By Rich Chrampanis
The Battle of the Boyles
There have been plenty of stories about siblings playing together in high school sports, but it’s rare to see them on opposite sides of the field. One thing was certain April 11 at Count Basie Field – a Boyle was going to come out a winner. Older sister Mackenzie Boyle, a senior on the Red Bank Catholic girls lacrosse team squared off against younger sis Chase Boyle, a sophomore standout for top-ranked Rumson-Fair Haven. Mac Boyle led RBC with four goals while Chase scored three times for the Bulldogs, but it was the younger sister who took home bragging rights as her third goal proved to be the game winner in a thrilling 11-10 RFH win over the Caseys. With the victory, Rumson’s remarkable win streak against Shore Conference foes reached 111 games.
“We didn’t really talk about it until last night,” Chase Boyle said of the sister showdown. “We took a picture with each other this morning (before the game). It’s been really awkward around the house because we don’t want to talk about our strategy with each other. It was really fun because playing my sister is the best game.”
Photo by Rich Chrampanis
RBC’S Mazzucco to Compete for Puerto Rico
Red Bank Catholic sophomore Lindsay Mazzucco has been selected to play for the Puerto Rico Under 19 National Lacrosse team. A first team All-Shore performer as a freshman, the Caseys starting goalie is not of Puerto Rican descent, but earned a tryout as a passport player. Lindsay will get the opportunity to compete at the World Games in Canada in August and get to travel to Puerto Rico to prepare for the games in the summer. “I am so excited to create a bond with these girls and represent a sport we all love so much,” Mazzucco said. “We are also helping to bring the game of girls lacrosse (to Puerto Rico) and will host clinics for young children.”
Photo by Rich Chrampanis
RFH Takes No. 6 Team in Nation to Overtime
While Rumson-Fair Haven continues its dominance in the Shore Conference, the Bulldogs continue to test themselves with state and national powers on their schedule. On Monday night in Rumson, the Moorestown Quakers came to the Jersey Shore. Moorestown is currently ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and No. 6 in the national Under Armour rankings. The 2018 Tournament of Champions winner was considered a heavy favorite, but RFH came to play. Sophia Passalaqua gave Rumson a 3-2 lead with 22 seconds remaining in the first half, but University of Maryland commit Avery Jaffe tied the game with one second left heading into the half. Rumson played inspired in the second half taking a 6-4 lead sparked by Chase Boyle’s four-goal game. After four straight Quakers goals, RFH rallied to tie the game at 8-8 thanks to Cassie James scoring her 100th career goal. A big stop on defense by Avery O’Connell forced overtime and the chance for Rumson to deliver one of the biggest wins in Shore Conference girls lacrosse history, but Ashley Nutt scored with 59 seconds left in overtime to allow the Quakers to avoid the upset. Despite the loss, Rumson-Fair Haven proved to themselves that they can compete with the top teams in New Jersey and are in the conversation as a Group 2 state championship contender.
