Chatham outlasts Ridge to reclaim Group 3 North boys lacrosse title
CHATHAM TOWNSHIP — At the end of every boys lacrosse game, Chatham repeats a set of 10 mandates. It's a technique coach Christian Scarpello learned from his father, Pat, the longtime men's lacrosse coach at FDU-Florham.
The list starts and ends with, "Team first." In between are reminders like, "When in doubt, believe in yourself," and "Expect nothing. Blame no one."
It's a reminder of how Scarpello, a Madison and Rutgers grad who plays defensive midfield for the Premier Lacrosse League's Waterdogs, expects the Cougars to behave. Though he only implemented the list a couple of weeks ago, it's starting to sink in.
Chatham followed those instructions in a 10-5 comeback victory against Ridge in the NJSIAA Group 3 North final on Tuesday afternoon. Junior Charlie Lowe scored five goals, tying the score with no time left on the clock at halftime and giving the Cougars the lead less than four minutes afterward.
It is top-seeded Chatham's eighth straight trip to a sectional final and its fourth title. No. 2 Ridge (16-6) hadn't played for a sectional title since 2013, when it won Group 4.
"It feels awesome to win for these seniors," Lowe said. "The seniors have been everything for us. For me to play like that and step up for them when they needed me, that was huge. It's exactly what we needed. Hopefully we keep rolling."
What it means
The Cougars (16-6) will face South champion Shawnee for the Group 3 championship at 6 p.m. Friday at Hopewell Valley. Shawnee, the No. 1 seed, toppled Moorestown, 9-8, in its sectional final.
Chatham won Group 3 in 2021, but was eliminated by Scotch Plains in a double-overtime marathon sectional final last spring.
Scarpello, who Lowe described as "a big energy guy," now has a tough decision. The Waterdogs play Redwoods on Friday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was able to coach Chatham's sectional semifinal on Saturday and drive to Albany for the season opener, a 8-7 victory against Chaos on Sunday.
Key play
Chatham put the game away with four goals in about a seven-minute span in the third quarter, two at each end by Lowe sandwiching seniors Flynn Decker and Luke Barbera. That gave the Cougars an 8-5 lead, the largest by either team at that point.
By the numbers
► Cougars senior goalie Jac Dimaculangan made 10 saves, holding Ridge to less than half of its season scoring average.
► Though Lowe scored half of Chatham's goals, the others came from four players: Decker (two), Barbera, J.P. Lagunowich and Ronan Curry. Doyle Curry had three assists.
► Ridge senior attack Collin Ward had two goals. Senior Patrick McCaffery added a goal and an assist.
They said it
► "Losing last year to Scotch Plains really hurt. I worked all offseason just to win this game and get revenge on whoever we played. It feels so amazing to finally do it. I'm so happy to do it with these guys, who are my best friends." — Dimaculangan, who played at Don Bosco as a freshman and sophomore before transferring home to Chatham last year.
► "I'm proud of them. It's been a really fun team all year, a team that really helped continue to steer our program back in the right direction. They gave us a chance the whole time." — Ridge coach Ken Marsh
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ boys lacrosse: Chatham beats Ridge Group 3 North sectional final
