Boys Soccer South Jersey State Tournament Preview
Some reshuffling in Group classification has split up the Toms River schools and adds another dangerous Shore Conference team to the South Jersey Group III mix. Toms River South, despite finishing behind Toms River North, Jackson Memorial and Lacey in Class A South, may have the best chance to win a sectional title of any Ocean County team. Part of that is the Washington Township juggernaut in South Jersey IV, one that Toms River North probably should have beaten last year if not for a controversial penalty kick.
There is not much Shore influence overall, but there is some potential for the handful of Shore Conference teams to do damage in South Jersey.
South Jersey Group IV
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 5 Toms River North, No. 12 Toms River East
Defending Champion: Washington Township
The Top Seed: Washington Township
The Favorite: Washington Township. The No. 1 team in the state, according to the Star Ledger, is going to be the favorite in SJ IV and probably in all of Group IV. The only thing that might derail Washington (22-0) is that the top half of the bracket has Toms River North and Rancocas Valley, but that only means the Minutemen will be even tougher once they get to the final.
The Darkhorse: No. 11 Lenape. There are a lot of good teams in the bottom half of the bracket, but there is not much of a difference between No. 2 and No. 15. The Indians have already beaten first-round opponent Cherokee, and they have played a tougher schedule than that of No. 3 Clearview and No. 2 Kingsway. Both Clearview and Kingsway are good teams, but Lenape is good enough to give either trouble. Also watch out for Eastern, which could give Kingsway trouble in round one.
Best First-Round Game: (12) Toms River East at (5) Toms River North. Nothing like crosstown rivals playing in the state tournament. Toms River North rolled to a 3-0 win over the Raiders in the last meeting and it took a handball in the final seconds to allow East to salvage a 2-2 draw in the first meeting. That being said, anything can happen in this match-up and with the season on the line for each team, so the game should be intense.
Shore Player to Watch: Nick Sica, Toms River North. There are only two Shore teams in this bracket, so the nod goes to the best player on the Class A South division champions. Sica was not a heavy goal-scorer as a defensive midfielder, but he is exceptional in the air and the offense runs through his feet. A nod to Lorenzo Scala of Toms River East, who is also a dangerous player on the attack for the Raiders.
Non-Shore Player to Watch: Derek MacKinnon, Washington Twp. After being more of a second banana last year to Eric Jordan, MacKinnon has been dominant as the best player on the state’s top team with 24 goals this year.
Championship Pick: Washington Twp. over Lenape. The Minutemen are head and shoulders above every team in this bracket. After this section, teams like Hunterdon Central, East Brunswick, Westfield and Watching Hills will be tough, but Washington has to be the favorite in Group IV.
Round-by-Round Quick Picks
First Round
(1) Washington Twp. over (16) Absegami
(8) Vineland over (9) Williamstown
(5) Toms River North over (12) Toms River East
(4) Rancocas Valley over (13) Shawnee
(3) Clearview over (14) Millville
(11) Lenape over (6) Cherokee
(10) Cherry Hill West over (7) Egg Harbor
(2) Kingsway over (15) Eastern
Quarterfinals
(1) Washington Twp. over (8) Vineland
(5) Toms River North over (4) Rancocas Valley
(11) Lenape over (3) Clearview
(2) Kingsway over (10) Cherry Hill West
Semifinals
(1) Washington Twp. over (5) Toms River North
(11) Lenape over (2) Kingsway
Final
(1) Washington Twp. over (11) Lenape
South Jersey Group III
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 5 Toms River South, No. 6 Central, No. 7 Lacey, No. 16 Pinelands
Defending Champion: Moorestown
The Top Seed: Ocean City
The Favorite: No. 3 Timber Creek. Ocean City is notoriously difficult to beat on its home pitch, but Timber Creek is 17-2, is a battle-tested No. 3 seed, and already beat Ocean City in Ocean City 3-0. All signs point to the Wolves as the clear favorite, despite being the No. 3.
The Darkhorse: Lacey. The Lions look like the highest seed with a legitimate chance to win the bracket, but in all likelihood, Timber Creek is going to be too much. Don’t be surprised, however, if Lacey takes out Delsea in the quarterfinals. Seneca is a very good No. 14, but it will have to play Timber Creek in round one.
