In battle for No. 1, Don Bosco lacrosse leaves no doubt on who's the state's best team

RIDGEWOOD – No one needed to add more drama to the lacrosse game between Don Bosco and Ridgewood.

This was No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the state. The defending county champs versus the team that finished on top of New Jersey last spring.

But by putting it on the first week of May, the schedule-makers turned it into a winner-take-all battle for the Gibbs Division crown.

And what a battle it was by Don Bosco.

Tied at two at the half, the Ironmen exploded for eight straight goals out of the break and rolled past Ridgewood, 12-4, on Thursday afternoon. The Ironmen (8-3) pounced off turnovers and in transition to break through an unbeaten team that was holding opponents to a little over three goals per game.

The scary part? Don Bosco was deep enough to run away even with leading scorer Brady Scioletti held off the board completely.

"We love to push it in transition," Don Bosco senior Crispin Kaye said. "That's one of our strong sides and goals like that get you fired up. That can lead to two or three more because lacrosse is a game of runs."

The first half played out like anyone expected – a patient, tactical chess match between two teams with strong goalies and impressive track records.

Ridgewood came into the match with the state's longest win streak at 18 games. Don Bosco had won 18 in a row against Bergen County opponents. Something had to give.

Finally, in the third quarter, it did.

"To put it simply, we got the ball more," Kaye said. "We really were able to dodge well, move the ball well, talk and play together and not selfish. I don't think we scored on just a single dodge."

What it means

Don Bosco has now won four straight Gibbs Division crowns and heads into the Bergen County tournament in search of another championship four-peat. The Ironmen beat the Maroons in the last two finals and seem to be on a collission course for another title showdown a week from Saturday.

"It makes us pretty confident but we're not going to rest on this and let it be for the rest of the season," Kaye said. "We're going to come back tomorrow, put our heads down and work even harder."

If Don Bosco's three out-of-state losses planted seeds of doubt about who should be No. 1, this victory did the opposite. But head coach Matt Lane stopped short of calling it his team's best performance of the season.

"No, it's not," Lane said. "Our best game is yet to come."

Inside the match

With Scioletti watched closely by Penn State commit Luke Marra, the Ironmen relied on Kaye (three goals) and Ridgewood native John Devir (two goals) to pick up the slack. That duo combined for four straight goals after halftime to spot Don Bosco a 6-2 lead.

Kaye chipped in his first hat trick of the season by finding soft space in the middle of the defense and collecting passes from the outside.

"We've been trying to tell to continue to work hard and his time will come," Lane said. "It's just great to see it come to fruition for him."

Don Bosco bought itself time in the game Thursday with a steady defensive effort from David Corb, Luke St. Pierre and Benjamin Linder. When Ridgewood managed to get shots past them, goalie Colton Carfello (13 saves) was usually up for the task.

"His hands are so fast," Kaye said. "I would rather shoot on anyone else."

"You have to put it perfectly against him or else it's going the other way," Devir said.

Next up

Don Bosco has a bye into the Bergen County quarterfinals (Tuesday) and awaits the winner between Glen Rock and Ramsey.

Ridgewood will go on the road Saturday to face Westfield in a rematch of last year's Group 4 final.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: In battle for No. 1, Don Bosco lacrosse leaves no doubt against Ridgewood