Zack Smolen
Ranking compiled by Unsettled Situation hosts Steve Manitta & Sal Marinello.
If you’re like me, you’ve glued your eyes to Big State Sports’ YouTube channel every week to watch our newest show “Unsettled Situation.” Our experts Steve Manitta and Sal Marinello took New Jersey Boys High School Lacrosse under a microscope and developed a definitive list of the best teams entering the Spiring 2024 season. Check out the first episode here: https://youtu.be/o8-mGI8nyF0?si=eMXfkT-Lbvs5LnKZ
Below are the first five teams of our pre-season top-20 ranking of high school boys lacrosse programs in New Jersey:
#20 Gill St. Bernard’s:
- 2023 Prep B State Champions, lost to Summit in the First Annual Kirst Cup.
- Head Coach: Byron Collins, 7th season, ex-college coach with over 30 years of experience.
Top Returning Players:
- Senior Mike Scarpatti, defenseman, athlete, terrific motor, matches best opposing player whether attack or midfield, heading to Hobart.
- Junior Colin Anderson, goalie, outstanding 2023 season as a sophomore, known for steady play in the goal and will make 4/5 highlight saves a game. Committed to Vermont.
- Senior Decklen Gillian, close defense, brings a massive physical presence to the defensive side of the field, heading to Wagner.
- Junior Max Voigt, attack/midfield, big left-handed trigger, 2023 1st team all-league, Committed to Dartmouth.
- Sophomore Griffin O’Sullivan, attack, could have a breakout season for Gill. Legit playmaker.
Top games of the 2024 schedule:
- April 6th Vs West Morris Central, “More Than a Game” Charity Event
- April 24th Vs Pope John
- May 22nd @ Don Bosco Prep
Defense will be the strength of the team. Loss of over 130 points with the graduation of Deo and Collins. When, not if, a young offense catches up to the defense, they could have a program-defining season.
#19 Bridgewater-Raritan:
- 2023 finished 18-3, including a 9-6 loss to eventual state champion Ridgewood in the Group 4 semifinals.
- Head Coach: Chuck Apel, 44th season, former US U19 head lacrosse coach, NJ Lacrosse Hall of Famer.
Top Returning Players:
- Senior Daine Kostas, midfielder, dangerous face-off specialist. Headed to Boston University.
- Senior Dane Sorenson is an old-school two-way midfielder who can create in transition, play settled offense, and lock it down as a defensive midfielder. Headed to NJIT.
- Nice group of rising juniors including attackman Brody Nussman, midfielder Nick DiEsso, and M/A Andrew Childs.
This group will try and remedy the loss of over 300 points to graduation including 1st team All-State, and current Rutgers freshman Colin Kurdylaand.
Top Games of the 2024 Schedule:
- April 3 vs Pingry (Season Opener)
- April 10 vs Somerville
- May 9 vs St. Augustine Prep
If there’s one thing for certain, Bridgewater ALWAYS reloads. Even with the loss of one of the program’s best senior classes in several seasons, Coach Apel will continue to pull depth from one of the best public school programs in NJ and compete with a fundamentally sound, high IQ, and masterfully coached squad.
#18 Wall
- 2023 Group 2 South Champions-1st ever sectional title, lost to Summit 9-7 in Group 2 Final.
- Head Coach: Victor Rivera, 5th season.
Top Returning Players:
- Senior Mike D’Amico, defenseman, steady leader at close defense, heading to Stevenson.
- Senior Shae Brennan, offensive threat at attack or midfield, 85 points in 2023.
- Junior Mike Hoarley, faceoff specialist, committed to Bryant, returns a 66% rate at the X, and grabbed more than 200 ground balls in ’23 for the Crimson.
- Junior Midfielder Will Madden, a Monmouth commit had 45 points last season.
- Senior goalie Lucas Seelinger, a starter for the program’s best-ever team in 2023.
Top Games of the 2024 Scheudle:
- April 6 @ Scotch Plains-Fanwood
- April 15 @ Westfield
- May 7 @ Ridge
Coach Rivera is hoping to fill the gaps left by a handful of talented seniors that molded last season’s first sectional championship team. The loss of one of the state’s finest, John McCurry will sting. Wall continues to schedule a difficult slate of northern squads in 2024, something that Rivera says has prepared his program to face the state’s best towards the end of the season.
#17 James Caldwell:
- 2023 Group 1 North finalist. Lost to Mountain Lakes 10-3
- Head Coach: John Timan, 20th season, founded the program in 2003.
Top Returning Players:
- Unworldly, senior goaltender Landon Pini returns to the dismay of every offensive coordinator in the garden state. The four-year starter finished the ’23 season with 225 saves, including a 14-save effort against Seton Hall in the Essex County Final, losing a heartbreaker 4-3.
- Senior attackman Jack Goldbach is heading to DIII Bates. 70 points as a junior.
- DeSalles bound midfielder, Senior Matt Costigan who tallied just under 40 points in 2023.
- Senior midfielder Caelen Cook, and Junior Skyler Brown round out the top point-getters in 2023.
- Senior Jake Gruzas will hunt the middle of the field as the top LSM for James Caldwell. One of the team’s dual threats at the face-off and team leaders in ground balls.
Top Games of the 2024 Schedule:
- April 2 @ Cherokee (Season Opener)
- April 18 vs Northern Highlands
- May 21 @ Bernards
James Caldwell ducks no one. You have to respect that. They continue to carry a very difficult schedule in 2023. If Pini gets hot, you better pack a lunch, because you’ll be there all day figuring out the best way to get the ball past this kid. The defense returns a ton of quality athletes in front of one of the states top goalies. Coach Timan, who won his 200th game in ’23, will have to find the guys to take over for Harry Boland, and Luke Kurzum in the scoring department, but Goldbach, Costigan, and Cook will be ready to take that next step their senior year.
#16 Manasquan:
- 2023 Group 2 South Finalist. Lost To Wall 10-9.
- Head Coach: John Naslonski, first season at ‘Squan, long-time Randolph HC, Rutgers alum.
Top Returning Players:
- Senior Brody Muly was a stud last season, scoring 24 goals including two in the sectional finals against Wall. He’ll be taking his talents to Lehigh after this year.
- High Point commit, goaltender Nick Bounassi anchors the defense coming off of a season where he saved 59% of shots, and surrendered fewer than five goals per game.
- Attacker Brandon Kunz will be joining Muly at Lehigh in two seasons. Last year, he was the team’s second-leading scorer with 71 points, he could realistically make a run at 100 in 2024.
- The Carabetta brothers Joe and Nick are both committed to Drew and will be big-time impact players in the midfield and on the attack respectively.
- Villanova saw enough of defenseman Parker Harms last season to offer him a spot on their squad in the future. The Junior will help lock things down.
Top Games of the 2024 Schedule:
- April 12 vs Wall
- May 3 vs Rumson-Fair Haven
- May 18 vs Shawnee
Manasquan lost over 200 total points from James Farinacci, Blake Gorski, and Matt Porazzo to graduation. Enter new coach John Naslonski. The long time Randolph head coach and ex-Rutgers goalie has a ton of talent to choose from in 2024. The Group 2 playoff regulars will lean on juniors Ryan Aldi, Brandon Kunz, and Matt Schneider, to get to the net this season.
Keep an eye out for the rest of our list as we hurdle headlong toward the start of the regular season!
