Shore Conference Boys Lacrosse Top 10 for April 29

We’re almost into May, which means the Shore Conference Tournament and the NJSIAA state playoffs are right around the corner. The SCT will be seeded on May 8 with first-round games being played on May 10 and the championship game scheduled for May 19.

So far, we’ve had plenty of dramatic results, surprise teams, milestones reached, and records broken, and we still have a lot more lacrosse left to play this spring. The No. 1 team at the moment is Manasquan, which remained undefeated with an overtime win over rival Christian Brothers Academy on Saturday. The rest of the rankings mainly fell neatly into order based on head-to-head results – until you get to No. 8. Trying to separate the group of Red Bank, Holmdel, Middletown South and Wall was a challenge since they’ve taken turns beating each other.

Scroll through the rankings below for the latest Shore Sports Insider Top 10 for April 29. Rankings are based on games played through Monday, April 28.

 

 

1. Manasquan (11-0)

The Warriors stand as the only undefeated team in the Shore Conference after Saturday’s thrilling 8-7 overtime win over No. 2 CBA. Manasquan also owns wins over No. 3 Shore, No. 5 Southern, 8 Red Bank, No. 9 Holmdel and Wall, plus nonconference victories over Ridge, Notre Dame, Eastern and Haddonfield. Senior attackmen Ryan Aldi and Brandon Kunz have led the way with 47 and 41 points, respectively, while senior midfielder Matt Schneider has flourished in a more prominent role with 21 goals and seven assists. Between the pipes, senior goalie Pat Loxley has also risen to the occasion with 111 saves and a save percentage of 72 in his first year as a starter. Upcoming games: April 29 vs. Moorestown; May 6 at No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven.

 

2. Christian Brothers Academy (9-5)

CBA lost an overtime thriller, 8-7, to No. 1 Manasquan before rebounding with an equally as thrilling 6-5 overtime win over No. 5 Southern. Half of the Cardiac Colts’ games have been decided by one goal, including five of their last seven. Through April 28, CBA has wins over No. 4 Rumson, No. 5 Southern, No. 9 Holmdel, Wall and notable nonconference wins over Eastern and Haddonfield. The Colts’ standout freshman class continues to impress with Jackson Chaney leading the team in goals and points, Danny Varone, Chase Grimando and Anthony Lembo providing clutch goals, and FOGO Nick Mangelli winning 57 percent of face-offs. An injury to standout senior defenseman Luke Krebs hurts, but the Colts’ defensive depth has allowed them to avoid a major drop-off. Upcoming games: April 30 at No. 3 Shore; May 5 at No. 8 Red Bank; May 6 at St. Joseph (Metuchen).

 

3. Shore (7-2)

The Blue Devils ran their winning streak to six games with wins over Holmdel and Wall last week, setting up a critical game at home versus No. 2 CBA on Wednesday. Shore made a big move when it defeated Rumson-Fair Haven on April 16 for its first win over the Bulldogs in program history and backed it up with one-goal wins over No. 9 Holmdel and Wall. Shore’s results underscore the thin margins in the American Division where many games have been decided by two goals or less. Shore’s last four games, including a 7-5 win over No. 5 Southern on April 12, have all come by two goals or less. Senior midfielder Tucker Malfa sank five goals in the win over Wall to take over the team lead with 19, while senior Reid Spallone has a team-best 32 points. Senior FOGO Brendan O’Brien has been a major factor with a 70 percent win rate at the X. Upcoming games: April 30 vs. No. 2 CBA; May 3 vs. Hillsborough; May 5 vs. Peddie.

 

4. Rumson-Fair Haven (8-6)

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Bulldogs, but they remain a dangerous team as the postseason approaches. After a tough stretch in which Rumson lost four of five games, they responded to win three in a row over No. 5 Southern, Wall and California’s Marin Catholic before falling to Connecticut power and Inside Lacrosse Top 20 team New Canaan. Junior midfielder Joseph Whitehouse is having a breakout season with 24 goals and 14 assists and senior Luke Lydon, a Boston University commit, has a team-high 25 goals. Upcoming games: April 30 vs. Summit; May 3 at Bridgewater-Raritan; May 6 vs. No. 1 Manasquan.

