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If you ever needed proof that anything can happen in the state tournament, just take a look at the brackets for North 1, Group 1 and North 2, Group 3.
New Milford’s shocking upset of Waldwick on penalty kicks in the North 1, Group 1 quarterfinals has left a big opening in the section while North 2, Group 3 has become this year’s version of the wild, wild west with three of the four semifinalists seeded 12th or lower in the section.
Other sections seem to be going according to the seeds which could make for an interesting week with sectional titles on the line.
Continue reading to see a schedule and rundown of sections where North Jersey teams are still alive.
NJSIAA STATE TOURNAMENT
SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS
Tuesday
North 1, Group 1
(8) New Milford vs. (4) Park Ridge, 1:30 p.m. at Pascack Valley HS
(3) Pompton Lakes at (2) Wallington, 6 p.m.
Storyline: New Milford’s stunning upset of Waldwick on Friday has opened this section up for defending champion Wallington (16-2-1). But Pompton Lakes (15-3-3) can be a tough hurdle in the semifinals. The Cardinals, who lost in the semis, 2-0, at Wallington last year, have given up just one goal in nine games since falling to Lakeland in the Passaic quarterfinals and going 8-0-1 in that stretch. They have allowed just three goals in their last 14 games with 10 shutouts in that stretch and have scored 8 goals in their first two tournament games. Wallington has scored 81 goals in 19 games, 8 in two tournament games, and has only been shut out twice this season. Damian Agaj leads the way with 33 goals this season. Park Ridge (15-6) has to handle a New Milford team that is coming off a huge high in the other semifinal. The Owls have scored 9 goals in two games, including six in a masterful offensive and defensive performance against fifth-seeded Emerson in the quarterfinals. Danny DiBlasi scored four goals in that quarterfinal win over Emerson. New Milford (11-9) is on a roll with six straight wins and has shown it knows how to win close games with a 1-0 victory over Verona in the first round and a 3-2, 3-2 in PK, victory over Waldwick in the quarters. New Milford needs to keep the game close and not let Park Ridge run away from them and then it’s anybody’s game.
North 1, Group 2
(12) Kinnelon at (1) Newton
(3) Mountain Lakes at (2) Ramsey, 2 p.m.
Storyline:Â Ramsey (15-3-1) gets up for tournament games as evidenced by its performance in the Bergen County Tournament. The Rams stunned Waldwick in overtime in the second round and then took Ramapo to penalty kicks in a scoreless contest in the quarterfinals before falling. Keeper Mike Saalfrank has posted three straight shutouts, backing a defense that is led by powerful junior Mike Pepper in back. James Tesoriero leads the way with 15 goals for the Rams, who have scored nine goals in their first two tournament games. They face a Mountain Lakes team that is 16-3-3 but went 3-3-1 in its final seven regular season games with losses to Randolph, Chatham and Morris Catholic and a tie against Kinnelon. The Lakers squeaked by with one goal victories in their first two tournament games. The sectional title is still going to have to come through defending state champion Newton (22-1-1). Newton has scored 17 goals in its last four games, 10 in two tournament games, and has scored less than 3 goals in a game just five times in 24 games. Ryan Cronin has 29 goals, but they have two others in Leo Recalde and Brett Conrads who are in double figures in goals and assists.
North 1, Group 3
(5) Wayne Hills at (1) Ramapo, 2 p.m.
(14) River Dell at (2) Northern Highlands, 2 p.m.
Storyline: Top-seeded Ramapo and No. 2 Northern Highlands remain on a collision course for a rubber match after splitting two regular season meetings this season. But both are up against teams that have proven themselves adept at pulling off the upset at the right time. Highlands (16-2-2) hosts River Dell (11-7-2), which has upset third-seeded Tenafly and sixth-seeded Bergenfield in the tournament so far by identical 1-0 scores on late goals.. Goalkeeper David Sorkenn has been trenendous in goal all season for the Golden Hawks, facing double digit shots in most games this season to post 8 shutouts. Brett Luben has 12 goals this season for the Hawks. Wayne Hills (16-4-1), which upset its way to the Passaic County championship, rolls into Ramapo (16-3) Tuesday to see if it can throw a monkey wrench into this section. The Patriots are 8-0-1 in their last nine games with victories over Clifton and DePaul in that stretch. They have posted four shutouts in their last five games. But they will have  to contain a dangerous Ramapo offense that has been playing much better since the return of senior defender Ian Fayorsey after two weeks on the bench. Fayorsey has 7 goals and 3 assists making offensive runs up the sideline from his defensive position (while also helping to anchor the defense, while Chris Nash (14 goals) slashes across the box up top.
North 1, Group 4
(4) Bergen Tech at (1) Kearny, 2 p.m.
(15) West Orange at (3) Montclair
Storyline:  Bergen Tech (21-2) has been enjoying one of the most successful seasons in its history to put itself right in the thick of a semifinal filled with state tournament hardware. And while Kearny, Montclair and West Orange are brimming with state tournament experience, all three have shown this season that they can be beaten on any given day. Kearny (15-4-1) is coming off a 1-0 victory over Clifton, a team Bergen Tech split the season series with. They have losses to Harrison, Memorial St. Peter’s and Morristown. Bergen Tech is riding a 7-game winning streak with five shutouts in that stretch, including two in the state tournament. Klevis Zyfi (18 goals), Jeremy Schwartz (15 goals) and Aidan Kutner (12 goals) lead an offense that is averaging over three goals per game. West Orange, which has been on a roll after a 4-7 start just to reach the tournament and Montclair, which has won about 10 of its last 11 games, meet in a rematch of last year’s sectional final, won by Montclair.
