Welcome to a week of NJCAA surprise results!!!!
Big wins for certain teams are going to shake things up this week in the polls, in peoples’ minds (at least in my mind), in regional standings, and more!!!! I’m using all these exclamation marks because I’m excited… how could I not be?!?!?!?!? Now I’m even working them into questions.
It’s an addiction and the only prescription is more JuCo men’s lacrosse. First we hit up the poll, then we get to the details, and how this week went down. It’s story time!
(Author’s Note: NEXT WEEK, I will be in Prague playing box lacrosse, so I’ll try to get a JuCo Report done while I’ve over there (no guarantees!), but it could be a couple days late. Same goes for the week after that. Just a heads up.)
NJCAA Top Ten Poll
Top Ten Ranking, Current Record, Vote Points, Last Week’s Rank
1) Onondaga, 11-0, 60, 1st
2) Genesee, 9-2, 52, 2nd
2) Howard, 10-2, 49, 3rd
4) Nassau, 7-3, 43, 4th
5) Anne Arundel, 9-4, 32, tied for 6th
6T) Harford, 9-5, 25, tied for 6th
6T) CCBC Essex, 8-5, 25, 7th
8T) Frederick, 8-4, 15, Unranked
8T) Monroe, 5-2, 15, tied for 8th
10) Ocean County, 7-4, 9, tied for 8th
Others Receiving Votes: Union County
NJCAA Surprise Week – Huh? What? WHO?
Stuff happened this week. Some of it was foreseeable, much of it was an NJCAA surprise. This is what parity looks like and it’s exciting! Let’s take a look at some of the big results, and what they might mean in the context of 2017, but also historically.
Howard’s First Win Over Essex Since 2008
The title seems to be correct! Howard had not beaten Essex in almost a decade of play, and this year they flipped the script and came up big with a W. Congrats to Howard on ending this streak, and thankfully, they put up video highlights from the win.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these guys for putting up highlights. Can’t stress than enough… Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge!
In the very same week, Howard also beat Harford, 14-7.
Man, I can only WISH we had video from that one… wait, what? WE DO?????
Oh, roll the film then!
Frederick Beats Harford 8-7 in OT
I did not see this result coming. No way, no how. Sure, I mentioned this game as a “game to watch” last week, but I was honestly thinking it was going to be a test of how close Frederick could keep the game. Lose by only 3? I would have been impressed. So instead, the guys at Frederick decided to go out and win this one, and then let me know all about it… which is awesome! This was a HUGE win for the younger Frederick program, and I’m so glad their players and fans realize it. Now stop celebrating and get back to work, because Ocean County is next, and then you have Potomac State. Sleep on NO ONE! Everyone is gunning for you now. Good luck!
Delaware Tech Over Suffolk, 9-6
As far as I can tell, Delaware Tech had played Suffolk almost every year since 2008, and had never won the contest. Some games had been closer than others, but Suffolk had always won. Delaware Tech pulls out a HUGE defensive win, what I believe to be their first ever over Suffolk, and moves to 6-6 on the year.
Ancilla 10, Mercyhurst NE 9
Great game between these two programs, and another congrats to Ancilla for earning another legit NJCAA win in their first year. Why do I keep bringing up this program? BECAUSE THEY ARE IN INDIANA! Maybe you don’t think that’s cool, but I do, so I’m yelling about it. I can’t wait for the day when NJCAA men’s lacrosse stretches from coast to coast. Indiana helps!
Herkimer 12, Tompkins Cortland 11
TC3 was a Top 10 team for a hot minute, so this Herk win is a big deal. Now at 2-5, Herk was struggling but maybe they’ve hit their stride now as the program tries to get back to its former glory. The upcoming game with Finger Lakes just got a whole lot bigger and more meaningful for both squads!
This Is How You Celebrate
Nassau beats Stevenson’s JV and gets after it in the locker room. This song was popular when I was in middle school, and I’m old as hell, so props to the young bucks for bringing back a classic. I can’t believe this is now a classic. I’m old, Nassau is jazzed:
Finger Lakes Dirty Dozen – Update
With only 12 players currently on the roster, FLCC is still making a late season push. I covered this group last week, and laid out how hard it is to win games with a roster of this size. While Finger Lakes lost to Genesee this past week 21-4, they also beat Jefferson 18-8, to get the old record to 4-4. If they lose to OCC, but get wins over Herk and Hudson Valley, they’d be 6-5 heading into their final three games against Union, TC3, and Ocean County. Win all three and FLCC is 9-5 with only 12 guys. Split the games and they still finish 8-6 or 7-7 and are potentially a Top 10 team in the polls.
Am I getting ahead of myself here?
WAY AHEAD… No doubt about it! But that’s my job. The FLCC guys can NOT fall prey to the same trap. It’s one game at a time for the Lakers, but an interesting story to follow for the rest of us! Don’t think their schedule is daunting? It is:
@FLCCLacrosse schedule for the week
Mon- herkimer
Wed- Hudson valley
Fri- OCC
Sat- ocean
Sun- TC3 @ConnorWilsonLAS #RideTheWave— Austin Andryshak (@Andryshak_) April 17, 2017
NJCAA Gear Photos
Monroe showing off some of their shooters and jerseys, because I asked for it. I feel special, seriously! Thanks guys, looking good.
@ConnorWilsonLAS – We know you ❤️ pics of great looking gear so here’s some of the #Tribunes shooters & pinnies. pic.twitter.com/hKTpexgDU7
— Monroe CC Lacrosse (@MCC_Lacrosse) April 10, 2017
@ConnorWilsonLAS pic.twitter.com/7l6GN5TJbw
— Monroe CC Lacrosse (@MCC_Lacrosse) April 10, 2017
@ConnorWilsonLAS – last ☝️ # pic.twitter.com/eBPJfFrQc2
— Monroe CC Lacrosse (@MCC_Lacrosse) April 10, 2017
Recent 2017 Game Results
I went through the really big ones, so I won’t list all the rest of the results here, but scroll through the LaxPower Scoreboard page if you want to see all the games that were played. It’s a very useful tool!
Big Upcoming 2017 NJCAA Lacrosse Games
It’s VERY tempting to just write “EVERY GAME” and be done with it, but I’ll give it the old college try and pick a couple of upcoming contests that should be really be spectacular.
Wednesday, April 19th – Anne Arundel Vs Monroe AND Ocean County vs Frederick – TWO great games, with big time Top 10 implications.
There are plenty of other upcoming games worth watching, so keep an eye out for interesting results all week long.
