Vikings finish with 6-12 record

Be it in victory or defeat, the Vernon Township High School boys lacrosse team made a solid effort on the field during the past season.

The Vikings finished with a 6-12 overall record and were 1-6 in their division.

“We won in double OT versus West Milford,” head coach Adam Coleman said, referring to the 9-8 victory April 12.

“But even though we lost, we played well against Madison and West Essex.” Vernon lost, 8-7, to Madison on May 21 and 14-8 to West Essex on May 23.

The West Essex was in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Group 2 tournament. West Essex was seeded fifth and the Vikings were seeded 12th.

The Vikings benefited from strong leadership.

“Owen Lally was a captain and led on the field throughout the season,’’ Coleman said. “He has a lot of versatility and knowledge of the game. We were able to play him against our opponent’s best player.

“Ketchell Terzakis changed positions this year from midfield to attack. He stepped up and led our team in scoring. He really stepped up in big situations when we needed a goal.

“Will Wesloske played every game on defense, and he ended up being a really solid defender for us.

“(Captain) Logan Pych was injured for a lot of the season, but when he was on the field, he was a great leader.’’

The coach was impressed by the steady improvements of several players during the season.

“(Junior goalie) Luca Vizzini continues to grow and will be a solid leader for our team next year,’’ he said. “Two sophomores, Dean Grundy and Madden Lewis, continued to get better each week and will be key components for our team going forward.’’

The Vikings appear to be building toward a bright future.

“Even though we graduate a bunch of seniors, I am optimistic and looking forward to next year’s group,’’ Coleman said. “We will be returning guys who played a lot as sophomores and juniors.

“We will be returning our goalie (Luca Vizzini), several faceoff guys (Branden Curley, Andrew Geisen and Connor Pych) and several defenders who will return with varsity experience in Gavin Pych, Tristan Elder and Ethan Maldonado. We will get Jake DelRosario back from season-ending injury which helps offensively.’’