Ultimate Breakdown Of The New Jersey State Finals, Groups 1-4

Since the 2025 NJSIAA state tournament brackets opened up back in late May, there has been excitement in the air with an "anything is possible" mindset for every team. There is always an enormous buzz around New Jersey high school lacrosse at this time of year, and with many teams at this point having already packed their bags and are looking towards club ball, there are still a handful of extremely talented teams with one goal in mind at the end of the year.   This year features a variety of different programs, with some looking to get back to the top after a long time away, a couple are looking to repeat as champions and a few are even seeking their first ever state championship in program history, which is why New Jersey high school lacrosse is some of the best in the country.   Group 1: #5 Glen Ridge @ #1 Mountain Lakes   Mountain Lakes (14-7):   Mountain Lakes had a historic run of state championships from 2018 to 2022, but the Lakers have stumbled in the finals the last two years against some stiff competition. They are all experienced in playing a long season and grinding out the state tournament and if they are looking to start a new state championship winning streak, this could be the year they kickstart that idea into action. Their offense has been clicking all tournament, averaging just under 15 goals per game, with sophomore standout Lawson Fagan leading the way, tallying 14 goals and 16 assist in the tournament. He has also just hit the century mark on the season with 48 goals and 52 assists, displaying a break through year for the young star in the making. Junior attackman Holden Gillespie (Bucknell) has produced at high levels once again this season, notching over 90 points on the year, with a 5 goal performance vs. Newton in the quarterfinals. Freshman FOGO Jayden Hernando has been keeping pressure off of senior net-minder Brendan Sentiwany and the defense by winning over 66% of his face-offs on the year and also finding ways to help the offense when the opportunity presents itself. The Lakers are a resilient bunch of guys, who were on a 5 game losing streak mid-way through the season, but found a way to turn it around and fight their way to a #1 seed and now into the state finals once again, which they are no stranger to. They are a young team and they can only grow from this experience, one way or the other.   Tournament Outcomes:   18-1, win vs. #16 Pompton Lakes   16-3, win vs. #8 Newton   12-9, win vs. #4 Kinnelon   13-8, win vs. #2 Ramsey   Glen Ridge (15-8):   The Ridgers continue to be the Cinderella story in this year's tournament, having caught fire since their last loss in late-May and riding the 4 game win streak and looking to finish the job this week. They have knocked off three of the top four seeds in their group, including top seeded Rumson-Fair Haven in OT. With this only being the third time they have made a state sectional championship appearance in the last decade, they were able to slay that dragon for the first time and are now in prime position for their first state championship in over a decade. They haven't had blow-out games in the tournament like most teams that are still standing, but they have played a great brand of lacrosse and have been steady throughout. Sophomore attackman Stephen Grober has been a force to be reckoned with, with a total of 12 goals and 2 assists in the tournament, with 4 goals and an assist vs. Rumson-Fair Haven. Glen Ridge does a good job of sharing the ball and has a wide range of talent and depth, with five guys on their roster eclipsing 50 points on the year. On the other hand, sophomore goalie [player_tooltip player_id='129347' first='Keiller' last='Goodwin'] has been a brick wall in cage, recording 230 saves on the year and has been a huge contributing factor for the Ridgers' recent success and why they are on the cusp of a state title. They have had the underdog mindset all tournament which has been the fuel for them reaching the title round, but now they need another team effort once more to close it out.   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   Group 2: #1 Manasquan @ #1 Hopewell Valley   Hopewell Valley (21-2):   There's a first time for everything, which is exactly the mindset with Hopewell Valley as they took down Sparta, 8-5 in their first ever sectional final win and now looking to continue their success and capture their first ever state championship in program history. Since their last loss on May 3rd, the Bulldogs have bulldozed their way to the Group 2 final, going 11-0 during that stretch, with many games not even being close. Their offense has been electrifying this year, averaging over 13 goals per game, with large margins in most of them, but the Bulldogs have been firing on all cylinders as of late and at