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 4 sections.
North, Group 4
Favorite
Westfield: The seventh-ranked Blue Devils (14-6) have lost three of their last seven games as they enter tournament play, though all came against non-public teams and all were competitive outings. Seniors Colin Coyle, Garrett Ferguson, Billy Gerne and Christian Gilford are all experienced playmakers and scorers from the Westfield club that won Group 4 last year and fell to Summit in the Kirst Cup final. The Blue Devils had fallen to Group 3 Summit early this season in the regular season, 11-5, but avenged that two weeks ago in the Union County Tournament final, 6-5. Drew Pravlik, Ben Seward, Jack Schwarzenbek and Jack Clark head up a tough, intelligent defense for senior goalie Corey Gilford.
Contenders
Bridgewater-Raritan: The Panthers have the talent to match up with anyone in this section on the right day. Rutgers commit Declan Kurdyla has the ability to take over a game. He leads this team with 31 goals and 20 assists. Senior Brady Millets had a team-high 35 goals. Air Force commit Jack Cifuentes and Manhattan commit Nick DiEsso are good scoring options out of the midfield. Stockton commit Brody Nussman is another playmaker the Panthers can count on. Iona commit Reid Feinstein has been playing well in net after he won the starting job. He anchors a defense that counts on veterans like Stevenson commit Cameron Rice. Bridgewater-Raritan’s schedule was loaded with games against Top 20 teams this season. That road has toughened this team up. The Panthers are coming out ready to make a run at a sectional championship.Bridgewater-Raritan needs to stay sharp before it gets too hyped, though. Hillsborough beat Bridgewater-Raritan in overtime earlier this season and those two teams could see each other in the quarterfinals. Jack Minetti hit the game-winner in that regular season win. Minetti and Kevin Jones are the headliners for Hillsborough’s offense.
Livingston: The fourth-seeded Lancers (10-8) have won four of their last five games behind an offense that is showing more balance and precision than they have all season. Luke Piche, Reid Snow and Hudson Siegel spearhead that group, with possession assistance from junior faceoff man Mitchell Snow. Livingston’s likely quarterfinal opponent will be fifth-seeded Montclair, a team the Lancers topped, 7-6, in April. Cooper Sultan, Eli Kushner, Aydan Wai and Alex Diorio anchor the defense for senior goalie Frank Bagolie.
Ridgewood: The 10th-ranked and second-seeded Maroons (12-5) fell in overtime to Westfield in last year’s Group 4 championship game, and squandered a two-goal lead April 22 against the Blue Devils and again lost in overtime, 9-8. Expect offensive leaders Jack Frers, AJ and Will LoSauro, Tyler Nesland and Cooper Adkins to reach that stage again for a championship rematch. Frers, Nesland and defenseman Will Marra all were sophomore contributors two years ago when the Maroons defeated Westfield, 10-6, in the North final and went on to win Group 4 and claim the first Kirst Cup championship. Marra, Quinn Conneen, Trevor Colm and Wyatt Clay anchor a defense backed by senior goalie Eli Pounds.
South, Group 4
Favorite
Kingsway: The Dragons enter the state playoffs with a perfect 18-0 record. Kingsway has been building itself up as a program for the last few years and looked like a title contender early on this season. A win over Shawnee hammered home what type of team this is in 2025 and how serious Kingsway is about winning its first-ever sectional title. Ursinus commit Keegan Borkowski became Kingsway’s all-time leading scorer this season. He leads a powerful offense that also features sophomore Owen Dougherty and junior Roman Woratyla on attack. Juniors Mason Bryan and Michael Conklin and sophomore Patrick Civitarese provide scoring out of the midfield. Junior Ryan Glenn is a defender by nature, but his ability to score with the long pole makes him a unique talent. The defense has been great this season and has the pieces in place to beat anyone in this section. Seniors Dominic Hibbs and Dane Jespersen and sophomore Cole DeNick are the long poles next to Glenn. Senior Kyle Nordone makes his name known as a defensive short-stick middie. Senior Tommy Dipietro takes most of Kingsway’s faceoffs and stays on at defensive short-stick middie. Junior Connor Cusack also takes faceoffs.
Contenders
Cherokee: The Chiefs have made it to the sectional final the past two years. It’s going to be tough to get back there this spring. Junior Ryan Hoffman will give Cherokee a chance, though. He comes into the playoffs with 70 goals. Jack Corelli, Matt Lippo, Vincent Mina and Vincent Mina are other scoring options that Cheroke will tap into during the playoffs. Senior Dante Harrison is a defensive leader. Cameron Gipe, Dylan Kolinsky, Mason McCarthy, Dylan Osorio and Jake Wallace have also earned time. Junior goalie Owen Harris has stepped in and played well in net. He’s made 200 saves and only allowed 143 goals.
Eastern: The defending sectional champions have been a little up and down during the regular season. None of that is going to matter, though, if Eastern can hit its stride now and win another championship. Last year was a historic playoff run. The repeat attempt is going to be hard. St. John’s commit Chase Huggard gets this offense rolling when he’s at his best. The senior comes into the playoffs with 41 goals and 36 assists. Junior Kieran Duffy has scored 38 times during a breakout season. Junior Bruce Magladry does not shy away from a big moment and it shows. He has 36 goals and 27 assists for Eastern. Junior Marc Brocious takes faceoffs and also provides a little offensive pop. Robert Morris commit Connor Henry and UMBC commit Thomas Keating lead a physical defense, and senior goalie Dante Raffaele anchors it. That’s been a calling card for Eastern the last few years. That defense helped last year’s team win the first sectional title in program history. Eastern has learned a lot this season and is ready to go now.
Southern: The Rams’ defense held Kingsway to a season-low in goals when Southern matched up against this bracket’s No. 1 seed late in the regular season. Southern has won seven out of its last eight games and only allowed three goals per game during that stretch. That defense is going to give the Rams a chance to win a title with its physical play. St. Joseph’s commit Liam Griffin is the leader of the offense and enters the playoffs with 37 goals. Senior Joe Kessler is another veteran scorer that Southern will count on. Sophomore Kyle Sininsky is having a breakout year with 36 goals and 30 assists. Sophomores Cash McVey and Shea O’Donell are also key pieces on this offense. Freshman Niko Iliescu is another young playmaker to watch. Senior Collin Markoski takes faceoffs and has won 71 percent of his faceoffs this season. Southern has been flying under the radar this year, but has the talent to win this section.
Washington Township: The Minutemen are one of the top teams in this section, but Washington Township needs to up its game a little here if it is going to get a shot at the title. Junior Robbie Finnegan is having a record-setting year at Washington Township and leads the offense with 48 goals and 50 assists. He’s dangerous when the ball is in his crosse. Sophomore Myles Malone is another dynamic scorer who Washington Township will lean on in the playoffs. Jake Borkowski, Trey Egan, Elliott Seibert and Jake Wisor are also focal points on offense. Junior Parker Reese takes faceoffs and does a great job there. He’s also one of the team’s top scorers. Ethan Wechter, Cole Aquino, Brandon Bernardo are key defenders. Jake Devereaux and Michael Phillips split time in net for Washington Township.
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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