South Jersey Boys’ Lacrosse Primer

by Marc Narducci | Apr 4, 2025

The New Jersey high school boys’ lacrosse season has begun and the race for No. 1 in South Jersey should be interesting. Several teams, led by defending state Group 3 champion Moorestown and South Jersey Group 3 finalist Shawnee, should lead the way to the top spot.

Here are some of the key dates and facts heading into this season:

State tournament cutoff date: May 20

State Tournament Dates

Public Schools
First round: May 29 at the higher seed
Second round: June 2 at the higher seed
Third round: June 5 at the higher seed
Sectional final: June 10 at the higher seed
State final: June 13 or 14 TBA

Non-Public
First round: May 28 at the higher seed
Second round: May 31 at the higher seed

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- Seizing the Moment

After the spring season was canceled last year due to the pandemic, these standout student-athletes from South Jersey are hoping to make the most of their opportunities in 2021.

Third round: June 3 at the higher seed
State semifinal: June 6 at the higher seed
State final: June 11 TBA

Defending South champions
South Group 1: Bernards 9, Rumson-Fair Haven 8
South Group 2: Manasquan 12, Holmdel 3
South Group 3: Moorestown 11, Shawnee 6
South Group 4: Eastern 7, Cherokee 6

Defending state champions
Group 1: Bernards 13, Mountain Lakes 5
Group 2: Summit 7, Manasquan 6
Group 3: Moorestown 9, Ridge 8
Group 4: Westfield 17, Eastern 10
Non-Public A: Don Bosco Prep13, Seton Hall Prep 8
Non-Public B: Gill St. Bernard’s 15, Rutgers Prep 6

Big Story entering the season: Can Mooretown repeat as state champion? The Quakers return five players who made one of the three All-Group 3 teams from NJ.com following last year’s 17-5 record. Senior defender Luke Holgren was a first-team selection. Classmate Chase Caulder, a midfielder, was a second-team choice after scoring 31 goals. Joining Caulder on the second team is senior defender Lexi Tomaselli. Two Moorestown players are returning third-team players, senior face-off specialist Ryan O’Connor and junior attack Aidan Ruff.

Connor won an impressive 63 percent of faceoffs. Ruff was second on the team with 41 goals and led the Quakers with 36 assists. That is a strong nucleus returning. In addition, sophomore goalie Wes Canton is back after allowing just five goals per game last year. This is another schedule that will prepare the Quakers for the state tournament. Included on the schedule are defending Group 2 state champion Summit, South Group 2 champion Manasquan, South Group 4 champ Eastern, along with Penn Charter of the always difficult Inter-Ac League, just to name a few. It’s an ambitious schedule, but the Quakers should be up to the task.

Player to Watch: Ryan O’Connor, Moorestown, Sr. face-off specialist. O’Connor is among the state’s leading faceoff specialists. He won 63 percent last season (225 of 358). In addition, he led the Quakers with 107 ground balls. O’Connor also added 17 goals and six assists. He will continue his education and lacrosse career at Villanova.

Photo: Courtesy Moorestown Boys Lacrosse X/Twitter

Author: Marc Narducci

South Jersey Boys’ Lacrosse Primer

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