Exciting Stars from the 1st Round of New Jersey State Playoffs

Following the county and conference tournaments in the Garden State, each team lucky enough to make the state tournament has been ramping up and getting ready to make a deep run to finish out the season. The New Jersey state playoff tournament consists of a Non-Public bracket, a South Jersey bracket with Groups 1-4 as well as a North Jersey bracket with Groups 1-4, with teams all fighting for the title of their respective groups.   The first round of the state playoffs is always an exciting time of year for every player and fanbase, with each hoping this is the year their squad will either repeat or climb to the top of the mountain once again and be crowned champion. And with the first round in the books, with large point totals for many teams, let's examine the top performers from all nine brackets and a look at what's to come for each standout.    LaMonaca is having a fantastic season so far for the Mustangs, posting 64 goals and 27 assists, nine points shy of the century mark for the year. With his outstanding first round performance, tallying 7 goals and 4 assists in a 15-1 win vs Jackson Memorial, the 6'3" attackman broke the single season goal record for his school that stood for six years and will be looking to add to that. LaMonaca has good hands at lefty attack and does a nice job of using his size to his advantage while dodging or setting up a shot. He has a hard shot with good placement and accuracy, but he also displays good vision and patience with the ball, and showing the ability to help lead the Mustangs into a deep playoff stretch ahead. The #4 seed Mainland Mustangs will host #5 seed Clearview in the South Jersey, Group 3 quarterfinal round on June 2nd at 4:30 P.M..     Del Mastro stood out as a freshman starting for Jefferson, but he is having an even better year as a sophomore for the Falcons, with a 69% win rate at the face-off X and also contributing more on the offensive end, recording 26 goals and 15 assists on the season. In a 17-0 blowout win vs Pascack Hills in the first round, Del Mastro had a perfect 20-20 face-off record from the X and also connected on a goal in the game. With the ability to also play attack, he is a dynamic force for the Falcons and can beat a team in numerous ways. He's quick to the punch on the whistle, and has the stick skills to win it to himself behind or in front of his opponent. He's smart with the ball and doesn't hesitate to take it into the heart of the defense if they don't step up on the fast break. The #6 Jefferson Falcons will travel to 3rd seeded Glen Rock in the North Jersey, Group 1 quarterfinal round on June 2nd at 3:00 P.M..     Gabe Pape is having another terrific year for the Bucs, posting 49 goals and 20 assists and looked to be unstoppable with 6 goals and 2 assists in Red Bank Regional's first round win vs Princeton, 13-4. The Boston University commit displays a good mix of power and speed in his style of play. He can set up from his lefty attack spot and hammer home a goal with a step down rip or can hitch and sweep across the field with good speed and change of direction to find a high percentage look at the cage. The junior attackman also does a nice job of creating offense for his team by facilitating off of his dodges and the Bucs are going to need more of that for their quarterfinal matchup when the #9 seed Red Bank Regional Bucs travel to Summit, NJ to face the top seeded Summit Hilltoppers on June 2nd at 4:00 P.M. in the North Jersey, Group 3 quarterfinals.     After leading the Cardinals in total points as a junior last season, Biello has battled this year and exploded for 8 goals in Westwood's 15-3 win over Boonton in their first round matchup. The York commit is a big body to deal with for defenders, with quick hands and good footwork, he is able to do damage in tight and from a distance. He works hard in the riding game and when he has his hands free for a step down look, he shows power and accuracy on his shot with the ability to change planes to keep the goalies guessing. The senior attackman has a quick first step to create space from his defender and keeps his head up for cutters or teammates setting up on the backside for a step down look. The #5 seed Westwood Cardinals traveled to take on #4 seed Kinnelon on May 31st in the North Jersey, Group 1 quarterfinals and came up short in a 11-7 loss and Biello finished with 2 goals, ending their season.     After having a breakout year as a sophomore last season for the Irish, the Army commit has had an even better year this season, totaling 30 goals and 45 assists, with a 4 goal and 5 assist performance a 21-4 win the first round vs DePaul. Long does a great job of seeing the field well and uses his stick skills and vision to facilitate the offense, among other contributors as well. The junior attackman has a slick dodging style and looks to get under his defender with a toe-drag or swim move and is not afraid of taking a hit when finishing in the teeth of the defense. He has shown the ability to be patient with the ball and works hard to get a high percentage look from his lefty attack spot, whether that's getting under his matchup or coming up the field from goal-line extended. The Irish ended up losing their second round matchup to Bergen Catholic in the Non-Public bracket, but Long can build off of this season and I believe will come back even stronger next year.     