Back in the fall, you may have seen Bridgewater-Raritan High School senior Andrew Childs wearing the No. 4 jersey at the Panthers’ Turf 2 while also serving as a team captain of the boys’ soccer team.
But for a very good reason: one rooted in tradition spanning four different decades within the Bridgewater-Raritan boys’ lacrosse program, Childs made his return to Turf 2 on Wednesday, March 26, with a different uniform number.
During pregame announcements before the Panthers’ 2025 spring season officially launched Kinnelon High School, Childs was recognized as this season’s recipient of the symbolic No. 8 jersey in honor of the late Michael Bruce. Since 1990, Bruce’s No. 8 jersey has been awarded every season to an outstanding Bridgewater-Raritan senior boys’ lacrosse player who best represents Bruce’s passion for life, love of lacrosse, and exceptional qualities shown on and off the field.
Fittingly, Childs (three goals, two assists) needed just over one quarter to collect a hat-trick against Kinnelon to lead the way for New Jersey’s ninth-ranked team in Bridgewater- Raritan (1-0). The Panthers ultimately erupted for a seven-goal halftime lead and finished with five different multi-goal scorers in a 12-4 victory in Bridgewater.
“Being the person [recognized] on the loudspeaker was so cool and surreal,” revealed Childs of the aforementioned pregame announcement. “I’ve always heard it about other people I’ve looked up to – really good lacrosse players and leaders.” “I had to just take a moment and a deep breath because this was actually happening.”
Bruce wore No. 8 as an elite attacker for the Bridgewater-Raritan High School East Minutemen, and he was a senior in 1988. Tragically, Bruce became fully paralyzed after getting into a terrible car accident that fall, when his car skidded on wet leaves and hit a tree while he was on his way to take the SAT exam. He passed away in 2000, but his legacy, memory, and spirit continue to live on forever inside and outside of the walls of Bridgewater-Raritan, especially under the leadership of boys’ lacrosse head coaches Chuck Apel and son Matt Apel.
As a senior for Bridgewater-Raritan in 2000, Matt Apel also had the honor of wearing No. 8 jersey while playing under the leadership of his aforementioned dad, who is now in his 46th season on the sidelines in Bridgewater. Now, 25 years later, Childs is now the 36th annual recipient of Bruce’s No. 8 jersey to begin the 2025 campaign.
A taste of Bridgewater Raritan's ’ strong potential for this spring was showcased in front of a packed home crowd on March 26.
Just 59 seconds after the opening faceoff against Kinnelon, senior Brady Millets (two goals) collected Bridgewater-Raritan’s first goal of the year on a putback of a rebounded shot. Senior starting goalie Matt Kronengold (four saves) then made a key save at his feet for the Panthers just over five minutes into the game, which led to a quick goal halfway into the first period when Childs scored for the first time to double the Panthers’ lead to 2-0.
It was then off to the races from there for Bridgewater-Raritan.
With 5:18 left in the first quarter, junior Jack Cifuentes (two goals) made it a 3-0 game, and after Kinnelon scored with 3:49 left in the period, senior Nick DiEsso (two goals) answered 30 seconds later for Bridgewater-Raritan to extend his team’s lead to 4-1.
To cap off the 5-1 opening period for Bridgewater-Raritan, junior Declan Kurdyla (two goals, three assists) then made a dish in traffic to DiEsso, who scored again just three seconds before the buzzer.
Childs then completed his swift hat trick with two more goals early in the second quarter, and Kurdyla sank his first goal to propel Bridgewater-Raritan to an 8-1 halftime lead.
Cifuentes then collected a player-up goal with 9:01 left in the third quarter, while Millets stretched Bridgewater Raritan's lead to 10-1 after three quarters courtesy of his second and final goal of the day.
A top-10 rivalry showdown in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division is on deck for ninth-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0, 0-0), which will travel to reigning division champion and the Somerset County Tournament champion the past three years, Pingry School (0-0,, 0-0): ranked No. 7 in New Jersey.
The opening faceoff between the Panthers and Big Blue will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 29, in Basking Ridge.
While Bridgewater-Raritan defeated the Big Blue in overtime in both the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons, Pingry went on to defeat the Panthers in both of these season’s Somerset County Tournament championship games.
Pingry won its most recent regular-season meeting with Bridgewater-Raritan, 10-3, on April 4, 2024 in Bridgewater.