Boys lacrosse: Team-by-team previews for the 2024 season in North Jersey

The boys lacrosse season begins this Monday in North Jersey. Here is a look at teams around Bergen and Passaic counties.

GIBBS

Bergen Catholic

Players to watch: seniors Jake Taromina, Jack Tenaglia, Anderson Chang and Sean Irving.

Outlook: A new era begins this year with the Crusaders (8-11) turning to coach Frank Feaster, a 2016 Bergen Catholic graduate who played football and lacrosse at the Oradell school. Feaster is counting on the defense to be a strength and has some pop at attack with Taromina and Tenaglia combining to score 40 goals last season.

Don Bosco

Players to watch: seniors Colton Carfello and Sal Postiglione, junior Brady Scioletti, sophomore Johnny Devir.

Outlook: The Ironmen will start the chase for a fourth straight Bergen County title under new coach Matt Lane, a former team assistant who once was a college captain at Syracuse. With Carfello back in net and Scioletti back to overpower defenders, not much is out of Don Bosco's reach.

Northern Highlands

Players to watch: seniors John Abousselman, Sawyer Chapler and Cole Stecker, junior Nate Johnson.

Outlook: The Highlanders (9-9) will turn to some new faces with only three returning starters, but always have their eye on winning major titles. Coach Kyle Ojakian likes his defensive depth and gets a boost with quarterback/midfielder star Nate Johnson back as a Bergen County second-teamer.

Ramapo

Players to watch: seniors Sean Monaghan, Jackson Cooney and Aiden Jackson, junior Nick Begina.

Outlook: The Raiders went from four wins to nine in coach Stephen Harvey's first season in Franklin Lakes and expect to compete at a high level again despite their youth. Harvey believes one of the biggest strengths will be senior goalie Pat Hogan, a Connecticut College commit who backed up last spring.

Ridgewood

Players to watch: seniors Jack Schultz, Charlie Merrick, Reed Conneen and Matthew Roughgarden.

Outlook: The Maroons (21-3) sit on top of the New Jersey mountain after winning the Group 4 title and the inaugural Kirst Cup. While Ridgewood needs to plug a few holes on defense and elsewhere, it still has an elite goaltending and a formidable punch up front in Lafayette commit Jack Frers and Maryland pledge Jack Schultz.

St. Joseph

Players to watch: seniors Tommy Brennan, Ryan Cunningham, Chris Wehri and Travis Sems.

Outlook: The Green Knights (8-10) will be a sophomore-heavy team with up to five of them in the starting lineup, but coach Dan DaPonte said he has more competition for playing time than ever before. With Wagner commit Ryan Cunningham back in net, the goal remains to be one of the top teams in Bergen County.

Mountain Lakes also competes in this division.

JACOBSON

Glen Rock

Players to watch: senior Parker Dupuis, juniors Cooper Consoli, Mike Flaccavento and Brennan Visokey.

Outlook: Almost everyone is back for the Panthers (11-7), who want to finish on top of their league and compete for the Group 1 state title. DuPuis led North Jersey in ground balls last year with 165 and Visokey was lights out in net.

Mahwah

Players to watch: senior Alex DeDios, junior Preston Duffy, sophomores Cameron Robator and Thomas Langenmayr.

Outlook: The Thunderbirds (12-8) will go as far as their back line takes them with two of the league's best defenders in Duffy and DeDios. The offense need to rebuild after losing five of the top six scorers from a run to Bergen County quarterfinals.

Ramsey

Players to watch: senior JJ Phillips, juniors Quinn O'Neill and Cullen Gorman, sophomore Justus Favata.

Outlook: Scoring should not be an issue for the Rams (10-9) with the return of Phillips and O'Neill, who poured in at least 50 goals apiece last year on the front line. Pairing them with a defense coach Dan DeMartino expects to improve makes Ramsey a contender in the divisional race.

River Dell

Players to watch: senior Jose Martinez, juniors RJ Weiss and Gavin McKeon.

Outlook: Much has changed for the Golden Hawks (15-6), who earned a promotion up to the Jacobson and must replace the program's all-time scoring leader in Finn Kristan. But with six starters back led a strong goalie in Martinez, the goal is still to finish with a winning record and make the county tournament.

