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 11 a.m.

April 20: vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 7 p.m.

April 23: vs. Columbia, 11 a.m.

April 25: at Madison, 4 p.m.

April 27: at Morristown-Beard, 5:30 p.m.

April 30: vs. Caldwell, 11 a.m.

May 3: at Randolph, 4 p.m.

May 9: Union County Tournament First Round, TBD, 4 p.m.

May 13: at Millburn, 4 p.m.

May 17: at Oratory Prep, 4 p.m.

May 19: at Governor Livingston, 4 p.m.