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Volume 27 • Issue 571
JerseySportingNews.com
3/10/20 - 3/23/20
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OF BOARDWALK HALL MANALAPAN’S JESSI JOHNSON
MIDDLETOWN NORTH’S TYLER KLINSKY
SJV’S DEAN PETERSON
TOMS RIVER NORTH’S NICK BOGGIANO
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Page 2 Jersey Sporting News • 3/10/20 - 3/23/20
3/10/20 - 3/23/20 • Jersey Sporting News
Page 3
Trinity Hall’s Depth is Key to Fifth Straight Swimming Championship By Robert Solomon
TINTON FALLS – High school athletic seasons culminate with conference and state tournaments. Every team goes into the season with the goal of playing in and winning these tournaments. Most will have the opportunity to play in their conference tournaments, but few will be able to play for a state title. Additionally, there are only a handful of teams that make it to the final game and the opportunity to be crowned state champion. The Trinity Hall girls swim team was crowned Non-Public B state champion for the fifth year in a row. When Trinity Hall was established as an all-girls Catholic high school in 2013, they immediately started to build their athletic program. The swim team began competing that same year and after a few seasons developed into a force to be reckoned with. Coach Bill Lynch took over the team this season. He formerly coached the nearby Ocean Township High School boys and girls swim teams for 23 years. Retiring from public school teaching last June, he eventually moved on to Trinity Hall.
have 35 girls on their roster. During a dual meet each team is allowed to enter three swimmers per event with the top five places being awarded points. “The depth of a team is what wins meets. We have a nice combination of front line swimmers and depth on the outside lanes (where swimmers with slower times are placed),” said Lynch. The team did hit a speed bump this season when it faced off against their toughest opponent, Westfield (12-2). This was Trinity Hall’s only loss of the season. “Westfield was ranked in the top ten when we swam against them at a neutral site. They are a good team,” said Lynch.
Trinity Hall fell to defending champion Colts Neck in the Shore Conference Championships. “They had solid front line swimmers and depth,” said Lynch. “We matched up pretty well with them and weren’t that far behind them. It was a numbers game, but they deserved it. They were good.”
Lynch was unable to single out any of his swimmers as stand-outs. “We don’t have one or two superstars, but we are a solid team with a lot of depth. All the
Unlike dual meets, the Shore Conference Championships runs in 16-swimmer heats for each event and scoring is based on the best times. Teams with a
lot of depth have an advantage because the top 16 swimmers of the combined heats in each event are awarded points for their teams. In essence, swimmers are not competing head to head, but are battling the clock. After falling short in the Shore Conference Championships, Lynch was not worried about the team bouncing back in the state tournament. “They were ready. We kept them fired up and practiced every day,” said Lynch. His confidence was high going into the Non-Public Group B championship. “We had scouted both teams we swam against. We had a good idea of what each team had. I thought we matched up well on paper and felt we could win,” he said. Lynch would use the scouting to his advantage. “You take advantage of the other team’s weaknesses to create favorable match-ups. You put a lineup together to score more points than your opponent. We juggled our lineups over the entire season, so there is a little strategy involved,” explained Lynch. Trinity Hall was able to win both of its state tournament meets by large margins, beating Gill St. Bernard’s by 83 points in the semifinals and beating Newark Academy by 42 points in the final. “We were solid top to bottom. We had more depth which is what did it. In dual meets you put up three quality swimmers in each event to score points. If you do that you are going to win and that’s what happened,” said Lynch.
“I am a hands-on coach,” he exclaimed. “I am always up moving around working on different techniques and strokes.” He also likes to include different types of workouts during his practices.
This year’s Non-Public Group B championship was Trinity Hall’s fifth in a row. Lynch attributes their continued success to repeating the same combination year in and year out. “We have a lot of quality swimmers and a good combination of frontline swimmers and depth. It is all about the depth,” he said.
