Hustle Heroes: These North Jersey lacrosse players win in the trenches

Coaches love them. Teammates look up to them. But the box score doesn't always do them justice.

These are the North Jersey lacrosse players who win games beyond just scoring. They're the ones who fight for loose balls, set an example at practice and take on new roles for the good of the team.

As we gear up for the county tournaments, it's time to honor the "Hustle Heroes" who don't always get the recognition they deserve.

Nash Appell

West Milford senior

Appell is the lacrosse version of Mr. Versatility. While his true position is as a two-way mid, coach Gary Stoll has penciled him in everywhere from LSM to close defense and sometimes even faceoff. Throw in some time on special teams and Appell is now approaching 200 ground balls for his career.

"He is a true old-school player who doesn't care where he is on the field as long as his team wins," Stoll said.

Celina Bussanich and Riley Hirsch

Pascack Valley junior and sophomore

Narrowing it down was not easy for coach Melissa Velez and understandably so – the Hillsdale school stands alone was the only unbeaten girls team in Bergen County. In the end, she opted for two low defenders who have held opponents to just above six goals per game.

"Riley has incredible 1v1 skills and Celina has incredible interception skills," Velez said. "They both see the field so well, and have a lot to do with transitioning the ball to our attack."

Conor Cosgrove

Don Bosco senior

Cosgrove is the top defensive midfielder on the top team in the state. Like in football, he wears the No. 3 and has the thankless job of covering Division I recruits game after game. This spring, he is part of an unbeaten team that's allowing 5.9 goals per game.

"He is a one-man clear with an endless motor," coach Matt Lane said. "He always makes his presence felt."

Vivian Ferreri

Glen Rock senior

Ferreri is a captain for the Panthers who's been part of the program for the last four years. Glen Rock's defense has excelled with her in the back, allowing under eight goals a game, but coach Kyle McCourt said the stats don't show her full value.

"We rely on [Ferrari] a lot in our defense, with making the slides needed and clearing the ball effectively," McCourt said.

Colin Foley

Pascack Valley senior

There is no off-switch for Foley, who's described by his coach as a lead-by-example guy who does practice reps at game speed. He spent most of the last two years on defense, then moved to first-line middie this spring. Last summer, he was clocked as having the hardest shot on the team.

"He always does the little things that get overlooked, like cutting hard to move the defenders or making the extra pass to a teammate that might have a better matchup," coach Matt Will said.

Shane Grenner

Paramus Catholic junior

After coming out for lacrosse last year, Grenner has made an immediate impact, first on defense before moving up to the midfield. She has 14 goals this year and is known as a first-one-on, last-one-off-type. This year, she's become a key part of the Paladins' faceoff group with 31 draw controls.

"She does whatever is asked of her with a smile on her face," coach Kevin OHara said.

Kaitlyn Hu

Waldwick senior

This has been the best season in program history for the Waldwick girls and Hu has quietly been a huge reason in the shadow of two 100-goal scorers. She leads the Warriors in draw controls and ground balls while chipping in a career-high 40 points. Off the field, she is a National Honor Society student with a 4.47 GPA.

"We can always count on Kaitlyn to secure and finish out our games," coach Christina Evans said.

Dan LaGrone

Paramus senior

LaGrone has come a long way since sophomore year when he decided to try his hand at lacrosse. Consistent sets of wall ball throughout the season helped him turn from a player with limited stick skills to now an important part of the Spartans' faceoff and defensive midfield group. This year, the three-sport athlete scored the first goal of the Spartans' season with his off-hand.

"He has helped our team's clear percentage shoot up over 20 points over the last two seasons with his determination between the 40's," coach Adam Ahmad said.

Chris Lamboy

Saddle Brook sophomore

Picked as a rare sophomore captain, Lamboy has helped the Falcons take a step forward in their second year back on the varsity level. He started lacrosse in fourth grade and now uses that experience in a dual role at LSM and offensive mid. So far, he has 10 goals and 18 ground balls on the year.

"Needless to say he works hard getting up and down the field doing the job of two people," coach Theodore Nosch said. "When we win he plays a great part in it and when we lose it is despite his hard work."

Maya McCosker

Rutherford senior

One of the pioneers of Bulldogs' lacrosse, McCosker is a three-year captain who's been with the program since its inception. She leads the defense in forced turnovers and ground balls for a team currently in first place.

"She is the coach's voice on the field," coach Sherrianne Herninko said. "We would not be winning without Maya."

Sultan Mossaddik

Passaic Tech senior

Mossaddik came to Passaic Tech with no lacrosse background and earned his time on the field with hustle plays. Since then, he's morphed into a two-way midfielder and ground ball leader who's deployed in all situations. Over the winter, he started for the Bulldogs' first-place wrestling team.

"He's the hardest working kid on any field he steps on and won't say a word, complain, nothing," coach Ramzi Kurzum said. "Even while fasting during Ramadan earlier this season."

Rob Thomson

Lyndhurst senior

When the Golden Bears created a lacrosse program his freshman year, Thomson was one of the first to join. He's started all four years for Lyndhurst and his game has gotten a little bit better each spring. As a senior, Thompson has picked up 27 ground balls on defense and helped Lyndhurst triple its win total.

"He plays sound defense and he is a big help in the clearing game which so important in the game of lacrosse," coach Chris Amato said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ lacrosse: These 'hustle heroes' win in the trenches