NJSIAA Tournament Notes from the Shore: Loaded CJ Group 2 Quarterfinals On Tap

If the World Cup has the Group of Death, the NJSIAA Boys Soccer Tournament could counter with the Section of Death. In most years, the easy answer would be the North Jersey Non-Public A gauntlet with Delbarton, Seton Hall Prep and now St. Benedict’s Prep, or maybe whichever Group IV section is the deepest as an alternative.

This year, there is a surprise contender for New Jersey’s version of the Group of Death: Central Jersey Group II. The CJ II first round was mostly filled with lop-sided results, with Holmdel, Ocean and Rumson-Fair Haven each winning by 4-0 margins and Manasquan winning, 3-0. The strength of the section, however, is not limited to the Shore Conference. Just look at the résumés of the programs that are still alive in Central Group II.

READ: Round 1 Recap

Delran: South Jersey’s most decorated program and this year’s No. 4 seed has won more Group II championships (10) than any other program in the state and its 10 state titles – which include three co-championships – are tied for sixth all-time in state history. The Bears are also on a run of seven straight sectional championships, but there is a catch: all seven sectional titles were in South Jersey and their last season in Central Jersey Group II was 2015, when Holmdel beat Delran in the sectional final.

Holmdel: Speaking of Holmdel, the Hornets don’t quite have the extensive championship history that Delran does, nor do they have a sectional title streak of seven seasons, but Holmdel’s recent run of success measures up to Delran’s. The Hornets have won nine sectional championships – all since 2006 and two of them in Group III – and have won three state titles in six trips to the finals in that time. If Holmdel and Delran can both win on Friday, the two teams will meet in the state tournament for the third straight year, with Delran beating Holmdel in each of the last two Group II semifinals.

Ocean: To reach the sectional semifinals, Delran will have to deal with fifth-seeded Ocean, which does not have a lengthy list of accomplishments because the Spartans have been a Group III team for most of their history. Ocean has won more Shore Conference Tournament titles than any boys public school program, including in 2018, when the Spartans also won the Group III championship and finished as a top-five team in the state. This year’s team is Ocean’s best since 2018, with the Spartans recently reaching the SCT semifinals and losing a competitive game to unbeaten Colts Neck.

Cinnaminson: In each of the last three seasons, Cinnaminson’s postseason run ended at the hands of Delran, including a 19-2-2 campaign in 2021. The Pirates have not won a sectional title since 2014, when they lost in the Group II final, but have consistently been a contender in South Jersey. Now, they are the No. 1 seed and if they can survive the current pool of CJ II opponents – starting with Holmdel on Friday – Cinnaminson would be in prime position to reach the state final for the third time in program history while pursuing its first ever overall group title.

Robbinsville: The school only opened 20 years ago, but Robbinsville has become a boys soccer force two decades after its establishment. The Ravens have played in each of the past two Group III finals, winning it all in 2022. Now the No. 2 seed in Central Group II, Robbinsville might actually have a harder road to the state final in a section with smaller-sized schools.

Rumson-Fair Haven: Although Rumson is still searching for its first ever trip to the state final, the Bulldogs have been close. They won the 2021 Central Jersey Group II title before losing to Delran in the state semifinals and reached the CJ II championship game in both 2013 and 2016. This year’s version of Rumson is not its most talented, but the Bulldogs went through a season playing in the Shore’s Conference’s loaded Class A North division and are as battle-tested as any side in this group heading to play at No. 2 Robbinsville on Friday.

Bordentown: The third-seeded Scotties have a state championship to their credit, but it came all the way back in 1986 in Group I. Since 2012, Bordentown has been to the sectional semifinal round in either Central or South Jersey Group II four times, including one trip to the final. Each time Bordentown was eliminated, it was against a Shore Conference opponent: Manasquan in the 2018 South Group II semifinals; Holmdel in the 2014 Central II semifinals and the 2015 Central II final; and Long Branch in the 2012 Central Group II semifinals.

Manasquan: Manasquan is the only team in the field that has never won a sectional title, but the Warriors have been knocking on the door since 2018. That year, the Warriors lost to Delran in the South Group II final after beating Bordentown in the semifinal, then lost to Freehold Township in the Shore Conference Tournament final and later to Oakcrest in the South Group II semifinal the following year. Manasquan’s most recent trip to the sectional final round was last fall, when the Warriors lost to Holmdel, 1-0, in the Central Group II championship.

Ultimately, it’s hard to top the Non-Public sections considering how many ranked teams there are between North and South Jersey, plus the fact that there are only two non-public sections. With that said, Central Jersey Group II is as decorated a field as you will find among the public-school sections in New Jersey during this season, and just about any other.