Going into the season Lynch had specific goals for the team. “We wanted to score as high as possible in the Monmouth County Championships and Shore Conference Championships. We also wanted to do well in our dual meets and repeat as NonPublic Group B champions,” said Lynch. The team didn’t seem to have any problem transitioning to a new coach. “We have a great group of loyal girls who were all in from the very beginning. They understood the team’s goals and were committed to accomplish them. We could not have asked anything more out of them,” Lynch continued.
In swimming, a team must have depth to be competitive. This is one of Trinity Hall’s strengths as they
Seniors Catherine Wright, Madeline Condon and Adriana Masters are taking their swimming skills to the next level. They all have already committed to swim in college with Wright going to UNC, Condon going to Bryant University and Masters going to Scranton University.
Trinity Hall’s team features many seniors so picking a captain was difficult. “We have nine quality seniors,” said Lynch. “It was hard to pick any of them out, so we captain by committee rotating our seniors as meet captains.”
“It’s hard to just stop and forget about it (coaching). So, the opportunity came along to coach again at Trinity Hall, a great school with a solid athletic program,” said Lynch. “The swimming program is outstanding and has a great reputation. It was an easy decision to coach again.”
His coaching style seems to have worked, as Trinity Hall continued its winning ways finishing the season 8-1-1, second in the Shore Conference Championship and Non-Public Group B NJSIAA state champions.
seniors were critical and we have a nice freshmen class. We didn’t win any individual races at the Monmouth County or Shore Conference Championships,” said Lynch. But as a team, they finished third in the Monmouth County Championships and second in the Shore Conference Championships.
TRINITY HALL Photo by Fran Attardi
With nine seniors graduating there is a chance that Trinity Hall will not be able to compete at the same level next year. “Yes, it will be tough to replace those kids. We do have a solid group coming back and we’ll see what freshmen are coming in. We may need to retool a little bit but we have a solid nucleus. We will need to fill some spots to obtain the depth needed but that is the name of the game,” said Lynch. Lynch is confident of the Trinity Hall swim team’s future. “We’ll be good. There is a great tradition, a wonderful school and the girls are outstanding. The administration is very supportive and we are known in the area as a good swimming program,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get some girls that are good swimmers to continue our success.”
Page 4 Jersey Sporting News • 3/10/20 - 3/23/20
Matawan Basketball’s Senior Night Extra Special for Darrell Rogers By Robert Solomon
MATAWAN – Senior Nights are a special time for high school athletes. It is the opportunity for them to be recognized and appreciated in what is usually their last home game of their high school careers. As each athlete has their name announced and hears the cheering fans, it makes all their hard work and sacrifice worthwhile. However, the night is even more special for some athletes who have had extraordinary challenges to overcome to reach this point. Matawan basketball player Darrell Rogers is one of these athletes. Rogers was the starting point guard on the Matawan varsity basketball team in his sophomore year. He was a strong contributor to the team and was the team’s third leading scorer with 230 points. “He was a long, athletic point guard that could do everything,” said Matawan coach John Giraldo. “He had a good basketball IQ and the potential to go to the next level.” A few months after the season ended, tragedy struck. Rogers had a heart attack while practicing with his AAU team. After CPR was administered by his coaches and a bystander, he was flown to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Giraldo heard the news from a parent, then immediately reached out to the coach to verify the story. “I was shocked,” said Geraldo of hearing the news. “You never really think that something like that would happen to one of your own players.” During Rogers’ three-month hospital stay, he was given an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), which acts as both a pacemaker and a defibrillator. His recovery was slow and his life was changed. With an ICD, he was no longer able to play contact sports. He rehabbed throughout the summer and fall and was able
to return to the team in December of that year, 2018. “It was a big accomplishment for him to walk into our practice,” said Giraldo.
me to the point where I can’t do it, but they don’t go easy on me either,” said Rogers. He is on track to graduate on time this June with the rest of his class.
When Rogers found out his basketball career was over, he put his feelings in perspective. “I was very emotional and mad at first, but I was happy for everyone who was playing,” he said.
“Academics were never really an issue. He was always a very good student. Now he has modified classes. He has a lot of memory loss but he is a hard worker. He does what he needs to do and is willing to put extra time in. He comes from a great family,” said Giraldo.
