MORRIS TOWNSHIP — Something wasn't quite right with the Delbarton lacrosse team, and Chase Houser knew it. At halftime of their home game with Mountain Lakes on April 23, the Green Wave gathered in the fieldhouse and exchanged some tough love.
Delbarton responded with a flourish, and ran off to a 14-4 victory. After confounding the hosts with their quirky zone, the Lakers didn't score again after halftime.
Senior Pierce Bolger scored four goals, three within a four minute, 11 second stretch of the third quarter. Houser and junior Brandon Fodor each had hat tricks.
"We started slow, and that wasn't us," Houser said of the first half. "We had to bounce back."
The Green Wave extended their winning streak against the Lakers to five in a row on April 23.
The Green Wave holds a 45-39 all-time lead in the series, including the 2023 Morris County Tournament final. The rivalry is as old as Lakers lacrosse.
Delbarton launched its lacrosse program in 1976. About the same time, John Walters – Mountain Lakes assistant coach Mark Walters' father – founded a recreation program when the family moved into town. It grew into a high school varsity team in 1980, with Walters a sophomore on the field and Tim Flynn at the helm.
Flynn is the only New Jersey lacrosse coach with more than 700 wins, No. 2 all-time nationwide. Mountain Lakes turfed a practice facility and named it Flynn Field in his family's honor. The official ribbon cutting is scheduled for April 24, with a fundraiser to follow the next day.
"I like the way our kids came out and went after stuff," Flynn said. "There was no quit. Nobody got their head down."
Mountain Lakes got goals from seniors Holden Gillespie and Carson Fitch and freshman Hudson Chang to build a 3-0 lead with 2:40 left before halftime. But Houser, a senior from Caldwell, started Delbarton's come back with a pair of goals in the last 1:43 before the break.
"It's awesome," said Bolger, an attackman from Summit. "They always come hard. We always come hard. It's a great New Jersey rivalry. It's great for the sport. This is what lacrosse is about."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Delbarton beats Mountain Lakes in boys lacrosse rivalry game