WEST ORANGE- Since he arrived on the scene at Seton Hall Prep following a lengthy run as a college lacrosse coach John Svec has spoken about looking to have his Pirates play the best competition they can find.
He certainly accomplished that quest this spring as third-ranked SHP (11-7) has gone up against no less than six of the schools in the latest Inside Lacrosse Q-Collar Boys High School National Top 25.
“When you come to Seton Hall Prep and join the lacrosse team you are here to play the best competition that we can find,” said the Pirates second-year head coach, who guided SHP to a Non-Public state title in his first season at the helm in 2025. “Along with the academics and culture which are so important at Seton Hall Prep you want the opportunity to get better, and you need to play the best in order to be the best!”
SHP, the top seed in a typically-loaded Non-Public state tournament bracket, will look to repeat as state champs while also seeking a fourth straight trip for the lacrosse program to the overall group final.
The Pirates will meet the winner of the preliminary round contest between 16-St. Peter’s Prep and 17-Morristown-Beard 1 p.m. Friday (May 29) at Brendan P. Tevlin Memorial Field in the Kelly Athletic Complex.
Should the Pirates advance as expected they would then host the survivor of 9-St. Joe’s of Montvale and 8-Notre Dame on Tuesday, June 2.
The group semifinals are slated for Friday, June 5, and the Non-Public state championship game will be Tuesday, June 9.
“There are so many really good teams in the state tournament that you could almost flip a coin as to who will come out on top,” said Svec. “I do believe we are a battle-tested team and our players have learned who they are while trusting each other as a group and working extremely hard to be the best they can be.”
SHP, which has 19 college commits among its seniors and juniors on the current roster, has had significant victories this season over the likes of Brunswick (Conn.) the nation’s No. 3 - and previously-No. 1 ranked team, before it fell, 8-6, to the Pirates on Tuesday, May 12; and before that, there was a 9-7 triumph over longtime North Jersey rival, 21st ranked Delbarton, back on April 18.
Those important wins are just two of the high-profile matchups that Svec’s Pirate laxmen have experienced this spring which began with a tough 1-5 start, including narrow 1-goal setbacks to Inside Lacrosse’s No. 10 ranked Chaminade (7-6) along with Jersey strongholds Westfield (11-10) and No. 17 Summit (6-5).
Then came a very challenging pair of games during a unique road trip to South Bend, Ind., for the ‘Golden Domer Spring Classic,’ April 10-12, in Arlotta Stadium on the University of Notre Dame campus.
The weekend included setbacks to top national powers in Loyola of California (by a 15-10 score) followed by a 12-7 setback to the current No. 1 team in the country, Western Reserve Academy of Ohio.
“The weekend was spent in a tremendous college atmosphere which was certainly a great experience for our players,” said Svec. “I just wish we could have played better, but you hope that having gone up against top-notch opponents like Loyola and Western Reserve can hopefully pay dividends down the line when you hope that your best win of the season is the last game you play.”
What the trip also provided - in addition to a first-hand look at one of the top Catholic universities in America – was a chance to spend time in the college setting of one of the most successful men’s lacrosse teams in the country.
The Fighting Irish, who feature former SHP standout Shawn Lyght, as one of its top defensemen, faced Princeton in the 2026 NCAA Division I championship game on Monday, Memorial Day (May 25).
Lyght, earned All-American honors last spring when he was also the Atlantic Coast Conference co-Defensive Player of the Year.
