Kirst Cup Seeding and New Jersey State Finals Recap

The 2025 New Jersey state tournament has wrapped up, with five teams being crowned champions. One team, a first-timer, emerged victorious, while other teams, more familiar with making deep post-season runs in the past, also claimed titles.   The five state champions with now be competing for the 3rd annual Kirst Cup at Kean University in Union, NJ. The first game was played on Monday, June 16th with #4 seed Manasquan knocking off #5 seed Glen Ridge, 15-10.   On Tuesday, June 17th, #3 seed Westfield will face #2 seed Summit at 4:30 P.M., followed by #1 seed Seton Hall Prep matching up against #4 seed Manasquan at 7:00 P.M..   The 2025 Kirst Cup Championship will be played at Kean University on Thursday, June 19th, with the winner undoubtedly being named the best team in the state of New Jersey.   Non-Public Champion: #2 Seton Hall Prep   Seton Hall Prep (19-3):   Regarded as one of the best lacrosse programs in the state, the Pirates routinely put themselves in a position to be successful down the stretch of a long season, but they have been struggling to finish the job in recent years. However, they left nothing to chance this season in a dominant 12-6, win over #4 seed Don Bosco Prep who has been ranked top five in the state in their own right. But Seton Hall Prep played a smart game and after the Pirates were up 5-4 heading into halftime, their defense played fast and physical and shut down the Ironmen offense, only allowing two goals in the whole second half to seal it. Senior attackman <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/nolan-sabel/">Nolan Sabel</a> (Villanova) left it all out on the field and had himself a phenomenal outing, posting 5 goals and an assist, while fellow classmates Clark Rich (Lehigh) and Joe DelMauro (Utah) both combined for 5 goals on the game. Defensively, senior net-minder <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/conor-keenan/">Conor Keenan</a> (Lafayette) recorded 7 saves, with defenders David Manzo (High Point), [player_tooltip player_id='121228' first='Jagger' last='Zemachson'] and Michael Clifford (Colgate) flying around, applying pressure on the ball and making their matchups uncomfortable, while Clifford also added a goal and an assist in the strong effort displayed. The Pirates will need to keep the ball rolling as they head into the Kirst Cup with a target on their backs being that they will be the top seed and will face #4 seed Manasquan in the semifinals.   Tournament Outcomes:   15-3, win vs. #15 St. Peter's Prep   13-1, win vs. #7 Bergen Catholic   13-8, win vs. #3 St. Augustine   12-6, win vs. #4 Don Bosco Prep   Group 1 Champion: #5 Glen Ridge   Glen Ridge (16-8):   The Ridgers are on a spectacular run this year, coming into the South Jersey, Group 1 bracket ranked as the fifth seed, they've played like anything but a fifth seed. With a chip on their shoulder, they have been able to close out great teams and have been able to produce huge momentum shifting plays when it matters most down the stretch. Having beaten Mountain Lakes in OT, Glen Ridge has also shown resilience and toughness which has been a key component in the run, after also beating Rumson-Fair Haven in OT in the sectional semifinals to stay alive. Seniors Brad Foster and Connor Sutton displayed a solid one-two punch for the Ridgers, combining for 5 goals and two assists in the title game, with Foster being the hero in the end with the OT goal after a nice spin move at midfield to shake his defender and create space and a lane to get a good shot off. However, in net sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='129347' first='Keiller' last='Goodwin'] was masterful, standing tall in cage and seeing the ball well with confidence in his ability. He recorded 12 saves on the day and is a big boost of energy for his team when he comes up with a big stop. After their first state title in program history, the Ridgers lost 15-10 vs. #4 seed Manasquan in the quarterfinals of the Kirst Cup, but they have been on a magical run and the returning guys can only get better with this learning experience.   