Atlantic Physical Therapy 2026 Week 4 Boys Lacrosse Top 10

Atlantic Physical Therapy Boys Lacrosse 2026 Week 4 Top 10 Rankings

Chaos now defines the top ten rankings, especially at the top. Four teams stand out in CBA, Holmdel, Rumson-Fair Haven, and Southern. You could make a convincing case for ranking them in any order.

CBA defeated Rumson-Fair Haven 13-12 two weeks ago. Their only Shore Conference loss was to Holmdel this past Saturday, 9-8.

Holmdel beat CBA in its latest contest. Holmdel has one Shore Conference loss, a 15-4 defeat to Rumson-Fair Haven a week ago.

Rumson-Fair Haven has been the most successful recently, winning all three games this past week: a decisive 15-4 win over Holmdel and a 12-11 thriller over Southern. However, they lost to CBA two weeks ago.

Southern has the best overall record among the four teams. Of these teams, Southern has faced only Rumson-Fair Haven, losing to them in the final moments.

Given these tangled results, no argument for or against these teams is airtight. Clarity will likely not come until the Shore Conference Tournament. Here is an attempt to make sense of the “quartet.”

 

1. Rumson-Fair Haven (4-5) Last Week: 2

The Bulldogs currently have the hot hand, having won their last three games, which include two of the top four and Manasquan. Rumson-Fair Haven is the only team in the quartet to have played the other three, and they hold a 2-1 record against them. Some of the others could potentially also finish 2-1 within the quartet, but none of them can finish 3-0. Additionally, the Bulldogs were not at full strength in the loss to CBA as they were missing three starters in senior Blake Ahmann and sophomores Liam Haggerty and Michael Marino, of whom the former two have since returned.

Rumson-Fair Haven hosts No. 6 Red Bank on Tuesday in the Ridge Road Rivalry. Then, they travel to face undefeated Summit, which could be ranked number one this week in the NJ Advance Media statewide poll.

2. CBA (6-4) Last Week: 1

The Colts dropped two of their three games this past week against Haddonfield and Holmdel. Despite the rough week, the Colts have just one loss to a Shore Conference team, a one-goal road loss at Holmdel. CBA is 1-1 within the quartet with a matchup against Southern looming this week. Given their strong resume and the razor-thin margin in their Shore Conference loss, it is hard to justify dropping them by more than one spot.

CBA has three games on tap this week: first, a road game against Ocean City on Monday; next, the No. 3 Southern game on Wednesday; and finally, a big-time matchup with St. Augustine on Saturday.

3. Southern (8-1) Last Week: 3

Southern’s perfect record came to an end in a heartbreaking 12-11 loss against Rumson-Fair Haven on Wednesday, but the Rams bounced back with a convincing win against Toms River East later in the week. The Rams have played the fewest teams in the quartet, having played only the Bulldogs. They are the only team in the quartet that has not yet beaten any of the four, but their loss was razor-thin. Outside of the loss and a one-goal win against Manasquan, the Rams have won the rest of their games comfortably.

The Rams will be favored against Ocean on Monday before a titanic showdown on the road against No. 2 CBA on Wednesday.

4. Holmdel (7-2) Last Week: 4

The Hornets have an argument for the best win of the season after Saturday’s victory over CBA. Like the three teams ahead of them, they have only one Shore Conference loss. Holmdel is 1-1 within the quartet, with perhaps the best win. The only minor nitpick is that they have the only lopsided loss among games between the four teams, which occurred only a week ago in a 15-4 defeat against Rumson-Fair Haven. Scoring margin is not always the best indicator of future performance, but in this instance, it is one of the few data points keeping Holmdel in the four spot.

The Hornets will look to build on their momentum on Wednesday with a trip to No. 8 Wall, followed by a home game against Middletown North.

5. Shore (4-2) Last Week: 6

Despite a 1-1 week, which included a 13-9 loss to Holmdel and an 8-5 win over Eastern, the Blue Devils climb as a result of Manasquan falling to Red Bank, a team that Shore defeated earlier in the season. Both of Shore’s losses came against teams ranked in the top four.

The Blue Devils host No. 7 Manasquan this week in a game that can provide clarity in the middle of the top 10 if Shore wins or could muddy the picture if Shore loses.

6. Red Bank (5-4) Last Week: 7

The Bucs earned the right to climb another spot after a 2-0 week that saw them defeat Manasquan in a thriller before a convincing win over Wall. With losses to both No. 4 Holmdel and No. 5 Shore, the only way for Red Bank to make a big dent in the rankings and move up again, barring major upsets before the Shore Conference Tournament, will be to make a statement in upcoming games against No. 1 Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 2 CBA, and No. 3 Southern.

Red Bank will head down the road to play Rumson-Fair Haven on Tuesday before heading to No. 9 Manalapan on Thursday.

7. Manasquan (3-4) Last Week: 5

The Warriors drop two spots after a 10-9 loss to Red Bank and a 10-4 loss against Rumson-Fair Haven. Manasquan has had bad fortune losing one-goal games against both Red Bank and Southern.

In order to move up in the rankings before the Shore Conference Tournament, the Warriors would have to create their own path in the middle of the rankings by defeating No. 5 Shore this Wednesday in their only game of the week.

8. Wall (4-6) Last Week: 8

With their ranking in jeopardy, the Crimson Knights answered with a 2-1 week, defeating Ocean and Toms River East before falling to Red Bank, 13-5. All three Shore Conference losses have come against teams ranked in the top six, while the Crimson Knights are 4-0 against lower-ranked opponents.

Like rival Manasquan, the only way Wall can blaze a path forward in the rankings before the Shore Conference Tournament is by upsetting the teams in the middle and top of the rankings. Wall will get the opportunity to do so on Wednesday when they host No. 4 Holmdel. They will travel to Somerville on Saturday.

9. Manalapan (5-1) Last Week: Unranked

The Braves earned their first appearance in the top 10 after a 2-0 week, which included a hard-fought 12-11 win over Middletown South, which propelled them into sole possession of first place in the Colonial Division. Manalapan has yet to lose to a Shore Conference opponent, with its only loss coming against Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

The Braves have a chance to enhance their resume this week with a road game against Point Boro, which is sitting on the bubble, on Wednesday, followed by a home game against No. 6 Red Bank. If Manalapan can win both of those games, it will take a sizable jump in the rankings.

10. Middletown South (4-4) Last Week: 10

Despite a 0-2 week that included a heartbreaking 12-11 loss against Manalapan and a 16-10 non-conference loss against Mainland, the Eagles hold their spot in the rankings in large part due to owning convincing wins against the two teams on the bubble and playing Wall closer than Toms River East did, in addition to having the better overall record.

A loss this week would drop Middletown South out of the rankings. The Eagles host Lacey on Wednesday and Red Bank Catholic on Saturday.

Dropped out

Toms River East (0-5)

Bubble

Point Boro (5-1)

Howell (4-2)