Union, NJ — The Kirst Cup is back for the third season in a row, and this year’s field of five teams looks as strong as ever! The champions of all five groups in New Jersey Boys Lacrosse will once again vie for the state’s top prize in the sport at Kean University, but this time with a twist.

For the first time, college shot clock rules will be in full effect meaning once a team gains possession of the ball, they will have 80 seconds to take a shot. This is being done in hopes of adding more intensity and excitement to New Jersey’s marque event in boys lacrosse.

All four games will be streamed live on the Big State Sports YouTube channel, and as always will be free to watch for all viewers across the globe. The broadcast schedule is as follows:

Quarterfinal (6/16/25)

4:30pm: #5 Glen Ridge @ #4 Manasquan

Semifinals (6/17/25)

4:30pm: #3 Westfield @ #2 Summit

7:00pm: Winner of #5 vs #4 @ #1 Seton Hall

Final (6/19/25)

4:30pm: Winner of #3 vs #2 vs Winner of #5/#4 vs #1

With the stage set, let’s meet our competitors!

#5 Glen Ridge Ridgers

Record: 16-8 | Head Coach: Anthony Sicoli | Highest BSS Top 20 Rank: N/A

It’s no understatement to say that the Ridgers are easily the surprise of the tournament. After having no wins against top-20 opponents during the regular season, they picked up not one, but two in June alone, taking down Group 1 favorites Rumson-Fair Haven 9-8, and perennial contenders Mountain Lakes 8-7 to earn a spot in the Kirst Cup.

Prior to that, Glen Ridge did keep some of the state’s top teams on their toes, dropping close matchups with Chatham and Northern Highlands by scores of 9-8 and 11-10 respectively. Flipping the script in close games has been the difference for this team, who clearly learned a lot from those early season losses.

The Ridgers are paced by — as most small schools are — some sensational multi-sport athletes. Brad Foster (football), currently ranks third on the team with 63 points, using his combination of speed and power to bulldoze past defenses. The same could be said for Jimmy Benson (ice hockey) who skaters in the NJIIHL have learned the hard way not to get in his way.

These two provide excellent support to Muhlenberg commit Conor Sutton, who leads the team and set new career-highs in goals (47), assists (36), and points (83). Additionally, netminder Keiller Goodwin has put up some of the best numbers in the state, and not just among sophomores as he stopped 242 shots en route to an impressive .599 save percentage.

Is it a surprise to all of us that Glen Ridge has made it this far? Yes. Is it to them? Not in the slightest. This is a unit that believes in itself and has slayed plenty of dragons on their way here. Don’t be shocked to see them make some noise in their Kirst Cup debut.

#4 Manasquan Warriors

Record: 19-3 | Head Coach: John Naslonski | Highest BSS Top 20 Rank: #8 (4/28)

Few were happier to see Summit get reclassified to Group 3 than Manasquan. The Warriors lost a tight 7-6 contest last season to the eventual 2024 champs for a bid at the Kirst Cup. With the Hilltoppers out of the way, ‘Squan quickly established themselves as kings of Group 2, romping their way through the state playoffs, culminating in a 13-5 win over Hopewell Valley to punch their ticket to Kean University.

Their regular season however, was not without its trials and tribulations. After starting off the spring 11-0, including a win over a ranked CBA squad, the Warriors dropped two in a row to South Jersey powerhouses Moorestown and Rumson-Fair Haven 9-6 and 10-8 respectively. Following another winning streak, ‘Squan were halted yet again by the Bulldogs in a thrilling 15-14 overtime contest in the Shore Conference Finals.

Still, despite their three losses to ranked teams, the Warriors are a force to be reckoned with, leading the five-team Kirst Cup field in goals per game, with an astonishing 12.7 mark. This is in large part thanks to the three-headed monster of Brandon Kunz (58-26-84), Ryan Aldi (56-25-81), and Matt Schneider (40-18-58).

They’re backed by a sensational defense, led by the likes of Villanova commit Parker Harms, rough-and tumble middie Kai Donahue, and lights-out Muhlenberg-bound goalie Pat Loxley. The latter has been unreal in the crease, registering 13 games of 10+ saves, and a .661 save percentage.

It is true that Manaquan has struggled to beat the best teams on their schedule, but at the end of the day the Warriors are playing for the Kirst Cup and those teams aren’t. Perhaps like Glen Ridge they can flip the script on their earlier ranked losses and transform them into stunning victories. Tune in to find out!

#3 Westfield Blue Devils

Record: 18-6 | Head Coach: Boomer Wertheimer | Highest BSS Top 20 Rank: #4 (5/12)

Last year’s Kirst Cup Runners-Up are back again as one of just two repeat contenders. Despite finishing fourth in the vaunted NJILL Fitch-Pitt division Westfield more than proved themselves throughout the course of their schedule. Their only losses of the season came against Delbarton, Seton Hall, Summit, St. Augustine, Don Bosco, and Pingry. While that may seem like a lot, keep in mind that the first five teams were all consistently in the BSS top-five, while Pingry was in-and-out of the top-10.

The Blue Devils managed to rebound from their 11-6 drubbing at the hands of the Hilltoppers to squash Summit in the Union County Tournament Finals for the first time since 2017. They then followed that up with a victory against top-20 Pope John at the end of the regular season, and wins against ranked Bridgewater-Raritan, and previously undefeated Kingsway in the Group Playoffs.

