By Sam Bernardi for The Montgomery News | Posted July 9, 2026
Emma Scrudato thought she had fallen in love with lacrosse too late. Until 8th grade, she played goalie in middle school and for Ultimate Lacrosse in Princeton. After than, she became an avid ice hockey player. However, by junior year, the strain of travel hockey had worn on her (and her car’s tires), swaying the pendulum back to lacrosse. It’s never too late to fall in love. After two years of total commitment to lacrosse, Scrudato landed a spot on the Wellesley College team, where she will play this fall. “I think being an ice hockey player definitely translates well with lacrosse, especially as a field player,” Scrudato said. By her junior year, she was a point machine for head coach Joe Riccardi’s squad, tallying 36 goals and 19 assists while flying around the turf scooping ground balls and controlling draws. Going into her senior year at Montgomery High School, Coach Riccardi needed even more from his senior. Read more
Heading into the South Jersey, Group IV finals, Jacob Chang had already solidified his place on the Montgomery golf team. The senior earned the captaincy back in the fall, had regularly shot under 80 for head Coach Joe Bassford’s group, and was the model of honesty. Then Chang shot an 83 at the sectional final, a score most can only fathom but one that bumped him out of Bassford’s top four as they headed to the state championship. “He’s mature, he’s a team player and he’s a leader,” Bassford said. “I told him, like, ‘You can be upset.’” But Chang understood. “That was his attitude, which is tough for a high school kid — or anybody for that matter — and I think it just speaks to his leadership because he could have been the other way,” Bassford said. Chang recalls: “I really wanted to play in that because it’s my last year. But, I’ve grown, I think. Even if you don’t get to play in these tournaments or matches, you want what’s best for the team.” Read more
Each month, Montgomery High School Athletic Director Kris Grundy polls local coaches to select a female and male scholar athlete to spotlight on this page. In addition to a feature article, each athlete receives gift certificates to The Tiger’s Tale or to Beniamino's Cucina and Pizza.