Rogers was not forgotten by his coaches or teammates. Giraldo said, “I kept in touch with his parents. I let them know that we wanted Darrell to be as much a part of the team as possible.” Emotions were high when Rogers finally returned. “It was a very emotional time for his teammates,” said Giraldo. “When he started to come around and be at practices there was a lot of relief and joy from everyone involved, especially his friends who he played with since elementary school.” Giraldo explained, “We wanted to make him as comfortable as possible and to have him around as much as possible. We wanted to include him in all team activities but did not know if he would be affected by the noise of the gym or bus rides to away games. We wanted to keep it as normal as possible. We kept his locker and uniform for him.” “He kept in touch with my family and me” said Rogers of Giraldo. “I went to practices and he got me more involved. He also encouraged my leadership abilities.” Upon his return to the team, Rogers was not medically cleared to play, so he became a non-playing member of the team. “He was at all practices and sat on the bench during home games,” said Giraldo. “He technically could not be on the court during warm-ups but he had eyes on everyone else and he was still part of the team.”
MATAWAN’S #5 DARRELL ROGERS Photo courtesy of Matawan HS Rogers didn’t feel nervous returning to the team. “It was unreal to me. It was always what I wanted from day one,” he said. “They (my teammates) always involved me in what they were doing and didn’t make me feel different.” Giraldo noticed that Rogers still felt the emotions of the game. “It is hard to tell but I know he feels the losses as much as anyone. He feels the intensity of the situations and the highs and lows as much as everyone else on the team. He is involved in the whole process.” Around school Rogers is very popular. “Everyone loves him. He was always a well-liked kid before the accident,” said Giraldo. “Now everyone wants to make sure he is OK. He’s like everyone’s little brother now. Everyone wants to protect him.” Rogers feels confident about his classes and appreciates all the help his teachers are giving him. “I’m doing well. My teachers don’t push
Senior Night was very special this year for the Matawan basketball community, as Rogers was able to suit up for the first time since the heart attack and be recognized as a member of the team. “We wanted to make sure he was acknowledged like all the other seniors and players. It was the first time he got to get into uniform with the team and be announced as a starter. He went through all the motions of being a starter on the team. His name was announced and he did the traditional hand shake with the coaches. Afterward he was in uniform on the bench (during the game),” said Giraldo. “He was very excited. I think it was more emotional than he anticipated.” “It was crazy,” exclaimed Rogers. “I wanted it but didn’t think it was going to be like that when everyone was cheering for me as I ran past them when my name was announced.” Keeping a positive attitude is important for Rogers. “I look at how it could have been and how I am right now,” said Rogers. “I realize I’m the best I can be right now, but I am still progressing.” “His progress might not seem like a lot but the incident was only two years ago. It is really
amazing at how far he has come in such little time,” said Giraldo. In addition to everything that has happened, Giraldo feels that Rogers is also a role model for the community. “Everyone in the community knows his story and they found inspiration in Darrell, not just his friends but people in the community,” he explained. Rogers is a bit more modest. When asked if he felt like he was a role model he responded, “No, I feel like I’m Darrell.” He is positive about his recovery. “I feel like I’m impatient a little but everything is going good.” He feels his family has played a big role in his recovery. “They push me to be the best I can be. They don’t go easy on me or anything.” Although he has limitations, he continues to work out. “I’m doing sit-ups, squats and lifting weights,” said Rogers. “I get tired easily and have to take breaks. I also stop lifting weights when I feel pain in my chest.” “He was disappointed that he couldn’t play on the school team anymore. His priorities are health wise and he wants to keep progressing,” said Giraldo. “His goals have changed and now are to be able to play basketball again (outside of scholastic competition). He wants to go to college and possibly study physical therapy. He wants to have a good, happy, successful life.” Rogers has thought about his post high school plans. “I will probably go to Brookdale College for two years to study physical therapy and then transfer to a four-year college to finish my physical therapy degree,” he explained. With all his support and a great attitude, Rogers is on his way to that happy, successful life.
