Get our free mobile app

We're nearly a week into May, and that means it's championship season on the boys lacrosse calendar.

The Shore Conference Tournament begins this Friday and concludes on Monday, May 16. Then it's time for the NJSIAA state tournament. We've learned a lot through the first five weeks of the season but the most important games are still to come as we get set to crown conference, state sectional, and state group champions before the final Tournament of Champions. This is when legacies are made.

That also means we're one week closer to determining who will be the No. 1 team in the Shore Conference. Rumson-Fair Haven hasn't budged from the top spot since the preseason and the Bulldogs are the favorite to take home what would be their eighth SCT title. The top five of the rankings has been very stable all year with only one slight change among them since the start of the season. The bottom half of the rankings has been in flux for much of the season and is good for basically one change per week. That is again the case as we present the latest Brielle Orthopedics Boys Lacrosse Top 10.

Holmdel was the big winner from last week, entering the rankings after a 9-8 victory over Red Bank Regional. Figuring out the puzzle of Holmdel, Red Bank, Middletown South, and Red Bank Catholic isn't very straightforward because of the head-to-head scores so we used the most recent results to put them in order.

The Shore Conference Tournament will settle many of these debates when the teams meet on the field, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

 

Brielle Orthopedics Shore Conference Boys Lacrosse Top 10

 

1. Rumson-Fair Haven (12-4). Last week: No. 1

The Bulldogs picked up wins over No. 8 Holmdel (18-1), Ocean City (16-2), and Ocean (19-0) and suffered an 11-10 overtime loss to St. Augustine in a matchup of top 10 teams in the state. Rumson earned the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Shore Conference Tournament where it is the favorite to repeat as champion and secure its eighth conference crown. Junior attackman/midfielder Cole Cashion has had an electric season with 37 goals and 50 points and junior attackman Quiin Stankovits has 33 goals and 43 points. Juniors Matthew Bockelmann and Beau Kemler are two of the best defenders in the state and have had excellent years. One development to watch is whether Rumson gets injured senior attackman Christian Bockelmann back soon. The Yale recruit was a First Team All-Shore selection last season and has been out since April 2. Scoring hasn't been a problem for RFH but they are certainly better with Bockelmann on the field. This week: SCT Round of 16 on 5/7 vs. Barnegat/Brick Memorial winner.

 

2. Manasquan (11-3). Last week: No. 3

The Warriors were dealt defeats at the hands of Seton Hall Prep (11-8) and Pingry (13-5) in non-conference games vs. two state-ranked teams, but also took care of business back home with division wins over Point Boro (15-0), Donovan Catholic (19-0), and Barnegat (18-4) to clinch the Class B South title. The Warriors are the No. 2 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament and will host the St. Rose/Toms River East winner in the Round of 16. The Warriors will face either Howell or Middletown South in the quarterfinals and would be in line for another game with rival Wall in the semifinals after defeating the Crimson Knights, 9-6, during the regular season. This wee: SCT Round of 16 on 5/7 vs. St. Rose/Toms River East winner.

 

3. Wall (12-2). Last week: No. 3

Wall had its 10-game winning streak come to an end via a 9-5 loss to state No. 12 Westfield. Wall beat Lacey, 19-0, in its other game last week. With a win over No. 4 Southern and a loss to No. 2 Manasquan this season, Wall is firmly the No. 3 team in the Shore and also earned the third seed for the SCT. The Knights will host Point Boro in the Round of 16 and then play the winner of the Shore vs. Red Bank Catholic game in the quarterfinals. There are games to win before then, but you know Wall would relish a potential rematch with rival Manasquan in the SCT semifinals. This week: SCT Round of 16 on 5/7 vs. Point Boro.

 

4. Southern (10-1). Last week: No. 4

Southern Regional High School had its annual senior trip last week so the Rams played in only one game, a 23-3 win over Toms River North that extended their Class A South winning streak to 62 games. Southern has a loss to No. 3 Wall and a win over No. 5 Shore and stays put at No. 4 entering the Shore Conference Tournament. The Rams are seeded fifth for the SCT and will host division rival Jackson Memorial in the Round of 16. This week: 5/5 at Toms River North; 5/7 vs. Jackson Memorial in SCT Round of 16.

