John Stewart and Dave Bucco were recognized by NewJersey.com as player of the year and coach of the year for boys lacrosse, respectively, on June 23. A day later, Lindsey Walsh was recognized by the publication as the American Conference Coach of the Year for girls lacrosse. 

Stewart, a rising senior at Pascack Hills, was announced as the Cullen Division Player of the Year by NJ.com. The publication annually selects a high school lacrosse athlete for this honor. Based on his performance on and off the field, Stewart was chosen this year. 

“I’m so happy I was picked for this award because I’ve been working hard all season,” he said, “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, and especially my coaches, supporting me.”

Stewart spoke of his team’s commitment that led to a program-record of 13 victories and a total of 167 goals, more than any prior year. 

“Throughout the season the team had practices every day and we played multiple games a week,” he explained. 

Outside of school, the rising senior played lacrosse for a second team.

“I also played on a club lacrosse team where we practiced and went to many tournaments. I couldn’t have done all this without everyone supporting me and pushing me to play my best,” he stated. 

Bucco, the boys lacrosse coach at Hills, spoke about Stewart’s win and praised his sportsmanship. 

“John was deserving of this award,” he said, “He probably could have finished with about 20 more goals if he wanted to, but he was very unselfish with feeding his teammates.” 

After being an assistant coach for seven seasons, Bucco was appointed as the head coach of the team. He described his shock after finding out that he was selected for coach of the year, unaware of the recognition until members of the community reached out to congratulate him. 

“I was surprised. I had gotten an email from C.J. Driver and Ryan Davis’s father about winning the award. I had no idea until they told me.”

He shared that he did not feel deserving of the honor due to the way the season ended for the team. 

“I feel like I am undeserving as our team didn’t win the league title, but I am happy that we’ve received a lot of positive press this year…this was a nice way to end the year,” he said.

Bucco reflected on the team’s past season. 

“The perception of boys lacrosse at Hills has changed around the building, the community and now in North Jersey lacrosse circles, which are all positive,” Bucco said. “This year was a huge building block for where we need to be next year, which is to win the first title in program history along with winning the first county and state game in program history.”

Walsh discussed how she felt when she found out that she won American Conference Coach of the Year.

“I definitely felt surprised…and very honored. I had no idea until I received a message from one of my athletes’ parents,” she said, “I know that this honor would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the girls in the program and the rest of my coaching staff.”

NJ.com selects one coach for three different divisions at the conference and Walsh added that she “learned a lot from [them] by watching their teams and style of play.”

The girls lacrosse coach also reflected on the past season for their team. One accomplishment among the team was rising senior Emily Sailer’s 100th goal. 

“The camaraderie and success that this team had this season is more meaningful than any postseason honor. The program had a great season because it was filled with dedicated, hard-working athletes who were fully determined to improve and get the win on a daily basis.  They were able to push each other, pick each other up during difficult stretches, and execute game plans,” she said. 

Sailer, in addition to a few other lacrosse players from the girls team, also earned league recognition from NJ.com. The others include class of 2022 graduates Jessica Diamond and Ally Green, rising seniors Isabelle Benedict and Gillian Barcus, and rising junior Savanna Bell.

Walsh ended by acknowledging the other coaches who contributed to the team the past season.

“Coach Cate, Coach Wilson, and Coach Danielle each played valuable roles in our success this season.  [They] went above and beyond to help prepare the team every single day, whether it be scouting opponents, working them hard in practice, or executing game decisions,” she said.

While unexpected, Stewart, Bucco, and Walsh expressed gratitude for these honors, reflected on the past season, and started to plan for next season.