Considering that coach Bob Ziegler felt this was the best boys lacrosse team Steinert has ever had (aside from the 2020 squad that was shut down by Covid), it stands to reason that the program’s best player would be a part of it.
According to Ziegler, the Spartans had just the man in Troy Callahan. And in making that statement, Ziegler is quick to point out he’s referring to all-around contributions, not just scoring.
“I don’t want to get the Braddocks mad at me on that one but Troy just did everything for us when we needed him,” the coach said. “He played defensive midfield when we needed him, he took faceoffs, he was the fastest player in school history to score 100 goals, he had a lot of assists.
“He just did everything. He was, physically, the most dominant player we ever had. He was big, strong and fast. He was the guy that everybody knew they had to stop when they were gonna play us.”
Connor Braddock graduated as Steinert’s all-time record-holder in goals (165), assists (102) and points (267). Callahan finished with 109 goals and 134 points, putting him fourth on both lists. He led the team in ground balls as a junior and was second as a senior. And he only played two-and-three-quarter seasons, as his freshman year was the Covid shutdown, and the following spring featured a shortened schedule.
“If he had a full four years, I don’t think he would have passed Braddock, but he would have finished second all-time in goals,” Ziegler said.”He lost a lot of time. He had a limited sample size.“
Callahan was justifiably proud when told that Ziegler ranks him the Spartans number-one all-around player.
“I never heard him say that to me,” he said. “But. I read another article where he said it, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ It really means a lot.’”
Troy is a long-time lax player and also a standout hockey goalie. But lacrosse sticks have surpassed ice skates as Callahan will play for Cabrini College next year.
He played for Lightning Lacrosse in West Windsor, where he grew up before his family moved to Hamilton prior to his freshman year.
“The first year was Covid and there was nothing going on,” Callahan said. “All 15 of us freshmen that year went out whenever we could. Going into that year I thought we’d be pretty good.”
Just as Ziegler thought Troy would be good.
“I knew he was gonna be a player,” the coach said. “He had that look. Very athletic. The foundations, the stick skills were there and you knew he was gonna get better at it.”
Callahan made the most of the canceled season. He lugged his lacrosse net to a small park near his house and would shoot at it up against a baseball backstop.
“I’d just kill time with productive stuff,” he said. “Why not get better with the time I have?”
When play resumed in a shortened 2021 season, Callahan had a modest 14 goals and four assists.
“The first two years were just trying to get better for the next two,” he said. “That’s when you really start getting on the field. That gave me a lot of practice.”
Troy’s breakout season came as a junior, when his 41 goals and 8 assists put him second on the team in points behind Ryan (39 goals, 57 points). This past year, he led the Spartans with 54 goals and 67 points, as his off-season project came to fruition.
“Last summer I was bored so I was making goals for the high school season,” he said. “It was just to reach 100 goals and to play all out this last high school season before college.”
His play led Steinert to a 10-7 record and its most productive season in quality wins. For the first time ever the Spartans defeated West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South, and Hightstown. They also pushed favored Northern Burlington to the limit before dropping a 13-11 decision in the first round of the state tournament.
“I was pretty impressed,” Callahan said of the campaign. “I knew we’d have a good season because the group of guys we had was solid, the chemistry was pretty good too. I was proud of the way we played the whole season.
“Going into the first day of real practice, we’d already been doing captains’ practices so we knew the potential of the guys we had. From there we said ‘Let’s just win every game whenever we can.’”
Asked about other players who stepped up, Callahan said “Colin Phillips, Zach Meseroll and Owen McAdams all played well this year. Zach’s a sophomore, Colin just got back from his injury and OMac was just playing better and better each game. It just keyed our success.”
McAdams, a senior, led the team with 33 assists while Meseroll had 29 goals and 29 assists to lead the team with 58 points. Phillips also scored 29 times.
Callahan was the glue that kept it all together, and was rewarded as the first Spartan to ever be named first-team All-Colonial Valley Conference (which encompasses all three divisions).
“He did everything for us,” Ziegler said. “In the West Windsor North game we were down in that game and for the first time this year he took faceoffs, he won a big faceoff and we scored right away and won the game (11-9).”
Offensively, Callahan is tough to defend as he can shoot both left- and right-handed.
“His dodging was great, he distributed when he had to,” Ziegler said. “He had a couple good, quick stick goals in the crease off passes from our guys. But a lot of his stuff is just ‘I’m gonna beat the one guy or two guys on me.’ A lot of his goals were in transition where we’d get a turnover and he’d go coast to coast.”
Callahan faced frequent double teaming, but knew how to handle it when the situation arose.
“Some games they just blocked me off,” he said. “You just have to think out of the box, try something you don’t’ really try because it doesn’t happen too often. And you gotta be unselfish. If you’re getting doubled then you move away from the ball, let the other guys do a five on four.”
Aside from his athletic skills, Callahan is also a physical presence. He gave up football after his freshman year to focus on hockey and lacrosse but Ziegler, the defensive coordinator for Hun’s powerhouse team, can feel it on the sidelines when Troy hits someone.
“There’s that sound you hear in football a lot of times when you get the big hit,” the coach said. “At Hun I’d hear that a couple times a game. In lacrosse you hear it a couple times a year. But Troy would make that sound when he hit the other guy. He’s always the hammer. He’s a physical, smart player.”
That physicality, coupled with his scoring ability, made Troy an attractive recruit for several colleges. Cabrini won out for his services.
“The coaches were great,” he said. “I took my tour there, I loved what they were saying about the school. The instant I left after my tour, I told my dad ‘I want to come here.’ I liked everything about it. It stood out more than other schools.”
Just as Callahan has stood out above all in the eyes of his coach.
Troy Callahan in action for Steinert lacrosse against Ewing. (Photo by Amanda Ruch.),