Pascack Valley

Players to watch: seniors Charlie Haller and Daniel Ax, juniors Donnie Duffus and Joe Massaro.

Outlook: The Panthers (11-9) have a deep lineup in place with seven returning starters, including a trio of scorers who chipped in at least 20 goals last season. That firepower and the faceoff play of senior Owen Deady will help them chase after a high finish in the Jacobson.

Tenafly

Players to watch: seniors Dylan Reichel, Jason Cherezov, David Levine and Cooper Roberts.

Outlook: The Tigers (12-5) have the potential for one of their best seasons with a balanced and senior-heavy lineup after graduating only three players. There are four college commits on the roster, including Ursinus-bound FOGO Cole Mogensen and Moravian goalie pledge Chris Piluso.

Wayne Valley

Players to watch: seniors Ryan Schmitz, Colin Daroch and Jakob Kirz, junior Nick Rubino.

Outlook: The Indians (17-4) kick off the year as the reigning league and county champions and with an elite goalie in Daroch to fuel their fire. The challenge this spring is replacing the stingy defense that got them to the top.

Pequannock also competes in this division.

CURCIO

Demarest

Players to watch: juniors Neil Bernhaut and Dylan Distelburger, sophomore Markus White, freshman Brett Finetto.

Outlook: Coach Jason Reynolds starts his second year with the Norsemen (4-10) with a foundation built around defense. Bernhaut is a reliable option in net and two poles in front of him return with postseason accolades.

Lakeland

Players to watch: seniors Antonio Santoro, Brady Kennedy, Jake Spear and Robert Gleason.

Outlook: Coach Alan Annazone goes into his second season with a tremendous amount of experience with eight returning starters, including six seniors who've held top spots since at least their sophomore year. Santora led Passaic County with 150 ground balls last year and teams up with Kennedy in a nice scoring duo for the Lancers (7-11).

Paramus

Players to watch: juniors Mikey Rickard, Drew Rennar and Joseph Minervini, sophomore Mark Gass.

Outlook: Numbers are up this year for the Spartans (6-12), who will use their improved depth and a promising defensive core to go for a Curcio title. Sophomore goalie Gabriel Akdemir was thrown into the fire as a rookie and finished top-five in Bergen County in saves.

Wayne Hills

Players to watch: seniors Dean Wilkie, Eddie Hughes and Dom Cataline, junior Parker Johnson.

Outlook: The Patriots will be one of the favorites in the division race after moving back to the Curcio. The offense is experienced with the return of the top three scorers and six starters across the lineup.

West Milford

Players to watch: seniors John Biegel, Jake Kelshaw and Nash Appell, junior Vincent D'Andrea.

Outlook: Most of the roster is back for the Highlanders (6-15), who had an up-and-down season last spring but ultimately made the Passaic County final. Sophomore goalie Tyler Acanfrio is a rising star in net after posting a .621 save percentage as a rookie.

Westwood

Players to watch: juniors Luke Biello, Sean Morrison, Dylan Bellinger and Bennett Heid.

Outlook: The Cardinals (7-11) had some tough moments last year after moving up to the Jacobson, but coach Matt Biello has a lot to like with his 2024 squad. An experienced junior class led by Luke Biello on attack will help Westwood adapt to having only two seniors.

Old Tappan also competes in this division.

CULLEN

Dwight-Englewood

Players to watch: juniors Jacob Schiffman, Gabriel Feldman and Achille Pompidou, sophomore Alex Jachimowski.

Outlook: The Bulldogs (9-6) led the Cullen in scoring last year and retained a lot of firepower as all four aforementioned players eclipsed 25 goals. Senior Jackson Clift backs them up in net as an all-division choice.

Fair Lawn

Players to watch: seniors Conny Denny, Ryan Feinstein and Conor Pinkham, junior Ty Christianson.

Outlook: Slowing down the Cutters (10-7) will be a challenge with Denny and Christianson back on attack after combining for 103 goals last spring. There are plenty of familiar faces around them with only two seniors to replace.

Indian Hills

Players to watch: seniors Tanner Gay and Joe Cortese, juniors Justin Vitale and Luke Festa.

