Our History

The History of Bridgewater Lacrosse

In 1978, Jack Kripsak decided he wanted to play lacrosse in high school. The high school he attended, Bridgewater Raritan East, did not have a team. So, Jack decided to organize the Bridgewater Raritan lacrosse club.

His newly formed club needed an advisor. He found a young science teacher, Mr. Rick Szeles, to help him and they were on their way. To fund the club, they sold plants, had a raffle, did anything they could to raise money. In 1980, the club became an official boy's varsity sport. Thank you to all the original members of the Bridgewater Raritan lacrosse club who helped to get lacrosse started in Bridgewater and a special thanks to Jack and Coach Szeles whose determination made it all possible.

From those humble beginnings the Bridgewater Raritan High School Lacrosse program has flourished to become one of the top boy's lacrosse teams in the state of New Jersey. Lead by NJ Hall of Fame coach, Chuck Apel, Bridgewater has won almost 7 out of every 10 games they have played, while turning out all-state and all-american players at a steady rate. In fact, over the last 25 years, the lacrosse program has had more players continue their playing careers in college than all other sports at the high school combined. This success helped to build the demand for an active youth program so that young Bridgewater residents can learn the skills needed to compete at such a high level once they reach the high school. The youth program now starts teaching lacrosse to boys and girls as young as 4 years old.

Bridgewater-Raritan High School Statistics