MOUNTAIN LAKES — Peter Falk wasn't even in high school when he attended his first Delbarton-Mountain Lakes lacrosse game. Falk was just an eighth grader, cheering on his cousin, then-sophomore Jake Melchionni.
A year later, Falk was playing on Wilkins Field against the Lakers with the Delbarton freshman team. Sophomore year, he was on the Green Wave varsity, trying to get a measure of revenge for a loss in the 2022 Morris County Tournament final.
That was the last time Mountain Lakes has beaten Delbarton.
The Green Wave extended their winning streak against the Lakers to four in a row, 12-5, on April 19 back at Wilkins Field. It is their sixth straight victory this spring.
Delbarton (7-1) is playing with two stickers on the backs of their helmets: a purple ribbon in recognition of a family fighting cancer, and a black circle with the initials JS surrounded by a halo and wings in memory of alumnus James Santoro, who died in a small-plane crash last weekend.
"It's awesome," said Falk, a senior who had three goals and an assist in Delbarton's victory. "We're everyone's big game. No one underestimates us."
Like in their comeback victory against Summit on April 16, the Green Wave struggled against the zone.
Delbarton junior Christian Troczynski opened the scoring just seven seconds into the game. But Mountain Lakes sophomore attackman Lawson Fagan tied things up two minutes later.
The Green Wave led just 3-2 at halftime, after back-to-back goals from Falk less than three minutes apart.
But just like against Summit, Delbarton came together and found its way forward after halftime. The key, according to Green Wave senior Gavin Romweber, was attacking the seams and stepping up the transition game.
Romweber added three goals and an assist to his team-leading total, all in the second half.
"To be able to come out here on the road and fight for the win, we had to earn that win," said Romweber, who lives in Mendham. "(The zone) was a little bit of an adjustment. We shot a little poorly in the first half. We were able to grind it down, and it paid dividends."
Freshman Owen Higgins led Mountain Lakes (6-2) with a goal and three assists. Juniors Holden Gillespie, Carson Fitch and Vinny Cina and sophomore Lawson Fagan also scored for the Lakers.
"It's really nice seeing how my brother can score," said 10-year-old Bennett Fitch, who pointed out that he's an attackman and Carson plays midfield. "(I can learn) how to move the ball and how to defend."
The Green Wave holds a 44-39 all-time lead in the series, including the 2023 Morris County Tournament final. The rivalry is as old as Lakers lacrosse.
Delbarton launched its lacrosse program in 1976. About the same time, John Walters – Mountain Lakes assistant coach Mark Walters' father – founded a recreation program when the family moved into town. It grew intoa high school varsity team in 1980, with Walters a sophomore on the field and Tim Flynn at the helm.
Flynn rose to No. 2 on the all-time wins list with a 7-2 victory against Morris Knolls on April 1 – No. 748 since 1980. Flynn, who now has 751 victories, is the only New Jersey lacrosse coach with more than 700 wins.
"Our kids gave an extremely good account of themselves," Flynn said. "I love how our kids don't back down."
