Shore Sports Insider Week 11 Boys Soccer Top 10
The countdown to the final day of the 2026 soccer season in New Jersey is under two weeks and there remain eight Shore Conference boys teams still chasing NJSIAA hardware. By the end of this week, we will find out how many (if any) capture a sectional championship and any teams that make it to next week will be among the select few teams in the state left playing for an overall state championship.
Because so many ranked teams have seen their seasons end, this version of the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 will resemble the final version in two weeks, at least within certain pockets of the rankings. The No. 1 ranking is almost set, but with two teams in the top five and four in the top 10 still alive in pursuit of a state title, we will resist writing anything down in permanent ink.
1. Manasquan (17-2-1, 3-1-1) Last Week: 1
The Shore Conference Tournament champions celebrated their victory for 11 days and showed no signs of a championship hangover in steamrolling Raritan and Wall in the first two rounds of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II Playoffs. The win over Wall was a measure of revenge for the Crimson Knights beating Manasquan in last year’s Central Group II semifinals, but the ultimate redemption would be to get past that same round by beating Allentown on Wednesday to earn a spot in the title game. Allentown won the Colonial Valley Conference Tournament championship so Wednesday’s showdown will result in a conference champion’s season ending.
2. Christian Brothers Academy (16-7-1, 5-1-0) Last Week: 2
A loaded schedule is the source of CBA’s seven-loss record and it also gave the Colts an opportunity to display their ceiling in a 4-0 win over a Seton Hall Prep side that just beat Bergen Catholic to reach the North Non-Public A final. Unfortunately for CBA, the Colts could not find that level in a 3-0 loss to St. Augustine on Monday that ended CBA’s season in the sectional semifinal round. The Colts were missing senior captain and midfielder Matt Papagni due to illness, which made the difficult task of scoring on the Hermits’ lockdown defense nearly impossible.
3. Manalapan (15-4-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 3
With a Class A North championship and a split vs. CBA during the season, Manalapan has a case to be the No. 2 team in the rankings ahead of CBA. The aforementioned strength of schedule gives the Colts the edge in this space and with both teams now eliminated from the NJSIAA Tournament, it is unlikely Manalapan will jump CBA. All that said, the Braves did not make it an easy call. They outplayed CBA for the final 30 minutes of their 1-0 loss to the Colts in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and were the clear-cut No. 1 seed heading into that tournament. An early goal vs. Hunterdon Central on Saturday proved to be Manalapan’s undoing in the Central Group IV Tournament, but there is no shame in losing 1-0 to a decorated Red Devils program and Manalapan went down fighting for their season in the process.
4. Toms River East (17-4, 5-0) Last Week: 4
Winning a South Jersey Group III championship has been at the top of Toms River East’s list of goals since the beginning of the season and while Wednesday’s showdown with Shawnee is not for the championship, it could very well be the Raiders’ biggest game of the season. Shawnee is two years removed from winning the overall Group III championship and a year ago, the Renegades were upset by Delsea one round before they could make the trip to play Toms River East in the sectional semifinal. There is no ducking one another this season and whichever of the Raiders and Renegades survives Wednesday evening’s battle will be the unofficial favorite in the sectional final on Saturday.
5. Freehold Township (16-6-1, 5-0-1) Last Week: 5
At its best, Freehold Township had the wherewithal to beat any team in the Shore Conference and bid for a tournament championship. In the middle of the season, injuries slowed the Patriots. In the SCT, it was an unshakeable Manasquan defense and penalty kicks that did in Freehold Township. Finally, the Patriots had an off game in losing to East Brunswick in the Central Group IV quarterfinals. A No. 1 seed losing to a No. 8 doesn’t seem like a good look, but in CJ IV, there are dangerous teams throughout the bracket, as Monroe found out last year when the Falcons also lost in the quarterfinals as a No. 1 seed.
6. Marlboro (13-7-2, 4-1-1) Last Week: 6
For a decent stretch of the season, Marlboro’s early 2-1 win over Princeton was a feather in the Mustangs’ cap. Princeton won eight in a row after that loss to start the season 9-1 and it seemed to be a good indication that Marlboro was a Central Group IV contender. Instead, it served as motivation for Princeton, which dominated the rematch between the teams on Saturday in the Central Group IV quarterfinals. After a steady regular season in which Marlboro earned the No. 2 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, the Mustangs could not find their next gear to produce a deep tournament run.
