The New Jersey girls' lacrosse state tournament is about to get underway, and six of the eight teams in the Jersey Sports Now area will be taking part.  While many of the teams will have to fight to earn a single win, at least one squad has its eyes on a state title.

Here are the scenarios for each of the local teams:

North Group I:

Mountain Lakes is the top seed in this section and will aim to take home the banner after finishing as runners-up in the Morris County tournament.  It will be a challenge for the Lakers, however; they could face Kinnelon in the semifinals after beating the Colts by just one goal the last time they played.  And the section final, possibly against Glen Ridge, wouldn't be a gimme either.

If the Lakers can take the section, they would face off against the South winner for the state Group I title.  Holy Cross is the #1 seed there, but a more interesting matchup would be 2nd seed Chatham, the team Mountain Lakes just surprised in the MCT semifinals.

Kinnelon will be one of the teams hoping to keep Mountain Lakes from making it that far.  The Colts are the #4 seed and will face a challenging first game against fifth seed Morris Catholic.  A win there almost surely sends them up against the Lakers, hoping that the third try will be the charm.

Also in this section, sixth seed DePaul (there is no public/non-public split in girls' lacrosse).  This is the Spartans' first trip to the states and they're hoping to celebrate with a home win Saturday against Indian Hills, the 11th seed.  Success there will move DePaul on to face third seed Caldwell, a team the Spartans have already beaten.

North Group II:

A couple of disappointing losses prevented Montville from getting a home game in this section.  Instead the Mustangs are the 10th seed and will go on the road to face 7th seed Holy Angels.  On paper this looks like an even matchup, so if the Mustangs can bring their "A" game a win is quite possible.  Should Montville move on, a very strong Rumson team would present a far higher hurdle in the next round.

North Group III:

With a one-goal win in its last match before the cutoff, Wayne Valley just slipped into the states.  The Indians' reward is the 11th seed and a long bus ride to central New Jersey to face West Windsor-Plainsboro North, seeded sixth in the bracket.  This would appear to be a very difficult task for Wayne Valley.

While the Indians hit the road, the other JSN-area team in this section will be traveling to Wayne.  Park Regional, the combined Whippany Park/Hanover Park team, drew the #10 seed and will meet 7th seed Wayne Hills.  The Park will be the clear underdog but hopes its experience against tough teams might prove helpful.  -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now