Pairings and seeds for the upcoming NJSIAA sectional tournaments involving 13 teams from the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area.
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| Warren Hills eyes its 19th sectional title. |
Warren Hills (12-4-1), seeking the program's 10th straight sectional/regional title, is the No. 2 seed in newly formed North Group 3 section, which features No. 1 seed and 2021 nemesis North Hunterdon (14-1).
Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and shortened regular season, teams were split into six regions (regardless of school size) and grouped according to geography and other criteria. There were no postseason games beyond the regional finals.
The sectional champions from the North and South will square off for the overall state championship on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Bordentown Regional High School.
Warren Hills, which is 91-44 in its postseason history, will play the rare underdog role this season, having lost two meetings with North Hunterdon. The Blue Streaks are riding a 27-game win streak in sectional action (22-0 at home) since a 3-2 loss at Freehold Boro in the 2011 North 2, Group 3 final. The Warren County school has not lost a home playoff game since 2007 (2-0 to Freehold Boro in the North 2, Group 3 final on the old grass field behind the high school). Coach Josie Potter's team opens the postseason on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at home against Millburn, which dropped a 3-2 decision in double overtime to the Blue Streaks in the 2018 Group 3 state semifinals.
Warren Hills, which is 91-44 in its postseason history, will play the rare underdog role this season, having lost two meetings with North Hunterdon. The Blue Streaks are riding a 27-game win streak in sectional action (22-0 at home) since a 3-2 loss at Freehold Boro in the 2011 North 2, Group 3 final. The Warren County school has not lost a home playoff game since 2007 (2-0 to Freehold Boro in the North 2, Group 3 final on the old grass field behind the high school). Coach Josie Potter's team opens the postseason on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at home against Millburn, which dropped a 3-2 decision in double overtime to the Blue Streaks in the 2018 Group 3 state semifinals.
West Essex (38), Moorestown (28), Eastern (28), Shore (27), Haddonfield (22) and Shawnee (20) are the only schools with more titles than Warren Hills' 18.
North can secure its first Skyland Conference title since 1991, with a win over Warren Hills at home in a big Raritan Division clash on Thursday. It will be the third meeting between the schools this season, with the Lions winning 3-2 in overtime on the road on Sept. 30 and 3-1 in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament title this past Saturday. The former snapped a 12-year drought in the series and the latter secured the Hunterdon County school's first county title since 1986.
North can secure its first Skyland Conference title since 1991, with a win over Warren Hills at home in a big Raritan Division clash on Thursday. It will be the third meeting between the schools this season, with the Lions winning 3-2 in overtime on the road on Sept. 30 and 3-1 in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament title this past Saturday. The former snapped a 12-year drought in the series and the latter secured the Hunterdon County school's first county title since 1986.
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| North won its only titles in 1986 and '93. |
North Hunterdon was the top seed in Central West Region B last year, but was ousted by eventual champion Ridge in the semifinals. Coach Geoff Chrisman's team is seeking its first sectional title since 1993 after falling short in a 2-1 loss to Hunterdon Central in the 2019 North 2, Group 4 title game -- the Lions' first finals appearance in 26 years.
The top half of the North Group 3 bracket is brutal with No. 4 Northern Highlands and No. 5 Lawrence, which features Cornell commit Talia Schenck, who is Mercer County's all-time leading scorer and state record holder for goals in a season as the first player to reach 100. Northern Highlands, which beat Warren Hills in a preseason scrimmage, won the last of its eight sectional titles in 2014.
North Group 4
Phillipsburg (8-8), which drew the No. 9 and will travel to No. 8 Morristown on Thursday, Oct. 28, seeks its fifth sectional title and first since 1999. The Stateliners, who recently snapped their 28-game skid dating against Warren Hills with its first win in the series since 2007, were unable to compete in the postseason in 2020 due to exposure to the coronavirus.
Hunterdon Central (5-9), owner of 14 sectional titles, is the 14 seed in this section.
