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Morris/Sussex girls lacrosse rankings: Where we stand before county tournament seeding

Jane Havsy, Morristown Daily Record
·4 min read

The Morris County Tournament girls lacrosse seeding meeting isn't until Wednesday night. But the No. 1 seed will likely be decided on Saturday morning.

That's when undefeated Morristown hosts Chatham in a Stars & Stripes Red regular-season game.

Those teams have decided the last three MCT finals. The Colonials are the defending champions, earning the top seed and beating Chatham. But in 2022, the Cougars won the MCT as the No. 3 seed after losing division games to Morristown and Mountain Lakes.

The MCT will be seeded on Wednesday night. That's also the cutoff for the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament, which will probably release its brackets the following day.

Will the coaches agree with our rankings? Probably not, but there are also plenty of games between now and then.

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10. Pequannock (4-2)

Last week: Unranked

Caitlin and Emily Zegler combined for seven goals, an assist and three ground balls as the Golden Panthers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 14-6 win against West Milford on April 17. The sophomore midfielders have scored 12 goals apiece.

Up next: Saturday vs. Villa Walsh, Tuesday vs. Mahwah, Thursday vs. Mount Olive

9. Jefferson (4-2)

Last week: No. 10

Junior Samantha Kepler (16g, 6a, 5gb, 9dc, 11ft) and sophomore Riley Strauch (14g, 3a, 10gb, 7dc, 4ft) lead the Falcons, who have three games this week. Jefferson snapped a two-game losing streak with a convincing, 13-1 victory at Parsippany Hills on April 17.

Up next: Saturday vs. Kittatinny, Tuesday vs. Morris Hills, Thursday vs. Roxbury

Scarlett Claps (center), of St. Elizabeth, keeps the ball away from the Park Regional defense. Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Scarlett Claps (center), of St. Elizabeth, keeps the ball away from the Park Regional defense. Wednesday, April 12, 2023

8. St. Elizabeth (3-1)

Last week: Unranked

Juniors Tessa Koza (13g, 3a, 4gb, 2dc), Scarlett Claps (15g, 3a, 10gb, 7dc) and Katie Callahan (10g, 12a, 15gb, 9dc) power St. Elizabeth. The Panthers' three victories have come by six total goals.

Up next: Saturday vs. Vernon, Monday vs. Gov. Livingston, Tuesday vs. Millburn

7. Roxbury (5-1)

Last week: No. 9

Sophomore Abbie Rattay has 33 goals and eight assists, 61 draw controls, 12 forced turnovers and 23 ground balls for Roxbury, which has won four in a row. The Gaels are tied with Mount Olive atop the Independence Blue.

Up next: Tuesday vs. Park Regional, Thursday at Jefferson

6. Sparta (5-2)

Last week: No. 8

Junior midfielder Uma Kowalski (34g, 5a, 18gb, 33dc, 13ft) leads the Spartans in nearly every statistical category. Sparta rebounded from a, April 15 9-7 loss to Randolph by edging Glen Rock, 6-4, two days later.

Up next: Saturday at Voorhees, Tuesday vs. New Providence

Celia Ortiz of West Morris scores a goal past Gretchen King of Morris Knolls as Morris Knolls topped West Morris 10-6 in an NJIGLL Freedom North girls lacrosse game in Denville, NJ on April 21, 2022.
Celia Ortiz of West Morris scores a goal past Gretchen King of Morris Knolls as Morris Knolls topped West Morris 10-6 in an NJIGLL Freedom North girls lacrosse game in Denville, NJ on April 21, 2022.

5. West Morris (5-1)

Last week: No. 7

West Morris rebounded from its loss to sister-school Mendham with four straight victories, two in the Freedom White. Sophomore Kate Barisonek has 17 goals and 11 assists in her return from a season-ending injury.

Up next: Friday at Columbia, Tuesday at West Orange, Thursday at Montclair Kimberley

4. Mendham (3-3)

Last week: No. 4

The Minutemen are trying to find their way in the challenging Stars & Stripes Red. After opening the season with three wins, Mendham has now lost three straight: a 12-11 crossover at Randolph, and division games against Morristown and Oak Knoll.

Up next: Monday vs. Madison, Thursday at Chatham

3. Randolph (4-3)

Last week: No. 3

Senior Alexis Rodell has 30 goals and seven assists, 43 draw controls, 13 ground balls and six forced turnovers. Two of Randolph's three losses are in Stars & Stripes crossovers, but the third is to division foe Kent Place, 16-9, on April 10.

Up next: Saturday vs. Madison, Monday at Immaculate Heart, Thursday vs. Morris Knolls

Addison Barrett of Chatham takes a shot at Randolph goaltender Judy Mahoney as Chatham defeated Randolph 14-2 in a girls lacrosse match played in Randolph, NJ on April 6, 2023.
Addison Barrett of Chatham takes a shot at Randolph goaltender Judy Mahoney as Chatham defeated Randolph 14-2 in a girls lacrosse match played in Randolph, NJ on April 6, 2023.

2. Chatham (5-1)

Last week: No. 2

Princeton-bound senior Addison Barrett and junior midfielder Grace Hallahan have scored 13 goals apiece. The Cougars won their only Stars & Stripes Red game, 7-6 at defending Group 4 champ Ridgewood on April 12.

Up next: Saturday at Morristown, Monday at Kent Place, Thursday vs. Mendham

1. Morristown (6-0)

Last week: No. 1

The Colonials just keep rolling along, leading the Stars & Stripes Red with 87 goals scored and only 56 allowed. But Morristown has played just one division game – an 8-6 victory at Mendham on April 10 – and will dive in headfirst this week.

Up next: Saturday vs. Chatham, Monday at Verona, Thursday vs. Ridgewood

Also considered: Hackettstown (3-3), Mount Olive (3-2).

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ girls lacrosse: Morris/Sussex Top 10 ahead of tournament seeding