4 CHS players chosen for NJ Interscholastic Lacrosse League All-Waterman Team Honors

Sr. Brett Mangan and Soph. Jules Heningburg make first team; Second team awarded to Sr. Dylan Heningburg; Honorable mention received by Sr. Henry Whalen

Cougar Boys Lax Ousted from Counties

Columbia drops fourth consecutive game

For the second straight game, the Cougar boys lacrosse team stayed close to the Millers, but also for the second straight contest, the Cougars fell short in the end, with Millburn winning the second half battle. The Columbia boys lost in the opening round of the county tournament in Millburn, 8-5, on Saturday morning. “I thought we actually played a pretty good game today, but you have to execute,” said Columbia head coach Dean Witty. “One of the things we did say to these kids was that you have to play with a chip on your shoulder. You have to be angrier than you play. We were a little bit too passive sometimes.” Entering the second half, the score was 5-3 Millburn, and it was anyone’s game. But Millburn controlled possession in the …

• Photos (3)

Columbia Girls Lax Falls Against Kent Place

Cougars drop their second straight game

The Cougar girls lacrosse team dropped its second consecutive game and fourth overall on Saturday morning at Underhill against Kent Place, 17-6. Columbia fell behind the Dragons early on in the contest and were never able to recover against one of the top teams in the state. Kent Place’s offense was machine-like at times. Thirteen seconds into the game, Anna Doherty took a pass from Catherine McDonald and bounced in a score. It was one of three scores for the Kent Place sophomore and also began a stretch where the Dragons scored nine of the game’s first 11 goals with just under six minutes remaining in the opening half. “I expected it to be closer. We want to put up a good fight,” said Columbia assistant head coach Kaja Stamnes. “They’re a…

• Photos (5)

CHS Girls Lax Completes Solid First Season in New Conference

Cougars go 10-7 to finish second in the SEC.

When the eight graduating seniors of the Columbia girls lacrosse team look back on the first season in Super Essex Conference American Division and in the NJIGLL (the state's toughest conference), they should feel good about what they've accomplished. Saying their schedule was brutal is like saying it's a little chilly in Alaska. The Cougars' schedule was a nightmare, which included four regular season games against teams ranked in the top 10 in the state, four state sectional champions (Glen Ridge, Mendham, Chatham, Oak Knoll), three group champs and one Tournament of Champions finalist. "It's really tough to get up for all of those tough games," said Columbia head coach Marguerite Dempsey. "There were no gimmes. … Going into the season, …

• Photos (6)

Heartbreaking Loss for Columbia Boys Lax Team

Cougar boys lacrosse squanders five-goal lead in eighth straight loss.

The Columbia boys lacrosse team may want to consider calling the police, because they had their fourth win of the season stolen from them Tuesday afternoon at Columbia High School. After leading throughout and looking poised to snap a seven-game losing streak, the Roxbury Gaels reeled off four unanswered goals in a span of 4:01, snatching a win from the proverbial jaws of defeat in overtime, 11-10. Following a goal from Tom Leahy of Roxbury with 6:24 left to play, the Gaels had pulled to within one, with the score 8-7. But Columbia's Brett Mangan received a pass from Dylan Heninburg from about 10 feet out from the goal, and Mangan fired it into the top corner, putting Columbia up by two. When Nick Kosowatz put Columbia up by three with 4:…

• Photos (7)

Columbia Girls Lax Defeats Group 1 Power Oak Knoll

Carelli leads Cougar girls lacrosse team to 11-8 home win.

If the Oak Knoll girls lacrosse team is supposed to be good, the Columbia girls must be fantastic. Earlier Thursday afternoon, the Cougar girls jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and then held off the rallying Royals for an 11-8 win at the Lynn V. Profeta Field in the Underhill Sports Complex. "It's big in that it gives us the confidence to know that we can play against really good teams," said Columbia head coach Marguerite Dempsey. Oak Knoll came in to Thursday's contest ranked higher than the Cougars on laxpower.com (a national lacrosse website), but one could hardly tell at first, as the Columbia girls began the game scoring at will. But after taking a 5-0 lead behind goals from Ginevra Czech, Meredith Crane, Michela Galante and Melissa …

• Photos (6)

Columbia Girls Lax Team Dominates Battle of the Cougars

Cougar girls knock off MKA Cougars, 17-2.

Following a 14-2 loss to Chatham last week, the Columbia girls got exactly what they needed, bouncing back with a 17-2 win over Montclair Kimberley Academy Tuesday afternoon at Underhill Field. The game was never close, and the win put Columbia over .500 again, at 3-2. Before anyone could even blink, the Cougars were up big, and the game was effectively over. Melissa Carelli scored the first of her five goals 25 seconds after the opening whistle. Ensuing goals by Meredith Crane and Brooke Norman put the Cougars up 3-0 before three minutes had even run off of the clock. "I think that today we played much more cohesively, we were looking for one another. It was a much cleaner game. We didn't have the turnovers that we've had in the past," …

• Photos (6)

Cougar Girls Lacrosse Gets First Win of Year

Columbia gets three goals and two assists from Michela Galante.

The Ridgers may have burst the Cougar girls' bubble on opening day, but the Columbia girls lacrosse team got their swagger back this morning, with a 7-3 win over Montclair at Woodman Field. Columbia got three goals and two assists from senior Michela Galante, and a great defensive effort from its back line and junior keeper Samantha Storch, who held the Mounties to just one score in the final 36 minutes of play. "She was huge today because she was able to get the ball and take it off on the run. The type of shot that she had was a low angle shot, so it was difficult for the goal keeper to see the ball," said Columbia girls head coach Marguerite Dempsey. With 9:02 left in the first half, Galante picked up her second assist when she found a …

• Photos (1)

Columbia Girls Lacrosse Loaded with Returning Starters

New conferences will give Cougars a tough road, despite being senior heavy.

After two consecutive trips to the state sectional semifinals and virtually all of their top players returning, the Columbia girls lacrosse team is ready to take the next step forward. But with the change in divisions placing the girls in the top leagues in two different conferences, there will be a ton of teams standing in the Cougars' way. "There's a nice group of talented girls who are back. Even the underclassmen are talented," said Columbia girls head coach Marguerite Dempsey. "The biggest challenge this year is the conference. Our league is even tougher now." The Super Essex Conference was formed a year ago and went into play for the first time during this school year. For girls lacrosse, there are only two divisions in the SEC, and …

• Photos (1)

Columbia Boys Lacrosse Team Puts Woes Behind

Cougars are looking to move on from a rough season.

In high school sports, with the constant turnover of kids graduating, moving away or choosing to go to private school, bad years are bound to happen. Sometimes, a few chips fall in the wrong place, a couple of kids move away and boom: you’re stuck with an inexperienced team in a tough conference. That’s what happened to the Columbia boys lacrosse team this season, according to Head Coach David Brothers. “They gave their best effort. We were a couple of players shy of having a better win-loss record. That’s the way it is sometimes,” Brothers said. “We should be in the driver’s seat next year. Sometimes we have years like this.” At 3-13 this season, it was just Columbia’s second losing season since 2001, and the locals will set out to prove …

• Photos (1)