GLEN RIDGE — The Glen Ridge High School boys soccer team enjoyed a magical season last fall.
The Ridgers, under head coach Brian Ianni, won their second straight New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state tournament title, before capturing the NJSIAA Group 1 state championship to cap a fabulous 20-4 campaign.
Despite losing seven starters to graduation, the Ridgers are determined to make a strong run at defending their state title.
“Replacing seven starters from a state championship team is never going to be easy, but this group of boys are ready for the job,” Ianni said. “We were really deep last year and much of that season for this year’s group was to prepare and be ready for this season. Max Hinkis and Michael Cortese, two juniors in the central midfield, will replace the loss of Alex Hinkis and Gabe Hertz. While two very large shoes to fill, Michael and Max are more than up for this challenge, as both played very meaningful minutes throughout the season on last year’s team.
“Likely the most difficult player for us to replace will be Alex Stolte,” Ianni continued. “This task will be handled by sophomore Nolan Arnett. Nolan, thus far, has been up to the challenge and has been showing confidence and improvement each day on the pitch.”
The captains are Max Fleischer, Liam Silva, Ryan Law and Nate Hutton, who are all returning starters.
The schedule will be daunting, but Ianni knows his team will rise to the challenge.
“The biggest challenge we face this year is our schedule,” Ianni said. “We have arguably one of the top 15 toughest schedules in the entire state. As a small Group 1 school, playing almost exclusively Group 3, 4 and private schools who are perennial top 20 teams in the state, we will be battle-tested come state tournament time. While we will always put our best foot forward, we recognize winning games in the American Division of the SEC (Super Essex Conference) may be hard to come by. We also know that, in the end, our record won’t define us; it will be what we do in the state tournament that defines us.
“We believe we have a great shot at coming away with our third straight sectional title and defending our state championship. We know our section has great programs for us to contend with – Verona, New Providence, Wallington and Whippany Park are just some of the great teams that will absolutely be in the mix to win titles. We believe our schedule only helps us prepare for those types of teams.”
Notes — The Ridgers kicked off last season with a 2-0 loss to perennial power and SEC foe Seton Hall Prep. Then after losing to Montclair Kimberley Academy 2-0 in the Essex County Tournament, the Ridgers won their final eight games of the season, including beating SEC foe Verona 1-0 to repeat as sectional champion, before defeating Waldwick 5-0 in the Group 1 semifinal and Delaware Valley 3-1 in the Group 1 state final. GRHS avenged the 2024 penalty kick shootout-loss to Waldwick in the Group 1 semifinals.
Schedule
Sept. 9: St. Benedict’s Prep, 4 p.m.
Sept. 16: at Montclair Kimberley Academy, 4 p.m.
Sept. 23: West Orange, 4 p.m.
Sept. 26: Haddon Township, noon.
Sept. 30: at Montclair, 4 p.m.
Oct. 3: at Lyndhurst, 3 p.m.
Oct. 5: Millburn, 4 p.m.
Oct. 8: Summit, 4 p.m.
Oct. 12: at Newark East Side, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 17: at Elizabeth, 6:30 p.m
Oct. 22: Jonathan Dayton, 4 p.m.
Photos by Joe Ragozzino
Glen Ridge players at practice in August at Carteret Park in Glen Ridge.
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