Prep Notes: Pennington standouts; top prep prospects, commits

There's no better way of putting it — Pennington School (N.J.) is just running through opponents.   The perennial state prep school bridesmaid to St. Benedict's (N.J.), Pennington School has rolled up an 8-0 start with seven shutouts while scoring 56 goals. No team has held Pennington to fewer than five goals in a match this season.   "I've been surprised how well we're scoring goals," Pennington coach Chad Bridges said. "It comes easy for these guys."   Not only is Pennington winning and winning big, they are hammering some top-flight teams. The most notable results are a 7-0 win over Gill St. Bernard's and a 6-0 win over Hun School. Pingry School (N.J.), the state's No. 1-ranked non-prep team by <a href="http://NJ.com">NJ.com</a>, only defeated Gill St. Bernard's 2-1 and Hun 3-0. Also, Pennington posted a 6-0 victory over Hill School (Pa.), where Pennington led 4-0 at the half. Hill only lost 3-0 to one of the nation's top prep school teams Kiski School (Pa.), and Hill tied another top prep program in High Mowing School (N.H.).    Senior forward/midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='13088' first='Matthew' last='Lynch'] leads the attack with 15 goals and 13 assists during Pennington's 8-0 start. Lynch has a number of Division I offers and likely could end up at a Big 10 school. [player_tooltip player_id='48793' first='Kieran' last='Karp'], a senior midfielder with six assists this season, has narrowed his choices to three NCAA Division I programs in the Carolinas.    [player_tooltip player_id='150710' first='Keane' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='48823' first='Justin' last='Davidyock'] anchor the defense from outside back positions and interestingly have committed to archrival NCAA Division I programs - Brown to Navy and Davidyock to Army.     Center back [player_tooltip player_id='150711' first='Brandon' last='Napolean'] and winger [player_tooltip player_id='48794' first='Pablo' last='Carnicer Cozar'] also are receiving high-level college interest. Napolean is down to two NCAA Division I programs in the New Jersey/New York region and Carnceir-Cozar is leaning toward a perennial NCAA Division II power.   Other than Carnicer-Cozar, who is from Madrid, Spain, the other key seniors are all local players from the Pennington/New Hope, Pa., area.   The following three juniors figure to be major commits next year:   DMF Bacary Tandjigori, Class of 2025   He's a top-level defensive mid with incredible speed and technical quality. This junior from Senegal is already getting considerable interest from ACC, Big Ten and West Coast schools. He has scored four goals this season from the DMF position.    W [player_tooltip player_id='150717' first='Elvis' last='Appiah'], Class of 2025   The Ghanaian winger is just coming into his own and is starting to get on the radar of some top Division I college programs. A threat with his speed and finishing ability, he can be lethal in one-on-one situations. He is coming off the bench for Pennington and has six goals and four assists. He ranks third in goals and points on the team.    F [player_tooltip player_id='150718' first='Tomas' last='Ludvik'], Class of 2025   Ludvik, from the Czech Republic, is an imposing striker at 6-foot-4 who is getting interest from some Ivy League programs and could follow in the footsteps of former Pennington striker Stas Korzeniowski (UPenn). Ludvik already has seven goals and six assists this season, ranking No. 2 on the team in both categories.   "These guys know what's at stake … they have the opportunity to do something special," said Bridges, whose team was the Prep A state runner-up to St. Benedict's last season.   The next two weeks should tell the story.   Although Pennington is off to a great start, its season has been full of starts and stops. The annual clash with St. Benedict's was canceled due to inclement weather and the two now will only meet if they reach the state final. Two other matches were canceled and twice this year Pennington has gone at least a week between contests.   But now the Red Raiders face the likelihood of playing five matches in 11 days — all in a playoff format.   Pennington competes for both the Mercer County Tournament title and the Prep A state title, and the two events overlap, starting Saturday. Pennington starts the Prep A quarterfinals on Saturday, then starts the Mercer County Tournament on Monday, with winner-advancement games on Wednesday and Friday, followed by the Prep A state semifinal on Tuesday.   "This is a special group," Bridges said. "But now we'll see what we're made of."   ELSEWHERE IN PREP/RESIDENCY SOCCER   Adrian Alvarez scored twice and [player_tooltip player_id='150725' first='Mateo' last='Secaira'] added a goal as Kiski School (Pa.) kicked off the Prep Premier League Northwood Weekend with a 3-1 victory over the host, Northwood School (N.Y.). Kiski was ranked No. 8 in the previous Prep Top 10 while Northwood was No. 3.   Kiski School's win pretty much secures a place in the PPL semifinals in November for the defending Pennsylvania independent school state champion. Kiski tops the PPL standings with 10 points through four matches. Woodstock Academy (Conn.) and Phelps School (Pa.) are tied for second on six points, but Woodstock has won both of its matches while Phelps has played five contests to earn six points. Northwood School and Immaculate Heart Central (N.Y.) are tied for fourth, but again, Northwood has played only two matches while IHC has played five.   Under the current standings, Kiski, Woodstock and Northwood seem to have the upper hand in snagging one of the four semifinal places. The final playoff spot might come down to Phelps School, High Mowing, Hoosac or IHC -- with High Mowing and Hoosac having the edge right now.   [table id=287 /]   PREP TOP 10   No. 1 Woodstock Academy (Conn.), No. 2 Taft School (Conn.), 3. Combine Academy (N.C.), No. 4 Kiski School (Pa.), No. 5 Northwood School (N.Y.), No. 6 Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.); 7. Worcester Academy (Mass.); 8. Milton Academy (Mass.); 9. Berkshire School (Mass.); 10. Phelps School (Pa.).   Others under consideration: High Mowing School (N.H.), Phillips Andover (Mass.), Loomis Chaffee (Conn.); Hoosac School (N.Y.).   RECRUITING   Kimball Union Academy defender/midfielder Oppong Raphael Owusu, formerly No. 12 on the Prep Top Uncommitted List, has committed to NCAA Division I Dartmouth. ... [player_tooltip player_id='150731' first='Tinashe' last='Muhlauri'], formerly at Kimball Union Academy and now at Avon Old Farms (Conn.), recently committed to Division I Merrimack. Muhlauri, the son of the KUA coach, was the No. 13 Uncommited List.   [table id=288 /]   [table id=289 /]

There's no better way of putting it — Pennington School (N.J.) is just running through opponents.