NEWARK – KJS United’s offense comes alive at a moment’s notice. It happened again and again during the co-op state finals on March 9 at the Prudential Center.
Two goals within 17 seconds of the second period gave the Kinelon/Jefferson/Spartan trio a lead they would never relinquish, en route to a 5-1 victory over North Hunterdon/Voorhees.
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The game went scoreless for an hour and a half until Maximo Rodriguez scored his 12th goal of the season to give KJS United a 1-0 lead. When Rodriguez’s goal was announced, junior Braydon Sisco scored the highlight-reel goal 17 seconds later.
Suddenly, KJS United took a 2-0 lead with 6:58 left in the second period, the first two goals North Hunterdon/Voorhees had given up in the state tournament after winning four straight shutout games in the Southern Partnership Sectional round.
March 5, 2026; West Orange, NJ, USA; Mount Olive/Hopatcong/Hackettstown versus KJS United in the Northern Partnership Hockey Division Finals at Codey Arena. KJS #17 Brayden Sisco.
North Hunterdon/Voorhees cut its lead in half on a goal from junior Dylan Swon with 1:52 left in the second period. Although the Lions led in shots almost the entire game, they never tied the game.
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Sisco scored twice in a come-from-behind victory in the 2025 Co-op State Finals, then added two more goals to complete a hat trick and earn Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau MVP honors for the second consecutive season.
Senior Cody Sutton scored in the final two minutes of the game to solidify the title for KJS United.
Senior goaltender Stefan Filewicz stopped 27 of 28 shots he faced in the win.
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This article originally appeared in the Morristown Daily News: Kinnelon-Jefferson, Spartans field hockey defending state champions