After having a big impact as a junior for the Pirates, McDevitt has once again had a great year, posting 36 goals and 29 assists, leading his squad in both categories so far this season. In a 18-5 win vs. Lacey in round one, the senior midfielder tallied 4 goals and 5 assists, with many defenders struggling to contain him. He can really stretch the defense with a hard step down shot, which also opens up the rest of the field for cutters and skip passes. When dodging, he utilizes the hitch to get his matchup off balance and then has a quick burst of speed to propel himself into a good shooting lane. He gets his shots off when they're available, but he also plays unselfish and makes sure to get his teammates involved along the way. #8 seed Cinnaminson with travel to Manasquan, NJ to take on the top seeded Warriors on June 2nd at 5:00 P.M. in the quarterfinal round of the South Jersey, Group 2 bracket.     With a smaller role in the offense as a sophomore a year ago, Freud has put up some solid numbers as an upperclassman, recording 30 goals and 41 assists and in the Crimson Knights' 18-7 first round win vs Absegami, Freud tallied 3 goals and 6 assists to help his team advance. He has a good mix of speed and stick skills to beat his matchup and shows good vision when an early slide comes. When dodging, he can beat you sweeping across the field with speed and power on his shot or can produce with a quick change of direction to get under his defender. He plays smart with the ball and uses his size to run through weak stick checks and drop the hammer when shooting on the run or with time and room. #2 seed Wall will host #7 seed Seneca in the South Jersey, Group 2 bracket on June 2nd at 4:00 P.M..     As a freshman, Uzzolino put on an impressive performance, but this year he has taken his game to a whole new level. With 58 goals and 49 assists on the year, the sophomore attackman helped the Raiders advance to the quarterfinal round in their 16-6 first round win vs. Steinart, where Uzzolino tallied 5 goals and 5 assists. He's a crafty dodger with the ability to use either hand interchangeably and while he isn't the biggest player on the field, he plays fast and physical and uses defenders' aggressive approach against them with good footwork, and a smooth roll-dodge to get inside or away from the pressure. He has good shot placement and power either on the run or setting up a step down shot and with the ability to impact the game in a multitude of ways and being as young as he is, the sky's the limit for Uzzolino. #3 seed Toms River East will play host to #6 seed Northern Burlington in the South Jersey, Group 3 quarterfinals on June 2nd at 4:00 P.M..     After having a stellar sophomore season in cage for the Cougars with 146 saves, Joshua Hammer has easily surpassed that mark with 244 saves so far this year. In their 12-5 win vs. Williamstown in the first round, Hammer came up with 19 saves and made sure the opponent had no chance to get back in the game. He displays confidence in between the pipes and has quick hands and reaction time to be able to get across the goal or get low for a save in a split second to stonewall the opponent. The junior net-minder has the clutch-gene to come up with big saves late in games and he also shows a lot of hustle to the end line when he gets a good read on a shot that's going wide of the net and lays his body out on the line to fight for possession for his squad. #10 seed Cherry Hill East will travel to face #2 seed Southern on June 2nd at 2:00 P.M. in the South Jersey, Group 4 quarterfinal round.     Ollendike didn't see as much game action as a sophomore, but this year he was thrusted into the starting role for the Panthers and has done a nice job of contributing from the face-off X for his team. With a 59% win rate on the year, Ollendike helped throttle Saddle Brook in the first round with a 16-0 shutout performance, where he tallied 17-19 face-off wins. Glen Rock was able to control the time of possession and get quality looks at the cage with the impact the junior FOGO had at center X. Although he has only recorded a singular goal on the year, he has the ability to put pressure on opposing defenses and makes them step up on a fast break to help his teammates finish the job. He times up the whistle well and gets a good jump on his matchup and then can control the ball by either pinch and popping it to a wing or taking it himself. #3 seed Glen Rock will host #6 seed Jefferson at 3:00 P.M. on June 2nd in the North Jersey, Group 1 bracket.

Following the county and conference tournaments in the Garden State, each team lucky enough to make the state tournament has been ramping up and getting ready to make a deep run to finish out the season. The New Jersey state playoff tournament consists of a Non-Public bracket, a South Jersey bracket with Groups 1-4 as well as a North Jersey bracket with Groups 1-4, with teams all fighting for the title of their respective groups.

The first round of the state playoffs is always an exciting time of year for every player and fanbase, with each hoping this is the year their squad will either repeat or climb to the top of the mountain once again and be crowned champion. And with the first round in the books, with large point totals for many teams, let's examine the top performers from all nine brackets and a look at what's to come for each standout.