Sectional titles and state championships are up for grabs and teams have the next few weeks to chase those dreams. Check out favorites and contenders in both Group 2 sections.
Hopewell Valley: The 19th-ranked Bulldogs (17-2) boast of two of the state's top scorers in Luke Caldwell (100G, 38A) and Ryan Foret (44G, 70A), and other dangerous playmakers such as Johnny Ellis, Ty Becker and Kyle Yadamiec should opponents expend great energy trying to tame Caldwell and Foret. They carry a seven-game win streak into the tournament, and one of those victims was Notre Dame, 9-7, Those Irish were the ones who interrupted Hopewell's earlier eight-game win streak with a 13-9 vicory May 3. Milan Desai, Ben DeCore, Michael Vagott, Carter Horvath and goalie Owen Shehab anchor a unit that allows only 5.2 goals a game.
Pascack Valley: Opposing defenses will have to be sharp against a veteran Panther offense led by Donnie Duffus, Dylan Borges and Joe Massaro, who have compiled over 400 points collectively in their careers. Duffus is the most prolific of the three with 14 goals, 46 assists this season and 220 points in his career. Dante Ricciardi, Michael Puccio, Joe Marotta and Mihael Fronzaglia lead the defense.
Somerville: The Pioneers have a chance to make some noise here in this section, but it has a pesky matchup with Holmdel in the first round first. Holmdel will be in that game thanks to the play of senior Jack Powers, who is the first player in state history to win 1,000 career faceoffs. Somerville's defense needs to be on its game if Holmdel is winning the battle at the faceoff X. Susquehanna commit Matthew Chubenko leads the Somerville offense. He has a career-high 31 goals this spring. Juniors Griffin Kaye and Ryan Hayden are also playing well on the offense end. Senior Ryan Herman is going to go head to head with Powers on faceoffs.
Sparta: The Spartans have won four of their last six games, and the two losses were close battles against No. 16 Pope John, 8-6, and Glen Rock, 8-7. Juniors Eddie Brown and Michael Pandiscia and senior Matt Ciarella spark the offense while Sam Sakowski, Eric McCall, Christian Hantson and Stone Herbison direct the defense for sophomore goalie Jake Allegro.
Warren Hills: This team has played well overall this season and if it brings its best effort, the Blue Streaks could make it to the sectional final. The defense is going to need to stay connected and play well in the next few weeks. Marquette commit Dylan Duerring is in net and that gives Warren Hills a key advantage. The senior has quick reflexes and that makes it tough to score on him. Duerring has made 214 saves and only allowed 107 goals. His twin brother, Brock, is also committed to Marquette. Brock is a long-stick midfielder who brings intensity on defense and a little pop on offense. He has nine goals and 14 assists. Juniors Brandon Anema and Jake Nisivoccia and rookie Chase Spinks round out the defense. Junior Logan Healey has a jaw-dropping 60 goals and is a threat to score every time the ball is in his stick. St. John Fisher commit John Korczukowski and senior Dean Schaefer both have 30-plus goals. Junior David Rhinehart and senior Cole Friedman are also scoring options for the Blue Streaks.
West Morris: The Wolfpack's young offense has shown vast improvement throughout the season, as top-seeded Hopewell Valley found out May 19. West Morris rallied from a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter behind Luke Gouse, Jake Garafalo, Mike Finlay and Jack Ryan to force overtime. Hopewell prevailed, 10-9, but West Morris left an impression for the rest of the field to ponder. Gouse, a junior, is not only a talented scorer, but a steady hand at the faceoff X sporting a .712 win percentage.
Manasquan: The Warriors watched their Shore Conference title dreams slip away in heart-breaking fashion for the second year in a row. Manasquan is turning its attention to the state playoffs now and the chance to make history. This program has never won an overall Group 2 championship, but this team has the talent to change that. Lehigh commit Brandon Kunz is one of the best shooters in the state. Bentley commit Ryan Aldi is another key scorer who Manasquan has leaned on for years. Rookie Kieran Schneider has carved out a role for himself. Monmouth commit Matt Schneider is the leading offensive option out of the midfield. Cornell commit Jack O'Reilly has a wicked shot and junior Lucas Longo has a knack for scoring big goals. Senior Kai Donahue is having his best offensive season. The Montclair State commit also plays strong defense at defensive middie alongside senior Pat Frost. Villanova commit Parker Harms is another all-around standout. He leads a group of long poles that also includes Rollins commit Chris Carhart, Delaware Valley commit James Caddott and John Lake. Muhlenberg commit Pat Loxley is in net as a first-year starter. The senior goalie waited his turn. He's come up with a few wow moments in 2025. Junior Will Conway takes the majority of the faceoffs for Manasquan.
Allentown: The fourth-seeded Redbirds (11-4) have won four straight games and nine of the last 11 behind the efforts of a stuborn defense led by Luke Laurinaitis, Larkin Jarzyk, Ryan Pellegrino, Lorenzo Wagner and senior goalie Kyle Simels. Junior Brian McCaffery has done a superb job of establishing possession for Allentown by winning 87 percent of his faceoffs. Older brother Sean, Grant Henken and Trevor Duffy power an offense averaging 10 goals a game.
Barnegat: The Bengals are having the best season in program history and set a single-record with 17 wins. York College commit Luke Tortorici has been sensational out of the midfield this spring. He's set program records for points, goals, assists and ground balls. Tortorici has 66 goals and 42 assists. He's only one of a handful of players in New Jersey with more than 100 points going into the playoffs. Junior Keegan Dunn has been a sharp shooter too, with 56 goals for Barnegat. Seniors Bailey Carroll, Jakob Jason and Jason Mchale have all stepped up and provided plenty of scoring. Junior Connor Maloney and Codey Shaffery have also made plays. CJ Dringus, Cedryk Diola and Ben Proud set the tone on defense. Junior DJ Swierk has played well in net. Junior Eric Connors has won 61 percent of his faceoffs.
Ocean City: The Red Raiders are starting to settle in and play better lacrosse. It proved that in a 9-7 win over Mainland in the Cape-Atlantic League championship game. Bryce Hanin, Jack Scherbin and Otter Donohue are the team's top attackmen. Nolan O'Kane, Dominic Vallese and Anthony Pontari headline the midfield. That offensive core is starting to create more looks at the net. It's also becoming more efficient when it gets chances to score. Long poles Ryan Hendricks, Chris Pontari, Lucas Dessicino and Michael Ragazzi are the main guys on defense. Bruce Hunt and Dean Lappin make an impact as defensive short-stick middies. Sophomore James Burger has earned more time in net lately. He had his best game of the season in the CAL title game.
Wall: This squad has struggled at times this season. The Crimson Knights have the No. 2 seed in this bracket, though, and have an inside track to make it to the sectional final. Bryant commit Michael Hoarle made a name for himself as a FOGO when he was younger. After missing most of last year with an injury, Hoarle is back and playing most in the midfield. He's put together the best offensive year for his career and has 38 goals and 32 assists. UMBC commit Wyatt Capro has a team-high 44 goals. Patrick Freud and Jackson Lemongelli have also been dynamic. Owen Moore is a good complementary piece. Senior James Byrnes is a good long-stick midfielder who helps set the tone on the defensive end. Riley Cook, Justin Davis and Brady Kurth are also seeing time on defense. Senior Braeden Buckley is in net. Junior Dylan Cohen has taken over on faceoffs and he's winning at a 62 percent rate.