DON BOSCO PREP SHOCKS THE STATE, BEATS NO. 1 TEAM

Never say never. Nate Mazurek scored off a set play with four seconds remaining to give fifth-seeded Don Bosco Prep a 9-8 upset for the ages win over top-seeded Seton Hall Prep, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, in the semifinals of the Non-Public, Group A tournament in West Orange. "We gave Nate a pick option and he got inside his man and shot it and scored," Don Bosco Prep coach Brendan Gorman said. Aside from being the top-ranked team in the state, Seton Hall Prep (21-2), one of the top Tournament of Champions contenders, had been on a tear. Coming in, Prep had won seven games in a row scoring 100 goals while allowing just 30 in that span. The Pirates are ranked No. 20 in the entire country by Inside Lacrosse. But the undermanned Ironmen (10-8) were able to pull off the improbable victory to reach their second state final since 2013. when the Ironmen topped Seton Hall, 12-8, for their only crown. Don Bosco faces second-seeded and second-ranked Delbarton - winner of the last three titles - at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Livingston High. Don Bosco Prep opened the game in surprising fashion by netting the game's first three goals and seizing a 3-2 lead after one quarter. The Ironmen maintained that lead until Ryan Kemp tied the game at 7-7 for Seton Hall with 9:45 left in the game. Reese Gerlach reclaimed the lead for Don Bosco when he converted a pass from David Kyme with 3:11 to go, but Seton Hall answered just 34 seconds later when Kemp fed Connell Kumar to knot things at 8-8. "It's one of the biggest wins in program history," Gorman said. "During the season, we lost four Division-I seniors because of injuries and other reasons and had to put a lot of weight on younger our players. People counted us out and it's one of the biggest wins we've ever had. "We've had to go through a lot of adversity and our guys have been resilient. I'm proud of my guys. It was a well-played game on both sides." Mazurek also had one assist on the day while Gerlach netted three goals and Koleton Marquis scored twice for Bosco. Kyme recorded three assists as well and Max Thomas, Brock Hunt, and Anthony Tropia all found the back of net also. Jack Bagin made 11 saves in the victory. The last loss for Prep came on April 28 against Ward Melville (N.Y.), 10-3. Gorman said he studied that game extensively and Bosco was able to unsettle the Pirates with its ever-changing defense. "I watched the Ward Melville game a ton," Gorman said. "I saw tendencies and we played both man and zone defense and it helped contain (Prep standout) Connell Kumar and others." Kumar still finished with three goals while Luke Blanc scored twice and Kemp contributed one goal and two assists. Thomas Colucci assisted on two of the scores, scooped up seven ground balls, and won 15 of 18 faceoffs for the Pirates, who were unable to capitalize on his dominance due to the Ironmen's disruptive schemes. The Don Bosco defense was extraordinary, but it still had to score in order to pull off the upset. It set the tone for that when Gerlach, Hunt, and Marquis each scored in succession to stake the Ironmen to a 3-0 lead. Seton Hall closed to within 3-2 before the quarter had ended with goals by Blanc and Kemp. Next up for the Ironmen is a date with the team that has been the standard bearer of New Jersey lacrosse for quite some time. Delbarton has won three consecutive Tournament of Champions titles and has a record 15 state championships to its name. So, the win for Bosco over Seton Hall might have felt like a championship-clincher, but the job isn't fully complete just yet. "We're playing with passion and heart," Gorman said. "I told them to play loose and love each other. We're playing with house money right now. The pressure is on Delbarton."

DON BOSCO PREP SHOCKS THE STATE, BEATS NO. 1 TEAM

Photo Credit: Brandon Gould