Coach Matthew Will, head coach of the Pascack Valley Boys Lacrosse Team, has been named the Bergen County Boys Lacrosse Coach of the Year by the Bergen County Coaches Association (BCCA). The boys team this year has a record of 14-4, with a 5-1 record in the NJILL – Jacobson League: the team’s best record since the 2016 season, when the team went 14-5.
When Coach Will was asked if he ever thought he would be honored with this award, he quickly said no before elaborating.
“It is about this team,” Coach Will said. “Typically, Pascack Valley Boys Lacrosse has a ceiling, and we pushed past it,” he added.
This year, Valley has wins over Caldwell, Bergen Catholic, Glen Rock, and Ramsey, and, as Mr. Will said, these wins “got attention” from the surrounding coaches who then voted for this award.
Joey Dargan, a senior midfielder and captain on this year’s team, talked about what it is like to play under Coach Will.
“Playing under Will is great,” Dargan said. “Most of the players have been playing together since we were very little and thought that would change when we got to high school, but it did not, as Will knew about our connection and used it to make us even more successful,” the captain added.
Dargan has been on the Varsity team since his sophomore year, so he has played under Will for three years. Dargan also had the opportunity to have Will as his Junior Year Physics teacher.
Dargan talked about seeing Will on the field, along with in the classroom.
“At first, it was weird, but then after a few weeks, I realized it actually made both things much better,” Dargan said. “We used to talk about game strategy during class and physics stuff on the field, which grew our relationship,” he added.
Last year, the lacrosse team was 11-6 and earned the No. 4 seed in the North Group 2 State Tournament. Valley lost to No. 5 West Essex in the quarterfinals. This year, Valley was the same seed and played No. 5 West Essex again in the quarterfinals; however, Valley rallied to win 19-12, advancing to the semi-finals. It is there that the Panthers will take on No. 1 Hopewell Valley today, Thursday June 5, at 3:00 p.m..
This is the best success Will has had in his tenure as the Pascack Valley Boys Lacrosse Coach.
Will shared what he is going to miss about this year’s team.
“I’m going to miss how driven and dedicated they truly are to be the best ever to come through this high school in this sport,” Coach said. “I’m beyond proud of them, and, without them, I would not be getting this award,” Will added.
Joey Dargan shared his thoughts about Coach Will’s award.
“The lessons he taught me on and off the field, I will never forget. There is nobody more deserving of this award than him,” Dargan said.
