Boys Soccer: State Tournament Preview

Only four North Jersey teams earned the top seed in their respective sections when the brackets for the NJSIAA Boys Soccer State Tournament were released Wednesday.

Waldwick (North 1, Group 1), Ramapo (North 1, Group 3), Cliffside Park (North 2, Group 3) and Hawthorne Christian (North Non-Public B) sit atop their respective sections looking down on the competition.

But there are plenty of North Jersey teams who are revving up and ready to knock the top seeds off their pedestals when the state tournament begins with first round games by Tuesday.

Click this link to see the full pairings and schedule for sections involving North Jersey teams http://blog.northjersey.com/varsityaces/27584/27584/

And continue reading below to see a full section by section preview for North Jersey in the state tournament.

NORTH 1, GROUP 1

Favorites: Waldwick, Wallington

Contenders: Pompton Lakes

Storyline: Don’t be surprised if this section comes down to top-seeded Waldwick (13-2-1) and No. 2 and defending champion Wallington (14-2-1) for the third straight year. These two teams have split the last two sectional titles with each winning on the opponent’s home turf. A third straight showdown could be an offensive lightshow between Waldwick’s Dennis Reyes, who has scored more than 30 goals this year, and Wallington’s Damian Agaj with 29. Third-seeded Pompton Lakes (12-3-2) could throw a monkey

wrench into things. The Cardinals have given up just eight goals this season while goalkeeper Will Pendexter has posted 13 shutouts. But trying to contain Agaj or Reyes is a tough task for any defense. There could be an interesting quarterfinal matchup between fifth-seeded Emerson and fourth-seeded Park Ridge if they both win their first round games. Park Ridge (11-5) has beaten its next door rival Emerson (9-6-2) twice this season, the second by just one goal earlier this month.

NORTH 1, GROUP 2

Favorites: Newton

Contenders: Ramsey, Mountain Lakes, Hawthorne

Storyline: Newton barreled out of the fourth seed in the section to win the Group 2 state championship and hasn’t slowed down since. At 20-0-1 with 82 goals, just under four per game, they are a prohibitive favorite. But they have given up 32 goals this season, so their defense can be beaten. Ryan Cronin leads the way with 25 goals and 11 assists. Ramsey (12-3-1) is the second seed this year after squeaking into the tournament as the 16 a year ago. The Rams have lost just one of their last 11 games, a 1-0 loss in PK to defending champion Ramapo in the Bergen quarterfinals, and boast a huge upset victory over then unbeaten Waldwick in overtime in the first round of the Bergen tournament. Goalkeeper Mike Saalfrank was out of this world in the quarterfinal loss to Ramapo, particularly in the penalty kicks and would need to be again if they go up against Newton. But they may have to go through sixth-seeded Pequannock, which knocked Ramsey out of the tournament in each of the last two years, to get there. Pequannock (10-4-2) will travel up to Mountain Lakes in the first round needing to beat the third-seeded Lakers (14-2-3) for the first time in three tries to advance. Mountain Lakes has beaten Pequannock twice by identical 3-2 scores, the second coming in overtime in the Morris County Tournament.

NORTH 1, GROUP 3

Favorites: Ramapo, Northern Highlands

Contenders: Tenafly, Wayne Hills, Bergenfield

Storyline: As always, this is looking to be the most loaded section in North Jersey. Besides top-seeded Ramapo (14-3), which tied Princeton last year for its second straight state Group 3 championship, and No. 2 Northern Highlands (13-2-2), you have resurgent Tenafly (13-4-1) and tournament giant killers Wayne Hills (13-4-1), which beat DePaul and Clifton on the way to the Passaic County title, and Bergenfield (9-6-2), a Bergen semifinalist. Of course, Tenafly, Wayne Hills and Bergenfield are no longer a surprise to

anybody this season. Highlands just downed Ramapo on Tuesday to split the season series and force a tie atop the Big North Freedom Division standings as both teams were named co-champions. Danny Aversano and Cal Portnoy have been a tremendous one-two punch up the middle for the Highlanders, who have been knocked out of the sectional tournament by Ramapo in each of the last two years. Ramapo has been playing without senior outside back Ian Fayorsey for the last two weeks which has hindered its ability to spark the offense from the back. But the Raiders hope to have him back for the start of the tournament Tuesday which could swing things back in the favor of Ramapo. Bergenfield, which knocked off fourth-seeded Bergen Tech and fifth-seeded Bergen Catholic on the way to the Bergen semis, could get a third shot at Tenafly, which beat the Bears twice by identical 1-0 scores, in the quarterfinals. Tenafly has posted 10 shutouts this season while giving up just 16 goals. Keep an eye out for red-hot Teaneck (10-7-2), which one coach in the section has already called his sleeper. The 13^th-seeded Highwaymen have gone 10-2-1 since an 0-5-1 start this season with victories over Tenafly and Bergenfield in that stretch. They face fourth-seeded Mount Olive in the first round and could face fifth-seeded Wayne Hills in the quarterfinals.

