By Fred Siegle
Final Top ten is based on entire season
- St. Josephs.
- East Brunswick
- Old Bridge
- Southern
- Bridgewater
- Lakeland
- Clifton
- Fair Lawn
- Eastern
- Peter’s Prep
1. St. Josephs. Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Week Three: 1. Week Four: 1. Week Five: 1. Week Six: 2. The Falcons capped their awesome season by winning the state title with a three-set (29-27 in the third game) victory over Bridgewater. They beat East Brunswick for the NJSIAA South/Central title, gaining a split (2-2) in the four games between the two top teams. The Falcons finished with a 30-4 record after playing the toughest schedule in the state, with victories over the top five teams in the final rankings.
2. East Brunswick. Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Week Three: 2. Week Four: 3. Week Five: 4. Week Six: 1. The Bears ascended to the top spot by beating St. Joes for the Greater Middlesex title in mid-May, but were eliminated in the South/Central title game by the Falcons. They finished the season with a 27-3 record and three wins and one loss against Old Bridge. Their victory over Old Bridge in the South/Central semis was probably the best match of the season.
3. Old Bridge. Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Week Three: 5. Week Four: 2. Week Five: 3. Week Six: 3. The Knights became a state power behind a solid core of veterans who were playing together for the third year. They beat Southern, East Brunswick once, and Fair Lawn, which for most of the season was the top team in North Jersey, and finished with a 24-7 record.
4. Southern. Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Week Three: 6. Week Four: 6. Week Five: 2. Week Six: Four. The reasoning is simple: The Rams beat Bridgewater during the season. They both lost to the same team (St. Josephs) in the state tournament. They finished 27-6, with all the losses coming against the top three teams.
5. Bridgewater. Preseason rank: 10. Week One: 7. Week Two: 7. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: Not ranked. Week Six: Not ranked. The Panthers turned their season around in the second half, rebounding from a 6-9 start to finish 17-10. They emerged with the NJSIAA’s North Tournament title and almost took their seventh overall state crown, losing to St. Josephs, 16-25, 25-17, 27-29. As the No. 7 seed, they cruised through the North playoffs, beating No. 2 Lakeland, No. 3 St. Peters, and No. 5 Clifton to capture the title.
6. Lakeland. Preseason rank: not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: not ranked. Week Two: Not ranked. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: 8. Week Six: 7. The Lancers lost to the same team – Bridgewater – as Clifton in the state tournament. They won the Passaic County crown, beating Wayne Valley, which knocked Clifton out of that tournament. After losing two of their first three matches, the Lancers went on a 19-match winning streak that was ended by Bridgewater in the North quarterfinals and finished 20-3.
7. Clifton. Preseason rank: not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: Not ranked. Week Two: Not ranked. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: Not ranked. Week Six: Not ranked. After an unspectacular regular season, the Mustangs made a strong run in the state playoffs, beating No. 4 seed Wayne Valley and No. 1 Fair Lawn on their way to the title game, where they lost to Bridgewater. Clifton lost to Passaic, Don Bosco, East Brunswick, Fair Lawn and Wayne Valley during the regular season, but had victories over Eastern, Don Bosco, Passaic, and Bridgwater, which helped it earn the No. 5 seed in the North playoffs.
8. Fair Lawn. Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Week Three: 3. Week Four: 4. Week Five: 5. Week Six: Five. The Cutters were the undisputed top seed in the North playoffs after dominating play in that area (Their only losses prior to the start of the tournament were to St. Joes, Old Bridge and Southern, three of the four top south teams). Were eliminated from the North by Clifton, which they had beaten during the regular season.
9. Eastern. Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Week Three: 4. Week Four: 5. Week Five: 9. Week Six: 8. The Vikings were the top team in the Olympic Conference, but they never seemed to find their rhythm during the season. The best team they beat was St. Peters, and that was in the first week of the season. They were seeded No. 5 in the South/Central playoffs and were eliminated by No. 4 Southern.
10. St. Peters Prep. Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two: 9. Week Three: 8. Week Four: 8. Week Five: 10. Week Six: 9. The Marauders were cruising along through the season but hit a rough spot at the end, losing to Bayonne in the Hudson County Tournament final, and Bridgewater in the state semifinals.Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>
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