Boys Lacrosse 2025 Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex final preview - No. 19 Pope John vs. Voorhees

Boys Lacrosse: Voorhees vs Warren Hills, April 2, 2025.

Voorhees stands for the national anthem before the start of the boys lacrosse game against Warren Hills at Voorhees High School in Glen Gardner, NJ on Thursday, April 3, 2025.Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media

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Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Final

Bracket

Saturday, May 10, at Lenape Valley

3-Voorhees (10-3) vs. 1-Pope John (13-1), 11 a.m.

Title history

Voorhees has never won a HWS title

Pope John has won 2 HWS titles

Titles (2021, 2023)

How they got there: Pope John beat Delaware Valley, 18-2, in its first tournament game and then beat defending champion Sparta, 8-6, in the semifinals. The Lions have won seven straight games since losing to Chatham in the middle of the regular season.

Voorhees knocked off sixth-seeded Hunterdon Central, 7-3, in the quarterfinals. It clinched a spot in the final with an 11-3 win over Warren Hills. Most of that game was played on Wednesday after weather delayed it from its Tuesday start. Voorhees lost to Warren Hills in the regular season, but came back strong in the rematch with a spot in the final on the line.

Players to Watch

Pope John: Travis Heller, Sr., A (60 G, 12 A); Peyton Fox, Sr., A (18 G, 19 A); Brody Pilek, Fr., A (20 G, 8 A); Mikey Ramirez, Sr., M/FOGO (17 G, 29 A, 241 GB, .870 on FO); Sam Conetta, Jr., M (18 G, 32 A); Jack Gallucci, Jr., M (17 G, 27 A); Hunter Parrillo, Jr., M (9 G, 16 A); Magnuss Bars, Sr., D; Andrew Sanchez, Sr., D; Anthony Schnabel, Sr., D; Matthew Sledge, Jr. D; Daniel O’Leary, Sr., G (93 SV, 66 GA).

Voorhees: Fin Bruton, Sr., A (28 G, 29 A); Josh Hufford, Jr., A (31 G, 16 A); Shayaan McFarlin, Sr., A (7 G, 8 A); Jackson Trevaskiss, Sr., M (20 G, 19 A); Rylan Benitez, Jr., M (11 G, 11 A); Connor Goodwin, Sr., M (7 G); Sam Meekings, Jr., M (6 G); Colton Sherrer, Sr., M (33 GB); Jake Vernieri, Sr., LSM/D (10 A, 91 GB); Teddy Lanka, Jr., D; Luke Bartnett, Sr., D; Anthony Balzer, So., D; Patrick McGeough, Sr., G (112 SV, 66 GA); Caden Cookson, So., FOGO.

Title Game Breakdown

Pope John has the best FOGO in the state and that puts this team in a position to win every game. Boston commit Mikey Ramirez emerged as an elite FOGO two years ago when he was the MVP of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex final. Earlier this season, he won 32 of the 33 faceoffs he took against Lawrenceville. He’s won 87 percent of the faceoffs he’s taken in 2025. That means Pope John is going to have the ball a lot in this game and the more cracks you have at the net, the more likely it is that you’re going to win. Vassar commit Travis Heller is a good finisher and leads this team with 60 goals this season. Pope John has a balanced group of scorers around him who are averaging 18 goals each this spring. The defense is only allowing five goals per game and will be tough to score again in this championship game. If this is a low-scoring game, Pope John has all the pieces to pull out a win. The Lions also have the formula to control this game from start to finish if Ramirez is dominating at the faceoff dot. Pope John has won two of the last four Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex championships.

Voorhees’ defense is going to have to come to play in this game to give the Vikings a chance to win their first-ever Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex title. If Pope John is winning most of the faceoffs, Voorhees has to force turnovers and get the ball back to its offense. St. John Fisher College Jake Vernieri is a long-stick midfielder who has taken faceoffs for this team. He makes you work for the win and immediately starts playing defense. He leads a group of poles that just did a great job against Warren Hills in the semifinals. DeSale commit Patrick McGeough is in net and his ability to make key saves will also give Voorhees a chance to knock off the top seed. The four-year starter has a .620 save percentage this season. Another X-factor on this team is Messiah commit Jackson Trevaskiss. The senior is a long pole by nature and will play defense in college. He plays that role on man-down situations and at key spots for Voorhees. Trevaskiss picked up a short stick last year, though, and became a leader of the offense. He’s put up 52 goals and 48 assists the past two seasons. The senior is a guy this team can count on. No one expected Voorhees to win on Wednesday. This team will be an underdog again this weekend. It is coming for that title, though, in its first HWS final since 2012.

The prediction: Pope John 10, Voorhees 5.

Brandon Gould can be reached at bgould@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @BrandonGouldHS

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