Boys lacrosse stars of present and future assemble on June 13

The stars will be out on the night of June 14.

On Friday evening at Donovan Catholic High School in Toms River, Dynamic Sports Event Marketing & Management will present the 2019 Shore Conference Lacrosse Coaches Association senior and youth all-star games featuring some of the top boys lacrosse players in the Shore as well as some of the best eighth-graders in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The night will begin with the eighth-grade youth all-star game at 6 p.m. and the high school seniors will follow and take the field at 8 p.m.

The North all-star team is a loaded squad that features 10 SCLCA First Team All-Shore selections, including six from the incredible senior class at Manasquan. The top-ranked Warriors won their third straight Shore Conference Tournament title this season and also claimed the program’s third NJSIAA state sectional title in the last four seasons.

Attackman Canyon Birch leads the way after a record-breaking season and career that saw him finish as New Jersey’s all-time leading goal scorer and point producer. Birch, who will continue his career at Penn State, scored a state-leading 118 goals and added 51 assists for a state-best 169 points. He obliterated both conference and state career records for goals (392) and points (558). Linemate Ryan Anderson also had a tremendous season and career and finished third in the state in points with 49 goals and 67 assists for 116 points. Anderson concluded his career with 104 goals and 238 points. Rutgers recruit James Pendergist was a two-way force in the midfield for Manasquan, as was Mike Page, a dynamic long-stick midfielder who will continue his career at Syracuse. Manasquan had a fantastic defense, and a major reason why was the play of standout pole Jack Fabean (Richmond) and goalie Mike LaPoint (Tampa), who spearheaded a unit that allowed just 3.2 goals per game.

The North also features a pair of standouts from No. 2-ranked Christian Brothers Academy. Which captured the Class A North division title and reached the SCT championship game for the second straight season. Attackman Connor Macrae was among the Shore’s top scorers this season with 65 goals and 25 assists while defenseman Tommy Gray was a shutdown defenseman and two-time All-Shore selection for the Colts.

Freehold Township will have four players representing their program with midfielders Matt Kondrup and Nick Elimanco, defenseman Evan Nastarowicz and goalie Aidan Purcell. Kondrup scored a team-high 35 goals, Nastarowicz picked up 81 ground balls and Purcell had a .639 save percentage and 202 saves to lead the way.

The South all-star team will be led by a contingent of five players from Class B South champion Shore Regional. The Blue Devils had the best season in program history in going 15-2, winning their first division title and advancing to the SCT semifinals and the South Jersey Group 1 semifinals for the first time in program history. Attackman Jake Turner and midfielder Gil Goldsmith were third and fourth in the conference in scoring, respectively, and also top 10 in the state. Turner, who was a midfielder before this season, posted 62 goals and 42 assists while Goldsmith capped his tremendous, 300-plus point career with 31 goals and a conference-leading 71 assists. Midfielder Jack McCrae had a splendid senior season with 49 goals and 29 assists while attackman Tom Bocco tallied 41 goals and 14 assists. Shore’s defense held opponents to an average of 5.4 goals per game, and a big reason was the play of defenseman Gunnar Schuelzky.

Lacey had another solid season in finishing second to Shore Regional in B South and will have six players participating in the all-star game. Attackman Dylan Vitale and Dominic Waltonowski were two of the top scorers in the conference and combined for nearly 200 points. Vitale’s 75 goals were the second-most in the Shore and he finished with a career-high 97 points. Waltonowski totaled 41 goals and 51 assists to finish ninth in the Shore in scoring with 92 points. Joining Vitale and Waltonowski will be midfielders Chris Augustine (27 goals, 15 assists) and Ryan Giles (16 goals, 15 assists) and defensemen Ryan Collins and Shane Flanegan.

Southern Regional captured its seventh straight Class A South division title this season and will be represented by midfielder Ajani Steverson, defenseman Ian Maul and goalie Luke Maul. Steverson had a career year with 45 goals and 11 assists while Luke Maul, with an assist from twin brother Ian and the rest of the Rams defense, was again one of the top goalies in the conference with 157 saves and a .633 save percentage.

Other standouts include Ocean attackman Holden Lowe, Red Bank Catholic attackman Ryan Schellin, Rumson-Fair Haven defenseman Ethan Ardolino, Wall defenseman Shane Meyler, Holmdel midfielder and face-off specialist Dan Tempone and Donovan Catholic midfielder and face-off ace Trevor Barber. Lowe scored 58 goals and 14 assists and Schellin had 68 goals and 28 assists. Meyler and Ardolino were both SCLCA First Team All-Shore selections. Tempone and Barber should have a good battle on Thursday as two of the best in the Shore on draws. Barber led the conference with a .769 winning percentage and also scored 43 goals and picked up 79 ground balls. Tempone had a .683 winning percentage, collected a conference-best 186 ground balls and tallied 33 goals and 14 assists.

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.