You might drop a game in March, but there are no fools in April, as this is the biggest month of NJCAA lacrosse action before the regional and national playoffs start up in early May. Now is when the big leaps are made. Now is the time for winners and contenders to emerge. Now is NOT a time for fools!
NJCAA Poll – March 28th, 2016
1) Nassau (60) 7-0 – Last week’s #1
2) Onondaga (54) 4-1 – Last week’s #2
2) Essex (48) 8-1 – Last week’s #3
4) Genesee (42) 4-2 – Last week’s #4
5) Howard (36) 6-1 – Last week’s #5
6) Anne Arundel (29) 6-3 – Last week’s #6
7) Suffolk (21) 4-2 – Last week’s #7
8) Union County (19) 8-2 – Last week’s #8
9) Monroe (14) 4-2 – Last week’s #9
10) Harford (4) 3-5 – Last week UNRANKED
Also receiving votes: FLCC (2), Ocean County (1)
Here is something kind of amazing. In spots #1 through #7, every single team was given the EXACT same number of votes as last week. Although games were played by these teams, they didn’t move in the rankings by even a SINGLE vote point, let alone actually changing spots in the poll.
The only changes came in spots #8-10. #8 Union County gained 2 points from 17 to 19. Monroe lost a point but still holds firm at #9. FLCC lost a point and dropped out, while Harford gained two points and got in. The #10 spot is clearly still 100% up for grabs at this point!
The Fools’ Weekly Recap
You are not a fool, but I might be. So here is my recap from last week!
Essex opened up last week’s action on Tuesday with an important 14-10 win over Harford. This close game helped Harford move up into the Top 10, but didn’t impact Essex negatively in the polls one bit.
Wednesday say Suffolk take down Army Prep 10-9 in an unofficial JuCo game. Union County thumped Brookdale by 11 goals to keep people talking. Cecil College also had a big day taking down Northampton 26-8. Anne Arundel dominated Delaware Tech 20-5, and Howard beat Frederick by 10, 14-4. The best game of the day was Finger Lakes taking down Herkimer 10-9 in OT. Big win for Frederick.
Broome beat Mohawk Valley 12-11 on Thursday to improve to 2-2. ASA moved to 4-3 with a big 25-4 win over Morris. Friday saw Dean beat Jefferson by a 14-8 margin, and Howard got a HUGE 11-10 win over Anne Arundel.
Saturday was a big day of action with only two good games, and plenty of blowouts. Union County beat Dean 10-5, which was a pretty good game, and Onondaga defeated Genesee 15-10 in another really fun contest. Other than those two, it was not a close contest day. Monroe 19, Broome 5. Essex 31, Cecil 2. Herkimer 22, Mohawk Valley 3. Jefferson 13, Hudson Valley 3. Delaware Tech 9, Morris 4. Ocean County 23, Northampton 0.
Nassau Vs Suffolk – 17-2? Woah.
I definitely liked Nassau heading in to their game with Suffolk, but I did think Suffolk had the chance to make it a game. I was WAY on that count. Nassau won 17-2, it was never in question, and the Lions are even better than I thought they were. Impressive stuff from Nassau to put up 17 goals, but even more impressive is limiting their cross-island rival to only two goals. Wow.
NJCAA Trends & Looking Forward
How can I not talk about Nassau CC some more? I have to, and what they are doing is impressive. 7 wins so far, and they have Ws over the #6, 2, 8, 10, and 7th ranked teams in the country. They have won those games by 15, 1, 12, 12, 15 goals respectively. That is some straight crazy stuff. And it doesn’t get any easier! Over the next 3 games, Nassau played the #3, 5, AND 4 teams, meaning they will have played EIGHT straight Top 10 games in a row. Again, absolutely insane.
Onondaga CC is obviously not very far behind. The Lazers are doing well, playing tough teams, and winning, except against Nassau. If these two teams match up again, it’s anyone’s game. The question will be, who is going to have improved MORE since March 12th when these two played? On that count, I have no idea, and it’s exciting! OCC’s long-term run was amazing, but NJCAA men’s lacrosse was in bad need of some parity!
CCBC Essex is probably this week’s most intriguing team to watch. First, they play Monroe on the 29th in a #3 vs #9 showdown. THEN, on April 2nd, they welcome Nassau to town for what should be an amazing game. WATCH ESSEX THIS WEEK, and WATCH THEM LIVE on Tuesday at 5pm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaY7QTsiVi8
Trap Game Alert: Union County is flying high, but they need to be careful with Frederick this week. Total trap game, and one Frederick needs to win if they want to start sniffing the top 10 again. Right now, I would favor Union County by 6 goals, but we will see what happens!
Herkimer Goals Vs Dean
Put up video, we put it up. Simple as can be!
That’s it for this week’s JuCo Report! See you next week for more great NJCAA Lacrosse Action!
