Field hockey: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex rankings

It's hard to believe, but this is the final week of the regular season. The state tournament cutoff is Thursday (only the first 13 games count towards power points) and the postseason kicks off on Monday with the sectional tournaments.

But first thing's first, as Warren Hills and Hackettstown will battle on Saturday for the championship in the fifth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. The game will be played at Hackettstown, a designated site before the tournament began, despite all three previous tournament finals having been contested on neutral fields. For some reason, the bylaws, which call for a neutral site, are being ignored for this one.

Sort of the way the semifinals being held on a neutral turf field was a one-and-done idea in 2009, the first year of the tri-county tournament as Sussex County joined the party. What a first year that was, as the final between Newton and Warren Hills was never played because of scheduling conflicts with the late finish date that coincided with both schools being involved in sectional tournament games. Co-champions were declared that year. Fun times.

I've been told by many athletic directors over the years that this is a "showcase event." Well, sticking to neutral fields for the finals and having semifinals at one site -- all games on turf -- would be a start in that direction. As it stands right now, this event is not being showcased as is.

Anyway, High Point's 51-game win streak in the American Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference ended on Monday with a 1-1 tie at Sparta. The Wildcats outscored their opponents, 222-25 during that streak and haven't lost a divisional game since a 2-0 loss at Vernon on Nov. 9, 2009. So the streak continues in that regard as an unbeaten stretch.

It's further evidence as to how far Sparta's program has come in just a short time. Two seasons ago, the Spartans (9-6-1 this year) went 0-16 and scored a total of two goals. Second-year coach Kristin Savasta, after a 5-11 campaign in 2012, believes the Sussex County school is on the right track and has a feeder program in place this season for the first time.

"I'm so proud. This program has come a long way," Savasta said after Monday's tie. "To be 9-6-1 is huge for us. We want to keep improving and keep building. Hopefully, we can finish up with a winning season."

Amazingly, Sparta will likely host at least one playoff game in the North 1, Group 3 bracket. Lenape Valley, also enjoying an amazing turnaround after last year's two-win season, should be the No. 1 seed in the North 1, Group 1 draw, that also includes Kittatinny, Newton, Wallkill Valley, Belvidere and North Warren.

Now onto this week's rankings:

1. Warren Hills (14-3-1) -- Blue Streaks knocked off two longtime rivals last week with a 3-0 win over No. 4 Hunterdon Central on Tuesday and a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Voorhees on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals -- earning the program's eighth county finals appearance and third in the tri-county event's five-year history. Coach Laurie Kerr's team extended its win streak to 11 in a row with Monday's 4-0 win at Bernards, outscoring its opponents by a combined 39-2 margin during that stretch. Junior midfielder Nikki Profita and freshman forward Dani Profita have keyed this win streak. Nikki scored the go-ahead goal against Voorhees, while Dani scored twice against Central.

Up next: at Pingry on Thursday; at Hackettstown on Saturday in HWS championship game.

2. Voorhees (13-4) -- Vikings move up one spot after a 1-1 week -- scoring a 3-1 win over Hillsborough in a Skyland Conference crossover on Thursday before a 2-1 loss to nemesis Warren Hills on Saturday in the HWS semifinals. The Hunterdon County school still holds a 30-19-6 edge in the series, but has dropped five of the last seven meetings and has lost twice to Warren Hills in the same season for only the fifth time since the rivalry began in 1975. Sophomore Kathryn Roncoroni leads the Vikes with 27 goals -- six shy of the school's single-season record held by Colleen Boyce (33 in 2010). Third-year coach Taylor Webb's team has one regular-season game remaining before the North 1, Group 2 playoffs commence next week.

Up next: Ridge at home on Thursday.

3. Lenape Valley (12-4-1) -- Patriots vault up two spots after a 3-0 week. Coach Kate Rothman's club posted a hard-fought 2-1 win over No. 9 Sparta last Monday before a big 1-0 win over No. 8 Kittatinny on Wednesday that likely secured the No. 1 seed for the upcoming North 1, Group 1 playoffs. Junior forward Kassidy Forik leads the Pats with 14 goals and has scored in four straight games, including one in each of last week's three wins. Junior midfielder and captain Sally Olson has one goal or an assist in eight straight games and leads the team with 10 assists.

Up next: North Warren at home on Tuesday; at Wallkill Valley on Thursday.

