South Jersey Group 1 Playoff Preview (Boys)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 NJSIAA state playoff tournament is almost here. Check out our preview of which teams from the South Jersey, Group 1 bracket have the best chance to win their section and potentially punch a ticket to the state finals. <strong><em>NOTE:</em></strong> The public state tournament officially starts on Tuesday, November 4. The seeds will not be official until after the state seeding meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, the 29th. <em><strong>(The top-seeded teams in the bracket are not expected to change)</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seeds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>1- Haddon Township (11-5-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2- Schalick (12-3-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3- Audubon (13-2-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>4- Woodstown (10-2-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>5- Pitman (9-5-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>6- Riverside (10-3-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>7- Penns Grove (8-4-3)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8- Glassboro (7-10-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9- Pennsville (10-6-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10- Gateway (9-6-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>11- Maple Shade (8-5-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>12- Clayton (11-7)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>13- Palmyra (8-6-3)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>14- Wildwood (7-9)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>15- New Egypt (7-11)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>16- Woodbury (5-9-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Favorite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haddon Township (11-5-1): </strong>The defending South Jersey Group 1 champs have earned the No. 1 seed in this bracket, and the road to a sectional title will go through Haddon Township. The Hawks have won three of their last four games entering the tournament and are led by senior midfielder Eamonn Sheehan, who has a team-high 12 goals this fall. Haddon Township will face KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy on Monday before the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Schalick (12-3-2):</strong> The Cougars have won eight of their last 10 games entering the tournament and have pitched six shutouts in that time span. Anthony Sepers has led the way with seven goals and eight assists, while Steve Chomo has eight goals and five assists, and Jaxon Weber has six scores and three assists for the Cougars. The Cougars have plenty of postseason experience with this senior group, so expect them to make a deep tournament run. Schalick will meet with Audubon on Tuesday before the start of the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Audubon (13-2-1): </strong>The Green Wave won a key matchup with Woodstown, 1-0 in double overtime on Thursday before the cutoff to secure the third seed in the bracket. Audubon has won seven games by one score this fall, proving it can pull out wins in the most competitive contests. Junior Aiden Stallard leads the Green Wave with 12 goals. Schalick and Maple Shade await before the start of the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Underdog</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodstown (10-2-4): </strong>The Wolverines have tied thrice in their last four games and fell to Audubon in double overtime on Thursday. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='321624' first='Bryce' last='Ayars'] has a team-leading 15 goals, 41% of the team's total this fall. Defensively, the Wolverines have pitched seven shutouts this season. If the offense can get going, they'll be a tough out for any of the superior seeds. Matchups with Triton and Gateway await before the tournament starts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->