Sport Shorts

sport shorts By Jared Lowy Baseball

Spring Action

Green Wave Varsity Baseball, coached by Bruce Shatel, returned to Brian Fleury Field after missing the 2020 season due to COVID-19. After a slow start, the team got hot at the right time, finishing with a 17-8 record, a Morris County Tournament title and a #19 ranking in the final Nj.com top 50.

With a pitching staff anchored by seniors Eric Schroeder ’21 and Matt Carey ’21, the Green Wave opened the 2021 season with big wins over Chatham, Roxbury, Montville and Pope John. After some early season losses, Delbarton went on an eight-game winning streak, earning the #2 seed in the Morris County Tournament.

After defeating Hanover Park, Delbarton squeaked by Chatham 3-2 in the semifinal, punching Delbarton’s ticket to another Morris County Tournament final. In a game that closely mimicked the Green Wave’s 2019 MCT final win, Schroeder led the Green Wave to a 1-0 victory over Roxbury, striking out 14 hitters, clinching Delbarton’s second straight tournament title and seventh overall. Schroeder earned tournament MVP honors for his performance.

In the NJSIAA Non-Public A North Tournament, Schroeder once again stood tall, going the distance against Seton Hall Prep, allowing only one hit and striking out 11, in Delbarton’s 3-0 semifinal win over the Pirates. While the season would end in a loss to #1 seed St. Joeseph’s Montvale, the Green Wave had another successful season, highlighted by dominating pitching performances and timely hitting from

Connor Dreyer ’22, Walter Sadowsky ’21 ,

Griffin Mills ’23 and Robert Russo ’23.

Lacrosse

S PRING A CTION

Green Wave Lacrosse, coached by Matt Kovachik, launched the season with high expectations, and a strong core of returning veterans and young talent. The team would finish with a respectable 10-7 record. In the Morris County Tournament, Delbarton outscored its first two opponents 29-10 before dropping a 65 heartbreaker to Chatham in the semifinals. As the # 6 seed, Delbarton found its groove in the NJSIAA Tournament, defeating St. Peter’s Prep in the opening round, followed by a big 12-7 win over #3 seed Pope John in the quarterfinals. This set up another bit matchup against heated rival, Seton Hall Prep. In what many consider the game of the year, Delbarton defeated Seton Hall Prep 7-6 in overtime to make the cut for the Non-Public A final. In an exciting back-and-forth game, both teams exchanged leads. Tied 6-6 at the end of regulation, the Green Wave wasted little time in OT, running a perfectly planned set play. Senior Matthew Johnson ’21 attacked the net, launching a shot past the goalie's right side for the game-winning overtime goal, sending Green Wave fans into a frenzy. Delbarton would go on to lose a close 11-8 final against eventual Tournament of Champions winner Don Bosco Prep. Senior goalie Declan Maseker ’21 was solid in net for the Green Wave all season long, while Johnson, Andrew Ross ’21, Tripp Robinson ’21 and Donnie Tedesco ’21 led the way in offense.

Tennis

S PRING A CTION

Green Wave Varsity Tennis, coached by John Thompson, had one of the strongest and deepest teams in school history, finishing with a 22-3 record, a Blue Devil Invitational title and its 18th Morris County Tournament title. Junior Michael Zheng ’22, finished the season as the #1 ranked singles player in the state and #3 ranked player in the country in his class. With a dominating one-two punch of first singles Michael Zheng and second singles John Walentowicz ’21, Delbarton opened the season with three dominating victories before heading to Westfield for the Blue Devil Invitational. For the first time in school history, Delbarton defeated Millburn and Westfield to win the Blue Devil Invitational 25-13-7. In May, the Green Wave won its 18th Morris County Tournament, defeating Chatham in every match of the final round, winning 20-15. Zheng, Walentowicz, and Nicolas Gritz ’21 all won county singles titles, while first doubles Will Robinson ’22 and Sam Walsh ’21 won at first doubles and Cameron Scarpati ’22 and Christian Lalin ’21 won at second doubles. In the NJSIAA Tournament, Delbarton lost a nail biter to #1 Newark Academy 3-2 with the second doubles team going to a third set tiebreaker to decide the match. In his final contest for Delbarton, Zheng played nearly a perfect match in the NJSIAA Singles State Title Match, defeating Nicolas Kotzen of Newark Academy 6-0, 6-1, becoming Delbarton’s first ever state singles champion. This was Zheng’s second win over Kotzen this season. Zheng finished 32-1, and was named Nj.com Tennis Player of the Year, earning first-team, all state honors. John Walentowicz was named second team, all-state along with the doubles team of Sam Walsh and Will Robinson, and Delbarton finished the season ranked #2 in New Jersey.