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Rumson-Fair Haven Enjoying Success and Handchen Cup Title By Casey Krish
RUMSON – A team under the direction of a first-year head coach and without the services of a single senior on the defensive side of the puck is not one expected to be playing for a Shore Conference championship.
The Bulldogs’ roll this season culminated in the program winning their first Shore title since they captured the Dowd Cup back in 2012.
This season would have provided a great opportunity for a young core to learn the system being implemented by their new bench boss, and to build an identity for the program.
Rumson, led by a defensive unit that only surrendered 30 scores across 22 contests this season, will return every single skater to the blueline. Ronan Hickey, a junior netminder who produced a .930 save percentage, will also return to the crease.
Rumson-Fair Haven had different ideas, and they more than proved that they are ready to win now; capturing the Shore Conference’s Handchen Cup after defeating Middletown South, 9-3, at Jersey Shore Arena back on Feb. 20.
But the Handchen Cup championship game wrote a new narrative. RFH supplied the offense, exploding for a season-high nine goals in a game they put out of reach early.
RFH, which is under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Zullo, managed to only win five games during the 2017-18 season before finishing with a .500 record and a Handchen Cup victory as a nine-seed just last season.
“We have been snake-bitten in terms of scoring goals,” Zullo said after RFH’s Handchen Cup victory. “When we dominate the offensive zone, we know that the chances will come. All we need to do is start to bury them.”
In 2019-20, the Bulldogs were primed to be competitive, but nobody, save for anyone in an RFH uniform, expected them to be this good – this fast.
Bury their chances they did, as that night, Rumson-Fair Haven had six different players find the back of the net. Sam Catalano led the way with three goals and Brett Pritchard scored twice.
“This year I knew we had a strong contingency up front,” Zullo said. “We have a great goaltender and a lockdown defensive core that put us in a spot to be good now.”
RFH scored early and often; building a 4-0 lead just 9:49 into the first period behind a barrage from Max Nicholson, Catalano, Rowan Goldin and Jack Whitelaw.
RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN Photos by Tom Smith “We have no superstars on this team and everyone just plays for each other,” Catalano said. “We play as a team every time we step out on the ice.” Catalano was able to cap off his hat trick in the second period, surrounding a goal scored by Charlie Tallman. Pritchard lit the lamp twice in the final period to cap the scoring. When the final buzzer sounded, all the hard work the Bulldogs put in throughout the opening months of the season were all worth the effort. The only thing left to do was celebrate. “Throughout the day it was just nervous waiting,” Zullo said. “They have been ready for this moment since the beginning of the season.” The celebration was eight years in the making, and this group is more than accepting of being the second team in school history to add a trophy to the school hallways. “Rumson has only done this one other time – ever,” Whitelaw said. “We came out hot, strived for a win and didn’t stop – this is a great feeling.”
“It’s awesome,” Goldin said. “Words can’t describe it honestly.” Rumson-Fair Haven did not cake-walk their way to a 16-3-3 record this season. The Bulldogs faced stiff Shore Conference competition against teams like Saint John Vianney, Manasquan/Point Pleasant Beach, Middletown North and Jackson Liberty/Point Pleasant Boro; all of whom qualified for the NJSIAA state tournament. They also played to a draw with a Gordon Conference opponent in St. Peter’s Prep. For Zullo and the Bulldogs, all the hard work that is needed to get through the season was well worth it, and the rewards help motivate what is shaping into a powerhouse program in the Shore Conference to make trips to the finals a regular occurrence. “There were little building blocks throughout the season and they all led to this moment,” Zullo said. “They have climbed all the steps and got to the top and were ready to get their championship. “We are trying to build something here where getting the top seed and playing deep into the
postseason is more common,” Zullo added. Rumson-Fair Haven also earned a high seed in the NJSIAA Public C state bracket, receiving the fourth seed and home ice throughout the non-neutral site rounds. While RFH saw their run come to a close to fifth-seeded Manasquan in the quarterfinals, their remarkable campaign has placed them on the map to be a team to beat in 2020-21. “We know that we are going to get our opponent’s best effort every night when you are winning,” Zullo said. “We embrace that. We want to become the team that everyone wants to beat, and when you get that kind of competition it is only going to make you better.” “Early on nobody really thought we would be that good,” Whitelaw said. “We took the top seed and won the Shore so we have high confidence.” The start of next season is still over eight months away, but one thing is for certain heading into next season. There’s a lot of confidence that the Bulldogs will be a threat on the ice to anyone willing to challenge them.
