Top-seeded Don Bosco Prep Takes Down CBA in NJ Semifinal, 8-5

The Non-Public Group A state title game is set between Don Bosco Prep and Seton Hall Prep. Seton Hall Prep took down Delbarton 10-4 on Saturday, June 1st in their state semifinal game. Two days later, the Christian Brothers Academy Colts traveled to Ramsey to take on the red-hot Don Bosco Prep Ironmen, who hadn't lost in over a month.   Right out of the gate, both Colton Carfello (St. Joe's) and Brandon DeSena (Stockton) came up with a few nice saves. It was clear both defenses were playing aggressively and looking to set the tone. An unforced turnover by CBA helped set up attackman [player_tooltip player_id='14548' first='Brady' last='Scioletti'] (Duke) for the first goal of the night, but the Colts soon answered with a man-up goal coming from Harvard-bound defenseman [player_tooltip player_id='14575' first='Quinn' last='Kelly']. Don Bosco finished the quarter strong with a goal from Crispin Kaye (Bucknell) and another from Scioletti, who beat his short-stick matchup to make it 3-1. Ironmen junior FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='28069' first='Scott' last='Conte'] was 5-for-5 on faceoffs in the first quarter.   It only took six seconds into the second quarter for Conte to find Kaye for a goal on a fastbreak coming off of another clean face-off win. It became obvious CBA was being forced to slow things down. The Colts adjusted, being patient and methodical, which led to a lot of good looks like senior Cameron D'Alterio feeding sophomore Caden Lucich off of a nice cut on the crease. Soon after, senior captain EJ Garvey (Sacred Heart) would find Kaye for another goal to complete his first-half hat trick with Don Bosco up three going into the half.   What stood out in the first half was how active [player_tooltip player_id='28069' first='Scott' last='Conte'] had been (8-for-9 with 4 or 5 clean wins plus an assist) and how impactful Harvard-bound [player_tooltip player_id='14575' first='Quinn' last='Kelly'] (Harvard) and Bryant commit [player_tooltip player_id='18472' first='Luke' last='Krebs'] were for CBA. Both guys were everywhere all night, affecting the game in multiple ways, offensively and defensively, and it was impressive to watch.   Later in the game, turnovers started to become an issue for both sides. CBA picked up some momentum in the third quarter, however, with a settled offensive goal from long-stick [player_tooltip player_id='18472' first='Luke' last='Krebs'] (Bryant) and then another man-up goal by captain Ryan Martin (Villanova), the deficit was cut to two goals heading into the final quarter.   Don Bosco finished their scoring early in the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals, just 20 seconds apart, both scored by Kaye. The final goal of the game would come from CBA senior midfielder Jack Santos, as an offsides flag was down and he had been getting hounded by the double-team. Finally, a save by Carfello with a minute left was followed by fans cheering, as Don Bosco is now headed back to the Non-Public Group A state title game for the first time since 2021.   #1 Don Bosco Prep will take on #2 Seton Hall Prep on Thursday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Kean University.    To me, Conte was the player of the game. He went 14-for-17 (82%) with an assist and seemed to control the faceoff X all night with CBA having no answer for him. He is a smart, tough player who makes the right reads with the ball in his stick, and isn't afraid to let it fly if he has a lane to the net. He is a reliable piece for the Ironmen and has a bright future in front of him. He is 204-of-304 (67%) from the X this season.     Kaye finished with five goals on the night and did most of his work on the inside. He plays well in the crease because he has the bulky size to not get bullied around by defenders and has the stick skills to be able to catch and shoot when pressured. He has a quick release on his shot when in tight and has a good feel for the soft spots in the defense. He has 26 goals and 17 assists on the season.     Scioletti draws a lot of attention defensively and there's a reason for that. He is a good dodger from his lefty wing, but his stick skills and vision off of his dodges are also quite impressive to watch. He has a hard shot and changes planes, making it difficult for goalies to track the ball. He finished with two goals and two assists and has 58 goals and 22 assists on the season as a junior.     Kelly was all over the field for the Colts in this matchup. He is an extremely smart player with a good instinct for the ball. I counted at least four intercepted passes he had and multiple ground balls as well which led to fastbreaks. He can affect the game on both sides of the ball, he even plays the point on their man-up unit. That shows just how much confidence and trust head coach Dave Santos has in his ability. It'll be fun to see the duo of Kelly and Krebs run it back next season as seniors for CBA.     Senior Ryan Martin has a great mix of size and skill at the lefty attack position. When dodging, he likes muscling his way upfield with his left hand and then either shooting, finding an open teammate, or setting back up for a re-dodge. He has a hard shot and puts the ball in good spots to keep the goalie guessing. He commands a lot of attention with his size along with his nearly 100-point season this year. He finished with 59 goals and 37 assists.

The Non-Public Group A state title game is set between Don Bosco Prep and Seton Hall Prep. Seton Hall Prep took down Delbarton 10-4 on Saturday, June 1st in their state semifinal game. Two days later, the Christian Brothers Academy Colts traveled to Ramsey to take on the red-hot Don Bosco Prep Ironmen, who hadn't lost in over a month.