4. Hunterdon Central (14-4) -- Red Devils went 2-2 last week, capping the slate with a 4-3 loss in overtime at home to No. 6 Hackettstown on Saturday in the HWS semifinals. Central was bidding for its first county finals appearance since 2007. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team opened with a 3-0 win over North Hunterdon in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division matchup last Monday, followed by a 3-0 loss to No. 1 Warren Hills and a 3-0 win over Watchung Hills on Thursday. Junior forward Kendall Nickel totaled two goals and an assist in the four games, while junior midfielder Ali Baligian (knee) returned to the lineup and scored in Saturday's loss.

Up next: at Hillsborough on Tuesday; at Delaware Valley on Thursday.

5. South Hunterdon (14-3) -- Eagles prevailed in a pair of shutouts last week -- 3-0 at Somerville on Tuesday and 2-0 at Delaware Valley on Thursday in Skyland Conference crossover matchups. Senior forward Kaycee Zelkovsky added four more goals to her tri-county leading total of 34, scoring three times against Somerville. Senior goalie Samantha Soscia raised her shutout total to 11. The Hunterdon County school will likely be a No. 3 or 4 seed in the North 2, Group 1 playoffs behind state powers Shore Regional and Madison.

Up next: Montgomery at home on Tuesday; Pennington at home on Monday, Oct. 28.

6. Hackettstown (11-5) -- Tigers continued their Cinderella run through the HWS tournament with a 4-3 win in overtime against No. 4 Hunterdon Central in the semifinals on Saturday. The No. 5 seed ousted top-seeded South Hunterdon the previous week on strokes in the quarterfinals. Coach Stephen Speirs' club also gave a good account in a 1-0 loss to previously-unbeaten Parsippany on Friday in an NJAC Freedom Division clash after opening last week with a 4-2 win over North Warren. Senior forward Kalie Thies continued her stellar play with three goals and an assist in the three wins, while forward Michelle Carlson racked four goals, including the game-winner against Central.

Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Tuesday; Kittatinny at home on Thursday; Warren Hills at home on Saturday in the HWS championship game.

7. High Point (13-1-3) -- Wildcats rolled to a pair of 5-0 wins over Morris Hills on Tuesday and Pope John on Thursday, extending the Sussex County school's NJAC American Division win streak to 51 in a row dating to 2010. That streak ended with Monday's 1-1 tie at Sparta. Junior forward Alexis Ambrosino had a monster week -- scoring a career-high four goals on Tuesday and adding two goals and an assist on Thursday. Coach Bev Keur's team (11-0-1 division) can clinch at least a share of the division title with a win over Montville on Wednesday. Second-place Morris Knolls (9-2) has three divisional games remaining, including a trip to Wantage on Friday.

Up next: Montville at home on Wednesday; Morris Knolls at home on Friday.

8. Kittatinny (7-6-3) -- Cougars went 2-1 last week, opening with a 2-0 win over Belvidere last Monday before a 1-0 loss to No. 3 Lenape Valley on Wednesday. Coach Emily Murray's team closed it out with a 1-0 win at Newton on Friday in an NJAC Freedom Division matchup. Sophomore forward Maureen Douglas and senior forward Brianna McNeel scored the goals against Belvidere, while junior midfielder Jenn Makarevich scored the game-winner against Newton. Junior goalie Julie Pevarnik made seven saves in the shutout against the Braves -- her eighth of the season.

Up next: Jefferson at home on Tuesday; at Hackettstown on Thursday.

9. Sparta (9-6-1) -- Spartans continued their breakout season with a 1-2 week, scoring a 4-0 win over crosstown rival Pope John on Tuesday in an NJAC American Division clash. Sophomore forward Rhett Curran continued her offensive onslaught with two more goals last week, but was kept off the board for the first time in eight games in the Sussex County school's 1-0 loss at Montville on Thursday that ended Sparta's outside shot for a share of the division title. Curran scored her team-leading 13th goal in the tie with High Point. Spartans opened last week with a tough 2-1 loss at No. 3 Lenape Valley in which it had a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Up next: High Point at home on Monday; at Morris Knolls on Wednesday; at Mount Olive on Friday.

10. Vernon (7-8) -- Vikings re-enter the rankings as this spot has been nearly impossible to handicap all season. Forward Julie Hammerton scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Mount Olive on Tuesday before a tough 2-1 loss to Morris Knolls on Thursday in a pair of NJAC American Division clashes. Coach Hollyce Schoepp's team is looking like it will be a No. 7 or 8 seed for the North 1, Group 3 playoffs.

Up next: Morris Hills at home on Wednesday; at Montville on Friday; Butler at home on Saturday.

On the bubble: Wallkill Valley (6-11); Delaware Valley (6-9-1); Newton (5-9-1); Belvidere (5-9-2).