Ridgewood Jack Kiernan (right) takes a shot during his team’s 9-8 win over Bergen Catholic. (Photo: Marko Georgiev)
1. Ridgewood is as good as promised
It’s not too often that you get an early season matchup between No. 1 and No. 2, let alone one that lives up to the hype. That’s just what happened when No. 2 Ridgewood toppled No. 1 Bergen Catholic in a 9-8 overtime thriller on Wednesday in Oradell. Cooper Telesco silenced the Crusader Crazies when he scored the game-winning goal with 2:54 left in overtime. Ridgewood’s Kevin Mollihan scored a game-high four goals, including a pair of late tallies that allowed the Maroons to force OT after trailing entering the fourth quarter. Then Telesco, a senior Cornell commit, put in the top shelf goal to get revenge on Bergen Catholic for last year’s loss in the county final – coincidentally also a 9-8 overtime decision. The combo of Telesco and Mollihan has the Maroons atop the Gibbs Division as one of a handful of teams off to a 4-0 start.
2. Matt Coppola (and River Dell’s offense) is on fire
The senior attack stands on top of the North Jersey leaderboards in goals (24) and assists (14) for the high-flying Golden Hawks offense. Only once in five games has River Dell failed to score 10 or more goals. Just as impressive, River Dell is outscoring opponents by 9.6 goals per games through five contests. Coppola chipped in five goals and an assist in his team’s most recent win – a 12-1 rout of NV/Old Tappan.
3. On the rise
It’s still early, but already a grouping of teams have shown major improvements from their 2015 versions. Under first year coach Matt Biello, Westwood (2-2) has won as many games as it did all of last season. Wayne Hills only needs one more victory to equal its total (3) from 2015. And Mahwah, Glen Rock and Paramus have shown similar trends.
4. Stock up for Mahwah
One of the biggest turnarounds have come from the Thunderbirds, transforming from 7-11 to 4-1 in just one season. Goalie Aidan Granquist has been crucial in that rebuild with 45 saves to date this year. Mahwah has held opponents to single digit scoring totals in all five games, including three with four or fewer goals. And it’s allowed the Thunderbirds to win a pair of one-goal games, most recently by a 7-6 margin in overtime over Glen Rock. Junior midfielder Brian DePaola put in the winning goal in overtime to cap the comeback for Mahwah, who started the second half trailing 5-2.
Tenafly’s talented offense has been the key to a 3-2 start to its inaugural varsity season. (Photo: Kevin Riley)
5. The new kids in town
A pair of new programs have found immediate success in their debut on the varsity level. Park Ridge/Emerson and Tenafly are off to solid starts with the co-op program at 3-0. The Owls’ most impressive win came on Saturday in an 8-4 margin over Waldwick, a strong team who won 15 games in 2015. Shawn Sweeney and Andrew Pierce have been top offensive contributors so far. The Tigers (3-2), meanwhile, stormed out with a combined 34 goals in wins against Passaic Tech and Bergen Tech to open the season. The new programs faced off last week when Park Ridge/Emerson defeated Tenafly, 8-5.
6. Ramsey rolls on
The Rams (4-0) have been a force in their second varsity season with a balanced offense and effective play from goalie Thomas Moor. Tyler Harmon ranks fifth in North Jersey with 16 goals, while Harmon, Rob Sciubba and Tommy Fatuova are all among the best in assists. But it was Ramsey’s Andrew Bonan who struck for five goals in a 15-4 win over Paramus on Saturday, the team’s fourth straight game with 10-plus goals.
7. Boonton stands out
The Bombers (4-0) are co-leaders in the Klank Division alongside Hanover Park. The big question facing Boonton was how to replace the offense supplied by graduating senior Joe Norton. So far, the answer has come from Connor Davis (15 goals) and Boonton’s offense hasn’t regressed. Austin Van Zant and Ted Betsy have been key cogs, as well.
8. Bounce back for St. Joseph
The Green Raiders have won three straight after dropping their season opener to Chatham. And their wildest win came last Monday when they hosted Lakeland in a league game in the Curcio. St. Joseph came back to win in double overtime after allowing Lakeland to score all six goals in the first half. Junior attack Pat Fay scored the winner, assisted Mike Donaghy.
9. Goal leaders
The top scorers in North Jersey are River Dell’s Matt Coppola (24), Waldwick’s Dan Lee (18), Tenafly’s Alon Berkowitz (18), Pascack Hills’ Jack Benedict (17) and Ramsey’s Tyler Harmon (16).
10. Still undefeated
Six undefeated teams remain. Ramsey, Northern Highlands, Pascack Valley and Boonton are all at 4-0. Ridgewood and Park Ridge/Emerson have 3-0 records.
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