In a blink of an eye, the spring high school sports season is winding down as teams prepare for the state tournament in their respective sports.
Baseball state playoff brackets will be announced May 25 so powerhouse schools like Saint Augustine Prep and Gloucester Catholic will have to hold their collective breaths another week before they discover their first opponent.
The first round of the softball state tournament has just started, while boys and girls lacrosse seedings were announced May 16. This week, the Catholic Star Herald previews its local schools in the lacrosse and softball playoffs.
Softball
Paul VI is piecing together its best year on the softball diamond since 2015, when the Eagles went 20-6 and lost in the South Jersey Non-Public A championship game. This year’s squad started the season 9-0 and endured a two-game mid-season hiccup before reeling off seven straight to stand at a 17-2 record through 19 games. Senior Lilly St. Jean has had 40 hits in 63 at-bats and has driven in a team-high 27 runs. But the Eagles’ offense doesn’t end there as Morgan Chambers, McKendamin Champion, Madison Cooley, Ella Flood, Jordan Mader and Lisey St. Jean have all reached the 20-hit mark this season. Paul VI, the No. 6 seed, started the tournament early and defeated 11-seed Trinity Hall, 13-0, in the first round on May 17. They will visit No. 3 seed Notre Dame in the quarterfinals.
Staying in the South Jersey Non-Public A bracket, eight-seed Our Lady of Mercy (7-9) matches up with nine-seed Union Catholic (5-14) in the opening round May 19. The Villagers are led by senior Maggie Douglas, who is hitting .396 and has scored a team-high 12 runs. Sophomore Emma Douglas is batting .349 while handling the bulk of the pitching duties for OLMA.
Camden Catholic stumbled out of the gate with an 0-4 record but had pulled even at 7-7 prior to a scheduled regular season rematch with Paul VI on May 18. The Irish won that first meeting with Paul VI on April 25, which handed the Eagles their first loss. A pair of seniors in Nicole Douglas (.447 average) and Carlee Karcher (.435) have done some heavy lifting, while sophomore rising star Sophia Hudec (.432) leads the team in RBIs with 13. Camden Catholic is the 10-seed and visits seven-seed Immaculata (11-10).
Shifting to the South Jersey Non-Public B bracket, Gloucester Catholic earned the three-seed and had a 14-4 record through the weekend. The Rams scored a ton of runs, with Cambrie Todd (24 RBIs) and Emily McGinn (28) knocking in the bulk of them. Adrianna Green has struck out 148 batters through her first 18 games and has also contributed at the plate with 24 hits and 11 RBIs. Gloucester Catholic hosts Holy Cross Prep (7-8) in the quarterfinal round on May 23.
After some early season struggles, Wildwood Catholic won six of its last seven games to enter their quarterfinal meeting with Doane Academy (11-11) on a hot streak. Becca Cessna powers the Crusaders (8-4) from the circle with a no-hitter under her belt earlier this season.
Holy Spirit is enduring a tough 5-12 season and will represent the seventh-seed in the tournament against highly-touted Timothy Christian (16-3), which earned the second-seed.
Boys Lacrosse
Red-hot Saint Augustine will carry a 12-1 record and 10 straight wins into the Non-Public A playoffs when they host Oratory (4-11) in the opening round May 21. The Hermits, who earned the three-seed, have a plethora of scoring threats including Matt Vanaman (32 goals) Ryan Demato (28), Luke Hendricks (22), Luke Scarpello (21), Gennaro Petrongolo (18) and Noah Plenn (16).
Paul VI (8-2) also earned a home game as the seven-seed Eagles will take on Pope John (9-7) in round one. The Eagles are led by Ryan Stiefel, who has 41 goals and 29 assists in just nine games. Brad Maslowski has netted 30 goals and added 13 assists.
In Non-Public B, Holy Spirit earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of Eastern Christian-Red Bank Catholic as the No. 3 seed. The Spartans were 12-3 through their first 15 games as Stanley Marczyk has scored 52 times. Matthew Goff has 36 goals and Sean Burns has added another 25.
Bishop Eustace is 10-5 and is the No. 7 seed in the bracket and will host St Rose (12-6) on May 21. Liam Higgins fuels the Crusaders with 51 goals while Michael Davis has 22 goals to go along with 22 assists.
Girls Lacrosse
Holy Spirit and Bishop Eustace both pieced together impressive seasons and will enjoy some home cooking as the three- and four-seeds respectively in the Non-Public B playoffs as they begin May 23.
Holy Spirit, which was 13-4 through May 16, is enjoying one of its best seasons in school history. Hanna Watson has 44 goals and 71 assists to place her among the best playmakers in the state. Maddie Abbott has scored 54 goals and Maggie Cella has contributed 44 for the Spartans, who will host 14-seed Pope John (7-9) in the opening round.
Bishop Eustace was 6-3 at the halfway point of the regular season but has struggled since, surfacing with a 7-9 ledger through the weekend. The Crusaders’ schedule was stacked with strong opponents, and sophomore Jordan Roessler has accumulated 68 goals and 18 assists despite missing two games. A pair of freshmen Anna Marquardt (33 goals) and Aislynn Higgins (28) supply the secondary scoring for Bishop Eustace, which will host 13-seed Saint Rose (5-10).
Looking at the larger schools, Camden Catholic, Our Lady of Mercy and Paul VI will set their GPS systems north and hope to pull off upsets in the Non-Public A bracket.
Camden Catholic (5-11), the 11-seed, will travel to six-seed Immaculate Heart (5-11) for the opening round. Rylee Dundee continues her breakout season with 58 goals and a dozen assists, and Gianna Booker (28 goals) and Kayla Never (25) supplying offensive support for the young Irish.
OLMA, the 12-seed will visit five-seed Mount Saint Mary (13-7) in the first round. The Villagers (8-7) are powered by sisters Fiona and Mina Lockhart who have 45 and 41 goals respectively. Anissa Serafine has 34 goals this season and recently eclipsed her 100th career goal.
Paul VI (5-11) has a pair of 50-goal scorers in Hannah Exley (57) and Ave Martin (52). The 13-seed Eagles will travel to Kent Place (12-4) for the opening round May 23.
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