There can be no doubt who’s No. 1 in the Garden State. Delbarton ended Summit’s 21-game win streak in the Tournament of Champions title game 7-5 after dealing Bergen Catholic its first loss, winning the Non-Public A title game 6-5 in double OT.
It was quite a run for the Green Wave. We caught up with one of the catalysts for the championship, junior attackman/midfielder TJ Comizio, who verbally committed to Villanova last September.
Now, here are TJ’s thoughts on the championship season.
What was the feeling like when the clock went to zeroes and Delbarton had finished off the win against Summit for the T of C championship?
The obvious feeling was excitement. This is something all of our players dream about so to accomplish it was and still is pretty exciting. The other big feeling was relief. Delbarton hadn’t won the T of C since 2006 and there was a lot of pressure on us to bring it back so it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of our backs once we won.
How does the feeling of being a T of C champion compare to what you thought it would be like in all the years of working hard chasing the goal?
Actually winning the T of C exceeds any expectations I could have had. It is something you always dream about doing when you play lacrosse at Delbarton, but it is hard to imagine and replicate what it feels like to do something of that magnitude with 40 of your best friends.
If you have to pinpoint two or three keys to the team’s run to winning the title, what would they be?
The first thing that was a key to our success in the playoffs was how dominant Conor Mackie and Connor Kirst were on faceoffs. They won every big faceoff down the stretch. The second thing was the play of our senior goalie Steve Kovalsky. He stepped his game up and was instrumental in our title run.
What are one or two plays during the state title run that will stick in your mind and that you may tell friends in college that you meet who are not aware about what the team did?
The one play from our team’s run that I will always remember happened in the Non-Public A Championship against Bergen Catholic. In the first overtime Steve Kovalsky made a point blank save on a BC attackman and Peter Welch won the race to the sideline to get us the ball back. We went on to win in double overtime but this play saved our season.
What are your early thoughts on your senior season in 2015?
My focus for next year is on keeping the trophy at Delbarton.
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Posted In: New Jersey lacrosse, Player's perspective
Congrats TJ. You guys were amazing!