2026 Boys Soccer NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore Non-Publics

The Shore Conference has been no stranger to the NJSIAA Non-Public championships in recent history, but up until last year, its representatives in the final game in either Non-Public A or Non-Public B have been limited to two teams. Christian Brothers Academy played in 20 of the 31 Non-Public A finals contested from 1992 to 2023, while St. Rose (18) and now-closed Mater Dei Prep (six) have both been to multiple championship games during their respective histories.

A new team joined the club of Shore Conference state finalists last year, when Ranney won its first ever sectional title and lost to Montclair Kimberley in the Non-Public B championship game. The Panthers are once again a contender in Non-Public B, as is a St. Rose side that beat Ranney during the regular season.

In Non-Public A, CBA is once again the Shore’s most likely hope to reach the championship game, but a perfect Pingry squad stands in the way as the No. 1 seed in South Jersey before nationally-ranked St. Benedict’s likely awaits in the final as the North Jersey champion. While CBA, Ranney and St. Rose look to return to the championship game after recent appearances, St. John Vianney and Red Bank Catholic are hoping to at least get a step closer to breaking through in Non-Public A.

 

South Jersey Non-Public A

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 2 CBA, No. 6 St. John Vianney, No. 7 Red Bank Catholic
No. 1 Seed: Pingry
Defending Champion: Pingry

Favorite: Pingry. The Big Blue enter the NJSIAA Tournament with a perfect record and as the two-time defending champion, so there is no question about who the team to beat in South Jersey Non-Public A is. Pingry has gone toe-to-toe with St. Benedict’s in each of the last two state finals and will be motivated to earn another shot at the defending champions in the state final. CBA and No. 3 St. Augustine have tremendous championship pedigree and No. 5 St. Joseph of Metuchen and No. 4 Notre Dame have climbed into the competition in recent years.

Dark Horse: St. John Vianney. The Lancers had St. Augustine on the ropes last year, but lost on penalty kicks after playing a man down for the entire second half. This year’s SJV squad is almost entirely different, but the Lancers have battled a challenging schedule and still enter the state playoffs with a winning record and a young roster that has improved throughout the year. As long as Vianney can take care of No. 11 Camden Catholic in round one, it will get its rematch at St. Augustine.

Red Bank Catholic has made strides as a program in 2026 and will have a chance to win its first state tournament game since 2018 when the Caseys host No. 10 Immaculata in Monday’s opening round. The winner will be a considerable underdog at CBA in the sectional quarterfinals, so the prospect of a deep run for either is faint.

Bracket Breakdown: While Pingry is a heavy favorite, the next tier of contenders are all very close on paper. CBA earned the No. 2 seed with a body of work that includes a 4-0 win over Seton Hall Prep, plus its usual collection of quality wins within the Shore Conference. That means if St. Augustine, St. John Vianney or any other team on that side of the bracket is to knock off CBA, it will have to be on the Colts’ home field. CBA has already beaten SJV and RBC this season and St. Augustine lost to Seton Hall Prep – the lone common opponent with CBA. The Hermits have allowed nine goals all season long and just four outside of a 5-0 loss to Delbarton in early September.

On the other side of the bracket, the potential Notre Dame-vs.-St. Joseph quarterfinal has a chance to be the best match in the bracket, with a likely trip to Pingry going to the winner. Last year; St. Joe’s lacked experience outside of its conference during the season and went a long way toward amending that this year with non-conference tests vs. Princeton, Kingsway and Montclair Kimberley. Notre Dame also played in a strong league (Colonial Valley Conference) and will play for the CVC Tournament championship vs. Allentown on Saturday. The Irish opened their season with losses to Cherokee and Harrison and are 10-2-2 over their last 14 games.

Prediction: Pingry over CBA. While CBA has been tripped up in tournament play since reaching the 2023 Non-Public A final, the Colts have still proven to be a tough out in a win-or-go-home setting, especially at home. Earning a spot on the side of the bracket opposite Pingry is crucial and while a date with St. Augustine could still be in the works, that is a matchup that CBA won last year and will have a great opportunity to win again if both teams get there. St. Augustine will not be a shoo-in for the semifinals with SJV likely paying the Hermits another visit in the quarters.

