Sports Shorts

sport SHORTS By Jared Lowy Basketball

Green Wave Basketball, coached by Dan Whalen, experienced up and downs of a COVID-shortened season, finishing with an impressive 8-3 record and winning eight straight games to finish the season after a challenging 0-3 start. Players competed with intensity all season, experiencing multiple schedule changes and a two-week shutdown due to COVID. The Green Wave played hard each and every game, and it showed.

After tough early losses against Sparta, West Morris and Mendham, the Green Wave began an impressive run of eight-straight wins. The boys defeated Sparta and Roxbury before winning back-to-back games against rival Chatham. A close win over Pope John on February 24 set the boys up for their toughest game of the season, a home-game content against undefeated West Morris. In the closest game played this season, Delbarton defeated West Morris 5654 in Abbot Brian Clarke Gym, the biggest program win in many a season. The boys went on to win two more games against Newton and Randolph before COVID cut the season short.

Leading the team this season was Alex Paulius ‘21, who averaged a team best 14.7 points per game. Senior Rohin Bobba ‘21 was a threat from three this season, averaging 10.1 points per game, with many of his points coming from behind the arc. Senior guard Gary Lewis ‘21 was the floor general, leading the Green Wave possessions especially in crunch time. Delbarton Basketball also saw consistent contributions from Maximus Cresti ‘21,

Skyler Venezia ‘22, Derek Lagios ‘22

and Charlie Smith’22.

Jim King

Hockey

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The Green Wave hockey team, coached by Bruce Shatel, continues to rebuild and fought hard all season long, finishing with a 3-5-1 record and earning quality wins along the way.

The COVID-affected season began on January 21 with a home win over Chatham. Delbarton peppered the Chatham goalie all game long, sending 61 shots on goal in the win. Trip Pendy ‘24 scored two goals in the win and senior goal Brett Cleaves ‘21 made 12 saves to earn his first shutout of the season. A COVID shutdown caused the team to take a two-week hiatus, and the boys returned ready to play. Delbarton came back strong, defeating previously #1 ranked CBA 3-2 at Jersey Shore Arena. Delbarton played hard all game long, getting goals from Nick Faccone ‘23, Kayetan Berezniak ‘22 and a game winning power-play goal from Pendy with 1:48 left in the game. Cleaves was solid in net once again in the upset win, making 22 saves in the victory. After dropping a game against Seton Hall Prep, Delbarton won its third game of the year, 5-1 over St. Peter’s Prep, the final victory of the season for Delbarton. After a 3-3 tie vs. St. Joe’s Montvale, the Green Wave would drop its final three regular season games, and its season ended on February 25 in a 4-1 loss to Don Bosco Prep in the opening round of the Gordon Cup playoffs. The future looks bright for Coach Shatel and the Green Wave Hockey program with some young talent coming up the ranks.

Ron Benitz P’21, ’23

Winter Track

Delbarton Indoor Track and Field, coached by Andrew Sherwood, competed in a short two meet schedule this winter, but still made the most of their opportunity to run.

The season was considered a ‘Polar Bear’ season, rather than indoor track, since the meets were contested in outdoor conditions and on outdoor tracks. There was no team score, but nearly every team member logged personal bests in each of their races, setting the team up for a short turnaround to the spring track season.

Delbarton shone in the 1600m with first place finishes for sophomore Brian Boler ’23 whose time in the second Polar Bear race was the fastest run by a sophomore in New Jersey this year, ranking as the 15th overall time across all grades in the state. His brother, Collin Boler ‘23, placed 5th in a quick 4:34.05, the 7th fastest sophomore time in the state. In the 55m hurdle race, senior Ethan Cho ‘21 thoroughly impressed with a first-place time in the first Polar Bear race.

Congratulations to the boys on a successful winter season, as short as it was, and we look forward to seeing many of our young stars back on the track next winter.

Deborah McChesney P’21

Bowling

While this was not a normal season, coach Kacy Kane and Green Wave Bowling have held their heads high, and welcomed their sessions at the bowling alley each day. With a delayed start to the season and an unexpected 2-week break and snow cancellations, the boys still bowled 13 matches this season while facing some of the state’s top competition.

While the 2-11 record may not be what they hoped for, the team competed in some close matches, including two wins over Morristown High School.

Anthony Reale ‘23 and Rafael Muniz ‘21 were consistent bowlers this season for the Green Wave. Muniz bowled a season best 221 against Morristown on February 23, giving him a 600 series. Reale bowled his best game against Chatham with a high game of 225 for a 591 series. Delbarton lost to Chatham, #2 in the district, with a team high for the match 782. Muniz ultimately earned second team, all-conference honors along with Reale, while Hayden Erikson ‘22 and Robbie Maffucci ‘23 earned honorable mentions.