The South Jersey Underdogs (Birds and Cats Edition)

With Delran and Cinnaminson in Central Jersey, the South Jersey section in Group II is wide open and two Shore Conference teams might be ready to take advantage.

Manchester is the No. 3 seed in the section and after blasting Pennsauken Tech, 6-0, in the first round, the Hawks will play No. 11 Lindenwold on Friday. It is a favorable road for the Hawks, who have faced several high-level tests throughout the season: CBA, Middletown South, St. John Vianney, Toms River South, Central Regional and a win over Shore Conference Tournament semifinalist Lacey.

The graduation of All-Shore First Team forward Joey Kurak was a challenge for Manchester to overcome this season, but the Hawks returned most of last year’s lineup and has spent the 2024 campaign developing their chemistry. Kurak’s brother, junior Brayden Kurak, has been a force all year, while the senior core of Gabe Occhipinti, Aidan Clauberg, Cody McLeod, Anderson Ordoñez-Mejia, Erik Balkius, Sullivan Nolan and goalkeeper Noah Cundiff has added a great deal of balance to the team.

The Shore’s other representative is 12^th-seeded Barnegat, which unleashed a stunning, 5-0, beatdown on No. 5 Collingswood on Tuesday. The Bengals have had their share of ups and downs this season and have not played a particularly difficult schedule, but they have the talent to put it all together in November. Sophomore Nate Scisco – who posted a hat trick on Tuesday – is a legitimate scoring threat and junior Leo Chamorro has been key addition to the lineup after missing his sophomore season due to injury. Friday’s opponent – No. 4 Sterling – will likely be a step or two up from what Barnegat faced at Collingswood, but the Bengals have definitely put South Jersey on notice.

Spanning the State in Group III

Colts Neck is one of the handful of favorites to win the Group III championship as a team with an undefeated record heading to the sectional quarterfinals, a lot of eyes around the state will be on the Cougars as they attempt to finish the year unbeaten.

That story will gain momentum as long as Colts Neck keeps advancing, but in the meantime, several other Shore teams are making themselves known in Group III.

The biggest Shore Conference game of Friday will be in Toms River, where Lacey will invade Raider Ravine to play No. 2 seed Toms River East in the South Group III quarterfinals. Both teams are ranked in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 – Lacey thanks to its run to the SCT semifinals and Toms River East with its 14-3-2 record against a challenging schedule.

The last time these two teams met in a tournament setting was all the way back in 2011 and there are some parallels. That was a Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal game and it was also No. 2 seed Toms River East hosting No. 7 Lacey, with Lacey knocking off the Raiders to reach the SCT semifinals for just the second time in program history. This year’s Lacey team was the first to reach the SCT semifinals since the 2011 team.

Toms River South, Red Bank, Middletown South and Long Branch are all still alive in Central Jersey Group III as well. Toms River South will head to No. 3 Moorestown to play a Quakers team that is routinely a tough out in the state tournament, although the senior-heavy Indians have plenty of pedigree as well.

Middletown South needed penalty kicks to survive Jackson Memorial on Tuesday, which should come as no surprise from a team that has tied four matches this year and went to penalties in a Shore Conference Tournament loss at Lacey. Middletown South lost to Colts Neck, 1-0, on a penalty kick so the Eagles will have some confidence heading into the semifinals if they can get by No. 5 Westampton Tech on Friday.

Long Branch knocked off Hopewell Valley, 2-0, on the road Tuesday in the Central Jersey Group III 8-vs.-9 game and will now get a shot at Colts Neck. The Green Wave are 9-10 overall and are certainly a considerable underdog, but they have won seven straight and six of their losses came during divisional play in the always-rugged Class A North.

Red Bank is the feel-good story among the Shore Group III teams to this point, with the Bucs beating Brick Memorial, 3-1, Tuesday for their first state tournament win since 2015. Junior Alex Salvo is in the midst of a breakout season and his hat trick on Tuesday – all in the second half – was the highlight of hisseason so far.

The Shore Conference actually had a chance to advance three teams to the state semifinal in Group III when the state tournament started, but Middletown North’s loss to Chatham in North Jersey Section 2 eliminated that scenario.

Sorting Through the Group IV Carnage

The first round of the Group IV Tournament was not kind to the Shore Conference, namely Monmouth County. Howell and Marlboro both entered the season with high hopes and both were eliminated in round one Tuesday after both teams played past the 80-minute mark.

Marlboro lost another heartbreaker on penalties, meaning the Mustangs were eliminated in their first Shore Conference Tournament game and their first NJSIAA Tournament game on penalties. St. John Vianney knocked Marlboro out of the SCT in a shootout.

