As the NJSIAA Boys Soccer Tournament progresses into its second week, five high school teams from the Trentonian coverage area remain in contention for the state title. Each team is set to face critical matchups, with the stakes high for players and coaches alike.
Key Matchups Ahead
Princeton Day School, under head coach Gary Roberts, holds the second seed in the Non-Public B South bracket with a record of 8-12. They will host 11th-seeded Moorestown Friends, which has a record of 4-14-1, at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. The victor of this matchup will advance to Thursday’s sectional final, where they will compete against the winner of the game between 13th-seeded Bishop Eustace (4-14-1) and top-seeded Ranney School (12-6-1).
Three additional teams from the Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL) also remain in the tournament. Bordentown and Florence, like Moorestown Friends, are part of the BCSL’s Patriot Division, which still features four teams in the tournament alongside Palmyra in South Jersey Group I.
Bordentown, led by head coach Mike Brennan, boasts a strong record of 16-3-2 and is the top seed in Central Jersey Group II. They are scheduled to host fourth-seeded Robbinsville (14-7-1) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. This will mark the Ravens’ fourth consecutive appearance in a sectional semifinal. The last time Bordentown reached this stage was in 2018 when Jason Zablow, now the athletic director, was head coach.
Florence, coached by Kyle Ballay, enters the tournament as the 16th seed in Central Jersey Group I. Their current record stands at 9-7-3, and they will carry a seven-game unbeaten streak into their match against fifth-seeded Middlesex (12-6-3) at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Additionally, Northern Burlington, led by coach Justin Faust, is the third seed in Central Jersey Group III. With a record of 14-5-1, the Greyhounds are the only remaining team from the Liberty Division and will face second-seeded Middletown South (13-3-2) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Looking Forward to the Finals
The winners of Tuesday’s matches will proceed to the public school boys’ sectional finals on Friday at the home field of the team with the better seed. The winner of the Bordentown-Robbinsville game will host the victor between 11th-seeded Wall (10-9-1) and seventh-seeded Manasquan (13-6-1) in the Central Jersey II Final. The Florence-Middlesex winner will face the winner of the match between third-seeded Dunellen (14-6-1) and second-seeded Delaware Valley (17-5) in the Central Jersey I Final. The Northern Burlington-Middletown South survivor will challenge the winner of the fifth-seeded Brick Memorial (16-7) against top-seeded Colts Neck (18-1-1) in the Central Jersey III Final.
The Non-Public state finals are scheduled for Sunday, November 16, 2023, at Franklin High in Somerset, with the exact times to be determined. The boys’ public school state semifinals will take place on Tuesday, November 18, with venues decided by power points. The public school state finals will follow on Saturday, November 22, 2023, at Franklin High, starting with the Group II final at 10 a.m., followed by the Group III final at 12:30 p.m., and the Group IV final at 3 p.m., culminating in the Group I state final at 5:30 p.m.
As the tournament unfolds, anticipation builds for these local teams striving for state glory.
