New Jersey has a long history of producing talented lacrosse players, and it seems that lacrosse’s popularity is only increasing. According to Athletic Director John Cathcart, “Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in New Jersey.” Currently, there are over 200 Boys and Girls high school lacrosse teams in the state. New Jersey also has four Division One Men's and three Division One Women’s college lacrosse programs (Rutgers University, Princeton University, Monmouth University, and NJIT- Men’s only).
Although Metuchen High School does not have its own lacrosse team, since the spring of 2023, both male and female students have been able to play for co-op teams with JP Stevens. Students playing on teams must get their own transportation to practices at JP Stevens. This is a similar arrangement to the hockey program that allows Metuchen High School students to play for a Metuchen-Edison High School team.
The first Metuchen High School student to play for this team was junior Ryan De La Fuente. Ryan has played on the JP Stevens team for the past two seasons as a defenseman and a long stick middle (LSM). He has been an integral part of the defense leading the team in ground balls, which is one of lacrosse’s most important stats, last season. Ryan’s play earned him recognition as one of the top 50 sophomore players in the state. He aspires to play in college and is actively going through the college recruiting process. His main club team is Blue Star Lacrosse which is one of the top club teams in the state.
When asked what it means to be the first student-athlete from Metuchen High School to play high school lacrosse, Ryan said, “I am honored to represent Metuchen High School in lacrosse and aspire to pave the way for future lacrosse players in our community.”
With the popularity of lacrosse on the rise we could see more Metuchen students playing high school lacrosse. There are lacrosse programs offered in town and Edgar Field is lined for lacrosse and has lacrosse goals on it. One thing is for certain: lacrosse is only going to gain in popularity and hopefully, Ryan can serve as an inspiration to future lacrosse players.
Follow Ryan and his teammates: https://highschoolsports.nj.com/school/edison-jp-stevens/boyslacrosse/season/2024-2025
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