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Heather Muniz P’21

Squash

Lisa Mita Despite COVID interruptions, the Varsity Squash team, coached by Craig Paris, managed to play four squash matches. With limited teams to compete against due to the ban on out-of-state travel, the Varsity team was able to play Pingry and Princeton Day School. Despite going 0-4, the boys played hard and improved throughout the season led by seniors Tripp Robinson ‘21, Chase Millar ‘21, Declan Maseker ‘21 and Jack Winant ‘21. Junior Christian Carbeau ‘22 played consistently and freshman newcomers Charlie Hepp ‘24 and Colin Pryma ‘24 played strong in the three and four spots for the Green Wave. Number one player junior Anand Majmudar ‘22 continued to display outstanding skills and was also selected US Squash Scholar Athlete this year.

Swimming

The Delbarton Swim team, coached by Pat Savidge, started its season unusually late but the timing did nothing to thwart our swimmers who finished with a 9-1 record and an NJAC Southern II Division title. In another COVID pivot, many of the meets took place during designated practice sessions where the competing schools ran official races and reported the times to decide the winning team.

With no tournament this season, our athletes swam 10 matches, earning big wins over Morristown, Parsippany Hills, Mendham, Madison, West Morris, Parsippany, Hanover Park and Morristown Beard. The team dropped a close meet 92-78 against St. Peter’s Prep but came back strong the next week, narrowly defeating a previously undefeated Chatham team 86-84 in the final meet of the season. With Delbarton trailing 8076, Delbarton needed a first-place finish with their “A” relay and either second or third with the “B” relay. Delbarton finished first and third, giving the Green Wave a narrow twopoint victory over Chatham. Leading the Green Wave this season were Cal commit Jack Alexy ’21, Rob Alexy ‘23, Mike Fialcowitz ’24 and Ethan Low ‘21. Jack Alexy earned First Team All-State honors and first team all-conference honors for the 50-yard freestyle while the Medley relay and 400m free relay teams earned first team-all conference honors. Jack’s younger brother Rob earned first team all-conference for the 200m freestyle. Fialcowitz earned second team, all-conference for the 500 freestyle and the 200 free relay team earned second team allconference honors as well.

Eduard Moldoveanu P’22

Skiing

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The Delbarton Ski team (16-2), coached by Kevin Malkin, had quite the season in Vernon, NJ this winter, winning the Slalom and Giant Slalom State Titles and finishing the season with a Race of Champions NJAC North Championship.

After second place finishes in the slalom race 1 and 2, the Green Wave earned 1st place at Slalom 3. The season was then put on hold as cancellations due to weather and COVID resulted in many one-to-twoweek-long breaks. After nearly a month off the slopes, our skiers returned for the Slalom and Giant Slalom States, earning first place overall in both events. The team of Thomas Johnson ‘21, Evan Dolan ‘22, Louis Friedrich ‘24 and Ryan Johnson ‘22 anchored Delbarton to victory, defeating second place Pingry by just over three seconds. Individually, Thomas Johnson led Delbarton’s skiers with a 5th place overall time of 1:12.35. Dolan earned 8th and Friedrich was right behind him in 9th place overall. At the Slalom States on February 15, Delbarton took home first place honors as well, winning by 16 seconds over the second-place school and over 29 seconds overall.

The Delbarton Ski team capped off its season at the Race of Champions. The Green Wave once again came out victorious, taking home the 2021 NJAC North Ski Racing Championship. Delbarton earned first place overall in the North division, defeating #2 Vernon and #3 Morristown Beard en route to an NJAC title. Thomas Johnson, Dolan and Friedrich each earned First Team, North Division post-season honors. Congratulations to Green Wave Ski on its historic title-winning ski season.

Wrestling

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Delbarton Wrestling, coached by Bryan Stoll, entered the season with high expectations, despite the unconventional March opening of the season. Traditionally a winter sport, the Green Wave did not launch its season until March 16 due to a shift in winter sports due to COVID protocols.

Green Wave wrestlers did not skip a beat, going undefeated 7-0 during the regular season while staying true to its #1 ranking by NJ.com. The team earned big wins over Mt. Olive, West Morris, Mendham, Montville, Pope John and Don Bosco. Its biggest win of the season came on April 1 when Delbarton defeated public school powerhouse Kingsway 29-24.

Delbarton opened with an early lead against Kingsway with major decision wins by Nico Nardone ’21, Joe Davi ’23 and Simon Ruiz ’23. Kingsway fought back but wins by Nick Olivieri ‘22 and PJ Casale’22 gave Delbarton a one-point lead before Thomas Fischer ’21 won a 15-5 major decision at 120lbs, giving Delbarton a lead that the team would not relinquish. Cross Wasilewski ’23 finished up the match with a 1-0 win, giving Delbarton a 29-24 win over Kingsway.

