Field Hockey State Tournament Preview, 2025: Group 2 teams and players to watch

The state tournament is upon us. In less than three weeks, we will have crowned 10 sectional champions and the stage will be set for the 2025 state finals at Bordentown. Let’s take a look at each of the brackets and highlight the favorites, contenders, dark horses and players to keep an eye on. A maximum of two players per team is listed in the players to watch section. NORTH JERSEY, GROUP 2 Bracket Favorite West Essex (14-5), has been the team to beat in this group for a long time and this year is no different. The Knights look just as capable of winning a state championships as they ever have, though their 1-4 out-of-state record isn’t what they’d hoped it would be. Adelaide Minnella is one of the best players in the state and can win games almost singlehandedly. Katie Moran is one of the more gifted goalies in the state as well. It’s likely a seventh consecutive state title will be on its way in a few weeks. Contenders Rumson-Fair Haven (11-8-1) has had its ups and downs but is the fifth seed in this year’s bracket. This team has a lot of talent at different age groups with freshman Lindsay Notine quickly becoming a star, junior Reese Lydon putting up another terrific year, sophomore Zoe LeRoy solidifying the goaltending position and Zoe Arhanic, a senior, thriving on both sides of the ball. The team hopes a tough schedule within the Shore Conference helps it push deep into this bracket. Fourth-seeded West Milford (18-2) jumped over a big hurdle by winning an elusive Passaic County title already this year. Now, the team has its sights set on a state title. The defense is strong enough to get the job done, having allowed only seven goals in 20 games. Having a 30-goal scorer like Julia Plewa and a fantastic midfielder like Addyson Seidner helps as well. The Highlanders just had a 13-game winning streak snapped by Northern Highlands on Wednesday. Third-seeded West Morris (15-5) has a chip on its shoulder after a shootout loss to Madison in the Morris County final. Sometimes, that’s the final bit of motivation before a team makes a championship run. There’s a wealth of talent up front with Lexi Buchanan, Cassidy North and Kaia Jackson (combined 56 goals, 38 assists) and Madi Reed is an excellent center back in front of Sania Madane. Voorhees (15-3-1) rode a pair of winning streaks of at least six games all the way to the No. 2 seed in this bracket. The team plays a sound game on both sides of the ball and wants to prove it’s a better group than the 7-2 loss to Newton in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex semifinals might indicate. Brooklynn Trego is an excellent young player on defense and on offensive corners. Nadia DiRe can take over a game if left unchecked alongside sophomore Elizabeth Rojewski. Dark Horse Warren Hills (7-12) is a better team than its record and No. 12 seed indicate. Only four of its 12 losses have come by more than two goals and all four are against teams in the Top 20 and with legitimate aspirations of reaching a state final. Five of the losses have come by a single goal. It’s a battle-tested group and that could show in this bracket. Players to Watch Adelaide Minnella, West Essex, Sr.: 41G, 16A Katie Moran, West Essex, Jr.: 114SV Nora Lee, Old Tappan, Jr.: 4G, 3A Lilah Baker, Montville, Sr.: 10DS Megan Mehl, South Plainfield, Sr.: 10G, 3A, 1DS Lindsay Notine, Rumson-Fair Haven, Fr.: 15G, 5A Zoe Arhanic, Rumson-Fair Haven, Sr.: 5G, 7A Emma Fraumeni, Warren Hills, Jr.: 113SV Katie Compton, Warren Hills, Sr.: 1G, 1A, 4DS Nicole Amoruso, Lakeland, Jr.: 6G, 7A Julia Plewa, West Milford, Jr.: 30G, 13A Addyson Seidner, West Milford, Sr.: 10G, 24A Lexi Buchanan, West Morris, So.: 20G, 24A Kaia Jackson, West Morris, Sr.: 18G, 7A Kelly Kossowicz, Somerville, Sr.: 6G, 2A Jenna Connell, Cranford, Sr.: 9G, 9A Emma Olsen, Hackettstown, Sr.: 19G, 9A Madigan VanBlarcom, Vernon, Jr.: 18G, 4A Ryann Buchan, Holmdel, So.: 7G, 10A Caroline Weiss, Sparta, So.: 7G, 6A Brooklynn Trego, Voorhees, So.: 6G, 6A, 2DS Nadia DiRe, Voorhees, Jr.: 23G, 7A

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West Essex Regional High School Athletics

FIELD HOCKEY STATE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW, 2025: GROUP 2 TEAMS AND PLAYERS TO WATCH

BRIAN BOBAL

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | 11/2/2025

PHOTO CREDIT: John Jones