Their offense is powered by two of the best players in the state in Colin Coyle (UMass) and Garrett Ferguson (Washington & Lee). This season the pair have combined for 124 goals, 93 assists, and 217 points, meaning the duo have contributed to 82% of their team’s 264 goals. Westfield play with a quick ball movement style of offense that will be well-suited for the implementation of the shot clock rules.

On the other side of the ball, goalie Corey Gilford has helped keep opponents in check with 226 saves and a .624 save percentage. Playing in front of him is senior Drew Pravlik who’s led a younger group on defense following the graduation of several key players.

The Blue Devils are well battle-tested, and their Union County Championship win proved that they can won when the lights are brightest. Their overall inconsistency against top teams certainly makes them more of a wild card than a sure thing, but if they play at their best they’ll at the very least find their way into the final for the second year in a row.

#2 Summit Hilltoppers

Record: 18-4 | Head Coach: Jim Davidson | Highest BSS Top 20 Rank: #3 (5/5)

The defending champions are back at Kean as the only program to earn a spot in the Kirst Cup in all three seasons of its existence. It’s easy to see why, during Jim Davidson’s tenure at Summit, the Hilltoppers have consistently been one of the best programs in the state, sticking to an ever-adapting system and reloading in ways that are the envy of even most non-public programs.

Though they lost key games against Delbarton, Seton Hall, and Ridgewood while also losing the Union County Finals for the first time in nearly a decade to Westfield, Summit have more than proved that they’re ready to defend their title as the state’s top team.

Outside of maybe Seton Hall, the Hilltoppers have had the toughest road to the Kirst Cup, moving up to Group 3 and dispatching a trio of top-20 adversaries in Ridge, Chatham, and Shawnee, with the latter coming off of an instant classic win over heated rivals Moorestown. Their four losses this season have also come by an average margin of just two goals, with single-score defeats at the hands of Ridgewood and Westfield. There has never been a game this season that Summit has bee completely out of, and that resilience could very well make them the team to beat.

The Hilltoppers (as usual) feature a balanced front with offensive and defense schemes meant to grind down, and exhaust their opponents. Junior attackman James Grainger snagged the torch from graduated superstar Daniel Flaim (see what I did there?) to lead the offense and set career-highs in goals (49), assists (34), and points (83). He’s surrounded by talent in the form of a devastatingly effective rotation featuring veterans Quinn Hynes (31-15-46), Jack Freeman (29-16-45), Will Iacovelli (28-10-38), and freshamn phenom Chris Davies (20-20-40).

On defense, Luca Avelino (Denison), Luke Brodreick (Salve Regina), Jake Reimold (Sacred Heart), John Conniff (Providence), and Ryan Bancone (St. Joe’s) have frustrated the opposition all season long with aggressive yet disciplined play. Combine that with Robbie Kievit’s (Fairfield) stellar play in goal (145 saves, .617 save percentage), and you get a unit that allowed an astonishing 4.14 goals per game, the lowest mark among Kirst Cup competitors.

The biggest question surrounding Summit this week is whether their slower paced offense will appear rushed with the shot clock, but knowing coach Davidson, this shouldn’t be too big of an issue. Though they’ll have some major obstacles in their way, don’t be surprised if the Hilltoppers become the first back-to-back champions in Kirst Cup History, and at the very least make it to the final for the third-straight season.

#1 Seton Hall Prep Pirates

Record: 19-3 | Head Coach: John Svec | Highest BSS Top 20 Rank: #2 (5/26)

After two decades of falling short, the Seton Hall Prep Pirates are back on top, winning their first Group Title since 2004. They’ll look to continue their momentum this week earning the top seed and a first round bye in their Kirst Cup debut.

Their road to Kean was stacked with talented squads, yet they won each state playoff game by at least five goals, including a 12-6 victory in the Non-Public Final against last season’s Non-Public A Champs Don Bosco. All season long, Seton Hall dominated the state of New Jersey losing just once to a Garden State opponent, and hanging on to the #2 spot in our rankings all season. Might things be different if they had a rematch against Delbarton? Maybe. But they way the Pirates are clicking right now, it’s hard to see anyone beating them

Villanova commit Nolan Sabel has been red-hot as of late pushing his season marks up to 66-35-101 thanks to nine goals, eight assists and 17 points across four state playoff games. He capped off that streak with a single-game high five goals against the Ironmen to punch his team’s ticket to Union. He’s hardly a one-man show though with Joe DelMauro (Utah, 40-30-70), Owen Dunleavy (UMBC, 38-14-52), and Clark Rich (Lehigh, 33-14-47) providing serious firepower around him.

Seton Hall’s biggest advantage though, might be on the faceoff X with junior Lucas Angel (Fairfield, 121/171 Faceoffs, 71%) and senior Teddy Coyle (Middlebury, 133/194 Faceoffs, 69%) easily putting up the best numbers of the field of competitors. Even with the shot clock expediting offense, possessions will be at a premium, and if the Pirates score like we know they can, their ability to win draws can quickly snowball games out of reach.

Up-and-down their roster, it’s hard to argue against Seton Hall being the most talented team at the Kirst Cup. Still, a Non-Public team has yet to win the Kirst Cup, and prior to that hadn’t won a tournament of champions since Delbarton beat Summit in 2018. The big question for the Pirates will be whether or not they have enough left in them to slay one more historical dragon in order to achieve the ultimate prize in New Jersey Boys Lacrosse.