Chris Toohey At the District 2 North tournament, Delbarton sent 11 wrestlers to Union High School and all eleven qualified for the NJ State Tournament. Over the two-day tournament, Delbarton had seven first place finishers along with a second (Louis Cerchio ’24), third (Thomas Fischer ’21) and two fourth place finishers (Joe Davi ’23 and Nick Olivieri ’22). Taking first place were Daniel Jones ‘24 (106lbs), Tyler Vazquez ’23 (120lbs), Cross Wasilewski (126lbs), Nico Nardone ’22 (132lbs), Simon Ruiz ‘23 (145lbs), Andy Troczynski ‘22 (152lbs) and Colin Calvetti ‘22 (170lbs).

Delbarton Wrestling Produces Two State Champions

Over the weekend of April 24-25, Delbarton Wrestling sent 11 wrestlers to the NJ State Wrestling Championships in Phillipsburg, NJ. By the end of the weekend, two Green Wave wrestlers came out on top, winning the 106lb and 152lb division.

For Daniel Jones ’24, it was a very up and down season for the freshman. Having never wrestled for the Green Wave, Jones was excited to join the #1 ranked Green Wave this season. Unfortunately, due to COVID contact tracing, Jones missed half of his freshman season. Leading up to the Regional tournament, Jones only wrestled three times, losing his first ever high school match. Not deterred, he remained in shape, practicing at home and with his club team. Jones went on to win at Regions, earning a #4 ranking at the state tournament.

In the State tournament, Jones opened the first round and quarter finals with 5-0 and 6-0 decisions before a showdown with #1 seed Nico Calello of St. Joe’s. Tied 2-2, neither wrestler got a takedown or escape in rideouts in sudden victory, so the match went to ultimate tiebreaker. Jones was able to ride out Calello to win the match and advance to the final. In his first ever state championship match, Jones faced a familiar foe whom he had wrestled in club meets before, winning by 10-0 major decision. “After the final whistle, I felt great,” says Jones. “All the hard work and the training paid off.”

When day one was finally finished, Jones left the gym for the final time this season, and immediately sought what he’d been yearning for all season…a Chic-Fil-A meal!

For Andrew Troczynski ’22, this season was all about getting rid of the feeling of defeat from last year’s 8-5 loss in the state final. Troczynski returned this season as a man on a mission, and on April 25, that mission was achieved.

Andy had an outstanding season for the Green Wave despite a thumb injury he sustained early on. At Regions, Troczynski proved his #1 ranking, winning three of his four matches by pin, including a pin at 1:22 in the final against Cole Carroll of Seton Hall Prep. At the state tournament, Troczynski, the #2 seed, opened with pins in the first and quarterfinal round, before taking on a familiar foe in Nathaniel Camiscioli of Bergen Catholic. Andy held on for a 3-2 win, sending him to the final against Matt Hoelke. In an interesting twist, both Troczynski and Hoelke met for the first time while training together afew weeks prior in South Jersey, and faced each other in the final for the first time. Troczynski took an early lead, and finished his season with an 8-5 decision over Hoelke, earning Troczynski his first state title. “It was an awesome feeling right off the bat,” said Troczynski. “I was full of emotion, but 20 minutes later, I realized that the pain of losing is much worse than the thrill of winning. The losing stays with you much longer. I’m happy to come out on the winning side this year!”

After a long second day of wrestling, Andy sat down to a nice Sunday dinner of chicken parm and pasta!

NCAA Letter Signings

In another 2020 curve ball, our in-person National Signing Day in December was converted to a Virtual Delbarton day due to an impending snow storm. Luckily, our boys don't settle and, from the comfort of their homes, four Green Wave Football team members signed their NCAA Letters of Intent to play collegiate football next fall. The four Class of 2021 athletes and their colleges of choice are:

Cole Freeman –Northwestern University Elijah Hills –State University of New York - Albany (SUNY) Jake Jarmolowich –College of the Holy Cross Patrick Ryan –Georgetown University

Congratulations to these four Green Wave Football athletes on their outstanding achievements.

All American PJ Casale in World Wrestling Cadet Nationals

PJ Casale ’22 participated in the United World Wrestling (UWW) Cadet Nationals, a qualifying event to represent team USA at International Events, on April 24 and 25 in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

Due to a schedule conflict with the NJ State Wrestling Championships, it was a tough decision to give up the opportunity to defend his state title, but PJ wanted to step outside his comfort zone and challenge himself on the mat in a larger arena. This event is a freestyle and Greco Roman style of wrestling, which is a different from the folkstyle wrestled in high school. Having to cut weight for the first time ever, PJ went from 92KG (202.8 lbs) and had to make hard weight all three days of competition.

Casale finished as an All-American in both styles, making the finals in freestyle. Although he came up a little short of his ultimate goal, PJ was the overall winner between Freestyle and Greco-Roman and will represent Team USA at the UWW Cadet Pan-American Championships in Mexico City, on June 9-13. Says Casale, “I’m really excited to be representing the greatest country in the world, and although I will be wearing the team USA gear everywhere I go, I make sure people know I’m representing the Green Wave too.” Congratulations to PJ on this wonderful achievement and Go Team USA!