 

5. Southern (5-4)

The Rams occupy the final spot in the top five with results that make them easy to rank – losses to No. 1 Manasquan, No. 2 CBA, No. 3 Shore, and No. 4 Rumson and a win over No. 6 Toms River East. Southern nearly threw the rankings into the blender before CBA rallied for a 6-5 overtime win on Monday. The Rams also have wins over No. 9 Holmdel and No. 10 Wall. Balanced scoring has fueled Southern’s offense with Sophomore Ryan Sininsky (16g, 11a) senior Joe Kessler (15g, 11a), senior Liam Griffin (18g, 6a) and sophomore Shea O’Donnell (11g, 13a) all within three points of each other. Upcoming games: April 30 at No. 8 Red Bank; May 2 at No. 10 Middletown South; May 3 at Ocean City; May 6 at Allentown.

 

6. Toms River East (8-1)

The Raiders dropped their first game of the season to Southern by a 13-6 score. They haven’t lost since and pushed their winning streak to eight games with a 17-5 win over Middletown North. A lot will be learned if Toms River East matches up again with Southern or against another American Division team during the Shore Conference Tournament. East has a win over No. 7 Howell and an impressive 16-4 win over a one-loss Barnegat team that leads the Constitution Division. Outside of a 10-7 win over Howell, they’ve won every game by at least 10 goals. Senior midfielder Nate Cummings is the program’s all-time leading scorer and is up to 24 goals and 24 assists this season. Junior attackman Nick Caruso was very good as a freshman and a sophomore but has made a huge jump this season to the tune of a team-high 43 goals and 56 points. Sophomore attackman Gerard Uzzolino leads the team with 61 points on 31 goals and 30 assists and has proven to be a deft setup man from X. The Colonial Division-leading Raiders are on track to win their first division title in program history. Upcoming games: May 1 at Donovan Catholic; May 6 at Toms River North.

 

7. Howell (9-1)

The Rebels have won eight games in a row following a 10-7 loss to No. 6 Toms River East on April 2 with a 9-6 win over No. 10 Middletown South highlighting their winning streak. A 9-1 record while competing in the Colonial Division is enough to land Howell at No. 7, but the full picture won’t come until the postseason. Getting senior midfielder Vin Meehan, a Lenoir-Rhyne commit, back after he missed most of last season has been crucial. He has a team-high 35 points. Senior Nick Turturro’s athletic future is on the soccer pitch where he is committed to Loyola, but he’s enjoying a strong final lacrosse season with 20 goals and 11 assists. Upcoming games: April 30 vs. Manalapan; May 6 vs. Brick Memorial.

 

8. Red Bank (4-6)

Red Bank, Holmdel, Wall, and Middletown South have similar resumes and have taken turns beating each other, so solely using head-to-head results as a separator is out the window here. We went with the Bucs at No. 8 because they’ve won four of their last six games with wins over Holmdel and Middletown South. They do have an 18-8 loss to Wall on April 2, but there is a triangle with Middletown South having a win over Wall and both Holmdel and Red Bank having defeated Middletown South. Sophomore Justin Valentino leads the team with 36 points and junior Gabe Pape, a Boston University commit, has a team-best 23 goals. Upcoming games: April 30 vs. Southern; May 5 vs. CBA.

 

9. Holmdel (4-6)

The Hornets won 12-11 in overtime over Manalapan on a goal by freshman Anthony Serini in a game where senior Jack Powers became the first player in state history with 1,000 face-off wins. That victory followed an 8-7 loss to No. 3 Shore and a 12-2 loss to No. 5 Southern. Holmdel started the season 2-0 with wins over Red Bank Catholic and Middletown South but has won just two of eight games since. However, those losses have come to No. 1 Manasquan, No. 2 CBA, No. 3 Shore, No. 4 Rumson, No. 5 Southern and No. 8 Red Bank. Future games against Wall, Howell and Toms River East will help define exactly where Holmdel stands. Upcoming games: April 30 vs. Wall; May 3 vs. East Brunswick; May 5 vs. South Brunswick.

 

10. Middletown South (6-5)

It came down to Middletown South and Wall for the final spot and we’re going with the Eagles by the slimmest of margins. Middletown South beat Wall 13-12 on April 4 and has fared better of late with wins over Manalapan and Middletown North over the last two weeks. Wall, meanwhile, is winless in its last five games, albeit against a tougher schedule. Sophomore Ryan Colacichi (23g, 10a), junior Luke Gaffney (26g, 4a), senior Joe Sarci (16g, 11a) and junior Jackson O’Keefe (15g, 11a) have led the way. Upcoming games: April 30 at Donovan Catholic; May 2 vs. Southern; May 5 at Monroe.

 

Also considered

Wall (3-9)

Barnegat (10-1)

Manalapan (6-5)