MORRIS CATHOLIC-ST. ELIZABETH
Head coach: Chris Foer, second season (5-11-3 career record)
Division: Charette
Last year: Morris Catholic-St. Elizabeth finished with a 5-11-3 record, with a 2-5-1 record in the Charette Division. It fell, 11-1 to Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex in the Charette Cup semifinals and did not qualify for the state tournament.
Key losses: Evan Lord, F; Averee Acuna, D.
Top returners: Declan Norton, F, Sr. (6 g., 14 a.); Aidan Dominick, F, Sr. (6 g., 3 a.); Tyler Raucci, F, So.; Mia Foer, F, Jr.; Mercer Acuna, F, So. (5 g., 5 a.); Colin Shepard, D, So.; Daniel Mark, G, Sr. (.880 sv%); Jack Wilson, G, So.
Potential incoming impact players: Tyler Gleason, Colin Gleason, Michael Najjar, Christian Iacuzzo, Jack Mulholland, Kristina Herman, Audrey Rhlf.
Outlook: Morris Catholic-St. Elizabeth burst on the scene during the 2021 COVID-shortened season, as it won its first-ever division title and finished 6-4. It took a step back in 2021-22 after the graduation of some key players from that team, but still has a young and talented group returning that should see a substantial improvement.
It will count on seniors in Norton and Dominic, as well as sophomore Mercer Acuna to lead the way up front and provide scoring, which will be important after the graduation of the team’s top goal scorer in Evan Lord. It will also have the benefit of senior goalie Daniel Mark returning, after posting an .880 save percentage last winter.
Burning question: Where does Morris Catholic-St. Elizabeth finish in the Charette Division?
The division will have a decidedly different look, with Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex moving up to the Haas, and Montville now being a factor in the division. Newton-Lenape Valley and High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny each graduated some of their best players, while Parsippany Regional is still building up its program. So, there is a lot of questions about where each program will finish, but Morris Catholic-St. Elizabeth should find itself in good shape to be at least near the top half of the division with the amount of players it has returning.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
The Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 