Spartans finish strong, advances to sectional tournament

Admirable is a word that can very well describe the effort given by the Sparta High School boys soccer program throughout the course the past season.

The Spartans were admirable in both victory and in defeat as well.

Tim Connors, the Spartans’ experienced head coach, recalls a few of the many memorable moments from this fall season.

“Going undefeated (with one tie with Lenape Valley) versus county opponents (was very meaningful),’’ Connors said. “Also, defeating Mendham at home was our biggest victory of the season as Mendham was one of the most talented teams we saw all season.’’

Matt Torres was a senior captain that led the Spartans all season.

“In addition, all of the seniors stepped up to leadership roles including Santiago Angel-Lopez, our other captain, and Jaisen Caswell as our goalie,” Connors said.

Many players steadily improved as soccer players at each given opportunity.

“Jacob Weinstock was a tremendous surprise this season,’’ Connors said. “He got better every game.’’

Sparta posted six overall wins and advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 3 sectional tournament, where they were defeated by a powerful Randolph team.

The contributions of the outgoing senior class of 2026 won’t soon be forgotten by the Sparta boys’ soccer program and the future of the team appears bright as well.

“Making states was a huge accomplishment,’’ Connors said. “We graduated a very talented group in 2024. We moved up to the NJAC American Division with some of the best teams in the state-Randolph, Delbarton and Mendham. They competed in every game and willed themselves into States as a number 15 seed.

The Spartans have graduated more than 40 seniors over the last two seasons.

“Next year’s group will have to do exactly what this team did by improving every practice and game,” Connors said.