Green Wave Varsity Rugby, coached by Nick Linfante, had an historic season, going undefeated 6-0, and winning the Gold Division – Single School Teams. Despite a short season due to COVID-19, and no state playoffs, Delbarton ran the table, defeating La Salle College High School before taking on several of New Jersey’s top rugby programs. Delbarton defeated St. Peter’s Prep 54-7, followed by a home win over CBA 31-5, setting the stage for a showdown with St. Augustine Prep. Having lost to St. Augustine in the 2019 state final, both teams were familiar with each other. Ryan Carey ’22 had two tries and captain Patrick Ryan ’21 scored a try and had three conversions and a penalty kick for 14 total points, helping Delbarton defeat St. Augustine 29-12. Eight days later, the two teams met once more, with Delbarton walking away with a very close 10-7 win in Richland. Patrick Ryan was named man of the match for his lead on the attack, while Jack Reale ’22 scored the only try for the Green Wave. Delbarton finished its undefeated season with a 20-12 win over CBA. Quinn Zebrowski ’21 scored the team’s opening try and Jack Forgione ’21 scored the second try, giving Delbarton a victory and an undefeated season. The Varsity Rugby program is growing and thriving at Delbarton and the future is bright for this team going into its 2022 season

Rugby

S PRING A CTION

Track

AND FIELD

S PRING A CTION

Green Wave Track and Field, coached by Andrew Sherwood, set out to once again to improve with the addition of some very talented athletes. The team did not disappoint, finishing with a 5-1 record, and defeating Chatham, Mendham, Morristown.

At the May 8 Randolph Relay Invitational, the boys came out ready to roll, battling through the rain to win the large school division. The 4x800m relay placed 1st in 8:09.05, with Jack Murphy ’21 in 2:01.14, Aidan Nevistitch ’22 in 2:07.78, Collin Boler ’23 in 1:56.81, and Brian Boler ’23 in 2:03.32. Their combined times moved them to the top five in NJ this season. The high jump and triple jump relays both took first place, while the shotput relay earned a first as well. Adding to its success, Delbarton Track and Field also won the 2021 Morris County Championship. Over the two-day meet, which included a weather delay, the team amassed 74 total team points, and 32 points through Day 1 of competition. Our athletes got an early lead in the team score, competed hard and never looked back. Jeff Cianfrocca ’22 earned 1st place in the high jump with a leap of 6’2 to win his first individual Morris County title, and senior captain Gabe Benz ’21 won his first Morris County individual title in the pole vault with a personal best vault of 13’ (10 points). Senior captain John Kapustka ’21 held on to a solid 3rd place finish in the long jump, earning six crucial team points with a leap of 21’2.5 to secure the team title.

We salute the team on a great season and look forward to Green Wave Track and Field returning athletes building on their successes in 2022.

2021

Recruited Athletes

Congratulations and best of luck to 36 Class of 2021 graduates recruited to play their sports on the collegiate level. There is quite a range of schools and sports in this year’s class, including nine sports and thirty colleges and universities. We know these Green Wave athletes will make Delbarton proud wherever they compete. Here is the complete list of athletes, sport and colleges:

Back Row: Will Morton (UC Berkeley/Rowing), Ben Davis (Holy Cross/Rowing), Matt Carey (Dartmouth/Baseball), Max LaTorre (Loyola/Lacrosse), Walter Sadowsky (Babson/Baseball), Jake Jarmolowich (Holy Cross/Football), Elijah Hills (SUNY Albany/Football), Michael Dangler (Washington & Lee/Football), Eric Schroeder (Boston College/Baseball), Matt Casiero (Rochester/Baseball), Ryan Reynolds (Emory/Baseball). Middle Row: Matt Holleran (NYU/Wrestling), Aidan Lawlor (Bucknell/Soccer), Nicolas Gritz (Hamilton/Tennis), John Walentowicz (Williams College/Tennis), Patrick Ryan (Georgetown/Football), Tripp Robinson (Villanova/Lacrosse), Matt Mendoza (Muhlenberg/Baseball), RJ Martini (Trinity College/Football), Harrison Van Vliet (Lehigh/Soccer), Hunter Zienowicz (Union College/Baseball). Front Row: Nico Nardone (UPenn/Wrestling), Donnie Tedesco (Colgate/Lacrosse), Andrew Ross (US Naval Academy/Lacrosse), Curt Calov (Syracuse/Soccer), Matthew Johnson (Williams/Lacrosse), Dylan Miccolis (Amherst/Football), Cecil Morgan (Colgate/Swimming), Trey Sacus (Bucknell/Lacrosse), Emerico Vespucci (Stevens Institute of Technology/Soccer), Cole Freeman (Northwestern/Football), Jack Napeloni (Williams/Wrestling), Gary Lewis (Lawrenceville 5th Year/Football). Not Pictured: Chase Millar (Fairfield University/Golf), Jack Alexy (Cal/Swimming), Azarai Lewis (Union College/Football). We thank these talented athletes for their contributions to the Green Wave athletic program, and wish them the best of luck competing on the college level. Go Green Wave!

