Boys Soccer NJSIAA South Group 4 Preview: Jackson at Kingsway

Boys Soccer NJSIAA Sectional Finals

South Jersey Group IV Championship

Friday, Nov. 13, 2026

No. 5 Jackson at No. 2 Kingsway, 5 p.m.

 

Jackson (17-3-3)

Head Coach: Steve Bado
Last Sectional Championship: None (1990 as Jackson Memorial)
Last Sectional Final Appearance: None (2018 as Jackson Memorial)

Road to the Final

First Round: Defeated No. 12 Williamstown, 3-1. Freshman Mason Monday assisted a first-half goal by senior Serhii Hryhoriak, then capped the scoring with a goal in the 63rd minute. Junior Yousef Abdelmalak extended Jackson’s lead to 2-0 early in the second half by scoring off a throw-in by senior Logan Schlenk.

Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 4 Southern, 4-0. Hryhoriak turned in a career performance by scored two goals and assisting two others, carrying his team to the sectional semifinals by dominating the two-time defending sectional champions. Sophomore Anthony Filippone scored the first of three Jackson goals in a span of 12 minutes during the first half, followed by goals by Hryhoriak and Monday.

Semifinals: Defeated No. 1 Eastern, 1-0 (3-1 on penalty kicks). Schlenk and junior Brandon Idyk combined for 100 shutout minutes in goal and Idyk saved three attempts during a round of penalty kicks to lead an upset by the Jaguars over the No. 1 seed in the section. Hryhoriak, Monday and sophomore Tyler Felicelli each made their kicks during the penalty shootout.

 

Players to Watch

Serhii Hryhoriak, Sr., Midfield (13 goals, 13 assists)

Mason Monday, Fr., Forward (16 goals, 5 assists)

Anthony Materia, Jr., Midfield (5 goals, 4 assists)

Tyler Felicelli, So., Midfield (5 goals, 3 assists)

Caiden D’Souza, So., Forward (4 goals, 3 assists)

Yousef Abdelmalak, Jr., Midfield (3 goals, 1 assist)

Logan Schlenk, Sr., Goalkeeper/Midfield (4 assists)

Brandon Idyk, Jr., Goalkeeper

 

Kingsway (13-7-3)

Head Coach: Derrick Brewer
Last Sectional Championship: None
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2012 (South Group III)

Road to the Final

First Round: Defeated No. 15 Washington Township, 1-0. Danny Casey scored in the first minute of the second half and the defense held the lead the rest of the way, helping the Dragons fight off a No. 15 seed with a rich championship tradition in South Jersey.

Quarterfinals: Defeated No. 7 Toms River North, 3-2 (4-2 on penalty kicks). Casey and junior Rocco Vignola scored during an back-and-forth second half and Kingsway and goalkeeper Talan Vannelli prevailed on penalty kicks against another team with an extensive state tournament résumé in Toms River North.

Semifinals: Defeated No. 11 Rancocas Valley, 1-0 (5-4 on penalty kicks). Vannelli and the Dragons defense delivered another pristine performance and prevailed over the surging Red Devils to earn their first trip to the sectional final round since 2012.

 

Players to Watch

Ethan Read, Sr., Forward (6 goals, 5 assists)

Gavin Wiggins, Jr., Forward (7 goals, 1 assist)

Danny Casey, Sr., Midfield (6 goals, 1 assist)

Vito Calandro, Sr., Defense/Midfield (3 goals, 2 assists)

Ethan Leshik, Sr., Defense (1 goal, 2 assists)

Talan Vannelli, Sr., Goalkeeper (9 shutouts, 20 goals allowed)

 

A merger of the Jackson Liberty and Jackson Memorial boys soccer programs figured to make for a talented, dangerous team at some point following the consolidation of the two high schools for the 2025-26 season. That did not happen in year one, but after a year to build chemistry and learn one another, the combination has returned coach Steve Bado’s program to the tier of championship contenders.

During his two decades as coach of Jackson Memorial and now Jackson Township, Bado has multiple runs during which his teams have come close to winning a title, most recently during the 2017 to 2019 window. That included Jackson’s last trip to the South Jersey Group IV final, which the Jaguars lost to Washington Township, 2-1.

Friday night in Woolwich will mark the first official championship game for Jackson Township and the Jaguars have made the journey with a mix of battle-hardened veterans and breakout underclassmen. Juniors Anthony Materia and Yousef Abdelmalak have been mainstays since their freshmen year, while senior Logan Schlenk and junior Brandon Idyk have been splitting the goalkeeper duties for the last three seasons. Freshman Mason Monday and sophomores Tyler Felicelli, Caiden D’Sousa and Anthony Fillipone have all made significant contributions as underclassmen, with Monday leading the team in goals in his first high-school season.

“We finally established that we are one,” Bado said. “There is no, ‘I played for this team last year, or played this position on that team.’ Everyone is united and we’re all working toward the same goals.”

A key part of Jackson’s recent surge is on its back line, where the Jaguars are healthier than they have been all year. Junior center back Lucas Rathyen is back after missing time with a toe injury, which moves senior Kyle Deirtl back to sweeper after he filled in at stopper for Rathyen. Junior Zach Csatari played sweeper while the team was undermanned and is back on the outside opposite Ty Shamovich, who also missed time due to injury. With a full defense in front of Schlenk and Idyk, Jackson has not allowed a goal in either of its last two state tournament games.

The Jaguars will being staring down a Kingsway team that started the season 1-5-1 and is now one win from its first ever NJSIAA sectional championship. The Dragons do not score much: they have manufactured only 27 goals in 23 matches, but that can be attributed to a difficult schedule and a defense tact that has served them well. All six of Kingsway’s in-state losses are by a one-goal margin and the No. 2 seed enters Friday’s championship game on an 11-game streak of games that were either decided by one goal or ended in a draw.

With two teams coming off victories in penalty kicks, playing 48 hours after going the full 100 minutes will be a physical challenge for both sides. Jackson is working with a deep roster and will lean on its well-rounded group to defend Kingsway’s possession game while conjuring up an attack of its own, led by senior Serhii Hryhoriak and Monday. Hryhoriak has been a problem for defenses throughout the season and he could be the difference-maker for Jackson on Friday.

Whatever the outcome Friday night, it will mark the start of a new era for the winning program. Kingsway is looking to punctuate its accension as a South Jersey soccer contender with a championship, while the Jaguars would like to be the first Jackson Township team to bring home an NJSIAA trophy while also giving Jackson its first boys soccer sectional champion since 1990. Bado’s bunch has been close – they also lost in the 2012 Central Group IV championship game – and should have a chance to win championships over the next few seasons, but the opportunity in front of this year’s team might be the best of the last 20 years.

The Pick: Jackson, 1-0