Lacrosse: Previews and picks for the Bergen and Passaic county tournaments

Championship season has arrived in lacrosse with the return of the Bergen and Passaic county tournaments.

All four tournaments culminate on May 11 with finals spread out over three sites. Here is a breakdown of every title race.

Bergen County boys lacrosse tournament

Defending champion: Don Bosco

Favorites: (1) Ridgewood, (2) Don Bosco, (3) Bergen Catholic, (4) Pascack Valley

Outlook: There seems to be a clear first tier with Don Bosco and Ridgewood ranked as the top two teams, respectively, in the state. That only adds to the drama on Thursday when the division rivals face off in Ridgewood for the Gibbs title.

History will be at stake for Don Bosco and new coach Matt Lane. The Ironmen set a tournament record last year with their third straight county title and can surpass Ridgewood for the most all-time if they capture No. 6.

If anyone is equipped to slow the Ironmen, it seems to be Ridgewood. The Maroons come in on a state-best 16-game win streak (not including Kirst action) and play terrific defense with a 3.33 goals against average.

Best first-round game: Surprisingly, all four games in the opening round are rematches from earlier this season. The closest one of the bunch came about two weeks ago when (8) Northern Highlands went up to (9) Mahwah and emerged with a 5-4 victory.

While it's been a difficult year in Allendale, the Highlanders have darkhorse potential after losing to Bergen Catholic by a single goal and Don Bosco by only three.

X-factor: The battle in net. A common denominator between the top four seeds is high-level play in goal whether it's Ridgewood's Matthew Roughgarden (.724), Don Bosco's Colton Carfello (.711), Bergen Catholic's Parker Day (.567) or Pascack Valley's Gannon Strother (.619).

The pick: Don Bosco over Ridgewood

Bergen County girls lacrosse tournament

Defending champion: Ridgewood

Contenders: (1) Ridgewood, (2) Northern Highlands and (3) Immaculate Heart

Outlook: It is one thing to win the tournament all 18 years like Ridgewood has done. It is another to run circles around the field and beat finals opponents by an average of 7.5 goals. That is the challenge facing the rest of the field once again after the 2023 championship when Northern Highlands' upset bid fell a goal short.

This year, Ridgewood has taken a win-by-committee approach with two goalies sharing the net and six scorers between 10 and 20 goals.

Best first-round game: Old Tappan is back in the main draw as the 11th seed after missing out last spring. The Golden Knights will take on sixth-seed Westwood with a chance to avenge a 12-7 loss from the opening week. Both are strong offensive teams that average over 11 goals a game.

X-factor: Familiarity. Three of the four opening-round games are rematches from this season. The semifinals and finals could feature the same exact matchups as a year ago.

The pick: Ridgewood over Northern Highlands

Passaic County boys lacrosse tournament

Defending champion: Wayne Valley

Contenders: (1) Wayne Valley, (2) Lakeland, (3) West Milford and (4) Wayne Hills

Outlook: This is a strange year in Passaic County in that the top four seeds are all .500 or worse and the next four seeds all have winning records. Does that mean upsets are brewing or is it just a product of the relegation system in lacrosse? Only time will tell.

What the first month has shown is the parity at the top. Lakeland beat Wayne Hills by a goal and knocked off potential semifinal opponent West Milford, 7-6, in overtime. The top four seeds all played Paramus and each match was decided by a goal or two either way.

Historically, no one has won more Passaic County titles than Wayne Valley with five. Senior goalie Colin Daroch came up clutch in the big moments last year and continues to stand strong with a .594 save percentage.

X-factor: Playing a clean game. None of the top teams have especially high-scoring offenses – one reason behind the abundance of close scores. Limiting mistakes and peaking at the right time will be crucial.

The pick: Wayne Valley over Lakeland

Passaic County girls lacrosse tournament

Defending champion: Wayne Valley

Contenders: (1) DePaul, (2) West Milford, (3) Pompton Lakes, (4) Lakeland

Outlook: If the powerpoints are any indication, 2024 will bring a changing of the guard in Passaic County. No. 1 seed DePaul has not won a title since 2011, second seed West Milford has never been to the final and third seed Pompton Lakes has never won a round in its brief history.

The last month certainly bodes well for DePaul, which has been effective on both sides of the ball. Led by Ava Bower in the midfield and Mia Nardi in goal, the Spartans have collected wins over three other top-five teams in West Milford (15-7), Pompton Lakes (15-8) and Wayne Valley (12-4).

Lakeland has reached 10 straight finals and opens up against Wayne Valley in a rematch of last year's championship.

Best first-round game: Keep an eye on the 3 vs. 6 match where Pompton Lakes hosts Wayne Hills. The Patriots managed to hold tournament favorite DePaul well below its scoring average in a competitive 10-5 loss last month.

X-factor: Managing the moment. How will some of the new kids on the block react to being deep in the tournament and with heightened expectations?

The pick: DePaul over West Milford

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ lacrosse: Previews and picks for Bergen, Passaic county tournaments