Ultimately, though, the section is Pingry’s to lose. The Big Blue will not have it easy facing either Notre Dame or St. Joseph in the semifinals, but with 10 goals allowed all year against 104 scored, Pingry is equipped to take on all comers.

 

Round-by-Round Picks

Opening Round
(8) Union Catholic over (9) Princeton Day
(5) St. Joseph Metuchen over (12) Paul VI
(6) St. John Vianney over (11) Camden Catholic
(7) Red Bank Catholic over (10) Immaculata

Quarterfinals
(1) Pingry over (8) Union Catholic
(5) St. Joseph Metuchen over (4) Notre Dame
(3) St. Augustine over (6) St. John Vianney
(2) CBA over (7) Red Bank Catholic

Semifinals
(1) Pingry over (5) St. Joseph Metuchen
(2) CBA over (3) St. Augustine

Championship
(1) Pingry over (2) CBA

 

 

South Jersey Non-Public B

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 7 Ranney, No. 8 St. Rose
No. 1 Seed: Holy Cross Prep
Defending Champion: Ranney

Favorite: Holy Cross. With Ranney graduating a number of key pieces from last year and Princeton Day jumping up to Non-Public A, it is hard to find a favorite in this section. Under those circumstances, it can’t hurt to have home-field advantage and the No. 1 seed that goes with it. Holy Cross has not played as tough of a schedule as Ranney, but the Crusaders have shown an ability to rack up wins (13-4-1) and since a 4-1 loss to Riverside on Oct. 1, their only loss is a 3-2 loss to a solid Haddon Heights side. No. 2 St. Joseph of Hammonton has a similar résumé profile, while No. 3 Rutgers Prep has a few more losses, but a strong 8-2 stretch heading into the tournament.

Dark Horse: No. 11 Bishop Eustace. Last year, Bishop Eustace entered the state tournament with a 2-15 record and won two games on the road in the South Non-Public B section. For the second straight year, Bishop Eustace will head to No. 6 Wildwood Catholic in round one and a win would earn the Crusaders a trip to play Rutgers Prep in the quarterfinals.

No. 12 Wilberforce also poses a first-round threat to No. 5 Doane and if we extend the dark horse candidates beyond the double-digit seeds, St. Rose would have a reasonable chance to knock off Holy Cross in the quarterfinals.

Bracket Breakdown: Ranney dominated the section last year, then lost a one-sided state final against Montclair Kimberley Academy. This year’s Non-Public B playoffs are likely to follow a similar script, only without a team as talented as last year’s Ranney group in South Jersey. This year’s Ranney team has some starters back from last year and went through the toughest regular-season schedule in program history, so the Panthers are absolutely in play to repeat against a field that has several teams with better records, but none that has faced the competition that Ranney has faced.

Prediction: Holy Cross over Ranney. The battle-tested Panthers have a run in them,  but can a team with a 1-8 record in its last nine games really win the section? Perhaps: that 1-8 stretch began with a loss to St. Rose, but four of the other seven losses are by one goal, including to Shore Conference champion Manasquan and 17-1 Point Beach.Unlike last year, Ranney will likely have to go on the road after round one, which could raise the degree of difficulty, as Ranney is 0-7 on the road this season, albeit against some of the top teams on its schedule.

 

Round-by-Round Picks

Opening Round
(8) St. Rose over (9) Noor-Ul-Iman
(5) Doane Academy over (12) Wilberforce
(4) Moorestown Friends over (13) Holy Spirit
(3) Rutgers Prep over (14) Calvary Christian
(11) Bishop Eustace over (6) Wildwood Catholic
(7) Ranney over (10) Gloucester Catholic

Quarterfinals
(1) Holy Cross over (8) St. Rose
(4) Moorestown Friends over (5) Doane Academy
(3) Rutgers Prep over (11) Bishop Eustace
(7) Ranney over (2) St. Joseph of Hammonton

Semifinals
(1) Holy Cross over (4) Moorestown Friends
(7) Ranney over (3) Rutgers Prep

Championship
(1) Holy Cross over (7) Ranney