Last year, the Millburn boys lacrosse team finished with a losing record and found themselves sitting at home as the best teams from around the state vied for their respective group championships.

That was not the case this year as the Millers finished with a respectable record of 11-10 and qualified for the state playoffs by compiling a .500 record before the qualification deadline.

Millburn started the year with four consecutive losses. After they improved to 1-4 with a convincing victory over New Providence, the Miller boys began to gain momentum and started winning more games.

“We started off slow, but we really improved throughout the season and finished strong,” said senior midfielder Josh Webman.

The Millers finished the second half of April at 5-7 picking up four more wins against Hanover Park, Montclair Kimberly, West Orange, and Nutley.

With the playoff deadline approaching, the Millers carried April’s success into the beginning of May. They beat DePaul, Governor Livingston, and Passaic Valley, but dropped a tough game against a Seton Hall Prep team that finished at 11-6.

After losing 10-4 to Pingry on May 8, the Millers needed to beat Walkill Valley three days later to qualify for the playoffs. The Millers did just that with a 12-7 victory, and earned the 16th seed in the state tournament.

Mount Olive ended their playoff hopes in the first round, as the locals lost by a score of 6-5.

The Millers concluded on a high note, however, as they notched their eleventh win in a victory over Livingston.

“That was an important game for us because our seniors got to go out on top and Livingston is one of our biggest rivals,” said junior Max Okinow.

The Millers had three players who garnered all-conference honors. Seniors Ben D’Alessio and Roger McGlynn were named to the first team, while junior goalie Kyle Ripp received second team recognition.

“I think that our team had a great year, and I was happy with my performance,” said Ripp.

The Millers will lose their three captains—McGlynn, D’Alessio, and Tyler Sweeney—to graduation. Nonetheless, Ripp returns next year along with a strong group of underclassmen, hoping to build upon this year’s success.