During a normal spring, the Shore Conference lacrosse season would be entering its second full week. Division races would be starting to take shape. All-Shore players would be emerging. An upset or two would already be in the books.

But these times are anything but normal.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of everyone at the Jersey Shore and beyond. The physical distancing protocols put in place at both the federal and state level have schools closed indefinitely and the spring season of New Jersey high school sports stuck in a holding pattern. Whether our state will be healthy enough to reopen schools this academic year and begin some form of a high school sports season remains to be seen, but everyone involved remains hopeful.

The 2019 class was a record-setting group that dominated the Shore Sports Network All-Shore teams, especially the first team, but there was a bevy of talented underclassmen right behind them, including many members of the class of 2020. If the lacrosse season does get underway at some point, these are some of the top returning players in the Shore Conference.

Returning Shore Sports Network All-Shore players 

FIRST TEAM

Logan Peters, Jr., Midfield, Wall – A preseason favorite as a Player of the Year candidate, Peters is coming off a great sophomore season where he scored 52 goals and added 45 assists to finish fifth in the Shore in scoring with 97 points. Peters is a dynamic playmaker and a three-sport standout who also quarterbacked Wall to the Central Jersey Group 3 title and the No. 1 ranking in the Shore Conference and played on the Crimson Knights’ Central Jersey Group 3 championship-winning basketball team. His main sport is lacrosse, however, and in January he committed to Rutgers.

Anthony Brett, Sr., Midfield, St. John Vianney – Brett is a two-time First Team All-Shore selection and one of the most versatile players in the Shore. As a junior, Brett scored 46 goals, added 42 assists to finish 11^th in the Shore with 88 points. He was also third in the Shore with 175 ground balls.

Vaughn Meehan, Sr., Midfield/Face-offs, Howell – Meehan won 70 percent of face-offs as a junior and was second in the conference with 183 ground balls. He also scored 24 goals and added 12 assists.

SECOND TEAM

Cade Johnson, Sr., Attack, Southern – Johnson was the leading goal-scorer and point-producer in the Class A South division with 52 goals and 20 assists for 72 points.

Connor Ard, Sr., Attack, Middletown South – Ard’s breakout season mirrored that of Middletown South’s as he scored 49 goals with 17 assists for 66 points to help the Eagles to 11-5 and finish second in Class A North.

Patrick Jamin, Jr., Midfield, Rumson-Fair Haven – Jamin is one of top playmakers in the Shore for a balanced Rumson-Fair Haven offense and dished out 49 assists last season to go along with 21 goals last season. 

Jake Shirley, Sr., LSM, Shore – Shirley picked up 107 ground balls and played stout defense last season as an integral member of a Blue Devils’ squad that had the best season in program history. 

Tommy Shaughnessy, Sr., Defense, Manasquan – Shaughnessy is a standout pole for the high-powered Warriors and was a fixture on defense for a Manasquan team that allowed just 3.2 goals per game last season.

Kyle Harris, Sr., Defense, St. John Vianney – An effective defender as well as a ground-ball machine, Harris was seventh in the Shore last season with 123 ground balls.

Jared Lucich, Jr., Face-offs, Christian Brothers Academy – Lucich emerged as a top FOGO during his sophomore year to help CBA win the Class A North division title and reach the Shore Conference Tournament championship game. 

Ryan Dolan, Sr., Defense, Shore – Dolan was the top defenseman for a Shore Regional squad that went 15-2, won its first division title and reached the semifinals of both the Shore Conference Tournament and the state sectional tournament for the first time in program history.

THIRD TEAM

Brendan Doel, Sr., Attack, Freehold Township – Doel was the Patriots’ leading scorer with 32 goals and 27 assists for 59 points and also picked up 58 ground balls. 

Casey Mulligan, Jr., Attack, Manasquan – Mulligan had a great sophomore season with 35 goals and 26 assists for 61 points, which was third on the Warriors’ attack line behind Canyon Birch (118-51-169) and Ryan Anderson (49-67-116), who were also the top two point-producers in the Shore.

Dan Martin, Jr., Attack, Christian Brothers Academy – A physical presence up front, Martin netted 42 goals and added 12 assists for 54 points last season to help the Colts win the Class A North division title and reach the SCT championship game. 

Jack Zenkert, Sr., Attack, Red Bank Catholic – Zenkert was fourth in the Shore in goals last season with 66 and added 27 assists to post 93 points. 

Kiel Forlenza, Sr., Attack, Rumson-Fair Haven – One of six Rumson players who scored 20 or more goals last season, Forlenza tallied 29 goals and 12 assists as a junior. 

Rowan Goldin, Sr., Midfield, Rumson-Fair Haven – Goldin was second on Rumson in points last season with 35 goals and 21 assists for 56 points. 