just the right time. The biggest boost for Hopewell Valley during this tournament has been senior attackman <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/luke-caldwell/">Luke Caldwell</a> (Washington & Lee) with a total of 17 goals and 11 assists in four games, while leading the team in goals (117) and points (166) for the season and getting big help from fellow senior attackman Ryan Foret with a team-high 81 assists, also with a 4 goal, 3 assist performance in the semifinals vs. Pascack Valley. Defensively, seniors Milan Desai and Ben DeCore, among others, have kept goalie Owen Shehab rather unscathed the past few games and they are going to need a big defensive day from him in order to stop the high-powered offense of Manasquan and take home the state title.   Tournament Outcomes:   16-2, win vs. #16 Ocean Township   15-3, win vs. #9 Montville   12-3, win vs. #4 Pascack Valley   8-5, win vs. #3 Sparta   Manasquan (18-3):   After getting knocked out in the state finals a season ago, the Warriors have come rejuvenated and have fought hard this year to get redemption and to raise the state championship trophy when all is said and done. Manasquan has put up huge goal totals in their four tournament games, in large part due to seniors Ryan Aldi (Bentley) and Brandon Kunz (Lehigh). Kunz is currently leading the team in goals (56) and points (80), recording 14 goals and 7 assist in this tournament alone, including a hat trick performance in the sectional final vs. Wall, while also dishing out two helpers in the process. The pairing of Aldi and Kunz feed well off of each other, with defenses never knowing how or when they will attack. On the other end, senior classmates, goaltender Pax Loxley (Muhlenberg) and defender Parker Harms (Villanova) have done a great job of denying the opposition and was able to come up with big stops in the clutch in a two goal win against Wall. Harms has also contributed on the offensive end, with 12 goals and 9 assist on the year and he'll look to help slow down the Hopewell Valley offense when these two teams collide. After falling short in the Shore Conference tournament to Rumson-Fair Haven in OT, the Warriors have something to prove and after being so close, but having been denied the trophy over the past few years, I expect them to come out hot and look to make a statement.   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   Group 3: #2 Shawnee @ #1 Summit   Summit (17-4):   The Hilltoppers have once again arrived in a familiar spot for them over the past decade, the state finals. Five out of the last six seasons, Summit has won the state championship, with the last eight seasons having been named sectional champs. Head coach Jim Davidson reloads with tons of talent year in and year out for Summit, with his tight zone defense that many offenses struggle with, the Hilltoppers do a great job of keeping teams to low goal totals, while also cashing in many opportunities of their own on the opposite end which makes them such a tough team to manage. Senior goaltender [player_tooltip player_id='45465' first='Robbie' last='Kievit'] (Fairfield) has been seeing the ball well and is extremely athletic, with high lacrosse IQ and a clutch gene that is hard to come by. The zone defense in front of him is tightly packed with great communication and smothering on-ball pressure from guys like defensmen [player_tooltip player_id='82261' first='John' last='Conniff'] (Providence) and Luca Avelino (Dension), who do a good job of throwing hard checks and staying on the gloves. Junior attackman [player_tooltip player_id='45416' first='James' last='Grainger'] has taken over the offense this season and is leading the team in goals (44) and assist (34), with junior midfielders Quinn Hynes and Jack Freeman have also made big contributions alongside Grainger. One name to keep an eye on is freshman attackman Chris Davies who has put up an even 20/20 season and notched 3 goals and 2 assist in the tournament thus far and will look to help the Hilltoppers go back-to-back and start a new state championship streak once again.   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   Shawnee (17-3):   Since their last loss to Kingsway in mid-May, the Renegades have been on a tear and have been getting hot at just the right time. Averaging 17 goals per game in this year's tournament, Shawnee's offense is deadly, with their unselfish play and the depth that they show. The big names that need to be contained are junior attack duo, [player_tooltip player_id='31261' first='Thomas' last='McAneney'] (Duke), and Tyler Rotkowski (Rutgers), with a combined 107 goals on the year and 197 points in total, they have made defenses struggle to guard them all year long. However, we cannot forget about their midfield duo of [player_tooltip player_id='31265' first='Brett' last='Lundberg'] (Duke) and