Sectional titles and state championships are up for grabs and teams have the next few weeks to chase those dreams. Check out favorites and contenders in both Group 1 sections.
North, Group 1
Favorite
Mountain Lakes: The Lakers fell from the Top 20 several weeks back for the first time in recent memory, but they have not faded in significance in Group 1. The rugged schedule this team faces throughout the season is alone enough to have them prepared for the post-season. But Coach Tim Flynn’s young squad has also shown signs of improvement in the past two weeks winning four of the last five games. Holden Gillespie, Lawson Fagan, Massimo Corvelli. Owen Higgins and Merric Martorana lead the offense, which is helped along by up-and-coming freshman FOGO Jayden Hernando (.621). Vermont commit Milo Penniston, Nick Squeglia, Bradley Rodgers and Aaron Gellert anchor the defense.
Contenders
Glen Rock: Third-seeded Glen Rock (8-7) has a number of key veterans from the squad that reached the sectional semifinals last year before falling to Mountain Lakes. Among them are offensive catalysts Will Corry and Cooper Consoli, who have generated 399 career points collectively, defensemen Michael Flaccavento and Alex Knight, and goalie Brenan Visokey, who flaunts a .697 save percentage.
Jefferson: The Falcons (12-7) have won seven of their last nine games with an energized offense directed by the state’s leading assist man of all time, senior Chubb Reid (269 career assists and also 111 goals), and dependable targets Matt Leppard (71G) and Brendan Fox (34G). Tommy DelMasto does an outstanding job of furnishing his teammates with possession time by winning 68 percent of his faceoffs this season. Brothers Aidean and Logan Fitzsimmons and Jason Post lead the defense for Reid’s twin brother Jamison.
Kinnelon: The fourth-seeded Colts (9-8) look for a needed turnaround after ending the regular season with a four-game losing streak. Matt Goldstein, Peter Correia, Luke Baitzel and Johnny Papendick lead the offense while versatile Ben Klinger, Jesse Chimik and Joe Marino head up the defense for junior goalie Pat Dyszkiewicz.
Ramsey: The second-seeded Rams (12-3) have won four of their last five games with a well-balanced group that can generate big numbers on offense, yet also play wise control ball while severely limiting possession time for the opponent. Sophomores Owen Crowley (34G, 40A) and Pat O’Neill (33G, 38A) and senior Quinn O’Neill (40G, 21A) spearhead an offense averaging 11.3 goals a game while Josef Zengerle, Justus Favata, Dan Capuano, Luke Medicott and Quinton McGhee direct a defense giving up 6.0 goals a game. Junior Brian Pierpont enters the playoffs with a .616 save percentage.
Westwood: The Cardinals’ recent run of four wins in the last five games and five of the last seven is refreshing, though not at all surprising. It coincides with the return of senior attackman Luke Biello from an injury that kept him for all but the last six games. He contributed eight goals and five assists in that stretch to aid the offensive efforts of Sean Morrison, Dylan Bellinger, Liam Tisi and Greg Seiler. Biello now has 192 career points.
South, Group 1
Favorite
Rumson-Fair Haven: The Bulldogs are on a five-game winning streak coming into the state playoffs. That run includes an epic 15-14 overtime win over Manasquan in the Shore Conference final. Rumson-Fair Haven was in trouble in that game, trailing by three goals late in the fourth quarter. It rallied and scored four straight to win. Junior midfielder Joseph Whitehouse buried the final shot of the afternoon. Whitehouse missed a chunk of last season with an elbow injury. He’s been a key piece of the offense since his return. Boston commit Luke Lydon and Colorado Commit Grayson Goldin are the headliners of the attack. The veteran scorers have the ability to catch fire and get Rumson-Fair Haven into a rhythm. Junior Blake Ahmann and rookie Teddy Whitehouse are other options for the Bulldogs. Joseph Whitehouse is a game-changer in the midfield. Senior Britt Lumsden is having a great year and is someone that has become a focal point of the offense. Rookie Liam Haggerty is another young player who is seeing time. Dartmouth commit Frank Argilagos is a tone-setter on defense. His physical play gets this team in a position to make plays in key spots. Brown commit Toby Najenson is another leader on the defensive end. Rumson-Fair Haven also counts on Danny Sullivan, John Paik and Chase Devlin as long poles. Beau Devine and Kellen Winters play defensive roles as short-stick middies. Senior Peter Kessler and rookie Daniel Jaroschak have split time in net this year. Senior Rory Keane and freshman Jaden Cavise trade off when it comes to taking faceoffs.
