After games on Sunday, June 10
The regular season was indeed a wild one, with several new contenders emerging, followed by a postseason that saw Hillsborough go on a Cinderella run to the state title game. But in the end, the 2012 campaign ended up looking a lot like the close of the 2011 season, with two teams repeating.
Gloucester Catholic avenged an earlier loss to Don Bosco Prep by knocking off the Ironmen by the score of 4-1 in the Non-Public A championship. The Rams have now won three straight crowns (the last two coming in Non-Public B), a state-record 16 titles and are back in the POWERADE FAB 50 at No. 41.
In Group 4, Manalapan shook off an inconsistent regular season to secure their second straight crown while ending Hillsborough's surprising postseason run with a 2-0 victory.
Here are the final rankings (last week's rankings in parentheses):
1. Gloucester Catholic 27-4 (2)
Avenged a loss to Don Bosco Prep earlier this season by knocking off the Ironmen in the Non-Public A title game, 4-1. The Rams have won three straight state titles (last two in Non-Public B) and a state-record 16 titles.
2. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey) 24-4 (1)
Ironmen fell to Gloucester Catholic 4-1 in the Non-Public A title game.
3. Marist (Bayonne) 24-5 (NR)
Kim Rodriguez hit a walk-off RBI single to push Marist to a 11-10 comeback win against Newark Academy in the Non-Public B championship. It was the third straight walk-off win for the Royal Knights and their first state title since 1991.