3/10/20 - 3/23/20 • Jersey Sporting News
Page 5
JACKSON MEMORIAL GIRLS CAPTURE A SOUTH TITLE, EYE PLAYOFF RUN By Mike Ready
P O E N D I N N P O E N A D G I N N R A G G R G
JACKSON – The Jaguars are in the midst of their best season since 2012 when that team won the program’s first and only state title winning the NJSIAA Group IV championship before advancing to the Tournament of Champions.
and on both sides of the court she’s the full package. Right now, Kristina, Bianca and Rachel are playing as consistent as they have all year and they’re right where we want them to be.
“Ally and Zoie are role players but they have the fundamental skill sets to score and they get the ball in their hands,” Goodale continued. “They’re overshadowed but they’re pretty solid for us.”
They’ve already clinched their first Shore Conference Class A South title since 2013, going 14-0 in the division while dethroning three-time defending champion Toms River North at the same time by sweeping the regular series with the Mariners.
2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 201 2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 Sophomore Brooke McKown tore an ACL in the Marl2248 US South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ 9(Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 boro game and is • out 732-966-3441 for the season and sophomore
“That was really big, they (TRN) had been our Achilles heel for a couple of years now,” said long-time Jackson Memorial head coach Rachel Goodale. “Beating them on the road, although it was early in the season, gave us a ton of confidence to finish out the conference and definitely got us rolling from a mental standpoint. We were battle tested and had some good games along the way but that definitely sparked us and our confidence.” Last Tuesday, the Jaguars (23-3) routed Rancocas Valley, 82-55, in the opening round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV tournament. Senior Kristina Donza scored a game-high 30 points with 10 rebounds and six assists to lead the Jaguars.
Amber Williams was injured in the Gloucester Catholic game and lost for the season. According to Goodale, Williams was a big reason the Jaguars hung tough with Gloucester Catholic before getting hurt.
“We have to continue to shoot the ball well and play good half-court defense,” Goodale said for them to get to the sectional final. “We’re undersized against the rest of the section so we have to be consistent on the boards – that’s a key. If we can do that, shoot well and play defense I think we’ll be okay.” In their win against Rancocas Valley, the Jaguars outrebounded the Red Devils, 46-27, with Donza grabbing 10 boards and Vella 13.
JACKSON MEMORIAL Photo courtesy of Jackson Memorial HS
P O E N D ING N A R G
In Jackson Memorial’s Shore Conference Tournament opening-round 89-42 win over Pt. Pleasant Beach, Donza scored 37 points to become Jackson Memorial’s all-time leading scorer with 1,706 points, topping Hannah Missry, who previously set the record in the 2012-13 season with 1,678 points.
“That was a good win (RFH) for us and it tested us four days before going into the state tournament,” said Goodale. “That was awesome.”
“They’ve been our Achilles heel as well,” said Goodale about a possible rematch with Cherokee. “But we’re just taking one game at a time now. Early in the year we prepared all season for Cherokee but halfway through the season I said, ‘You know what, this has got to be about us, no other team.’ So now we’re just focused on Shawnee which is a very, very well coached team. This is not a game we certainly are looking past at all and it could go either way depending on how we shoot the ball and foul trouble and things like that.”
2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018
Donza, averaging 26.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, was just named to the Shore Conference Coaches first team All-Shore team and will continue her playing career at the United States Naval Academy.
