When it comes to Chatham Boy’s (N.J.) lacrosse team, a few things come to mind for its coach Christian Scarpello, players, and fans alike. The Cougars are loaded with a lot of returning talent and have a ton of depth.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“We have a lot of returners, really on both sides of the ball,” Scarpello explained. “A lot of senior leadership, which was great for us in the off-season and through the pre-season here. And then are some new pieces. We’re excited to get Hunter (Bigham) and (Ryan) Hoffelder back. Hunter was hurt last year, and Hoff stepped away last year for soccer. And he’s been fantastic in the pre-season. Plus, we have some freshmen, so we have some new pieces to play with, and a lot of depth.”
Both aspects were fully on display–talent- and depth-wise, as Chatham faced Saint Augustine Prep, ranked 7th in New Jersey, in a scrimmage Thursday at Cougar Field.
Traling 5-2 in the middle of the second quarter, Chatham’s first-string players scored four unanswered goals to surge ahead 6-5, with markers from seniors Kyle Gibney and Shep Boyd (2), and junior Nicholas Lagunowich, who is committed to Notre Dame, with 6:42 remaining in the third period.
But the Hermits answered back with a tally of their own to tie the score at 6-6 with 47.7 to go in the third quarter.
In the fourth period, with the backups inserted into the game and the score reset, the Cougars raced out to a 4-0 lead, including markers from junior Andrew O’Day and freshman Lucas “Silky” Stroud, among others, with 5:15 to go in the quarter.
Stroud found the back of the net again to give Chatham a 5-0 advantage with 4:07 to go in fifth period. But Saint Augustine responded with two goals to cut the lead to 5-2.
The Cougars ended the night with one more marker to run the score to 6-2 and concluded a successful scrimmage.
In net, Tucker McWilliams shined between the pipes, giving Scarpello the utmost confidence at that position this season.
“Tucker played awesome today,” he said. “He’s in. Again. he played lights out. I expect him to play really well for us this year.”
Chatham opens up the 2026 campaign versus host Rumson-Fair Haven on Saturday, March 28th at 2:00 p.m.
Featured Awesome Item: Lacrosse Gifts for Boys – Ideal Lacrosse Socks Gift For Teenagers, Excellent Present for Young Players, Comfy and Stylish, Practical Gifts for Men, Unique Gift for Girls — $9.99.
Note: If you click the above Amazon link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission to help support my continuing efforts to provide free content to my readership, while affording coverage to the athletes and teams that so deserve the recognition.
— Jerry Del Priore