But the Vikings are set to renew acquaintances with its new postseason rival as they take on Johnson in the North 2, Group 2 quarterfinals on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The game will be played on the turf at North Hunterdon due to poor conditions at Voorhees' home grass field following Superstorm Sandy.
Voorhees (12-4-1), the No. 4 seed, is coming off one of its biggest wins of the season -- 1-0 against High Point in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex final on Oct. 27. Unfortunately, that was the last time that second-year coach Taylor Webb's Vikes played a game.
Webb said they've practiced several times since and feels her team is ready to go against a fifth-seeded Johnson team that bounced Voorhees from the playoffs the last two years -- 2-1 in double overtime in the 2010 title game and 1-0 in last year's semifinals.
The fact that this is a 4-5 matchup speaks to the strength of this section, which includes No. 2 seed Madison. The Morris County power has won 12 sectional titles and beat Voorhees for the 2001 crown.
No disrespect to the other teams in the draw, but this one has the feel of a title clash.
Voorhees, which is 51-31 all time in the state playoffs, is seeking the program's seventh sectional title and its first since 2006. In addition, the Hunterdon County school is 2-2 overall against Johnson -- a 1-0 winner over No. 12 Governor Livingston in a pigtail state game -- with wins in 2000 and '09.
"We're not trying to look too far ahead. We know our seed and that this is a very tough section," said Webb, a star midfielder who won three sectional titles as a player and helped the Vikes reach the Group 2 semifinals as a senior in 2002. "We know A.L. Johnson is a solid team. We're looking forward to it."
Needless to say, Sandy has wrecked havoc with the tournament schedules for a majority of the schools left playing in the postseason. South Jersey has not been affected as much and most of the schools in the southern end of the state have played several playoff contests.
Like many, Webb feels this is a disadvantage to those up in this area and around the Jersey Shore who have had limited access to schools for practice time or have been uprooted from their homes due to damage from the storm or power outages.
"We can't control it so we'll do the best we can," Webb said. "Some are worse off than we are. If we had to have a [week layoff] the High Point game was a good one to end on."
Defensively, Voorhees is as solid a team as you will find in the tournament. Backs Michelle Gaykowski and Alex Barish -- who were stellar in the HWS final -- are solid in front of outstanding goalies Lauren Pianucci (first half) and Kathryn Boyce (second half). The Vikes have 10 shutouts this season, including four in their last six games.
"[The goalies] play year-round and with and against some of the best girls in Pennsylvania and New Jersey," Webb said. "They are definitely prepared [for their first state playoff action]. I'm never concerned [with them in the cage]. They just go out there and do their thing."
But to go deep into the playoffs, Webb said it will take a solid effort on both sides of the ball -- meaning freshman midfielder Kathryn Roncoroni (11 goals), along with forwards Ashley Kerekgyarto and Kelsey Fischer, will have to fire up the offense. The Vikes are averaging two goals per game (34 in 17 contests).
"At this point in the season, it has to be both [offense and defense contributing]," Webb said. "The teams you're playing against are all really good. Defense has always been our backbone, but we need our forwards to attack."
Sandy is a scheduling nightmare
Most of the state tournament games in our area are slated for Tuesday, but top-seeded Warren Hills will have to wait until at least Friday to play its first-round contest in the North 2, Group 3 draw.
Blue Streaks coach Laurie Kerr said the scheduled game with No. 9 Ocean Township will try to be played at the end of the week. The Shore Conference was hit hard by Sandy and Ocean Township has been unable to get into the building even for practice time -- as school policy prohibits teams to play if there are no classes.
As a result of the scheduling backlog, the NJSIAA announced on Monday that its Tournament of Champions, scheduled for the week of Nov. 13, has been canceled. This is the second time the schedule has been moved back and now practices for winter sports are sure to be affected as a result.
To make matters potentially worse, another storm is predicted to hit the area on Wednesday into Thursday.
High Point first to advance
Coach Bev Keur's Wildcats became the first team from the tri-county area to win a state game as the No. 5 seeds defeated No. 4 Ramsey, 1-0, in the North 1, Group 2 quarterfinals on Monday.
Junior Carly Satter scored the lone goal -- her fifth of the season -- off an assist from senior Darby Smith, the Sussex County school's career goals and points leader. Smith had a goal called back in the first half after Satter scored, as the officials ruled that the ball did not clear the circle before the shot.
High Point will face either No. 1 Lakeland or No. 9 Jefferson in the sectional semifinals at a date to be determined. It's the third straight year that High Point has reached the semis following back-to-back losses in the North 1, Group 3 final in 2010 and '11.
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