MONTCLAIR- Watching neighborhood rivals Montclair and Montclair Kimberley Academy battle it out for 100 scoreless minutes in their Super Essex Conference-American Division showdown on Sept. 24, played before a large crowd representing both schools at Fortunato Field, it is easy to assume that neither side will be a welcome opponent for anyone once the NJSIAA state tournament commences in late October.
Everyone who follows SEC soccer knows that the state’s No. 1 ranked team, St. Benedict’s, is an overwhelming favorite to capture a second straight Essex County Tournament title, a seemingly inevitable conclusion to make after the Gray Bees followed up reentering the NJSIAA in January of 2024 with being granted entry into the SEC.
The 2025 ECT will seed its field on Oct. 13 with first-round action commencing Oct. 21, quarters on Oct. 23, semis at Livingston on Oct. 27 and the final on Oct. 30 at Caldwell’s Bonnel Field.
Even before the field for that annual countywide soccer event is assembled, it’s crystal clear that the SEC is top heavy with state powers, with No. 1 St. Benedict’s, No. 6 West Orange and No. 7 Seton Hall Prep, with MKA also gathering respect at No. 20 in the latest nj.com statewide rankings – but Montclair, despite its 3-3-1 record (0-3-1 in the rigorous SEC-American), is likely to be an absolute handful for anyone they eventually see in the North 1, Group 4 state tourney, a section where West Orange would be considered an early favorite.
MKA (2-4-1), like Montclair, has faced an arduous early-season schedule, including matches vs. No. 1 St. Benedict’s, No. 2 Delbarton and No. 6 West Orange, and even though the Cougars have lost to that trio of titans on the Jersey soccer scene, they remain a favorite to capture this season’s Non-Public B state title, a championship which has evaded MKA for more than a decade thanks in large measure to the presence of perennial title contender Gill St. Bernard’s which edged MKA in last season’s North B final before capturing its sixth straight overall Non-Public B state championship.
MKA last won the Non-Public B state crown in 2012 defeating Gill in the final.
Even though the Mounties have 20 seniors on their current roster, they have only three returning varsity regulars in 3-year starter Henry Schultz, who is expected to come off the injury shelf in the new week, along with fellow senior AJ Van Note and junior Desmond Dosch, who has 4 goals so far this season to lead the team in that department.
The Mounties have also welcomed back three talented Academy soccer players this fall in seniors Brooks Stoddard and Jack Swartz (2 goals, 2 assists) and junior Florian Intres.
With several different players having to step up to larger roles on a high school varsity pitch this fall it is naturally taking some time to gel for a Montclair team that has not had the luxury of progressing as a unit against an average slate of opponents since the early-season slate of foes has included St. Benedict’s (3-1 loss, Sept. 4), SHP (2-1 loss, Sept. 10) and West Orange (1-0 loss in double-overtime, Sept. 17).
The 0-0 deadlock with MKA in this past Wednesday’s (Sept. 24) match at Fortunato Field, was just another in a series of closely-contested matches for the Mounties against a Top 20-ranked team.