Jackson’s three losses this season have come against
Paul VI (24-2) – ranked 10th in the state, South Jer2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 sey power Gloucester Catholic (18-10), which has five losses to nationally ranked teams and is ranked fourth in the Tri-County Conference, and Marlboro.
UPDATE: The Jaguars’ promising season came to crashing halt on Thursday with a 53-39 loss to Shawnee, which used a 18-6 second quarter to take control of the game early. In her final high school game of her stellar career, Donza was held to just 13 points by Shawnee, 14 below her average, and that proved to be the difference. Capua led the Jaguars with 20 points. Jackson Memorial held a 13-12 lead after one quarter but it all fell apart in the second quarter.
From Basics to Champions
Joining Donza in the starting lineup are junior guard Rachel Capua (18.7 pts/g, 4.8 rebs/g, 4.2 stl/g) – a third team Coaches All-Shore selection, Honorable Mention Coaches All-Shore selection senior guard Bianca Giordano, who is third in the state in assists averaging 7.1 per game, senior forward Ally Vella (4.6 pts/g, 7.6 rebs) and freshman forward Zoie Maffei (4.2 pts/g, 5.8 rebs/g). Senior guard Mackenzie Dakin and freshman guard Chloe Messer are the sixth and2248 seventhUS man off the bench. 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441
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If the Jaguars can get by No. 14 seed Shawnee, which upset No. 3 seed Clearview in Thursday’s quarterfinals, then beat Lenape in the semifinal, they’ll most likely face top-seeded and nemesis Cherokee, which has beaten the Jaguars in the state tournament the last two years, in the final.
“Bianca’s a pure pass-first point guard obviously with her assists,” said Goodale. “She’s been playing really, really well and knows where to find Kristina. And Rachel is just a knock-down shooter but can drive too
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The Jaguars, ranked ninth in the Shore Conference, had a 15-game winning streak snapped in the SCT second round by A North champion Marlboro (21-5), ranked sixth in the Shore. But they rebounded nicely and have won three in a row, including a 59-56 overtime win against perennial Shore Conference power Rumson-Fair Haven (19-8), ranked seventh in the Shore.
From Basics to Champions
“In our loss to Gloucester we played really, really well against a really good big kid so we knew we could play teams that had a big and guard defensively,” said Goodale. And drawing Marlboro (in the SCT) we knew that was going to be a really tough matchup. Their style of play does not match our style of play so I knew it was going to be a track meet. We run a lot of sets and it’s tough to run anything against what they do. But we’ve swept all our losses under the rug and have moved on.”
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“Kristina is just an unbelievable competitor,” gushed Goodale. “She prepares the right way and never has a bad day in practice. She does all the right things socially, physically, mentally for her to be successful. She makes everyone around her better and she’s surrounded by some pretty good guards. Her ability to have team chemistry with this group is so important to our success; she’s just an unbelievable motivator and competitor.”
Page 6 Jersey Sporting News • 3/10/20 - 3/23/20
SHORE CONFERENCE WRESTLE By Mike Ready
ATLANTIC CITY – Shore Conference wrestlers took home a record 31 state medals that included the crowning four NJSIAA state wrestling champions Saturday in Atlantic City. Saint John Vianney’s Dean Peterson became a two-time state champion, while Middletown North’s Tyler Klinsky brought home the program’s first state title in 46 years, and Toms River North’s Nick Boggiano won his first state title.