Anthony Volpe ’19

Completes First Full Minor League Season

After a partial season with the Pulaski Yankees was cut short due to mono, and the 2020 season was wiped out by COVID-19, Anthony Volpe ’19 trained hard during the long offseason, working on his swing, mechanics and arm strength. All the hard work paid off, as Volpe’s stock has hit an alltime high, landing him as the number one New York Yankees prospect according to MLB.com. In his first full minor league season, Volpe began his year at Low-A Tampa before a promotion to High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. In 109 games overall, Volpe hit .294, with an OPS of 1.027. He added 27 home runs, 35 doubles, 86 RBI, 33 stolen bases and 78 walks. Volpe was one of only 16 players across all of Minor League Baseball to hit 20 homers and have 20 steals. Says an unnamed scout, “I saw Volpe five games at Hudson Valley and five games in Tampa, and he was hands down the best position player I saw all year.” Volpe currently ranks as the #15 prospect in all of Minor League Baseball and is projected to begin the 2022-23 season at Double A Somerset Patriots.

Jack Alexy ’21

Breaks National Age Group Record in 17-18 100M Freestyle

During the Day 4 preliminary session at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, NE, Delbarton alumnus Jack Alexy ’21 moved up the all-time 100 freestyle rankings in the 17-18 age group, setting a new NAG (National Age Group) in the event. Swimming out of heat 6, Alexy posted in a record-breaking time of 48.69, demolishing his personal best of 49.31. Alexy’s time also took down 7x Olympic gold medal winner Caeleb Dressel’s NAG Record of 48.78, set in 2015.

With his record time, Alexy qualified for the semifinal race, but was unable to advance to the final after placing 10th with a time of 48.82. Out of the sixteen semifinal swimmers, only two were junior swimmers, and the second placed 16th overall.

Alexy currently competes for UC Berkeley and we wish him all the best as he continues to focus on his goal to one day represent the United States in the Olympic Games.

Lou Cerchio ’24

Wins National Title

After a big freshman season for the Green Wave, on July 17-23 rising sophomore Louie Cerchio ’24 joined fellow Green Wave wrestlers at the US Marines Junior and 16U Wrestling Nationals in Fargo, ND. Wrestling in the 160lb U16 Freestyle division, Cerchio dominated the competition, taking home first place honors. Louie opened the tournament with a VPO1 over Luke James from Ohio 8-2. In the quarterfinal round, Cerchio VSU Brent Slade from Iowa 10-0 in 1:00. Cerchio came out ready to roll in the semifinal, defeating Roman Garcia from Florida VSU 11-0, 2:33. “Just knowing I was prepared for that moment,” said Cerchio. “Just working hard in the room and I felt really confident going into it. I was ready for it.” In the 160lb final, Cerchio took an early 6-0 lead over Daschle Lamer from Oregon. Midway through the second period Lamer scored four points, but Cerchio prevented further damage, hanging on to win his first 16U National title.

In addition to Cerchio, Cross Wasilkewski ’23 took 4th place in 132lb division, Alessio Perentin ’25 (7th Place), while Chase Quenault ’25 finished in the top 12. Austin Quandt ’24 also participated in the event.

Jack Leiter ’19

Drafted #2 Overall In 2021 MLB Draft

After two seasons at Vanderbilt University, Jack Leiter ’19, son of former major league baseball pitcher Al Leiter P’19, was chosen second overall in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers on July 11, becoming the highest pick taken by a player from New Jersey since 2008. “It’s really hard to put into words,” Jack said on MLB Network. “My dad wanted me to be an infielder and I didn’t mind the idea, but my love was always for pitching. Sort of as I started to grow and high school progressed, I started to take that a little more seriously and I came a long way.” Jack was a force on the mound in his final season at Delbarton, helping the Green Wave win the Morris County and Non-Public State title. In his only full year at Vanderbilt, Leiter struck out 179 batters, the most in the country, in 110 innings, with a 2.13 ERA, earning consensus All-American honors. In his first ever SEC start, Jack threw a no-hitter against the University of South Carolina. “Jack fits everything we’re trying to accomplish,” said Chris Young, Executive VP and GM of the Texas Rangers. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring in someone who comes from a great family.” Leiter said that Young and the entire scouting department made it clear to him and his family that he would be the Rangers’ selection if he was available at No. 2 overall.

“ I think leading up to the Draft was where it became most obvious,” Leiter said. “He basically said, ‘We’re taking you. You can tell me what you want. You’re the guy and we want you.’ On July 28, both sides made it official, signing Leiter, who earned the 4th highest signing bonus in MLB history ($7.9 million). Jack returned to Vanderbilt in the Fall of 2021 to continue his education and will report to Surprise, Arizona in February, 2022 to begin his first season as a member of the Texas Rangers organization. The Delbarton community congratulates the newest member of the Texas Rangers and wishes Jack the best of luck on his quest to the major leagues. We look forward to seeing him on the mound at Globe Life Stadium soon.