NJSIAA boys and girls lacrosse playoffs: The 10 storylines to follow for Shore teams

It’s almost the end of the school year, which means it’s time for the NJSIAA lacrosse playoffs.

The Shore Conference has a good number of teams on the girls and boys side that can make deep playoff runs. There’s the always strong Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs who are looking to repeat as state champs, or non-publics such as Trinity Hall and CBA who’ve been playing strong and more.

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There are multiple storylines heading into these playoffs in which each team may have a different obstacle to face. It could be either comparing to last years playoff performance, individual stars having to step up or more.

Boys storylines

Can Rumson-Fair Haven boys regain the throne as top team in Shore Conference?

The Bulldogs took a loss to CBA, the Shore Conference champions, in the semifinals. Last season they won the SCT and were state champions. Much like their girls team, the Bulldogs have a relatively newer roster. With a freshman goalie in Seamus Gorman, a lot of underclassmen, and some losses earlier in the season, it’ll be interesting to see if they can regain control of being one of the best teams in the state like they’ve been in the past. Senior Andy Croddick will likely lead the way alongside sophomore Luke Lydon.

Seeing exactly how special this CBA team is 

Head coach Dave Santos declared Harvard commit Quinn Kelly “the best defensive player I’ve ever coached” after beating Manasquan Monday for the SCT championship, 5-4. Then when looking at players such as Villanova commit Ryan Martin and more Div. I guys, it’s clear that the Colts have a special team. Before this season, CBA hadn’t won a conference title since 2009. Whether they can complete a special season and win their first state championship in school history has yet to be seen, but this might be their best chance.

Manasquan is a top seed again, can the Warriors live up to it?

The Warriors go into this playoffs as the top seed in South Group 2. They were also the top seed going into the SCT with key wins over CBA and Rumson-Fair Haven in the regular season. They’re hoping guys such as High Point University commit Nick Bounassi, Lehigh commits Brody Muly and Brandon Kunz to name a few will continue to step up. First-year head coach John Naslonski has done a good job with this team in getting them prepared. They have the talent and coaching staff to win their group but it won’t be easy. No. 2 Hopewell Valley appears to be the main factor standing in their way.

Manalapan has chance to make a deep run in South Group 4

The No. 5 Manalapan Braves have been at the top of the Colonial Division for most of the season and have played stellar. They’re definitely a sleeper in their group, but can surprise some people. They have lost games to some of the top competition in the conference. Sophomore and goalie Connor Doel and senior Marc Stefanelli will have to play big in order to make a run but they can do it. They also have fellow Shore team No. 3 Southern Regional in their group as well.

Another deep run for Wall - or reset button?

Last season the Crimson Knights made it to the Group 2 finals before falling to Summit 9-7. They made a deep run with talent that majority are now playing at the college level. This season, Wall has a 5-10 record with their star Michael Hoarle suffering a season-ending injury at the beginning of this season. They still deserve to be respected at the No. 5 seed in South Group 2. It’ll be interesting to see if they can play at a high level as they have in recent years, or it’s time to think about next season.

Girls storylines

Can Rumson-Fair Haven girls redo their dominant season and repeat as state champs? 

After hoisting up their second straight conference title, the Bulldogs are hoping to also repeat as state champions. However, they have a new looking roster with only one senior in Abby Boyle who leads the crew. Rachel James and Daisan Iwan are just some of the other solid players on the junior-heavy squad. Injuries earlier in the season caused Rumson-Fair Haven to lose some games, but they’ve caught their stride in perfect timing.

“We’re looking forward to it, this is the best part of the season for sure,” R-FH head coach Amy O’Keefe said on Monday after the SCT win on Monday.

Barnegat’s all-time scorer Alyson Sojak final send off

The Bengals have sat at the top of their division, and they’ve done it each year when Sojak has started. The High Point commit has scored 77 goals and had 30 assists this season. She’s on the top scorers list in the Shore Conference. And now that No. 6 Barnegat is in the South Group 2, they’ll hope to move past the semifinals. She’ll have junior Emilia Ercolino, freshman Ella Tortorici, and fellow senior Emalie Menegus who’ve also played strong this season.

Trinity Hall may be underdogs in Non-Public A 

Up to this point, Trinity Hall has already proven to be one of the top Shore teams. In the regular season they had marquee wins over Rumson-Fair Haven and Manasquan. Plus, a championship SCT appearance was an impressive run. Now, they enter their group at the No. 6 spot with potential to cause an upset. Freshman Chiara Donahue, junior Lily Wood, goalie Virginia Avery and more players have at least another season of lacrosse. This group is on the upswing, and may deserve more recognition for what they’ve done with the lack experience they have.

Is Southern capable of another deep run?

The Rams enter the playoffs at the No. 3 spot of South Group 4. Last season they made a deep run to the semifinals before falling to Cherokee. Fast forward to now, Southern struggled starting the season 0-3, but they’ve turned it around towards the end. They have a junior-heavy roster, including their midfielder duo Delaney Falk and Avery Smith who’ve been leading the team offensively. Stay glued to this team to see if they can duplicate another playoff run.

Seeing if Manasquan learned from last year’s playoff loss

The No. 3 Warriors are in South Group 2 and have Allentown and Haddonfield in front of them. Last year, the Warriors lost to Allentown in the semifinals. The Warriors are used to deep runs and high expectations, but it’s going to take some ‘upsets’ in order to win it all. Juniors Talia Blum, Kali Saito, and Kiki Noe will have to continue their high play.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ Shore lacrosse: Storylines for NJSIAA boys, girls state tournament