 

5. Shore (9-2). Last week: No. 5

Shore's busiest week of the season saw it go 4-0, headlined by a 12-10 victory over Red Bank Catholic. The Blue Devils also scored wins over Ocean (13-2), St. John Vianney (19-1), and Jackson Memorial (15-6). Shore's resume this season includes wins over No. 9 Red Bank and No. 8 Holmdel with their losses coming to No. 1 Rumson and No. 4 Southern. The Blue Devils are an intriguing team entering the SCT where they are seeded sixth and will face RBC for the second straight game. This week: 5/7 vs. Red Bank Catholic in SCT Round of 16.

 

6. Christian Brothers Academy (9-6). Last week: No. 6

The Colts returned to the Shore following a three-game stretch against nationally-ranked opponents and went 4-0 with victories over Freehold Township (15-1), Marlboro (16-0), Manalapan (16-1), and No. 7 Howell (9-6) to clinch the Class A North division title. With a strong non-conference schedule, CBA has the No. 4 LaxNumbers rating and thus earned the No. 4 seed for the Shore Conference Tournament. CBA is starting to peak at the right time and will be a team to watch the rest of the way. This week: 5/7 vs. Manalapan in the SCT Round of 16.

 

7. Howell (11-4). Last week: No. 7

The Rebels earned wins over Colts Neck (17-4) and Old Bridge (12-11 in OT) before dropping a 9-6 loss to No. 6 CBA in the Class A North title game. Howell's three conference losses are to No. 1 Rumson, No. 3 Wall, and No. 6 CBA and they have wins over No. 10 Middletown South and No. 8 Holmdel. Their 9-8 win over Holmdel helped them leapfrog the Hornets in the LaxNumbers rankings and earn the No. 7 seed in the SCT. Division rival Middletown South will be Howell's first-round opponent. The Rebels won the regular-season meeting, 14-5. This week: 5/7 vs. No. 10 Middletown South in SCT Round of 16.

 

8. Holmdel (10-5). Last week: not ranked

Welcome to the top 10, Hornets. After several near-upsets against ranked teams this season, Holmdel finally broke through when it built a big lead and held off a late comeback attempt for a 9-8 win over No. 9 Red Bank. The Hornets have been solid all season and now have the signature win to send them into the rankings. The quartet of Holmdel, Red Bank, Middletown South, and Red Bank Catholic was difficult to rank based on all the results. Holmdel has the win over Red Bank but also has a loss to RBC. Red Bank has wins over Midd. South and RBC. Red Bank Catholic, however, has the win over Holmdel. Most recent results take precedence with us, which is why Holmdel comes in at No. 8. The Hornets are the eighth seed for the SCT and will once again face Red Bank in the opening round. This week: 5/7 vs. No. 9 Red Bank in SCT Round of 16.

 

9. Red Bank (7-5). Last week: No. 8

The Bucs fell to No. 8 Holmdel, 9-8, but rebounded with victories over St. John Vianney (18-9) and Princeton (14-13). Red Bank only dropped one spot because it has wins over Middletown South and Red Bank Catholic this season. The Bucs get a quick chance at revenge as they drew the No. 9 seed for the SCT and will get a rematch with Holmdel to open their tournament. This week: 5/5 at Neptune, 5/7 at No. 8 Holmdel.

 

10. Middletown South (9-4). Last week: No. 9 

Middletown South won games over Marlboro (16-1), Middletown North (14-2), and Long Branch (14-0) to close out their regular season. The Eagles drop one spot due to Holmdel entering at No. 8 and for having losses to Red Bank, Howell, and CBA. They stay in the rankings based on their win over RBC. Midd. South gets a match with Howell to start the SCT. This week: 5/7 at No. 7 Howell in the SCT Round of 16.

 

Dropped out: No. 10 Red Bank Catholic

 

Keep an eye on:

Red Bank Catholic (11-5): Holmdel's win over Red Bank and subsequent rankings boost meant one team was going to be the odd one out, and that happened to be RBC. The Caseys do own a win over Holmdel, 12-10, on April 6, but they also have losses to both Red Bank and Middletown South. As explained above, the most recent results take precedence so RBC gets bumped out this week. They are seeded No. 11 for the SCT and get an immediate rematch with No. 5 Shore, who won 12-10 on Wednesday.

 

Archive:

Week 4

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1

Preseason Top 10

 

READ MORE

-Shore Conference Tournament Seeds

-No. 6 CBA Tops No. 7 Howell for Class A North title

-Vote for the Week 4 Boys Lax Player of the Week

-Week 4 Team of the Week award

-This week's results 

 

 

Pictures of the New On the Border Restaurant in Toms River

More From 92.7 WOBM