Jersey Thunder Elite (HS)
Location: Morris Knolls High School
Director: Terry Reilly, Head Coach Morris Knolls HS
College Recruiting Director: John Lade, Head Coach, Kittatinny HS
Events: All Jersey Thunder HS teams attend tournaments with 70-250 college coaches on-site, ensuring your exposure is maximized.
Teams: Jersey Thunder Platinum (AA) teams attend high-profile tournaments including NLF Championships, Alliance The League Championships, Pinnacle Lacrosse Championships, NXT Philly Invitational, and others. Jersey Thunder Gold (A) teams also attend well-attended events including Primetime National Invitational, Lehigh Laxfest, Trilogy Radar, and more.
The Thunder Experience: The Jersey Thunder Elite High School teams are a year-round program that is focused on preparing student-athletes to play at the collegiate level. This program includes team practices in the fall, winter, and summer, individual skill sessions in the fall and winter. Team tournaments are generally in the fall and summer seasons, though additional opportunities for games & college exposure are possible. See below for a more detailed annual schedule.
Dedicated Recruiting Resources: Jersey Thunder Elite has dedicated recruiting resources (see below for more detail), including John Lade, former D1 Defenseman of the Year (Syracuse). Did you know we had 30 players committed to play in college in our recent 2026 class alone? Very few clubs can make the same claim.
Our Typical Annual Schedule
Tryouts: mid-July
Fall Season:
6-8 team practices at Morris Knolls High School, Denville NJ
2-3 tournaments, typically 1-day events within a 1-3 hour drive
Fall/Winter Individual Skill Workouts:
Approximately 30 individual skill workouts Sep-Feb at The Arena in Boonton and The Fieldhouse in Sparta - all optional & free of charge for Thunder athletes. Read more in the “Why Thunder” section.
Winter Team Practices:
6-8 team practices in Jan-Feb. The entire Jersey Thunder program uses Marauderdome at Mount Olive HS as its indoor practice facility in the winter.
Summer:
10-12 team practices
4-5 tournaments, typically 2-day (Sat-Sun) events that may be between 1-4 hour drive. This may require overnight hotel stays.
The summer season generally starts in early June and ends by mid-July, culminating with mid-July tryouts for the following year.
Recruiting Tools Available to Jersey Thunder Elite’s HS Program
John Lade: Director of College Placement & Recruiting
All Thunder high school athletes have access to John Lade to assist in the college recruiting process. John was one of the top defensemen to ever come out of NJ, playing professionally for over a decade, and he has a wide network of NCAA coaches.
John’s Bio Summary:
Former Defensemen in the PLL & MLL
3x All-American at Syracuse University
2011 NCAA D1 Defenseman of the Year
2009 NCAA D1 National Champion at Syracuse University
2x All-Big East Conference
Former NCAA D1 Coach (Manhattan University)
Current Head Coach at Kittatinny High School
IMLCA Recruits: College / Athlete Messaging & Matchmaking System
All Thunder high school athletes receive an “IMLCA Recruits” profile in their online system. This profile works similar to “LinkedIn” in the business world where college coaches can access thousands of players as potential prospects, and high school athletes can access every coaching staff in the US.
IMLCA Recruits profiles are a “must have” for any lacrosse athlete who want to play at the next level.
Jersey Thunder includes this profile for free as a part of your tuition.
Access To Top Events
Jersey Thunder carefully selects all fall and summer tournaments based on the right level of competition for each team, and the number of college coaches attending.
John Lade consults on tournament selection based on his direct discussions with NCAA coaches.
Our top teams have access to top-end “invite only” tournaments based on our strong track record. Events include: NLF Championships, Alliance The League Championships, Pinnacle Lacrosse Championships, NXT Philly Invitational, Primetime Invitational, and more.
In addition, Jersey Thunder staff is well connected with top “invite only” showcases and prospect camps.
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Sat/Sun June 6-7, Baltimore Summer Kickoff, Towson MD
120+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 13-14, Lehigh Laxfest, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA
100+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 27-28, Bulldog Brawl
Bryant University, RI
120+ college coaches attendingFri-Sun July 11-13, Alliance The League Summer Championships
Boyds MD
200+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun July 18-19, Pinnacle Lacrosse Championships
Boyds MD
150+ college coaches attending -
Sat/Sun June 6-7, Baltimore Summer Kickoff, Towson MD
120+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 13-14, Lehigh Laxfest, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA
100+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 27-28, Bulldog Brawl
Bryant University, RI
120+ college coaches attendingFri-Sun July 11-13, Alliance The League Summer Championships
Boyds MD
200+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun July 18-19, Pinnacle Lacrosse Championships
Boyds MD
150+ college coaches attending -
Sat/Sun June 13-14, Lehigh Laxfest, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA
100+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 27-28, Victory Liberty Nationals
NorthEast MD
80+ college coaches attendingWed/Thu, July 15-16, Trilogy 24
Conshohocken PA
100+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun July 18-19, Primetime National Invitational
180+ college coaches attending
Saratoga Springs NY -
Sat/Sun June 13-14, Lehigh Laxfest, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA
100+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 20-21, Trilogy Radar, West Windsor NJ
80+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 27-28, Liberty National Elite Classic
NorthEast MD
75+ college coaches attendingWed/Thu July 15-16, Trilogy 24, Conshohocken PA
100+ college coaches attending -
Sat/Sun June 13-14, Lehigh Laxfest, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA
100+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 20-21, Trilogy Radar, West Windsor NJ
80+ college coaches attendingSat/Sun June 27-28, Liberty National Elite Classic
NorthEast MD
75+ college coaches attendingWed/Thu July 15-16, Trilogy 24, Conshohocken PA
100+ college coaches attending
2026 SUMMER TOURNAMENTS:
Jersey Thunder Elite - High School Team Levels
THUNDER PLATINUM (AA)
Our top teams at each grade level. High-end talent capable of competing well in the premier and invite-only events with maximum exposure to top NCAA schools.
Highly skilled “select” teams capable of competing at highly competitive tournaments with high exposure to mid/high tier NCAA schools.
THUNDER GOLD (A)
Teams focused on the rapid development of high school athletes who have the desire to contribute at the Varsity level and potentially aspire to play college lacrosse.
THUNDER COBALT
Learn More About Our Other Programs:
Jersey Thunder Central
Jersey Thunder West
