The first month of the 2025-26 season is nearing a close.

With the holidays now upon us, let’s take a breath and check in with the latest rankings across the state.

Here is the Top 20 for Dec. 22.

1-Delbarton (5-0-1)

Delbarton’s unbeaten run against in-state opponents continued on this week. The Green Wave took care of business with victories of 4-2 over No. 6 St. Augustine and 5-0 over then-No. 10 Seton Hall Prep. The Green Wave will travel to play Austin (MA) for its only game this week.

2-Christian Brothers (6-0)

The high-powered offense of Christian Brothers was on full display this week. The Colts had its highest scoring output of the season thus far with a 7-2 win over Red Bank Catholic-Donovan Catholic-St. Rose. Then on Wednesday it started Gordon Conference play with a 4-1 victory over Princeton Day. A date with St. Joseph (Mont.) awaits on Tuesday night.

3-Don Bosco Prep (6-1)

Don Bosco Prep’s offense erupted this week. The Ironmen scored 19 goals across three wins over Gloucester Catholic, Notre Dame (CT), and Pope Francis (MA). The last two of those wins came during the Ironmen’s annual trip to play in the Barkey Cup, which it won for a third straight season.

4-St. Joseph (Mont.) (2-1-1)

St. Joseph (Mont.) was in action just one time this week and was able to get back into the win column. The Green Knights were victorious over then-No. 8 Princeton Day 4-2 thanks to a third period rally. The Panthers led by a goal heading into the third period before Jason Juneau, Joseph Flanagan, and Mateos Garipian flipped the momentum over to the Green Knights.

5-Morristown-Beard (6-0-1)

This week Morristown-Beard got its first shot at proving if it could play with Gordon Conference teams, and the Crimson made a statement. A 10-2 win over then-No. 8 Princeton Day was an eye-popping result that gave the Crimson plenty of momentum to get through the rest of the week unscathed. Wins over 5-2 over Morristown and 3-1 over then-No. 19 Randolph followed.

6-St. Augustine (3-2)

The week started off not how St. Augustine would have liked, but it ended on a positive note. The Hermits were not able to mount a third-period comeback on Tuesday in a 4-2 loss to No. 1 Delbarton, but then two days later defeated LaSalle (PA) in a 3-0 shutout. The Hermits will only suit up on Tuesday of this week in a matchup at Gloucester Catholic.

7-Westfield (4-0)

The reigning Public group state champions have continued to roll through the first few weeks of the 2025-26 season. The Blue Devils got the week started with a 5-2 win over rival Gov. Livingston-New Providence, and then a few days later crushed Cranford 8-0. Its only game this week is a big one – Tuesday against Bridgewater-Raritan.

8-Seton Hall Prep (2-3)

Seton Hall Prep stayed hot to open this week, but left it searching for another victory. On Monday the Pirates scored eight goals for the first time in three years as it defeated Gloucester Catholic 8-2. Two days later it couldn’t find a way on to the scoreboard in a 5-0 loss to No. 1 Delbarton. A big game against No. 5 Morristown-Beard is set for Tuesday night.

9-Princeton Day (1-5)

Princeton Day’s schedule has not done it any favors so far and the Panthers struggled this week as a result. First came a 10-2 loss to No. 5 Morristown-Beard, and then the Panthers could only muster up three total goals between losses to No. 2 Christian Brothers and No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.). The Panthers have faced a Top-5 ranked team in five of its six games so far this season.

10-Northern Highlands (4-2)

Northern Highlands took a trip to Connecticut on Monday afternoon and came back with its second loss of the season. A 2-0 loss to New Canaan (CT) was its second game in as many days, but then on Wednesday the Highlanders captured its fourth win of the season. Ben Baratta had a hat trick and seven players scored in a 9-3 win over Old Tappan-New Milford-Demarest.

11-Ridgewood (5-1)

Ridgewood swept a pair of games last week against Wayne and Paramus-Mahwah-Lyndhurst, putting up 14 goals in the process. Their next game is a big test against Ramapo on Friday followed by Glen Rock the following night. It’s a challenging back-to-back to close the 2025 portion of its schedule.

12-Pope John (2-1)

Pope John suffered its first loss of the season with a 5-4 defeat in overtime against Paul VI. The team allowed four goals in the final two frames and another in OT but it rebounded with a 3-0 win over St. Peter’s Prep three days later. More Egan Conference action is coming up this week against the Red Bank Catholic tri-op and St. John Vianney.

13-Toms River (5-0)

Toms River stayed perfect after winning its only game last week against Howell-Matawan, 2-1. Two games are left in 2025 against Marlboro-Holmdel on Tuesday and Ocean Township-Shore-Monmouth on Friday in the Winding River Holiday Tournament.

14-Ramapo (5-1)

Ramapo took down West Milford-Pequannock-Pompton Lakes, 5-3, and Lakeland-Hawthorne-Waldwick, 4-2, in its only two games last week. That stretches the team’s winning streak to four games. Ramsey-Indian Hills is next on Tuesday followed by a really intriguing game against Ridgewood on Friday.

15-Livingston (5-1)

Livingston marched past Chatham and West Morris in the Essex Holiday Tournament by a combined score of 10-1. The winning streak sits at three ahead of Monday’s date with Ridge. That’s the team’s final game of 2025.

16-Bridgewater-Raritan (5-1)

Bridgewater-Raritan edged Summit, 3-2, before marching past Pingry, 7-1, three days later. The team has won five in a row since dropping the season opener to North Hunterdon. Hillsborough is next on Monday followed by Westfield on Thursday and Brick on Friday.

17-KJS United (2-1-1)

KJS United went winless in two games last week against Mennen Division foes. It started with a 3-3 tie against Mendham and a 4-3 overtime loss against Morris Knolls-Hills followed two days later. Two more Mennen Division games are coming up this week against Morristown on Monday and Morristown-Beard on Saturday.

18-Robbinsville-Allentown (7-1)

Robbinsville-Allentown’s offense was on a roll last week. In four wins against Freehold Boro-Raritan-Colts Neck, Clifton United, Southern and Hamilton, the offense put up 32 goals. Next up is an interesting battle against North Hunterdon on Tuesday.

19-Paul VI (7-1)

Paul VI finished the 2024-25 season with a .500 record. Now, the team is one win shy of matching the eight it posted a season ago. Though it suffered a 2-1 loss to Catholic in the middle of a three-game week, it also defeated Pope John in overtime and rolled to a 12-5 win over Notre Dame. Princeton is next on Monday in its final game of 2025.

20-Brick (5-0)

Brick knocked down Central Regional and Manalapan last week by a combined score of 16-4 to stay undefeated. The offense is averaging 6.6 goals per game this season. They’ll be put to the test this week with games against Howell-Matawan on Tuesday and Bridgewater-Raritan on Friday.

Next Five InManasquan-Point Pleasant Beach (5-0-1)Randolph (2-3-1)Gov. Livingston-New Providence (1-3)Morristown (3-2)Pascack Valley-Hills-Park Ridge (6-1)