By Lauren Knego of NJ.com
Summit has gotten used to seeing Oak Knoll in the Union County Tournament final, as the crosstown rivals have battled it out in the title game for the past nine years.
Losing to Oak Knoll is also something that Summit has endured, as the Hilltoppers have been bested by the Royals in the county final for the last three years.
“It’s been kind of a monkey on the back a little bit,” Summit coach Mike Walsh said. “(20)21 we were really young and banged up, ‘22, I guess at least we had them in the (Tournament of Champions), and it stung last year for sure.”
But this time around, second-seeded Summit, ranked No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, was able to turn the tables on top-seeded Oak Knoll, ranked No. 3, and win its first county tournament title since 2019 with an 11-3 victory on Saturday night at A.L. Johnson High School.
“It feels so great, especially for the alumni, this is the first time we’ve won since 2019 and we won it for them,” Summit’s Susannah O’Connell said. “I know the underclassmen and the juniors wanted it for the captains and our seniors and it feels just really good to finally bring it home.
“This team is my family, I love every single one of them and I’m so happy that we can bring it home for them this year.”
It’s the ninth overall title for Summit, which fell to Oak Knoll 8-7 during a regular-season game back on April 11. For the Royals, which were held to their lowest point total since an 8-3 loss to Mountain Lakes on April 29, 2016, the loss snapped a four-game win streak.
“They were dialed in defensively,” Walsh said of his team. “That’s a good defensive performance.”