Outlook: The Braves are riding high after producing their winningest season in over a decade. While Indian Hills will be young on defense, it still has a bona fide No. 1 scorer in Vitale and proven goalie and faceoff play to back it up.

Park Ridge/Emerson

Players to watch: juniors Zack Moser, Brendan Burns, Matthew Rozzi and Andrew Rozzi.

Outlook: The Owls (6-9) are looking to make a name for themselves after doubling their win total last spring. Moser is back in goal after setting school single-season records for saves and save percentage a year ago.

Pascack Hills

Players to watch: seniors Ryan Davis and Gabe Crandall, juniors CJ Driver and Connor Ohnikian.

Outlook: The Broncos captured their first division title last spring and look to keep it up under new coach and former assistant John Esposito. Driver has turned in back-to-back 70-point seasons and anchors a lineup that lost only four seniors.

Passaic Tech

Players to watch: seniors Nicco Fasoli, Jack Donovan and Nate Harris, junior Evan Reyes.

Outlook: The Bulldogs are on the rise after back-to-back winning seasons and just earned a promotion from the Kirst Division. They will lean on their experience on offense led by Fasoli while trying to move up the county ladder.

Rutherford

Players to watch: senior Chris Lora, juniors Nick Lora, Tyler Collins and Marchello Fernandez.

Outlook: The Bulldogs (8-8) will be full of youth in their third varsity season with freshmen making up four of five starting spots. Long-stick middie Leo Cone and attackman Charlie Conti are key parts of that incoming class.

DOWLING

Bergen Tech

Players to watch: seniors Januka Gunadasa, Tommy Godlewski, Miguel Manalang and Andrew Chun.

Outlook: The Knights (9-9) took a big step forward last year while posting their best record in five seasons. With an established core in place, the goal is to climb over .500 and win the newly-created Dowling Division.

Hawthorne

Players to watch: seniors JohnPaul Wedemeyer, Logan Sakir and Thomas Korpics, junior William Gerhardstein.

Outlook: The Bears (8-7) look like a contender with an experienced goalie in Wedemeyer, who's started since his freshman year. Four of the top five scorers are back to provide some run support.

Pompton Lakes

Players to watch: seniors PJ Janiec and Nexhat Reci, juniors Luke Kondovski and Connor Bosma.

Outlook: The Cardinals (4-12) slide from the Curcio Division with five returning starters led by an impressive three-year starting goalie in Luke Kondovski. The experience in net and on defense will be critical as Pompton Lakes works in some younger players and finds new ways to score.

Clifton, Eastern Christian, Newark Academy, Union Catholic and West Orange also compete in this division.

KIRST

DePaul

Players to watch: senior Joe Styskal, junior Tyler Feather, sophomores Cody Webster and Tommy Kavari.

Outlook: The Spartans return to the varsity level this year under coach Steve Sokolewicz and bring back six starters from their 2023 JV squad.

Lyndhurst

Players to watch: seniors Rob Thomson and Matt Schnur and junior Matt Branco.

Outlook: The Golden Bears (2-12) start their second year on the varsity level with a goal of winning more games. With only four seniors to replace, this young roster has gotten some time to jell.

Passaic Valley

Players to watch: seniors Damian Kribs and Jayden Amico.

Outlook: The Hornets look poised to improve on a 3-8 record since they don't lose any scoring to graduation. Kribs is a proven finisher at attack with 123 career goals.

Saddle Brook

Players to watch: junior Michael Mudzinski, sophomore Chris Lamboy, freshman Jonathan Shnapper.

Outlook: The Falcons returned to the varsity level last season and earned two wins in 12 matches. This spring, Saddle Brook alum Theodore Nosch takes over the program with the goal of building a lacrosse culture in town.

Waldwick

Players to watch: seniors Bryan Gaffney and Colin Fowler, junior Tyler Byrnes, sophomore Luke Feltmann.

Outlook: The Warriors could shake off a three-win season with almost the entire lineup back in action. Junior goalie Brendan Dillon has the ability to steal games after an impressive 2023 season.

Paramus Catholic, Newark East Side and Weehawken also compete in this division.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boys lacrosse: Team-by-team previews for the 2024 season in North Jersey