Tournament Outcomes:   11-6, win vs. #12 Delaware Valley   8-4, win vs. #4 Shore   9-8, win vs. #1 Rumson-Fair Haven   7-4, win vs. #2 Caldwell   8-7, win vs. #1 Mountain Lakes   Group 2 Champion: #1 Manasquan   Manasquan (19-3):   The Warriors refuse to be stopped as they have come away with many games in this tournament not even close towards the end and now in the quarterfinal matchup for the Kirst Cup against #5 seed Glen Ridge, the Warriors throttled them 15-10 to advance another day to face #1 seed Seton Hall Prep. In their state final win vs. Hopewell Valley, Manasquan jumped out to a 6-3 halftime lead before they found their groove offensively in the second half, totaling 7 goals and shutting out their opponents in the 4th quarter to put the nail in the coffin. The senior trio of Ryan Aldi (Bentley), Brandon Kunz (Lehigh) and Matt Schneider (Monmouth) combined for 9 goals and 4 assists and played complimentary lacrosse, with each guy having the ability to work with or without the ball to help his team stay efficient. Junior FOGO Will Conway held him own from the face-off X, recording 11 wins at a 50% win rate and defensively, senior Parker Harms (Villanova) stayed aggressive and worked hard in transition, tallying a goal in the finals. The Warriors are a scary team to face in the Kirst Cup, with the offense humming and the defense standing strong, Manasquan now has their target set on #1 seed Seton Hall Prep in the semifinals.   Tournament Outcomes:   20-1, win vs. #16 Nottingham   18-4, win vs. #8 Cinnaminson   17-3, win vs. #4 Allentown   9-7, win vs. #2 Wall   13-5, win vs. #1 Hopewell Valley   Group 3 Champion: #1 Summit   Summit (18-4):   The Hilltoppers have done it once again! Summit has won three straight state championships and are looking to repeat as Kirst Cup Champions and bring the Cup back to Summit, NJ where they hope to keep it. It won't be easy though as they face their long-time Union County rival, Westfield in the semifinals. These two blue bloods have been atop Union County dating back over a decade and always bring the juice when they square off. In their state final game vs. Shawnee, the Hilltoppers fed off of their solid first half start in order to stave off the Renegades who were picking up steam as the game went along and trying to figure out ways to beat the stingy defense of Summit. Junior attackman [player_tooltip player_id='45416' first='James' last='Grainger'] has been nearly unstoppable this season and he has kept his foot on the gas as he produced 5 goals in the title game as well as fellow junior midfielder Jack Freeman who opened up the scoring and finished with a pair of goals. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='45465' first='Robbie' last='Kievit'] (Fairfield) came up with 5 saves and helped stop the last rush from Shawnee along with guys like Luca Avelino (Denision) and Jake Reimold (Sacred Heart), keeping the pressure on and throwing hard checks. Summit has a chance to be the first back-to-back Kirst Cup Champion since it's inception, but they'll need to play their best lacrosse of the season and continue the offensive efficiency.   Tournament Outcomes:   18-0, win vs. #16 Nutley   15-3, win vs. #9 Red Bank Regional   5-2, win vs. #4 Ridge   6-3, win vs. #2 Chatham   13-10, win vs. #2 Shawnee   Group 4 Champion: #1 Westfield   Westfield (18-6):   The Blue Devils have earned the #3 seed in the Kirst Cup, after being the only team to take down the former undefeated Kingsway Dragons in their 2nd straight state title game, with the game out of reach from the get-go. Westfield came out hot, with tons of energy and excitement, playing extremely fast-paced when in transition, and when they were in a settled set, they did a good job of possessing the ball for long periods of time to wear down the defense before finding a good look at the cage. Senior attack trio consisting of Luke Angelo, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/garrett-ferguson/">Garrett Ferguson</a> (Washington & Lee) and <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/colin-coyle/">Colin Coyle</a> (UMass) each tallied at least one goal and stayed active all game long. Ferguson netted five and hit the 80 goal mark on the season, while Coyle dished out 3 assists and became the leader in single-season assist (79) and single-season points (123) for Westfield High School, both terrific milestones for both players and looking to finish what they started. Defensively, senior goalie Corey Gilford didn't see too many shots, but he stayed ready and came up with the stops he needed to, not allowing a single offense player score in the title game, with guys like Jack Clark, [player_tooltip player_id='24399' first='Ben' last='Seward'] and Drew Pravlik (Muhlenberg) swarming defensively, causing turnovers and playing smart to avoid penalties. The Blue Devils will need to continue to stay sharp on both ends if they want to take down arch-rival Summit for their 2nd win in three meetings this season.   Tournament Outcomes:   16-2, win vs. #8 Parsippany Hills   18-4, win vs. #5 Montclair   8-7, win vs. #3 Bridgewater-Raritan   13-2, win vs. #1 Kingsway

The 2025 New Jersey state tournament has wrapped up, with five teams being crowned champions. One team, a first-timer, emerged victorious, while other teams, more familiar with making deep post-season runs in the past, also claimed titles.