We’re back with the latest Elite Sports Physical Therapy Boys Lacrosse Top 10. The top six spots in the rankings remain unchanged and the drama remains in the lower half where teams continue to take turns beating each other. Being able to go purely off of head-to-head results has largely gone out the window so recent results are the biggest factor right now. We have two new teams this week so read more to see how things are shaking out with five more days of games left before the Shore Conference Tournament cutoff.

Elite Sports Physical Therapy Boys Lacrosse Top 10
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1. Manasquan (9-0). Last week: No. 1

The Warriors continued their winning ways with a 3-0 week that saw them score 18, 19 and 17 goals. They defeated rival and fifth-ranked Wall, 18-8, where junior attackman Canyon Birch scored his 200th career goal. They then posted consecutive shutouts over Barnegat and Donovan Catholic. Manasquan has its biggest week to date with games against Lawrenceville, CBA, Freehold Township and Point Boro. Reinforcements are coming Friday vs. CBA when junior LSM Mike Page and sophomore midfielder Matt Franzoni will make their Manasquan debuts after sitting out the required 30 days after transferring. This week: Wednesday at Lawrenceville; Friday at No. 2 CBA; Saturday vs. Point Boro; Monday vs. No. 3 Freehold Township.

 

2. Christian Brothers Academy (8-0). Last week: No. 2

The Colts won both their games last week to keep pace with Manasquan as the Shore’s two undefeated teams. CBA shut out Middletown North, 18-0, before using a second-half surge to down third-ranked Freehold Township, 10-3, and take a major step toward another Class A North division title. The most anticipated matchup of the regular season is on tap for Friday when top-ranked Manasquan heads to Lincroft. This week: Wednesday at Marlboro; Friday vs. No. 1 Manasquan; Monday at No. 9 Howell.

 

3. Freehold Township (7-1). Last week: No. 3

The Patriots hold on to the No. 3 spot after going 2-1 last week with their only loss coming to No. 2 CBA. Freehold Township cruised to an 18-1 win over Marlboro before falling 10-3 to CBA. The Pats then bounced back with a hard-fought 6-4 victory over St. John Vianney. They have another good test this week in facing Middletown South and they also take on No. 1 Manasquan on Monday. Taking care of business against Middletown South will go a long way toward earning the No. 3 seed for the Shore Conference Tournament. This week: Wednesday at No. 10 Middletown South; Saturday at Neptune; Monday at No. 1 Manasquan.

 

4. Southern (7-1). Last week: No. 4

The Rams played just one game over the past week, a 12-4 nondivisional victory over Red Bank. They return to action this week with an important divisional game along with two nonconference games as they look to clinch a top-four seed in the Shore Conference Tournament. This week: Wednesday vs. Toms River North; Friday at Mainland; Monday at Egg Harbor.

 

5. Wall (8-2). Last week: No. 5

The Crimson Knights went 2-1 during the week with their only loss coming to No. 1 Manasquan, enabling them to remain in the top five. Wall dropped an 18-8 contest to the Shore’s top-ranked team but rebounded with a pair of convincing wins, defeating Barnegat, 17-3, and Donovan Catholic, 18-6. Senior attackman Mike McIntyre is second in New Jersey with 40 goals. This week: Wednesday vs. Point Boro; Thursday at St. Peter’s Prep.

 

6. Rumson-Fair Haven (5-6). Last week: No. 6

The Bulldogs' climb back to .500 continued last week with a 2-1 showing that featured wins over Shore and Holmdel and a loss to Moorestown, which is ranked in the top 10 in New Jersey. Rumson defeated Shore, 14-9, before dropping an 8-3 decision to Moorestown on the road. They came back with an 8-7 double-overtime win over Holmdel after trailing 5-1 at halftime. Rumson has four games this week where they can clinch the outright Class B North division. Winning at least a share of the division title guarantees the Bulldogs entry into the Shore Conference Tournament regardless of record. This week: Wednesday vs. St. John Vianney; Friday at Red Bank Catholic; Saturday vs. Concord-Carlisle (MA); Monday vs. St. Peter’s Prep.

 

7. Shore (8-2). Last week: No. 10

The Blue Devils move up three spots after a 2-1 week that featured a wild 14-13 win over Lacey. Shore also had a 9-4 win over St. Rose and lost to No. 6 Rumson, 14-9. Shore’s only other loss this season came to Middletown South on opening day, giving them wins in eight of their last nine games. Junior midfielder Gil Goldsmith continues to play like one of the area’s best players with scoring, ground balls and great defense. This week:  Saturday at St. John Vianney; Monday vs. Jackson Liberty.

 

8. Holmdel (7-4). Last week: not ranked

The Hornets re-enter the top 10 after a week where they went 2-1 with their only loss coming in double overtime to No. 6 Rumson. Holmdel also had a 15-0 win over Hamilton West, an 8-7 win over St. John Vianney and an 8-5 win over previous No. 7 Howell. This week: Wednesday at Red Bank Catholic; Saturday at Long Branch; Monday at Pennington.

 

9. Howell (7-3). Last week: No. 7

The Rebels fall two spots after losing to Holmdel, 8-5. Howell was 2-1 overall last week with wins over Colts Neck and Mater Dei Prep. This week: Thursday at Toms River South; Monday vs. No. 2 CBA.

 

10. Middletown South (9-2). Last week: not ranked

There were several candidates for the final spot this week, and we’re going with the Eagles based on their strong play of late in winning six straight games. Middletown South was 3-0 over the past week with a 15-1 win over Neptune, an 8-3 win over Colts Neck and a 10-4 win over Point Boro. The Eagles have some big games coming up, including a matchup with No. 3 Freehold Township. This week: Wednesday vs. No. 3 Freehold Township; Saturday at Wardlaw-Hartridge; Monday at Toms River East.

 

Dropped out: Jackson Memorial (No. 8 last week), Ocean (No. 9 last week)

 

Teams to watch:

Lacey (5-3): The Lions nearly pulled off a stunning rally before losing to Shore, 14-13 in overtime. Lacey’s only in-conference losses this season are to Manasquan and Shore.

Toms River East (5-2): The Raiders were 3-0 over the past week with wins over Toms River North, Jackson Liberty and Middletown North. Their losses this year are to Jackson Memorial and Shore.

St. John Vianney (4-5): The Lancers are under .500 but don’t have a bad loss among their five defeats (Manasquan, CBA, Freehold Township, Holmdel, Ocean). All four wins have come over teams with losing records, however, so they are still searching for a signature win.

 

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Week 3

 

Managing editor Bob Badders can be reached at bob.badders@townsquaremedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bob_Badders. Like Shore Sports Network on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest video highlights.

 

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