JACK SHOW: Princeton High football player Jack Serxner throws the ball during a game this fall. Senior defenseman Serxner played for PHS with an 8-8-1 record this season. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
After getting off to a 7-1 start this fall, the Princeton High boys soccer team appeared to be on their way to another record-breaking season.
But hit by a series of injuries and plagued by a lack of punch, PHS limped home to finish with an 8-8-1 record, losing 3-0 to Howell in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Section Group 4 in its season finale.
Despite the late-season slump, PHS head coach Wayne Sutcliffe has enjoyed the ride this fall.
“It’s a young team; Ryan (assistant coach Ryan Walsh) and I have had the most rewarding experience working with them every day because of their quality, perseverance and honesty,” Sutcliffe said. “They are all good players, they are just a little young. It was a great season, we give you these things.
Unfortunately, dealing with injuries has become a theme of the 2022 campaign.
“We had a plethora of injuries; At one point late in the season we had four starters injured and those four guys were maybe the most experienced players,” said Sutcliffe, who lost his returning top scorer Richard Wegmann to injury before it even started. of the season and has seen stars such as Felipe Matar Grandi, Nick Matese and Emanuel Noyola sidelined by hits at times this fall.
Sutcliffe credited a trio of experienced seniors, Leo George, Jack Serxner and Noyola, for holding things together.
“In their four years they have spent so much energy and effort and they have contributed a lot to the team,” Sutcliffe said of the three senior players. “Those are the three who started and they have been part of the team since the first season. Along the way, whether it was an injury, a transfer or a club commitment, it was the three of them who finished. I just want to thank them for all their hard work and effort. It was a pleasure to work with them.
With their young players showing off their skills, PHS was a pleasure to watch this fall as they featured a possession game.
“Between the 18-yard boxes, I only saw one team that I really thought was better than us,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s just in the offensive 18, we didn’t find the quality. It’s no one’s fault. It’s an experience.
The team’s contingent of young players, consisting of sophomores Brian Donis, Archie Smith, Azariah Breitman, Matthew Chao and goaltender Nicholas Holmelund, as well as junior stars Patrick Kenah, Brandon Urias, Matthew Kim, James Reynolds, Matese and Matar Grandi, struggled. gained experience this fall.
“We’ve had other teams made up of sophomores or juniors who had challenges in a particular season and did very well the next season,” Sutcliffe said. “I think of the 2014 team that won everything except the national final. In 2013, these kids were just taking it on the chin, they were a year older and a year better the following fall.
Sutcliffe believes a similar thing could happen next fall for PHS, as the players never wavered in their commitment this season while overcoming the challenges they faced.
“The chemistry at the end was fantastic, it was as good as it’s ever been,” Sutcliffe said. “The camaraderie, chemistry and work rate were phenomenal. They were so much fun working with them that they never got discouraged. They are going to be a great team next year.