Cale Stielau (Iona) who have also contributed big numbers as well this season, with Lundberg showcasing the size, speed and strength to bully defenders on his dodges. Senior FOGO Lucas Estevez has been a scrappy and dependable player for the Renegades this year, winning a total of 272 face-offs at a 71% win rate and also being a threat offensively, making the defense step up to him which ignites his offensive counterparts and takes pressure off of senior net-minder Eddie Penberthy and his defense. After their state title win in 2023, Shawnee is hungry for that feeling once again this year and it's as good of a chance as ever, but they'll need to keep the offensive production high against a stingy Hilltopper defense for Summit.   insane goal totals   Tournament Outcomes:   22-1, win vs. #15 Highland   20-6, win vs. #10 Hightstown   16-5, win vs. #3 Toms River East   10-9, win vs. #1 Moorestown   Group 4: #1 Westfield @ #1 Kingsway   Kingsway (22-0):   Kingsway has been a wrecking ball this year, taking out anyone that challenges them and by wide margins for the most part. They are looking to stay perfect on the year and be crowned state champs for the first time in program history after beating Southern, 7-6 in the South Jersey, Group 4 finals for the first time ever. They are amongst the top teams in the state scoring the ball, averaging over 13 goals per game with the majority of the points coming from attack duo, senior Keegan Borkowski (Ursinus) and sophomore Owen Dougherty, totaling 137 goals and 179 points between the two. Also making strong contributions is junior midfielder Roman Woratyla with a team-high 40 assists on the year and senior FOGO Tommy DiPietro has been rewarding the Dragons offense with 233 wins on the year at a 70% clip. Kingsway has also done well defensively, holding teams to under 4 goals per game, also amongst the best in the state in that category. Sophomore net-minder John McEntee has been a brick wall for his squad alongside guys like defensemen Cole DeNick, Dane Jespersen (Elizabethtown), Ryan Glenn, and Dominic Hibbs, making it tough for their matchups to find good looks at the cage. They'll need to continue to play complimentary lacrosse on both ends to ultimately climb to the top of the state for their first ever state championship and finish an undefeated season.   Tournament Outcomes:   24-0, win vs. #16 Millville   13-2, win vs. #8 Manalapan   14-4, win vs. #5 Washington Township   7-6, win vs. #2 Southern   Westfield (17-6):   The Blue Devils have had an up and down season, with a few losses to some really talented teams, but as of late they have been clicking and find themselves riding a five game winning streak heading into the final round vs. Kingsway, looking to try to be the only team to beat the Dragons this season. They've put up large goal totals this tournament and have blown out a few teams, but they also know how to get it down in a close game, displayed in their 8-7, nail-biting win over Bridgewater-Raritan in the North Jersey, Group 4 finals. Since their last loss in mid-May, Westfield has outscored their opponents 72-31 and find themselves riding high and looking to go back-to-back as state champs. Senior attackman <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/colin-coyle/">Colin Coyle</a> (UMass) looks like he came ready to play again this year, with 6 goals and 19 assist in just three tournament games, while leading the team in assists (76) and points (119) for the year. Coyle's line-mate, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/garrett-ferguson/">Garret Ferguson</a> (Washington & Lee) has also been lighting up the scoreboard this season with 75 goals, leading the team for a 2nd straight year in that category. Defensively, senior Drew Pravlik (Muhlenberg) and [player_tooltip player_id='24399' first='Ben' last='Seward'], among other have been smothering opponents and coming up with huge stops in crunch time to alleviate the pressure on senior goaltender <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/corey-gilford/">Corey Gilford</a>, who has been fantastic in net once again this season and will look to be a big part of the process if the Blue Devils can go back-to-back this year as state champions.   Tournament Outcomes:   16-2, win vs. #8 Parsippany Hills   18-4, win vs. #5 Montclair   8-7, win vs. #3 Bridgewater-Raritan

Since the 2025 NJSIAA state tournament brackets opened up back in late May, there has been excitement in the air with an "anything is possible" mindset for every team. There is always an enormous buzz around New Jersey high school lacrosse at this time of year, and with many teams at this point having already packed their bags and are looking towards club ball, there are still a handful of extremely talented teams with one goal in mind at the end of the year.