X-Factors for All Five NJ State Champions and Kirst Cup Invitees

Photo: @db.visualss   With Delbarton winning their first ever Kirst Cup in a thriller vs. Summit hosted by Kean University, here's a breakdown of all five teams that earned their spot in this event and a recap of their memorable 2026 spring seasons as each of them hoisted the state title at the end.   Delbarton   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2026 record: 20-6 Returning X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='143645' first='Kane' last='Quenault'] (Jr.) Overview: After winning their first Non-Public state title since 2023 and bulldozing their way to their first ever Kirst Cup title, Delbarton capped off their season as the unquestioned #1 team in the state. In my opinion, a lot of their success came mainly from the production my X-Factor, junior FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='143645' first='Kane' last='Quenault'] (Notre Dame), displayed all year long, winning a total of 227 face-offs at a 74% rate, while adding 8 goals and 4 assists. Quenault played a pivotal role with his consistency from the face-off X and his ability to take over a game and help the Green Wave control the possession time. They'll be returning their leading point scorer (95), [player_tooltip player_id='121825' first='Brandon' last='Fodor'] (Johns Hopkins), who will try to continue to be the focal point for this offensive unit with his elite dodging ability and shooting skills. With guys like [player_tooltip player_id='25528' first='Christian' last='Troczynski'] (Cornell), [player_tooltip player_id='175752' first='Chase' last='Houser'] (High Point), [player_tooltip player_id='17442' first='Pierce' last='Bolger'] (Brown) and [player_tooltip player_id='37831' first='Jack' last='Sheridan'] (Bucknell) all graduating, there are many holes to fill, which is an area Delbarton usually doesn't have trouble with due to their coaching and development. Defensively, junior net-minder [player_tooltip player_id='176826' first='Matty' last='McGinty'] will be back after posting 139 saves on the year along with [player_tooltip player_id='123560' first='John' last='Fodor'] (Johns Hopkins), [player_tooltip player_id='167954' first='Max' last='Melchionni'], [player_tooltip player_id='121207' first='Carter' last='Baker'], among others who will have big shoes to fill with [player_tooltip player_id='17245' first='Dara' last='Corr'] (Cornell) and [player_tooltip player_id='176809' first='Tommy' last='Kovachik'] (Dension) both graduating. Delbarton is a top-level program in NJ and there's no reason to think they won't come back next spring reloaded and ready to defend their titles, even with the large amount of graduating impact players. Notable Wins: 9-7 W @ St. Anthony's (N.Y.) 10-3 W vs. Summit 8-7 W vs. Fairfield Prep (Conn.) 8-7 W @ Seton Hall Prep - Non-Public State Championship </li> </ul>   Summit   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2026 Record: 20-1 Returning X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='176151' first='Chris' last='Davies'] (So.) Overview: The Hilltoppers were on a tear this spring, losing only one game in the regular season and in the Kirst Cup, both at the hands of Delbarton, outscoring their opponents 230-86 throughout the year. Offensively, senior attackman [player_tooltip player_id='45416' first='James' last='Grainger'] (Washington & Lee) was remarkable and led down the stretch posting 11 goals and 11 assist in the state playoffs and finishing his final season by leading his team in every category, while notching a new career-high in points (91). Finishing 2nd in points is my returning X-Factor, sophomore attackman [player_tooltip player_id='176151' first='Chris' last='Davies'], who had a solid 40-point freshman campaign and topped it by tallying 62 points this spring. He is going to be a key piece in this offense next year and with a host of offensive contributors graduating like [player_tooltip player_id='175878' first='Quinn' last='Hynes'] (Washington & Lee), [player_tooltip player_id='175882' first='Jack' last='Freeman'] (Bowdoin), Cole Sabol (Hamilton) and [player_tooltip player_id='176811' first='Luke' last='Fowler'] (Vermont), there will be many spots to compete for. On the other end, they will look very different as well, with standout goaltender [player_tooltip player_id='45465' first='Robbie' last='Kievit'] (Fairfield), and defensemen [player_tooltip player_id='175880' first='Ryan' last='Bancone'] (St. Joe's), Jake Reimold (Sacred Heart) and John Coniff (Providence) all departing for college. Their defense allowed just about 4 goals per game and was fantastic once again this year, but with their entire unit graduating, along with legendary head coach Jim Davidson stepping down, they'll work to regroup and get ready to defend their title as they will undoubtedly continue to be hunted by every team in the state. Notable Wins: 6-5 W vs. Seton Hall Prep 9-6 W @ Westfield 8-6 W @ Chatham - North Jersey, Group 3 Sectional Final 9-3 W vs. Shawnee - Group 3 State Championship</li> </ul>   Ridgewood   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2026 Record: 18-5 Returning X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='165780' first='Jax' last='Monte'] (Fr.) Overview: The Maroons got off to a rocky start at 0-2, but showed their resilience and put together a great season which resulted in them getting and staying hot at the right time and hoisting the state title for the first time since 2023 and making their 2nd appearance in the Kirst Cup (won in 2023). Their offense was clicking at just the right time, winning their first two rounds of the state tournament by a combined score of 45-2. