Somerset County Tournament Preview: Ridge Boys Lacrosse

In a season that witnessed four one-goal finishes, the Ridge Red Devils (10-3) have finally reached the postseason.

Ridge snagged the fourth seed in the upcoming Somerset County Tournament earlier this week, spotting themselves up with the fifth-seeded Rutgers Prep. The two teams will face off Wednesday, May 5 at Ridge High School.

Ridge and Rutgers Prep have one common opponent, Watchung Hills. The Red Devils downed Watchung Hills 8-7 and Rutgers prep out-lasted the Warriors 8-7 in overtime.

Let's take a deeper look at what needs to work for the Ridge Red Devils in order for them to win the Somerset County Tournament.

Player to Watch: Senior Midfielder Alex Otero – All season long, Otero has been the leader for Ridge. Whether it be netting goals or digging out crucial face-offs, Otero, who will be playing at Yale next year, has been the go-to-guy for head coach Ken Marsh.

On April 12, Otero electrified the crowd, scoring five goals in a come-from-behind win against West Morris Mendham to lead Ridge, and, just last week, with both teams tied in a match against Westfield, he battled and won an extremely important face-off that would lead to the Red Devils go-ahead goal.

If the Red Devils want to run the table, Otero will play a vital role.

Key Offensive Player: Senior Attack Alex Byrnes – Without question, Byrnes is going to have to be the leader on offense for the Ridge Red Devils. Since Kevin Kelly went down midway through the season with an ankle injury, Byrnes has been forced to carry the load – and has done a tremendous job.

Byrnes will need to continue to lead the offensive charge, but he can't do it all alone. Key role players such as Jamie and Terrance Scott, along with Connor Meth, will be an important part to the Red Devils success this post-season as they will need to take on some of the offensive load and conitune to play well in the box.

Key Defensive Players: Alex Rosen and Mike Singer – Rosen and Singer have become quite the defensive tandem. Although they play different styles, Rosen is a big-bodied bruiser and Singer is more of a stick-skilled type of defensemen, this duo may very well be the most important part of the Red Devils game.

Playing in front of Johnathon Wilkins, these two will need to continue to stifle attackmen, especially in the SCT, as they will face tough competition right off the bat.

Important Strategy: Take it one game at a time – Despite being the fourth seed, Ridge has the ability up-and-down the lineup to beat anyone in the Somerset County Tournament – if they take it one game at a time, starting with Rutgers Prep tomorrow.

Even with a victory, Ridge would likely play first-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan who is ranked sixth in the state on laxpower.com.

Round 1 tomorrow:

No. 5 Rutgers Prep @ No. 4 Ridge; Lee Field at Ridge High School, 5:00 P.M.