Jonathan Yardley, webmaster
Home | Standings | Schedule/Scores
Well, I only saw two games all year, plus what I managed to catch online via webcasts, so take these for what you will. The top three in the Gordon Conference ended up being very difficult to separate behind St. Augustine Prep, which thoroughly deserved its spot atop the rankings. For me, regular-season results still matter, since that’s based on multiple teams against the same competition. By contrast, Bridgewater-Raritan edged ahead of Ridge with its postseason win (and its performance in the final). Other than those decisions, I don’t think there’s a lot controversial here. Private schools still rule the roost, with Notre Dame, MonDon, and Pingry adding to the top teams’ dominance of the poll. On the public side, Morris County and the Central Conference are the obvious spots for the top teams, with the NBIAL starting to get in on the action and the CVC a bit behind.
Final Top 20
1—St. Augustine Prep (23-0) Feb. 5 ranking – 7
State Tournament: beat SPP 3-1 in private final
Wow. Earned every ounce of respect they could have asked for.
2—Delbarton (22-3-2) Feb. 5 ranking – 1
State Tournament: lost to SA 3-2 in OT in private semifinal
Tough to rank. Didn’t get it done in crunch time but probably could have made the final.
3—St. Peter’s Prep (20-5-3) Feb. 5 ranking – 2
State Tournament: lost to SA 3-1 in private final
Consider them 2b. Great season from the Marauders, right there with CBA and Delbarton.
4—CBA (16-4-6) Feb. 5 ranking – 3
5—Seton Hall Prep (11-6-4) Feb. 5 ranking – 4
State Tournament: lost to SA 4-2 in private quarterfinal
Disappointing year. Only had one big win, in December over CBA.
6—Notre Dame (25-2) Feb. 5 ranking – 6
State Tournament: lost to CBA 2-0 in private quarterfinal
Great year featuring consistent play, ambitious scheduling, and two wins over Gordon teams.
7—Randolph (22-5-1) Feb. 5 ranking – 11
State Tournament: beat BR 5-4 in OT in public final
Peaked at the right time, but they were solid all year and competitive with the big privates.
8—Bergen Catholic (8-11-4) Feb. 5 ranking – 8
State Tournament: lost to SPP 4-3 in OT in private quarterfinal
You could argue them a bit higher or a bit lower. Watch out next year.
9—Pope John (10-8-5) Feb. 5 ranking – 9
State Tournament: lost to Del 4-0 in private quarterfinal
Tough year in Sparta, and I don’t know if it’s going to get better.
10—Bridgewater-Raritan (18-6-5) Feb. 5 ranking – 12
State Tournament: lost to Ran 5-4 in OT in public final
Won several state nailbiters, including impressive win over Ridge. Came up 17 seconds short.
11—Ridge (23-2-3) Feb. 5 ranking – 5
State Tournament: lost to BR 4-2 in public semifinal
Maybe the most talented public team, McInnis Cup champs were unconvincing in the states.
12—Morris Knolls (18-6-6) Feb. 5 ranking – 13
State Tournament: lost to Ran 2-1 in OT in public semifinal
Improved a lot but semifinal loss could be the end of an era.
13—Monsignor Donovan (19-5-1) Feb. 5 ranking – 20
State Tournament: lost to SHP 5-0 in private first round
Came on at the end, avenged BE loss, and fell three other times to SA.
14—Hillsborough (17-6-3) Feb. 5 ranking – NR
State Tournament: lost 3-1 to BR in public quarterfinal
Proved itself as emphatic Central White frontrunner with 7-0 Van Cott Cup win.
15—Northern Highlands (21-1-5) Feb. 5 ranking – 15
State Tournament: eliminated in shootout after 0-0 tie with FL in public round of 16
Offense didn’t get it done against Fair Lawn, but Highlands was still legit.
16—Chatham (15-9-2) Feb. 5 ranking – 17
State Tournament: lost 2-1 to Rid in public quarterfinal
Close postseason exits earned plenty of respect for the Cougars.
17—Pingry (19-4-1) Feb. 5 ranking – 10
State Tournament: lost 2-1 in OT to PJ in private first round
Mennen Cup loss to Chatham marred a fantastic season.
18—Watchung Hills (17-8-2) Feb. 5 ranking – NR
State Tournament: lost 4-2 to Ran in public quarterfinal
Breakout year for these guys and an impressive state win over Ramapo.
19—Fair Lawn (19-6-5) Feb. 5 ranking – 16
State Tournament: lost 5-1 to MK in public quarterfinal
Ultra competitive with NH all season long.
20—Don Bosco Prep (4-14-2) Feb. 5 ranking – 14
State Tournament: lost 5-2 to ND in private first round
I know, I know, only four wins. Deal with it.
Dropped out from Feb. 5:
No. 18 Ramapo (16-8-3)
No. 19 Bishop Eustace (11-8-3)