Recap and Standouts: New Jersey's Groups 1-4 State Champions

The state of New Jersey crowned champions on Saturday, June 8 with four games being played - two at Ridge High School and another two at Hunterdon Central - to determine the Group 1, 2, 3, and 4 state champions heading into the Kirst Cup. The sun was shining and it was a great day for some championship-level lacrosse.   Group 1: Bernards 13, Mountain Lakes 5   Bernards was 20-2 coming into this matchup on a six-game winning streak, with most of those wins being blowouts. As for Mountain Lakes, the Lakers entered the game with a 14-5 record, riding high on their massive goal totals through North Jersey's Group 1 bracket. Mountain Lakes senior midfielder Justin Brennfleck (Gettysburg) led his team in scoring with two goals and one assist and FOGO Jordan Hernando (Bryant) went 10-21 (48%) from the faceoff X. The Mountaineers' attack line, highlighted by team points leader and Wagner-bound David Brothers, along with sophomore Logan Stevens and junior Finn Vaccaro, racked up an impressive 16 points, with nine goals and seven assists between them. Harvard commit Trevor Sardis went 11-21 (52%) from the faceoff X, and Caden Kirst (Rutgers) came up with eight saves and shut out the Lakers in the 2nd and 4th quarters to lead the Mountaineers to their first state title in program history. Bernards will be the #2 seed in this year's Kirst Cup tournament.    Brothers was the star in this game, as a senior to win the state title game, there's no better way to leave your mark and he was outstanding. He has good speed to get past his defender when dodging and does a good job of keeping his head up for open teammates. He has a hard shot and changes planes to keep goalies on their toes. He finished with four goals and two assists on the day to finish and has 62 goals and 51 assists on the season.    Group 2: Summit 7, Manasquan 6   The Hilltoppers came into this matchup at 18-2 and on a 15-game winning streak, having not lost since early April. As for the 17-2 Warriors, who started their season at 10-0, they had a relatively easy road to the title game, with a 59-20 goal differential in South Jersey's Group 2 bracket. However, Manasquan knew it had its hands full with Summit's offensive firepower and their defense's ability to hold teams to low goal totals. Senior midfielder and leading scorer Brody Muly (Lehigh) and senior LSM Connor Kelly (UAlbany) each had a pair of goals, while Nick Bounassi (High Point) came up with nine saves in his final high school game. For Summit, senior attackman Daniel Flaim (Villanova) netted four goals and junior midfielder Tyler Sebastian (Hofstra) had a goal and two assists. Sophomore goaltender [player_tooltip player_id='45465' first='Robbie' last='Kievit'] held Manasquan to one goal in the first half, coming up with nine saves for the game. The Warriors would outscore Summit 4-1 in the 4th quarter, but it wouldn't be enough, as the Hilltoppers go back-to-back as state champions and will be the #1 seed in the Kirst Cup.    Flaim took over, scoring more than half of his team's goals. A difficult matchup for any defenseman, he is a tough player who can score inside or out and puts the ball in great spots on his shots. He is a smart dodger and can go to the goal with either hand, but also does a good job of getting his teammates involved. Headed to Villanova in the fall, he led his team as a senior with 43 goals and 37 assists.    Group 3: Moorestown 9, Ridge 8   The 16-5 Quakers came into this contest on a six-game winning streak, blowing teams out in South Jersey's Group 3 bracket. For Ridge, they came in with a 13-7 record, with a few losses coming in May, but bounced back with some quality wins in North Jersey's Group 3 bracket to make it to the title game. The Red Devils were led in scoring by senior midfielder Ryan Olivo (Hamilton), who recorded a hat-trick along with an assist, while FOGO Bastian Chorazykiewicz (RIT) had a solid game going 14-18 (78%). Up against Chorazykiewicz was junior middie Chase Caulder who has experience at the faceoff X, but hadn't taken a faceoff all year. Caulder went 4-18 (22%), but added a massive three goals to the stat sheet. Senior midfielder Cole Pitcher (Monmouth) added two goals and two assists and freshman goalie Wes Canton had a career-high 17 saves as the Quakers take home the hardware in a tight contest and will be the #4 seed in the Kirst Cup.    The 6'4" Monmouth commit draws a lot of attention from the defense with the ball in his stick and has a good mix of size, strength and skill to affect the game at the next level. He has the strength to absorb contact from the defense and continue to barrel towards the net, where he has the skill to finish past goaltenders. He puts the ball in good spots whether shooting on the run or taking a step down and he does a good job of getting involved on ground balls as well. He leads his team in scoring with 65 goals and 34 assists.    Group 4: Westfield 17, Eastern 10   Westfield was 14-5 heading into this matchup, but its last two wins came down to the last seconds, both in the Blue Devils' semifinal game vs. Bridgewater-Raritan and in their North Jersey Group 4 final vs. Ridgewood. On the other side, the 17-3 Vikings were riding a 12-game winning streak and without a loss since late April. Senior attackman Jacob Feeney led the Vikings in scoring with four goals on the day, while senior FOGO Kevin Duffy had a nice day from the X, going 17-29 (59%) on top of a goal and an assist. Westfield's attack line, consisting of Cody Lam (Princeton), [player_tooltip player_id='24386' first='Colin' last='Coyle'] (UMass), and [player_tooltip player_id='24397' first='Garrett' last='Ferguson'] dominated with a combined 21 points between them. All three guys have contributed all year and it only made sense that they would show up and perform on the big stage. Led by Cornell commit Michael Marshall, the Blue Devils' defensive unit held Eastern to only four goals in the 2nd half, which would result in Westfield's first state championship since 2013. The Blue Devils have secured the #3 seed in the Kirst Cup.    Ferguson put up an outstanding performance with seven goals and two assists. He is crafty when dodging from X and has the quickness to beat his defender upfield. He also does a good job of reading the slides and finding open cutters. He has good stick skills and can stretch the defense out with his fast and accurate shot. He led his team in goals with 63 goals and added 11 assists on the year.

The state of New Jersey crowned champions on Saturday, June 8 with four games being played - two at Ridge High School and another two at Hunterdon Central - to determine the Group 1, 2, 3, and 4 state champions heading into the Kirst Cup. The sun was shining and it was a great day for some championship-level lacrosse.