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='37802' first='AJ' last='LoSauro'] (Penn State), who led the offense with 94 points and set new career-highs in every offensive category, along with classmate [player_tooltip player_id='120652' first='Cooper' last='Adkins'] (Le Moyne) will be missed in this offense, but with a talented young nucleus of guys, there won't be much of a drop-off. One of them being my returning X-Factor, freshman [player_tooltip player_id='165780' first='Jax' last='Monte'], who had a breakout season and finished second in points (47), helping fuel the Ridgewood scoring attack. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='179178' first='Will' last='LoSauro'], [player_tooltip player_id='179180' first='Ryan' last='Laffey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='179182' first='Connor' last='Murphy'] each produced solid numbers for this offense and will be looked upon as juniors to shoulder most of the workload. Defensively, there will be nearly a full change, with net-minder Ben Wilday along with defensemen [player_tooltip player_id='120626' first='Trevor' last='Colm'] (Washington & Lee), [player_tooltip player_id='167070' first='Quinn' last='Conneen'] (Colgate) and Jack Ginn (St. John's Fisher) all graduating. Junior defender [player_tooltip player_id='179190' first='Caden' last='Ferrara'] will be returning, but the Maroons will be filling many spots in order to put together another championship squad and run it back next spring. Notable Wins: 11-10 W @ Chatham 13-6 W @ Mountain Lakes 6-5 W @ Westfield 13-8 W @ Southern - Group 4 State Championship </li> </ul>   Mountain Lakes   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2026 Record: 14-8 Returning X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='143667' first='Lawson' last='Fagan'] (Jr.) Overview: The Lakers capped off another fantastic season under head coach Tim Flynn who tallied his 17th state title at Mountain Lakes and led the way to their first Kirst Cup berth. Entering the state tournament as the top seed in the North Jersey Group 1 bracket, the Lakers mowed down their competition, outscoring their opponents 72-20 with both sides of the field working off of each other. With the firepower this offensive unit shows, having a guy like sophomore FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='176275' first='Jayden' last='Hernando'] who can continue to win you possession time after time is a big help to keep the offense in rhythm and stack goals. Hernando finished with 269 wins at 73% and went two games in the state tournament without losing a draw. The offense was led by my returning X-Factor, junior [player_tooltip player_id='143667' first='Lawson' last='Fagan'] (Dartmouth) who led the way in assists (67) and points (107), notching career-highs in both categories. They will miss the production from guys like [player_tooltip player_id='177031' first='Holden' last='Gillespie'] (Bucknell), [player_tooltip player_id='176277' first='Massimo' last='Corvelli'] (Denison) and Carson Fitch (Denison) who all contributed massive numbers for this team, but they saw great value from sophomore standout [player_tooltip player_id='165991' first='Owen' last='Higgins'] and will look to find good fits around him and Fagan next spring. The defense will look a lot different as well with goalie Bailey Austin and defensemen [player_tooltip player_id='177026' first='Ryan' last='Sluck'], Aaron Gellert and Duco DeBeijer all graduating, leaving junior LSM [player_tooltip player_id='121330' first='Ty' last='Plotts'] (St. John's) to anchor this defensive unit next spring and defend their title. Notable Wins: 9-3 W @ Sparta 11-7 W @ Bergen Catholic 14-5 W vs. Ramsey - North Jersey, Group 1 Sectional Final 10-7 W @ Rumson-Fair Haven - Group 1 State Championship</li> </ul>   Sparta   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2026 Record: 16-5 Returning X-Factor: [player_tooltip player_id='178874' first='Jace' last='Stiansen'] (So.) Overview: The Spartans finished off a historic 2026 season with their first state title in program history and their first Kirst Cup appearance behind a powerful offense and a consistent defensive unit. Offensively, they will be graduating a lot of talent and production, consisting of [player_tooltip player_id='129407' first='Eddie' last='Brown'] (Mercyhurst), [player_tooltip player_id='74699' first='Marco' last='Aquino'] (Lynchburg), Michael Pandiscia, and Luke Spelman (St. Leo) who each had over 50 points this year. However they will be returning junior [player_tooltip player_id='179188' first='Danny' last='Westervelt'] along with my X-Factor sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='178874' first='Jace' last='Stiansen'] who put on another solid performance with 46 points on the season after he finished with 39 as a freshman and will look to step into a much larger role as a returning difference-maker. On the other end, senior net-minder Jake Alliegro was phenomenal with 229 saves and was clutch in their deep playoff run leading to offensive chances. Other key defensive pieces were a slew of graduating seniors consisting of Marcelo DiStefano (Seton Hill), Stone Herbison, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/player/eric-mccall/" id="https://preplacrosse.com/player/eric-mccall/">Eric McCalI</a> (Stevens), and Zach Purchla who were all crucial to their championship run. There will be a full reload of the defense and nearly full reload of the offense which is a tall task for any team, but it will be fun to watch them defend their title next spring. Notable Wins: 10-3 W vs. Jefferson 7-5 W vs. Ramapo 12-4 W @ West Morris - North Jersey, Group 2 Sectional Final 9-5 W @ Ocean City - Group 1 State Championship</li> </ul>

Photo: @db.visualss