Boys Lacrosse: Manalapan tops Rancocas Valley in OT for first state playoff win in program history

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MANALAPAN -- The stress was palpable as Manalapan's defense worked to hold off Rancocas Valley one final time and give its offense a chance to extend the season.

A shot 45 seconds into the possession skipped wide but Rancocas Valley sprinted to the end line to retain possession. The Red Devils went to work again out of the left alley with David Myers cutting across the box, but this time, junior defenseman Aidan Wilmot was there to meet him. A crunching body check jarred the ball loose and Wilmot was on his way across midfield with plenty of open turf in front of him and Manalapan's attackmen waiting anxiously.

He dumped it off to Anthony Macchio on the right wing, who then sent it across the box to Christian Zdziarski, who looked to the crease to find sophomore attackman Jake Schatz. Time seemed to stand still throughout the whole sequence with the large crowd of Manalapan supporters holding its collective breath as Schatz tried to muscle his way to the net.

Schatz dodged one defender, rolled away from another, and avoided multiple stick checks to get his hands free before bouncing a shot that went up and over the Ranocas Valley goalie and into the net. As the ball hit the twine and the goal was confirmed, Manalapan celebrated like never before. The Braves, in their third year as a varsity program, had done it, rallying in the fourth quarter and overtime to secure the first NJSIAA Tournament victory in program history.

Schatz' game-winning goal completed a gutsy comeback by the Braves, who rallied from multiple two-goal deficits to defeat Rancocas Valley, 9-8 in overtime, in the first round of the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs on Friday night at the Manalapan Recreation Center. The eighth-seeded Braves, hosting a state playoff game for the first time, were down 8-6 in the fourth quarter before Macchio scored at 6:45 and sophomore Matt Avivi tied the game with 3:19 left to send the game to the extra period.

"It's all a blur, mostly," Schatz said. "I tried to take it to the rack and score. I rolled back, got around him, took the shot and it went in. It was awesome."

"It was a great feeling, probably the best feeling I've ever had in sports," Wilmot said.

"It felt like the longest 4-on-3 fast break I've ever seen," said Manalapan head coach Nick Filippone. "Aidan made the smart play, we got it to the crease, and Schatz made a special play diving through two kids to sneak a goal in. The kids made plays when we needed them. I'm so proud of all of them."

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Junior midfielder Marc Stefanelli led Manalapan with three goals while Macchio, a junior attackman, delivered a goal and three assists. Senior midfielder Luke Mann, sophomore midfielder Jason Rinaldi, and Avivi each scored once, and Manalapan also had a goal that resulted from an errant pass into the net by a Rancocas Valley defender. Freshman goalie Connor Doel made nine saves, including one in overtime, and was clutch all game to help Manalapan remain within striking distance.

Manalapan will play at No. 1 Eastern in the quarterfinals next week.

"This was a massive program win from the little laxers all the way through high school," Filippone said. "This was one we've been dreaming about for l long time and to do it as an overtime win in our first state playoff game is something you dream of."

"It's a beautiful feeling, I can't even describe it," Stefanelli said. "First state win, third-year program. Everyone is ecstatic. You can't make it up."

Rancocas Valley (6-11) started the scoring when junior attackman Nick Marco scored off a setup from senior attackman Jorden Francis. Manalapan tied it 1-1 when a Rancocas Valley defender was attempting to give the ball to his goalie but a stick check caused an errant pass that bounced into the net. The Red Devils were able to regroup quickly with Nick Marco setting up sophomore attackman Dean Marco for a goal at 8:47 and then finding sophomore midfielder Ryan O'Dare for a man-up goal with 1:37 left in the first quarter. Rancocas Valley took that 3-1 lead into the second quarter and the game of cat and mouse began.

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Manalapan started picking up steam in the second quarter after a face-off win by sophomore Jake Piedrahita to open the period led to a possession of nearly four minutes. Manalapan sent five shots on goal but couldn't find the back of the net or convert on a 30-second extra-man opportunity, but the Braves were undeterred and closed to within 3-2 when Rinaldi scored off a pass from Macchio at 5:34.

"Our team has been focusing on that lately, being able to stay mentally in the game," Stefanelli said. "Keep shooting and if it's not falling for us we're going keep going to find the back of the cage."

Nick Marco scored his first of the game with 3:17 left in the first half and that gave Rancocas Valley a 4-2 halftime lead. Mann scored early in the third quarter to make it 4-3 but Rancocas Valley regained its two-goal lead once again when O'Dare scored off an assist from Nick Marco. Manalapan continued to battle and Stefanelli pulled the Braves within 5-4 with a goal at 7:14 of the third quarter. Less than two minutes later, Macchio dished to Stefanelli who scored to tie the game at five. Finally, Manalapan drew even.

"We were down the entire game but we never allowed them to get momentum," Filippone said. "We chipped away. They would go up two, we would get one more, they would go up two again, we'd get another. And we scored them at the right time."

"We showed mental toughness, I do think that," Stefanelli said. "Our offense was struggling in the beginning of the game but we kept working."

The good vibes from Stefanelli's tying goal were brief after Myers scored with 1:15 left in the third quarter and O'Dare scored early in the fourth to give Rancocas Valley a two-goal lead for the fourth time. Stefanelli responded with his third goal of the game but O'Dare then netted his third goal on a man-advantage to give Rancocas Valley an 8-6 lead with 8:09 left in regulation.

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Manalapan needed one more rally and it began with Macchio scoring his first goal of the night with 6:45 on the clock. Just over three minutes later, Macchio dished to Avivi and the sophomore found the back of the net to knot the score 8-8 with 3:19 to play. Manalapan had a chance to win in regulation but Rancocas Valley goalie Alex Guardino made a save on Stefanneli with one second left to force overtime.

Manalapan controlled the overtime face-off with Piedrahita freeing the ball from the clamp, junior defenseman Justin Miller sweeping it away, and Wilmot collecting the ground ball to enable Filippone to call timeout. The Braves were able to get a shot off but it went off the side of the net and Rancocas Valley gained possession. That set up the final sequence with Wilmot delivering a check that forced a turnover and set up the fast break.

"I was looking for the open guy so we could get it in the net, that's all that mattered," This is a huge win for the program. We've been looking for this all year. We knew we were going to have a chance at states and we wanted to make a run."

"He made a great play, looked to find the open man, Schatz got in trouble, doubled, but found a way out of it and finished," Stefanelli said. "The whole team went nuts."

With lacrosse booming at its youth levels, Manalapan's high school lacrosse program made its varsity debut during the 2021 season and went 7-8 with some solid victories and berths in both the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments. Last season, the Braves also qualified for both tournaments but finished 7-9 with a six-game losing streak against formidable opponents to end the season. Their growth this season has been obvious. They started the season 3-0 and continued stack victories. All five of Manalapan's conference losses have come to teams ranked in the Top 10 and they pushed No. 5 Red Bank to the limit in a 12-10 loss in the SCT.

Friday night was a foundational moment for Manalapan's lacrosse program. The stands were packed, the youth players watched along the fence, and the Braves delivered a dramatic victory to their lacrosse community. To call it a program-building win might not be enough.

"It's a major milestone," Filippone said. "The youth program and the high school program are linked, we do everything together. "All the kids who were here, they know our high school kids and our kids know them. It's a big lacrosse family and for everyone to come out to support, it's an amazing feeling to be a part of it."

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