 

NORTH 1, GROUP 4

Favorites: Memorial

Contenders: Kearny, Montclair, Bergen Tech

Storyline: If you need any proof of how tough this section is, just consider that Passaic County finalist Clifton (13-5) is seeded ninth. Bergen Tech (17-2), which split a pair against Clifton, is the fourth seed and opens up with a challenging game at home against an always dangerous Ridgewood team. Daniel Zehirov has 12 goals and 9 assists while Klevis Zyfi and Jeremy Schwartz each have eight. The Knights could see top-seeded Kearny in the semifinals. Kearny could renew their heated rivalry against Clifton in the quarterfinals if both win their opening round games. Clifton does have a host of weapons in Kevin Arce and Justin Olaya, who have 14 goals each, and Nick Glodava, who has 12. But they need to get back on a winning track after losing two of their last three games. Second-seeded Memorial (14-5), which didn’t even make the tournament last year and lost to Kearny as the 16^th seed in 2011, is a slight favorite after splitting two meetings with Kearny this season. Defending champion Montclair (14-2-2) is the third seed but is battle tested with huge regular season matchups against the likes of Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, Millburn and others.

NORTH 2, GROUP 1

Favorites: Brearley

Contenders: Bloomfield Tech, Dayton, North Arlington

Storyline: Brearley came as close as you could to winning the section and advancing in the tournament, losing in penalty kicks to eventual state finalist Harrison in the sectional final. This time there’s no Harrison standing in the way and top-seeded Brearley (14-2) has its sights set beyond just winning the section. North Arlington (9-5-1) and 29-goal scorer Danny Cordeiro is seeded fifth and facing a first-round matchup against Dayton. The Vikings reached the sectional semifinals last year before losing to Brearley.

NORTH 2, GROUP 2

Favorites: Harrison

Contenders: Bernards

Storyline: Can anybody stop the Harrison express to The College of New Jersey? The top-seeded Blue Tide, which move back up to Group 2 this year, have won a record 24 state titles. But its return to the Group 1 state final for the first time since 2008 last year was a disaster as they fell, 3-0, to Haddon Heights. They are looking to erase that after going 18-0-1 with 95 goals (5 goals per game) this season. Jose Neto leads the way with 21 goals, but the Tide rides on the back of the towering Modou Sowe, who clogs up the back as a center back on the defense but can carry the ball forward and join the offense at practically any moment. He has scored 14 goals. Sixth-seeded Leonia (13-4), which had a huge win over Waldwick last week, has a tough road that could have to go through third-seeded Hackettstown (11-7-1) and second-seeded Bernards (14-2-1), which lost to Cliffside Park in the sectional final last year. Gino Zacarias (20 goals, 9 assists) has been on a tear of late with 6 goals in his last four games, and Kevin Zacarias has dished out 19 assists.

NORTH 2, GROUP 3

Favorites: Cliffside Park

Contenders: South Plainfield, Orange

Storyline: Unbeaten top seed Cliffside Park (18-0), which won the North 2, Group 2 title a year ago out of the fifth seed and will be

facing Don Bosco for the Bergen County title Friday night, is charting new territory in Group 3. But with senior Orlando Neto scoring 29 goals to lead an offense that can create opportunities almost at will, they should be more than up to the task against the larger Group 3 teams. Senior Jose Pena (9g, 11a) has been a great complement up front to Neto in the middle creating a dangerous combination for most defenses. But the Red Raiders can score from anywhere with players like Harwin Ventura and Gabe Donato also coming up with big goals. The Red Raiders could face defending sectional champion Mendham (13-7), the eighth seed, in the quarterfinals and possibly fourth-seeded Governor Livingston (13-4) in the semis. South Plainfield (13-4-1) tops the other bracket as the second seed.

NORTH NON-PUBLIC A

Favorites: Seton Hall Prep, Delbarton

Contenders: Don Bosco, Bergen Catholic, DePaul

Storyline: Another loaded bracket led by top-seeded Seton Hall Prep (17-2-1), which has been nationally-ranked for much of the season, and defending state champion Delbarton (18-1-1), which has not allowed a goal in 18 of its 20 games this season. Kevin Molnar is the backbone of that defense. Seton Hall’s top

scorer is Mike Hall with 15 goals. Bosco (15-2), which will face unbeaten Cliffside Park in the Bergen final Friday night, DePaul (11-3) and Bergen Catholic (12-3-1) have all split their two meetings with each other this season. And there are no breaks in this section. Fifth-seeded Bergen and fourth-seeded Bosco renew their heated rivalry right off the bat in the quarterfinals. Each won a one-goal slugfest on their home turf during the regular season. Luis Mendoza-led DePaul, which reached the sectional final before losing to Delbarton, got a tough draw despite pulling down the second seed, likely having to face third-seeded Delbarton in the semifinals, assuming the Spartans get past the winner between Pope John and St. Joseph’s in the quarterfinals.

NORTH NON-PUBLIC B

Favorites: Hawthorne Christian

Contenders: Montclair-Kimberley, Newark Academy

Storyline: Hawthorne Christianb (14-2-1) tops a bracket that includes returning Non-Public B state champion Montclair-Kimberley (8-6-1) and Newark Academy (11-4-1), which knocked the Defenders out of the tournament in the semifinals last year. Hawthorne Christian has been playing well since being ousted from the Passaic County tournament by Wayne Hills, going 5-0-1 with

a huge tie against Waldwick and outscoring its opponents 31-5 in that stretch. Rene White has scored 11 of his team-high 27 goals in that stretch. Jake Hart has 12 goals and 11 assists, and Chris Aust has 20 assists on the season. Montclair-Kimberley, which could face Hawthorne Christian in the semifinals, has won four of its last five games, including a huge 2-0 victory over Seton Hall Prep.