Montclair Boys Lacrosse: Season Overview and Player Awards

The combination of defeats in close battles and a series of injuries for the Montclair High School boys lacrosse team resulted in a season that fell short of expectations.

The Mounties finished with an overall record of 10–9, with four of the nine losses coming by a margin of two or fewer goals, most of which were by one goal.

“We had our ups and downs all season,” said Montclair head coach Mike Diehl. “Unfortunately we have lost some very competitive games by one goal and suffered some injuries midway through the season and deep into the season, which has put us in a challenging situation at times. We would have liked to have been more successful in the conference, in the provincial tournament and in the postseason. We were very competitive in most games, but unfortunately there were a few that didn’t go our way.”

Montclair reached both the semifinals of the Essex County Tournament (losing 12-4 at Caldwell, May 9) and the Group 4 North semifinals (losing 15-5 at Ridgewood). The one-goal game that went in Mountie’s favor took place on April 17 when Montclair defeated Chatham 9-8 in two overtimes. Considered a Group 3 powerhouse, Chatham reached the Group 3 North State title game. “We pulled it together in all areas of the game that day, and wins are hard to come by in the (North Jersey Interscholastic Lacrosse League , NJILL) Fitch-Pitt Conference,” Diehl said.

Pfeifer leads the way with 45 goals

Seven different Mounties scored a goal in the game against Chatham, showing Montclair’s poise when it came to bat. Seniors Simon Miklaszewski and Evan Schmitt each had two goals in the Cougars’ defeat.

Mounties senior Drew Pfeifer, who will play at Lafayette College (Easton, PA) next spring, finished his career with 45 goals and eight assists in 2024. The senior midfielder earned All-New Jersey Group 4 first-team honors . He was also selected for both Super Essex Conference (SEC) American and NJILL Fitch-Pitt first-team honors in both divisions.

“Drew became our biggest threat offensively and really stepped up when action was needed on the offensive end of the field,” Diehl said of Pfeifer, who finished with 98 goals in his Montclair career. “He played big games against big opponents. The better the opponent, the better the game he played that day. He was a matchup nightmare offensively and also a solid defensive midfielder.”

Montclair senior defenseman Liam Tracy also joined Pfeifer on the All New Jersey Group 4 first team. Tracy also received NJILL Fitch-Pitt’s first team and SEC American’s second team nods. The senior will play lacrosse at Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY) next spring.

Tracy is at the top of Group 4

“Liam really stood out this year with his versatility and playmaking ability in the middle of the field,” Diehl said. “He was involved in every face-off/wing and covered the opponent’s best midfielder every game. He was also a threat in transition, scoring a handful of important goals in big games throughout the season.”

Joining Pfeifer on the first All SEC American team was senior defenseman Gabe Epstein, who would take his sticks to West Point. In addition, Epstein was a member of NJILL Fitch-Pitt’s second team.

“Gabe became a top defender this year and did well on the opponent’s first attacker,” Diehl said. “He also served in many other roles, including being involved in almost every face-off and/or wing play during the game. Gabe has also done a great job of filling the net and being a threat in transition as well.”

Schmitt, who will play lacrosse at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark) next spring, made the All-NJ Group 4 third team as one of Montclair’s top scorers. The senior led the Mounties in assists with 24 and scored 23 goals. Schmitt also earned All-SEC American second team and All NJILL Fitch-Pitt second team.

“Evan took on the challenge of filling Luca Ward’s role from last year,” Diehl said of Ward, who plays for the College of Holy Cross (Worcester, MA). “He has been a balanced forward for us this year and has done an excellent job of being both a scoring threat and a distributor, mainly in the ‘x’ position (attacking spot behind the net). Evan continued to improve as the season progressed.

Miklaszewski on his way to Boston University

Miklaszewski ranked third on the team in goals with 14 (with sophomore Dylan Fowler). The midfielder was named to the All NJILL Fitch-Pitt second team. Miklaszewski will follow his brother, Konrad Miklaszewski, into college lacrosse by attending Boston University. Konrad Miklaszewski just completed his sophomore season at Yale.

“Simon has become a complete midfielder this season,” Diehl said. “He really worked on the offensive side of the ball, along with his defensive skills, and helped us a lot in the first half of the season when he was healthy. I’m very proud of his commitment to becoming a complete midfielder who is a threat both offensively and defensively.”

Two other Mounties were recognized. Montclair seniors Sam Rotella and TR Branski, who will play lacrosse next spring at Gettysburg College, PA, were named to the All-SEC American and NJILL Fitch-Pitt honorable mention lists, respectively.

One of the top returning players is sophomore Dylan Fowler, who recorded 14 goals and 14 assists last spring.

There were other seniors who went to college for lacrosse, including Caden Evans (Oberlin College, Ohio), Kiran Singh-Andrews (Connecticut College, New London), Leighton Acevedo (Penn College, Philadelphia) and Jayden Truesdale (University of Scranton, PA).

Montclair Boys Lacrosse Award

New Jersey All Group 4

• First team: Drew Pfeifer, midfield, senior, Liam Tracy, defense, senior
• Third team: Evan Schmitt, attack, senior

Super Essex Conference
American division

• First Team: Drew Pfeifer, Midfield, Senior, Gabe Epstein, Defense, Senior
• Second team: Evan Schmitt, offense, senior, Liam Tracy, defense, senior
• Honorable mention: Sam Rotella, midfield, senior

All North Jersey Interscholastic Lacrosse League
Fitch-Pitt Division

• First team: Drew Pfeifer, midfield, senior, Liam Tracy, defense, senior
• Second tea: Evan Schmitt, attack, senior, Simon Miklaszewski, midfield, senior, Gabe Epstein, defense, senior
• Honorable mention: TR Branski, defense, senior

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