Matt Franzoni, Sr., Midfield, Manasquan – Manasquan’s attack line accounted for 202 goals and 134 assists last season so there weren’t many points to go around elsewhere. Franzoni had 13 goals and four assists as a junior and was a steady quarterback in offensive sets. He figures to have a more prominent offensive role as a senior. 

Will Devane, Sr., Midfield, Southern – Devane developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the Shore Conference last season and was an invaluable asset for a Rams team that won the Class A South division title and reached the SCT semifinals. 

Noah Wasacz, Sr., Defense, Southern – Wasacz was the leading defender for a Southern team that yielded seven goals per game and helped the Rams win their seventh straight Class A South division title and reach the SCT and South Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

Luke Gueci, Sr., Defense, Red Bank Catholic – Gueci  161 ground balls were the fourth-most in the Shore Conference last season. 

Mike Farrell, Jr., Defense, Manasquan – Another stalwart down low for Manasquan’s shutdown defense, Farrell had a superb sophomore season for a team that allowed just 3.2 goals per game on its way to winning Class B North, the SCT and the South Jersey Group 1 sectional title.

Tyler Colacichi, Jr., Defense, Middletown South – Colacichi was the Eagles’ top defenseman as last season as one of the best sophomores in the Shore Conference.

Returning Shore Conference Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Division selections

CLASS A NORTH

First Team

Attack – Connor Ard, Sr., Middletown South

Attack – Brendan Doel, Sr., Freehold Township

Defense – Tyler Colacichi, Jr., Middletown South

Def. Specialist – Theo Deberghes, Jr., Howell

Face-offs – Vaughn Meehan, Sr., Howell

Second Team

Attack – Pete Abbes, Sr., Middletown North

Attack – Dan Martin, Jr., CBA

Defense – Chris Halmi, Sr., Colts Neck

Def. Specialist – Dillon Quinn, Sr., CBA

Face-offs – Jared Lucich, Jr., CBA

Honorable Mention

Attack – Anastagio Muscara, Jr., Colts Neck

Attack – James Fay, Jr., Howell

Def. Specialist – John Miranda, Jr., Middletown North

Goalie – Joey Dam, Jr., Middletown North

CLASS A SOUTH

First Team

Attack – Cade Johnson, Sr., Southern

Attack – Sean Laverty, Sr., Jackson Memorial

Defense – Noah Wasacz, Sr., Southern

Def. Specialist – Will Devane, Sr., Southern

Face-offs – Kyle Mueller, Sr., Brick Memorial

Second Team

Attack – Hayden Baranker, Sr., Toms River North

Attack – Nick. Perillo, Sr., Jackson Memorial

Midfield – Alex Smith, Sr., Toms River East

Midfield – Jake Bosco, Sr., Jackson Liberty

Midfield – Ryan Sininsky, So., Southern

Defense – Billy Meyer, Sr., Toms River South

Defense – Corey Finnegan, Sr., Toms River North

Honorable Mention

Midfield – Aaron Hutchinson, Sr., Southern

Defense – Kurt Newman, Sr., Brick

Face-offs – Drew Wasacz, Jr., Southern

Goalie – Tyber Budrow, Sr., Toms River East

CLASS B NORTH

First Team

Attack – Logan Peters, Jr., Wall

Midfield – Anthony Brett, Sr., St. John Vianney

Midfield – Patrick Jamin, Jr., Rumson-Fair Haven

Second Team

Attack – Jack Zenkert, Sr., Red Bank Catholic

Attack – Kiel Forlenza, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

Midfield – Rowan Goldin, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

Midfield – Matt Franzoni, Sr., Manasquan

Defense – Tommy Shaughnessy, Sr., Manasquan

Defense – Kyle Harris, Sr., St. John Vianney

Defense – Luke Gueci, Sr., Red Bank Catholic

Def. Specialist – Drew Frankel, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

Face-offs – Kyle Wenzel, Jr., Wall

Honorable Mention

Defense – Logan Bianchi, Jr., Ocean

Face-offs – Josh O’Leary, Jr., St. John Vianney

CLASS B SOUTH

First Team

Defense – Ryan Dolan, Sr., Shore

Def. Specialist – Jake Shirley, Sr., Shore

Goalie – Scott Sirianni, Sr., Shore

Second Team

Attack – Nolan Boehmcke, Sr., St. Rose

Midfield – Jamie Mazzacco, So., Shore

Midfield – Spencer Flynn, Sr., St. Rose

Defense – Patrick Frawley, Jr., Point Boro

Defense – Andrew Aldi, Sr., St. Rose

Def. Specialist – Keaon Torres, Sr., Donovan Catholic

Face-offs – Sean O’Brien, Jr., Shore

Honorable Mention

Defense – Dan Magrini, Sr., St. Rose

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.