Princeton and Hopewell shoot for sectional titles
Two of Mercer County’s finest will shoot to win boys soccer titles Friday as the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament reaches the sectional final round.
While it is not the ultimate crown yet, a sectional title is the first step teams like Hopewell Valley High and Princeton High have to achieve in order to continue chasing a state championship.
Unlike the beginning of the week, it will be Princeton which plays closest to home Friday when head coach Wayne Sutcliffe’s third-seeded Little Tigers (15-5-1) head to Flemington to take on top-seeded Hunterdon Central High in a 4 p.m. Central Jersey Group IV final showdown at Stewart Field. The 16-3 Red Devils, who won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament for a second consecutive season, are also the defending state champs.
Hopewell will have a hike this time around, but not an unfamiliar one. Two years ago, head coach Ed Gola’s team also had to make the trip to Mendham for the sectional final (losing, 2-1). This time around, the second-seeded Bulldogs (19-4-1) will seek to uphold the title they won a year ago when they play top-seeded Mendham (173) at 2 p.m. in North Jersey Section 2 Group III final. The Minutemen are coming off a strong showing Tuesday when they defeated fourth-seeded Summit, 5-2. It was the secondhighest scoring output for a Mendham team which has scored 61 goals this season.
Two Burlington County Scholastic League teams from The Trentonian’s area will also be playing Friday.
In the South Jersey Group IV final, fourthseeded Rancocas Valley (14-6-3) will visit another set of Minutemen for a chance at moving on in states. RV will go up against second-seeded Washington Township (20-2-1) at 2 p.m. in Sewell. The two met two weeks ago in the South Jersey Coaches Tournament with Washington Twp. winning, 2-0.
Top-seeded Delran (183-2) will get to host the South Jersey Group II final against second-seeded Haddonfield (21-2-1), but for the Bears to advance to Tuesday’s state semfinal round again this season, they will need to stop a Bulldogs’ squad which has outscore its opponents, 13-0, in the state tournament.