The excitement of the county lacrosse tournaments is behind us, but plenty of great action lies ahead as the state tournament gets underway. Seven local teams claimed berths in this year's tournament, with the area's top two teams getting ready to play in by far the toughest bracket in the state.

Here's a rundown of each team's playoff scenario:

Group I

This is the bracket for the smallest public schools that play boys' lacrosse, yet it's an incredibly tough group that is far tougher than any of the other brackets. Three local teams will participate, with two seriously eyeing a state crown.

Kinnelon, the defending group champion, will look to carry the momentum from its Morris County title. The Colts draw the #3 seed and will play the winner of North Warren and Delaware Valley in their first game. After that, a rematch with Morris County runner-up Madison seems likely, followed by a possible meeting with Bergen County champ Mahwah.

Mountain Lakes, usually the dominant team in this group, is only the #4 seed this year. After facing the winner of Haddonfield and A.L. Johnson, the Lakers will likely see a strong Chatham team in the quarterfinals. If they survive that, Mountain Lakes will probably run into the top seed and overall #1 team in the state, Summit, in the semifinals.

Pequannock, off a very good season, earned the #12 seed and will host a first-round game on Saturday against Bernards. A state win would be a nice reward for the Panthers; they would face Chatham in their next game which would be an extremely difficult task.

Many are already anticipating a Kinnelon-Summit showdown for this group title, with the winner the heavy favorite for the overall Tournament of Champions crown. But in such a loaded bracket, that matchup is far from a certainty.

Group II

Unlike Group I, this bracket appears wide-open with no clear favorite. The local entrant is Montville, which came on strong after a shaky start to its season. The Mustangs must count themselves fortunate to be in this bracket, as they could not draw a #3 seed in any other public group.

The Mustangs open next Tuesday with Nutley, a team they beat earlier in the year, and then could face a decent Mendham team. A run to the group semifinals or even the finals is hardly out of the question, and there's no team in this bracket that would appear unbeatable.

Group III

Two local teams qualified in this group, which has a number of strong squads. While not as top-heavy as Group I, this bracket has enough depth that the Passaic County champions Wayne Hills only drew the #10 seed.

The Patriots open at home Saturday against Brick Township, and a win there sends them against #7 seed Moorestown, which is not as strong as in the past. If they can get past that game, second seed Morristown is waiting in the wings, which would be a difficult, although not impossible, task for Wayne Hills.

The other local team in this bracket is Park Regional, the combined Hanover Park/Whippany Park squad. The Park drew the #16 seed and will host Fair Lawn in an interesting preliminary game. If it can win, Park Regional then gets to face top seed Ridge.

Non-Public Group B

DePaul has had an impressive record this year, but the Spartans have piled up most of their wins against inferior opposition. They lost to the two best teams they've played, Ramapo and Wayne Hills.

The Spartans must be ready to step up their game in the states, as a deep run in this bracket is possible. DePaul is the #2 seed and will open play May 20th against the winner of Holy Cross and Ranney seeking its first-ever state win. They should get that victory, but the next game, likely against #3 seed Pingry, will be much tougher. Still, the Spartans have a realistic shot to reach the state final, where defending champ Immaculata will probably be waiting.

-- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now