7. Colts Neck (14-7-1, 3-3-1) Last Week: 7
In two state tournament games, the Cougars have already produced two memorable finishes to keep their season alive. In round one, they scored six goals in the last 15 minutes to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 6-2 romp against Middletown South. On Saturday, Colts Neck fell behind, 1-0, before sending the game to overtime and beating Hopewell Valley on a golden goal by Sean Moore. Those kind of wins can propel a team to a special run and after facing a tough regular-season schedule, Colts Neck is as ready as it can be for a trip to play top-seeded Northern Burlington Wednesday in the sectional semifinals.
8. Toms River North (11-9, 4-1) Last Week: 8
Kingsway could very well make the run to a South Jersey Group IV championship and if the Dragons complete the task, they will look back at their win over Toms River North as a flashpoint. It took a round of penalty kicks to stave off the challenge from the Mariners, who spent the season going toe-to-toe with some of the Shore’s best squads, but coming up just short in most of those games. Toms River North solved the scoring issues of 2025 with a dynamic attack in 2026, but gave up one too many goals in a handful of big games.
9. Howell (17-4, 6-0) Last Week: 9
After a difficult 2025 season that followed a stellar three-year run, Howell returned to prominence this season by moving down from Class A North to Class B North and steamrolling the competition for the team’s first outright division championship since 2007. While the divisions changed for Howell, the Rebels remained in Group IV and ran into a talented No. 11 seed in Steinert, which ended Howell’s season in a 2-1 Spartans win.
10. Ocean (14-5-2, 2-2-2) Last Week: 10
Connor Shaw has had a big senior season for Ocean and on Saturday, he delivered his biggest performance as a high school player, when he scored two goals to erase a 2-0 Rumson-Fair Haven lead and assisted the golden goal by Nic Critelli to cap a 3-2 win in overtime. Ocean is the last Shore Conference public school to win both the SCT and an overall group championship in the same year and with one more win, this would mark Ocean’s best all-around season since that legendary 2018 squad won its two tournament titles.
The Next 10
Rumson-Fair Haven (11-8-3, 2-1-3) – Rumson’s season ended with a devastating overtime loss to Ocean, but the Bulldogs have a lot to look forward to with a roster full of young players set to return in 2027.
Point Pleasant Beach (19-1, 5-0) – So far, Point Beach has demonstrated a great response to suffering its first loss. After beating Toms River South in a regular-season game, the Garnet Gulls advanced to the sectional semifinals in Central Jersey I with two dominant wins.
Shore (14-5-2, 2-2-2) – The Blue Devils will get a chance to put Point Beach to the test Wednesday in Point Pleasant, with the winner of the anticipated Group I showdown becoming the favorite to win the Central Group I section.
Jackson (16-3-3, 3-1-1) – A resounding 4-0 win over Southern on Monday sends Jackson to its first sectional semifinal since the Jaguars were still Jackson Memorial in 2019. No Jackson team has been to a sectional final since 2012, which is what the Jaguars will be trying to accomplish in taking on No. 1 seed Eastern Wednesday in the South Group IV semifinal.
Lacey (14-7-2, 3-1-1) – Not only did Lacey knock off West Deptford on a second-half goal by Tristan DeRosa on Monday; the Lions also earned a home semifinal thanks to No. 9 Haddon Heights toppling No. 1 seed Cinnaminson.
St. John Vianney (12-10-1, 2-4-0) – Lat year’s heartbreaking shootout loss at St. Augustine was a missed opportunity for a senior-heavy group. This year’s season-ending loss at St. Augustine feels like it is only the beginning for a group that is set to return most of its starting group.
Middletown South (7-13, 1-5) – Injuries significantly derailed Middletown South during its quest to repeat as Shore Conference Tournament and Central Group III champions, which, paired with a tough schedule, was a major factor in the Eagles losing nearly twice as many games as they won.
Southern (9-10-2, 2-2-1) – A regular-season win over Manasquan turned out to be Southern’s summit as a team in 2026, but it was not the only high point for a team that also beat Matawan to qualify for the SCT.
Matawan (12-6-1, 6-0-0) – A first-round exit in the state tournament joins missing the SCT cut as bitter pills within an overall positive season. In winning its first division title in 10 years, Matawan still took a big step forward in 2026.
Holmdel (8-12, 0-6) – A run to the Shore Conference Tournament Coaches Cup championship showed Holmdel was indeed hampered by injuries and playing in an overwhelming Class A North division.