North Group 2
Voorhees (8-9), which recently secured the Skyland Conference Valley Division title, ended its playoff drought last season by winning the Central West A regional title, the program's eighth championship and first since 2016. Coach Kat Roncoroni's team, the No. 13 seed, opens with a tough one against No. 4 Madison, which is 4-1 all-time in that series, including wins in the 2001 and '15 sectional finals and 2019 semifinals. The Vikes' lone win was 3-2 on the road in the 2002 North 2, Group 2 title game.
This section includes three other HWS area teams as Hackettstown and Vernon drew the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds, while High Point is the 16 seed and will face 38-time champion West Essex in the opening round.
North Group 1
Lenape Valley, the No. 6 seed, is among five area teams in this section and will host an all-HWS matchup with No. 11 Belvidere on Monday. Newton (No. 7), Wallkill Valley (No. 12) and South Hunterdon (No. 13), which has won 14 titles in its history, are the other locals in the draw.
Belvidere seeks the program's first sectional title since 1996, while Newton eyes its fifth in the past eight seasons. The Braves scored a 1-0 win in overtime against the County Seaters in the 2018 title game in North 1, Group 1.
Delaware Valley (7-8), which is the hottest team in the HWS area having won six straight and seven of its last eight, did not qualify. The Terriers own wins over Belvidere and South Hunterdon this season.
Records are through Tuesday's games.
North Group 4
(Games played on Oct. 28, Nov. 2, Nov. 5 and Nov. 9)
16-Montgomery (5-9) at 1-East Brunswick (17-0)
9-Phillipsburg (8-8) at 8-Morristown (6-6-2)
12-Scotch Plains-Fanwood (7-7-1) at 5-Princeton (13-1)
13-South Brunswick (8-10) at 4-Montclair (13-3)
14-Hunterdon Central (5-9) at 3-Ridge (12-4-1)
11-Westfield (7-9) at 6-Hillsborough (10-4)
10-Monroe (7-10) at 7-Bridgewater-Raritan (11-5)
15-Columbia (6-7-2) at 2-Middletown South (14-3)
North Group 3
(Games played on Oct. 27, Nov. 2, Nov. 5 and Nov. 9)
16-West Windsor North (2-11-1) at 1-North Hunterdon (14-1)
9-Matawan (10-8) at 8-Summitt (9-7-1)
12-Cranford (8-6) at 5-Lawrence (16-2)
13-Robbinsville (7-4) at 4-Northern Highlands (16-0-1)
14-Morris Knolls (6-8-1) at 3-Randolph (14-3)
11-Wayne Valley (8-8) at 6-Colts Neck (11-4)
10-Mount Olive (8-8) at 7-Chatham (8-5-1)
15-Millburn (4-11) at 2-Warren Hills (12-4-1)
North Group 2
(Games played on Oct. 26, Nov. 1, Nov. 4 and Nov. 9)
16-High Point (7-8) at 1-West Essex (15-2)
9-Ramsey (10-5-1) at 8-Holmdel (10-8)
12-West Milford (12-5) at 5-Hackettstown (9-6)
13-Voorhees (8-9) at 4-Madison (9-4)
14-Mendham (5-7-1) at 3-West Morris (9-7)
11-Westwood (12-5) at 6-Vernon (12-5)
10-Montville (11-4) at 7-South Plainfield (13-4-1)
15-Governor Livingston (7-7-2) at 2-Lakeland (13-1-1)
North Group 1
(Games played on Oct. 25, Nov. 1, Nov. 4 and Nov. 9)
16-New Egypt (12-4) at 1-Shore (18-1)
9-Johnson (7-6-4) ay 8-Metuchen (10-5-1)
12-Wallkill Valley (8-5) at 5-Florence (12-3)
13-South Hunterdon (8-6-1) at 4-Glen Ridge (12-3)
14-Whippany Park (9-6) at 3-Boonton (13-3)
11-Belvidere (9-4) at 6-Lenape Valley (12-3-1)
10-Mountain Lakes (8-4-1) at 7-Newton (11-4)
15-Pequannock (5-10) at 2-Pompton Lakes (15-1)
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