Westfield Dominated NJ Lacrosse in 1986

Following a 1985 season where the team finished fifth in the state, WHS's lacrosse team enjoyed one of its finest seasons ever in 1986, winning their first state championship and continuing to break records and earn recognition.

Westfield posted 17 victories in 1986, including a win in the Bristol Cup against Summit and a State Championship win over rival Bridgewater East, the team that defeated Westfield in the finals the year before. In this game Westfield cruised to victory and following their win over Bridgewater East they were named the Star Ledger’s #1 team in New Jersey.

Team members continued to be leaders in the state lacrosse community. Rob Schmalz was a force to be reckoned with as he once again received 1st team All-State and All-American honors. In addition, he was also named New Jersey’s player of the year. Rob Schmalz was also joined by his brother Gregg on the 1st team All-State roster. During the ’86 season Gregg Schmalz posted 44 goals and fellow midfielders John Telling and John Macaluso joined him as 2nd and 3rd team All-Staters respectively.

Head Coach Shaun Cherewich also was named the Star Ledger’s coach of the year that season and his assistant Tony Bristol was named the New Jersey Lacrosse Coaches Association Lacrosse Man of the Year. In addition Westfield also won the Gibbs division in ’86. In 1986 Westfield once again dominated top competition. They won close games against Montclair, Kinelon, and Mountain Lakes. They also managed to defeat Columbia, Hunterdon Central, and Bridgewater West.

Westfield also played in the first annual Bristol Cup game, named after acclaimed assistant coach Tony Bristol. They played this game for a trophy against rival Summit and defeated them in an overtime thriller 9-8. This game is now played annually between Westfield and Pingry, and the same trophy has been used since the inaugural 1986 game. Overall, 1986 was one of Westfield’s most successful season as a program, and its landmarks included the first time Westfield had ever been ranked number one in the state of New Jersey, the team’s first ever state championship, and the inaugural Bristol Cup games.

Editor's Note: This is the third part of a multi-part series on the history of the Westfield High School Boys Lacrosse Team. The series came out of a paper written for the AP History class at Westfield High School by Westfield Patch Intern Will Gretsky and WHS student Drew Margolis, during the 2008-2009 academic year. The paper was written using primary sources and articles on file in the Westfield High School archives.