North 2, Group 2
(5) Caldwell at (1) Harrison, 2 p.m.
(6) Leonia vs. (2) Bernards, 2 p.m.
Storyline: The Harrison freight train just keeps on rolling in North 2, Group 2 and Caldwell (13-4-4) is the next target on the tracks. The Blue Tide is unbeaten at 20-0-1 with some impressive wins over large school powers like Kearny and Memorial and a tie against returning Group 3 state co-champion Princeton. And while it’s the offense that gets all the attention with 114 goals in 21 games (5.4 goals per game), the Blue Tide  have been locked down defensively with 11 shutouts in their last 12 games.  Modou Sowe, an imposing 6-foot presence on the back line,  is one of the best players in the state with 14 goals to his credit as well. Jose Neto has 25 goals. Leonia (15-4) is riding a wave of its own, with nine straight wins. Eight of them were shutouts, including the last five capped by a 1-0 victory over third-seeded Hackettstown in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Gino Zacarias (20 goals) and senior Kevin Zacarias (22 assists) have formed a dangerous scoring tandem for the Lions who are looking to post another upset when they face second-seeded Bernards (16-2-1).
North 2, Group 3
(16) Morristown at (12) Chatham
(15) Passaic Valley at (6) Morris Hills, 2 p.m.
Storyline:  If you ever needed to find the definition of a section up for grabs, this is it. How else can you describe a section with a 12, a 15 and a 16 seed still alive in the semifinals and a 6 as the highest remaining seed. This is nothing new for this section which was won last year by 16th-seeded Mendham. Passaic Valley (13-8-1), which knocked off second seeded South Plainfield in two overtimes in he first round and No. 7 Nutley in the quarters, is almost as big a surprise as 16th-seeded Morristown, which dumped top-seeded Cliffside Park on the same day. The Hornets have won four straight and given no indication that they can’t add a third upset to their resume. They have scored 16 goals in their last four games and posted three shutouts. Tommy Dunphy has 12 goals. Morris Hills is 14-4-1.
North Non-Public A
(5) Bergen Catholic vs (1) Seton Hall Prep, 4 p.m. at Seton Hall University
(3) Delbarton at (2) DePaul, 2 p.m.
Storyline: Always one of the toughest sections in the state, this year North Non-Public A is features two of the best teams in the state in Seton Hall Prep and Delbarton. That means Bergen Catholic and DePaul have their work cut out for them. The Crusaders (14-3-1) head into Seton Hall University to face a Seton Hall Prep team that is 19-2-1 and given up just 9 goals all season while posting 16 shutouts. So goals will be at a premium. Bergen Catholic has gotten a push lately with the return of senior Erick Alonso from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks. He has 9 goals and 3 assists in limited time this season, including four in his last two against St. Joseph and Don Bosco. Mike Hall leads Seton Hall Prep with 17 goals while Carter Spyrka has 13 assists and Abby Elsayed has 14 assists. Elsayed also scored three goals in the Pirates’ tournament opening 4-0 win over Paramus Catholic. DePaul (14-3) hosts Delbarton (19-1-1) in a rematch of last year’s North Non-Public A sectional final, won by Delbarton, 5-1. The Spartans will try to do something few teams have against the Green Wave this year and that’s score a goal. Delbarton has 19 shutouts this season and has not given up a goal since Sept. 20. That’s 7 1/2 weeks. The Green Wave has scored just 47 goals in 21 games (just over 2 goals per game) so defense has been their bread and butter. DePaul has won six straight since falling to Wayne Hills on penalty kicks in the Passaic County semifinal. The Spartans will look heavily to senior midfielder Luis Mendoza, who has 12 goals and 17 assists, including two goals and two assists in their quarterfinal victory over Pope John last week. Jorge Pelayo and Michael Cobuzio can also put the ball in the net for DePaul.
North Non-Public B
(4) Montclair-Kimberley at (1) Hawthorne Christian, 2 p.m.
(3) Oratory vs. (2) Newark Academy
Storyline: Hawthorne Christian (16-2-1) will be looking to get a monkey off its back when it hosts fourth-seeded Montclair-Kimberley. MKA has knocked the Defenders out of the tournament in each of the last two years, in the sectional final two years ago and the semifinal last year. But that’s a tall order when you consider that it’s MKA (10-7-1) that handed Seton Hall Prep its two losses this season. But MKA has been up and down while playing a difficult regular season schedule. Wesley Wade (8 goals, 2 assists), Malcolm Dixon (7g, 12a) and Sam Eisen (6g, 13a) provide the offensive punch for Montclair-Kimberley while the Defenders counter with 32-goal scorer Rene White at the tip of a spear that includes Jake Hart (15g, 11a), Chris Aust (10g, 24a) and Stephen Gabriele (8g, 15a).  Hawthorne Christian has scored 84 goals this season (4.4 goals per game). Newark Academy (12-6-1) hosts Oratory Prep (10-4-2) in the other sectional semifinal.
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