North Jersey lacrosse team off to hot start after resurrecting varsity program

Michael Troutman has a simple dream.

No, not the one where he runs out of the tunnel at Penn State, hears the roar of 100,000 fans and tries to block some of the biggest and baddest linemen in college football.

Before getting to Happy Valley, the DePaul junior would really, really like to score a goal with the Spartans' new varsity lacrosse team. Just thinking about it makes the 6-foot-2, 285-pounder smile.

"I've been talking about that for months," said Troutman, a starting defender with the personality to match his size. "I have the celebration planned and everything. Handspring into a split."

Dreams like his are possible once again at DePaul after the Spartans moved back from the JV level for the first time since 2021. They're not only staying afloat on the highest level, but churning ahead with a 5-3 record so far.

While it will take time to get back to their pre-pandemic form, when the program won two county titles, coach Steve Sokolewicz is planting seeds and teaching lessons every day.

Part of the winning equation has been borrowing top athletes like Troutman from DePaul's powerhouse football team. About a third of the Spartans' 17-man roster were competing for a state title of a different kind five months ago at MetLife Stadium.

"We have a lot of kids who are just learning the sport," Sokolewicz said. "Everybody plays their role. The message that we've had from Day 1 is to be committed to the team and it takes 17 of us. That's what we've got on the team so it's going to take all of us."

Finding the way back

Last February, it took a last-minute favor to keep the program from closing up shop.

DePaul was in search of a coach a few weeks before the season when Sokolewicz was approached by some of the upperclassmen in his history class. They wanted to tap into his experience as a former coach on the rec level and with the Bergen Tech JV team. There was just one problem.

"I'm like, eh," said Sokolewicz, whose daughter Abby is the starting goalie at Vernon.

"A couple weeks go by and it's like we need an answer because they're going to cancel the season. I said, all right, I'll take it on. I talked to our athletic director, John McKenna, and we agreed to do a JV program for the year and see how it went."

A successful trial run led to a promotion to the Kirst Division, where the Spartans are currently tied for the league lead.

So far, the brightest star has been do-it-all sophomore Cody Webster, who has 24 goals and 21 assists and steals passes like an All-Pro corner in the midfield. Behind him are three other scorers in double-digits in sophomore Tommy Kivari, senior Joe Styskal and junior Sean Ballesteros.

Maybe the biggest surprise is senior goalie Nazario Ramos, who's stopping over 60 percent in his first year in the sport.

Sokolewicz said his favorite moment this season was watching his team go shot-for-shot with unbeaten Fair Lawn before falling by a goal. It was one of five games this season decided by a goal or two for DePaul.

"You're definitely facing bigger opponents," said Webster, of Lincoln Park. "Last year, we were winning by like 10. It was a breeze. Now we have competition, but it feels good."

"Especially now with all the new players, we're starting to put it all together," Troutman said. "I really think we're a good team. Even though things don't go according to plan sometimes, that's part of being a new program. It's just a matter of time before we put it all together and be a force to be reckoned with."

DePaul is also playing with a purpose. The Spartans wear a '2' patch for senior Marko Dobre, who stepped away from the team after being diagnosed with cancer late last year. Dobre recently finished up chemo treatments and remains close to the program.

"We've been there to check in on him weekly and make sure that everything is all right and let him know we care," Sokolewicz said. "We actually saw him [on Wednesday]. We were watching tape of Lyndhurst together. He stopped in and said hello to the guys. It was nice."

Learning on the fly

The Spartans' game against Lyndhurst on Thursday was a snapshot of life at a newer program.

At one point, a player is sent off for not having a mouthguard. A starting defender is confused when the other team turns the ball over for not clearing in time. In the second quarter, Kivari takes a bad step and hobbles off with ice around his left ankle. The offense stumbles without one of its only club stars and nearly blows a four-goal lead.

But after the Spartans hang on for a 9-8 victory, there are positive steps to build on. The same Troutman who didn't know if he could throw a hit in the first few games jars the ball loose with a crushing blow on a man half his size. Troutman picks up the ball and rumbles down the field, looking for his own spring version of a scoop-and-score.

The small band of players on the Spartans bench start to wriggle in anticipation. Can he really do it? Is this going to be the moment?

Troutman winds up and sails a shot wide. The bench hollers. The dream lives on.

"I'm like, yoooooo!" Troutman said. "I was just focusing in on breathing. I was so out of breath when I got down there. It just didn't go in."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: DePaul NJ lacrosse off to a hot start after return to varsity