Best First-Round Game: (10) Burlington Twp. at (7) Lacey. On the flip side, Lacey could be one-and-done because of its first-round opponent. Burlington is only 6-12 and is currently on a seven-game losing streak, but consider the seven opponents: Cinnaminson (13-4), Moorestown (9-6-1), Rancocas Valley (13-5-2), Delran (14-6), Palmyra (12-8), New Egypt (18-2) and Sterling (16-4). Lacey has also played and beaten plenty of tough opponents as well, so this one should be tight.
Shore Player to Watch: Blake Czajkowski, Central. The junior has been a scorer from the day he stepped onto a varsity field as a freshman, and he has taken his scoring to the next level this year with 18 goals and 11 assists. He could pose a problem for Timber Creek if Central can get through round one.
Non-Shore Player to Watch: Alex Kourahanis, Timber Creek. The senior forward just broke the school single-season and career goal-scoring record with 29 goals this year and 59 for his career.
Championship Pick: Timber Creek over Toms River South. This Toms River South squad is a make-or-break team, which means the Indians can be done by Tuesday evening, or preparing for Timber Creek on Nov. 15. Toms River South has generally stepped up in big games, so Ocean City could have its hands full.
Round-by-Round Quick Picks
First Round
(1) Ocean City over (16) Pinelands
(8) Cumberland over (9) Hammonton
(5) Toms River South over (12) Oakcrest
(4) Moorestown over (13) Triton
(3) Timber Creek over (14) Seneca
(6) Central over (11) Gloucester Tech
(7) Lacey over (10) Burlington Twp.
(2) Delsea over (15) Westampton Tech
Quarterfinals
(1) Ocean City over (8) Cumberland
(5) Toms River South over (4) Moorestown
(3) Timber Creek over (6) Central
(7) Lacey over (2) Delsea
Semifinals
(5) Toms River South over (1) Ocean City
(3) Timber Creek over (7) Lacey
Final
(3) Timber Creek over (5) Toms River South
South Jersey Group II
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 13 Barnegat
Defending Champion: West Deptford
The Top Seed: West Deptford
The Favorite: West Deptford. There are some tough match-ups in the bracket, but West Deptford has done this before and deserves to be the favorite after winning the section last year and entering the tournament at 17-2-1.
The Darkhorse: No. 8 Haddon Heights. Haddon Heights has been close against some of the bracket's top teams, but hasn’t been able to break through. This section should be very top-heavy, with the top-five seeds being the only realistic title contenders.
Best First-Round Game: (9) Deptford at (8) Haddon Heights. Again, in a top-heavy bracket, the number of interesting first-round games is limited. The eight-nine game is usually tight and both of these teams are similar.
Shore Player to Watch: Austin Reynolds, Barnegat. The Bengals will be a big underdog in SJ II as the Shore Conference’s only team, but they have a history of being a tough out under coach Mike McCullion. Reynolds has emerged as a quality midfielder in Class B South as a junior and he’ll try to help the Bengals knock off Haddonfield in the first round.
Non-Shore Player to Watch: Tommy Sheehan, Sterling. The senior recently picked up his 100th career point, 55 of which have come this year (21 goals, 13 assists).
Championship Pick: Middle Twp. over West Deptford. Middle Township looked poised to make a run at the Group II title last year, but ran into a hot Cinnaminson team. With Cinnaminson now in Central Jersey, Middle makes its move.
Round-by-Round Quick Picks
First Round
(1) West Deptford over (16) Bridgeton
(8) Haddon Heights over (9) Deptford
(5) Sterling over (12) Pleasantville
(4) Haddonfield over (13) Barnegat
(3) Woodstown over (14) Lower Cape May
(6) Buena over (11) Collingswood
(7) Cedar Creek over (10) Atlantic Tech
(2) Middle Twp. over (15) Pemberton
Quarterfinals
(1) West Deptford over (8) Haddon Heights
(5) Sterling over (4) Haddonfield
(6) Buena over (3) Woodstown
(2) Middle Twp. over (7) Cedar Creek
Semifinals
(1) West Deptford over (5) Sterling
(2) Middle Twp. over (6) Buena
Final
(2) Middle Twp. over (1) West Deptford
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