Contenders
Bernards: The Somerset County program won this section last year and took home its first-ever Group 1 state championship. The Mountaineers have a new coach this year and it had to play the first month without last year’s leading scorer Logan Stevens. The Cornell commit is back from injury now and giving Bernards an extra spark on offense. Senior Finn Vaccaro has been electric all year and leads the team with 42 assists. Vaccaro, Conor Campion, Zach Favreau and Teagun Hartnett all have 20-plus goals. Hamilton commit Bryce Babich and senior Max Austin lead a group of poles on defense that also includes Blake Dakin and Max Caldwell. Junior Ben Eich starts in net. Nolan Walsh and Luke Bubnowski are the go-to guys at short-stick middie. That defense will need to step up here if Bernards is going to make it back to the sectional final.
Caldwell: The Chiefs (9-9) are back in the South bracket after reaching the North 1 final the past two years. Their young squad got off to a rough start record-wise in the opening weeks, though also gained valuable experience and knowledge in those games as a member of the ultra-competitive NJILL Gibbs Division. Offensive standouts Sean Murtagh, Jake Gruzas, Jeremy Rodriguez and Skyler Brown have guided Caldwell to three straight wins and five in the last seven games. Dylan Healy, Will Swift and Bradley Pankiewicz anchor the defense for goalie Jacob Natt.
Glen Ridge: The fifth-seeded Ridgers (11-8) have won four of their last five games with a balanced offensive attack spearheaded by senior attackman Connnor Sutton (36G, 24A) and helped along by fellow senior Brad Foster and juniors Stephen Grober and Carson Ross. The defense is anchored by seniors Cameron Atkinson and Mason Giamo, junior John Leone and surprising freshman Tyler Kamil.
Shore: The Blue Devils beat Rumson-Fair Haven for the first time in program history earlier this year. That win stunned the Shore Conference. Shore lost the rematch in conference tournament play, but if those two teams see each other again, it could go either way. Shore is having one of the best seasons in program history. A sectional championship would be a game-changer for this program and a monumental accomplishment for the senior class. RPI commit Tucker Malfa leads the team with 38 goals, while junior Reid Spallone has 33 goals and 28 assists. Jack Madalone, John Mazzacco, Brady McHugh, Braden Miller and Lukas Villa have also been locked in offensively. Senior Will Turner leads the defense. Sophomore Joey Longo is a young goalie who has shown promise. Senior Brendan O’Brien is one of the better FOGOs in the Shore Conference and he will be an X-factor here in the sectional playoffs.
Voorhees: The Vikings made it to the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex final earlier this season. Voorhees is hoping to make a similar run here. Messiah commit Jackson Trevaskiss used to be a long pole and still play on defense at times, but he’s turned into one of the team’s best scorers. He’s the tone-setter in the midfield. Josh Hufford and Fin Bruton are the playmakers on attack. Juniors Rylan Benitez and Sam Meekings, and seniors Shayaan McFarlin and Connor Goodwin are also counted on. St. John Fisher commit Jake Vernieri is a really good long-stick midfielder and he’ll do anything it takes to win. He leads a defense that also relies on Teddy Lanka, Luke Bartnett and Anthony Balzer. Senior Colton Sherrer plays a key role as a defensive short-stick middie. DeSales commit Patrick McGeough is one of the top goalies in the state.
Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeKinneyHS.
Brandon Gould can be reached at bgould@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @BrandonGouldHS.
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