Howell’s loss was even more stunning, with the preseason No. 1 team at the Shore losing a 4-3, overtime barnburner to No. 15 seed Cherry Hill East. Senior standout Tye Maser remained out for Howell due to injury, as did sophomore goalkeeper Brady Murphy, but the Rebels appeared to have life when they scored an own goal in the final two minutes of regular to earn extra time. Within three minutes, however, Cherry Hill East ended what was a promising season for the Rebels.

Even with those two losses, the Shore will have a chance to leave a footprint in Group IV. Manalapan was convincing in its 6-1 win over Trenton and will host 10th-seeded Old Bridge Friday.

Southern also dominated at home in a 5-1 win over Pennsauken and will play another double-digit seed in No. 12 Gloucester Tech on Friday.

Central was in cruise control with a 4-0 lead over Eastern at home and had to hold on for a 4-3 win to set the Golden Eagles up for a trip to play top seed and defending sectional champion Washington Township on Saturday morning.

Toms River North took care of Egg Harbor, 3-1, and benefitted from Cherry Hill East’s win over Howell in that the Mariners will now host the sectional quarterfinals on Friday. Toms River North is looking to reach the sectional semifinal round for the sixth straight year and a fifth trip to the sectional final during the same span is within reach.

Non-Public Madness

While Christian Brothers Academy rested during its first-round bye earlier this week, two other Shore Conference teams showed why it is always preferable to get the bye over playing a motivated road team.

St. John Vianney appeared to be a solid favorite at home as a No. 5 seed against No. 12 Camden Catholic, which entered the South Non-Public A Tournament 5-11-1. Instead of a comfortable round-one tune-up, SJV found itself in a battle and could not put the Irish away through 100 minutes. Fortunately for the Lancers, their penalty game was on-point, with all five of its shooters sinking their attempts and junior goalkeeper Liam Steiner making the requisite save to help the Lancers escape.

Tuesday was not the first time St. John Vianney appeared to get caught looking ahead. The Lancers lost to Neptune, 3-2, after going up, 2-0, at halftime, then beat CBA in its next match. Last year, with a similar cast of players, the Lancers nearly upset St. Peter’s Prep on the road, losing, 1-0, on a late penalty kick. Round one was a scare, but SJV still has plenty to be excited about heading to Metuchen Friday to play St. Joseph.

In the Non-Public B 5-vs.-12 game, Ranney build itself a 5-2 lead vs. No. 12 Noor-ul-Iman and appeared well on its way to a first-round win. Instead, Noor-ul-Iman rattled off three goals in a span of 16 minutes of the second half to send the game into overtime.

Like SJV, Ranney avoided disaster, with senior Saeed Torres scoring his fourth goal of the game to give the Panthers a 6-5 win. An upset in another first-round game – No. 13 Wilberforce’s win over No. 4 St. Joseph of Hammonton – gives Ranney another home game in the sectional quarterfinals after the Panthers earned a second life with that overtime win.

 

Boys Soccer NJSIAA Sectional Quarterfinal Schedule (Shore Conference Teams)

Friday, Nov. 8

NJSIAA Tournament

Sectional Quarterfinals

Central Jersey Group IV

(10) Old Bridge at (2) Manalapan, 10 a.m.

Central Jersey Group III

(9) Long Branch at (1) Colts Neck, 10 a.m.

(5) Westampton Tech at (4) Middletown South, 10 a.m.

(6) Red Bank at (3) Steinert, Noon

Central Jersey Group II

(8) Holmdel at (1) Cinnaminson, 10:30 a.m.

(5) Ocean at (4) Delran, 11 a.m.

(6) Manasquan at (3) Bordentown, 2 p.m.

(7) Rumson-Fair Haven at (2) Robbinsville, 4 p.m.

Central Jersey Group I

(9) David Brearley at (1) Shore, 1 p.m.

South Jersey Group IV

(12) Gloucester Tech at (4) Southern, 2 p.m.

(15) Cherry Hill East at (7) Toms River North, 10 a.m.

South Jersey Group III

(6) Toms River South at (3) Moorestown, 2 p.m.

(7) Lacey at (2) Toms River East, 10 a.m.

South Jersey Group II

(12) Barnegat at (4) Sterling, 2 p.m.

(11) Lindenwold at (3) Manchester, 11 a.m.

South Jersey Non-Public A

(5) St. John Vianney at (4) St. Joseph Metuchen, 1:30 p.m.

(6) Notre Dame at (3) CBA, 2 p.m.

 

Saturday, Nov. 9

NJSIAA Tournament

Sectional Quarterfinals

South Jersey Group IV

(8) Central at (1) Washington Twp., 11 a.m.