Football

Mountain Lakes

Coming into the season, few could doubt that Mountain Lakes had the talent to put together a big football season.  But a perfect 12-0 season was hardly a lock, given the way each of the last two campaigns had ended for the Herd, with disappointing state playoff defeats.

This football team dominated most of its competition, but saved its most impressive work for the times when it was challenged.  When Verona came back to tie the Herd in the fourth quarter, Mountain Lakes immediately responded with a game-winning touchdown drive.  Even more dramatically, the Herd rallied from nine points down in the final quarter to score three times in a crucial 32-21 win over Cedar Grove.

That win set up Mountain Lakes for a run at the North 1, Group I sectional football title, and the Herd simply crushed its first two foes.  But in the finals at Giants Stadium, Glen Rock twice took the lead in the first half.  It didn’t seem to faze Mountain Lakes, which took control of the contest in the third quarter en route to a 35-21 triumph.  The win gave coach Doug Wilkins his fourth state title in his 43rd year on the sidelines.

Many believe Group I football teams are weak and can’t possibly compete with the big boys.  But this Mountain Lakes squad is a special group that could hold its own, and surely deserving of our Jersey Sports Now Team of the Year honor.

Boys Soccer

Kinnelon

Early on, after disappointing losses to Mountain Lakes and Whippany Park, it hardly seemed like this would be a banner season for the Colts.  But coach Nick Stokes’s team pulled it together quickly and became one of the best soccer teams in Morris County.

Kinnelon pulled off a shocking upset of undefeated Morris Hills in the county tournament, and managed to rally from those early defeats to win another Colonial Hills Conference-Colonial Division title.  The Colts also ended the season on a historic note, winning the school’s first-ever sectional title in boys’ soccer (in North 1, Group I) before suffering a tough loss in the state semifinals in a penalty-kick shootout to finish at 18-5.

A team that pulled it all together after a rough start, Kinnelon is the clear choice for our boys’ soccer Team of the Year.

Girls Soccer

Lakeland

A team that had no true superstars but relied upon an aggressive style of play, the Lakeland girls’ soccer team rolled through the regular season and county tournament undefeated.  Led by coach Paul Wood, the Lancers played defense first, and would take advantage of set-piece opportunities to score many of their goals.

Lakeland earned the Northern Hills Conference-Suburban Division crown and dethroned Wayne Valley to grab the Passaic County girls' soccer title.  The Lancers reached the sectional final in North Jersey Section 1, Group III before falling to eventual state champ Ramapo, 1-0.

Finishing the greatest season in school history at 20-1-2, Lakeland is our choice for girls’ soccer Team of the Year.

Field Hockey

Pompton Lakes

Unlike the other teams honored here, the Cardinals would have been clear favorites to win this award before the season.  But expectations can often weigh on a team, a problem that coach Eileen Allan’s squad would manage to avoid.

After a season-opening defeat, Pompton Lakes went on a tear, going 18-0-1 over the next 19 games.  The Cardinals clinched the Northeast League title, captured another Passaic County field hockey championship, and won their first sectional crown in nine years with their triumph in North Jersey Section 1, Group I.

Though the season ended in a state semifinal loss to eventual Group I champ Oak Knoll, Pompton Lakes finished 18-2-1 and clearly earned our field hockey Team of the Year.

-- Paul Mencher & Casey deWaal for Jersey Sports Now