MANALAPAN’S JESSI JOHNSON Photos by Fran Attardi
In the girls state tournament, Manalapan’s Jessi Johnson became the program’s first two-time state champion, capping off an undefeated season by defeating West Orange’s Precious Opara, 7-2, in the 151-pound championship match. Jackson Memorial’s Avery Meyers at 128 pounds, and Jordyn Katz at 143 pounds, both placed second. In all, nine Shore Conference boy wrestlers had a shot at the gold advancing to the state final, but in the end it was Peterson, Klinsky and Boggiano who came out on top. It was an all-Shore Conference final in the 120-pound championship match with Peterson defeating Brick Memorial’s Vincent Santaniello, 1-0, in a grueling match that saw Peterson extend his winning streak to 73 match-
es. Incredibly, Peterson did not allow a single point the entire tournament while pushing his career record to a phenomenal 109-2. As for Santaniello, who used a thrilling overtime upset victory in the semifinals to advance to the final, the loss was only his second of the year finishing with a splendid 35-2 record. Klinsky capped off his historic career at North with a 6-3 victory over Don Bosco’s Kelly Dunnigan in the 113-pound championship match. He’s the Lions’ second state champion in program history and first since Ken Hopfsensperger in 1974. Klinsky went out as a four-time district and region champion, a two-time state finalist, a state champion and the Shore Conference’s all-time wins leader with 169. Boggiano, who took second in the Region 7 tournament, was unbeatable in the states. In the final, he got out to an early 7-0 lead and held on to claim the 152-pound state title over Paramus’s Aaron Ayzerov to become the Mariners’ fourth state champion and first since Matt Oliver in 2007. Boggiano finished the season with a 37-1 record to end up with 149 career wins. Six Shore Conference wrestlers finished second, including Vin Santaniello.
MIDDLETOWN NORTH’S TYLER KLINSKY
SJV’S DEAN PETERSON
TOMS RIVER NORTH’S NICK BOGGIANO
SJV’S DEAN PETERSON
3/10/20 - 3/23/20 • Jersey Sporting News
ERS SHINE IN ATLANTIC CITY A last-second take-down doomed Brick Memorial’s Anthony Santaneillo (38-1) as he lost a 3-1 decision in the 106-pound final to Kinnelon’s Evan Mougalian, while teammate David Szuba lost a controversial 195-pound state final to Camden Catholic’s Martin Cosgrove, 9-7, when he was called for stalling with the match tied at 7-7. Szuba, a junior, completed the season with a 31-3 record, including claiming the District 27 title and finishing second in the Region 7 tournament. Howell’s Shane Reitsma placed second for the second year in a row in a 3-1 loss to DePaul’s Connor O’Neil in the 170-pound state final. Reitsma was 42-2 this season and finishes his career with a 123-10 record. He finished sixth in the state tournament last year. At 182 pounds, Colts Neck’s Luke Rada lost by a fall to Colonia senior John Poznanski, who was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding wrestler. Rada, a senior, won both the District 21 and Region 6 championships, and finished the season at 37-2. In the heavyweight state final, Southern Regional senior J.T. Cornelius lost a 7-3 decision to St. JosephMontvale’s Jim Mullen. It was an excellent showing for Cornelius (33-5) who placed second in both the District 29 and Region 8 tournaments.
MANALAPAN’S JESSI JOHNSON
THIRD PLACE
138: Eddie Hummel – Southern 160: Robert Woodcock -Southern 182: Blake Clayton – Saint John Vianney
FOURTH PLACE
106: Evan Tallmadge – Brick 138: Ryan Zimmerman – Long Branch 160: Matt Benedetti – Manalapan 182: Joe Colon – Brick
FIFTH PLACE
106: Jack Zaleski – Middletown South 160: Shay Addison – Rumson-Fair Haven 170: Jack Kelly – Rumson-Fair Haven 195: Kyle Epperly – Jackson Memorial
SIXTH PLACE
113: Ryan Rosenthal – Toms River North 126: Nico Messina – Freehold 182: Jacob Whitworth – Wall Hwt: Justin Wright – Howell
SEVENTH PLACE
132: Jack Nies – Ocean 138: Al DeSantis – Shore Regional 182: Jason Sherlock – Pt. Beach
EIGHTH PLACE
120: Fred Luchs – Middletown North 145: Max Brignola – Rumson-Fair Haven 195: Patrick O’Dwyer – Long Branch Hwt: Griffin Jackstadt – Barnegat
MIDDLETOWN NORTH’S TYLER KLINSKY
TOMS RIVER NORTH’S NICK BOGGIANO
Happy Hour - Monday-Friday 4 - 6:30
Page 7
Page 8 Jersey Sporting News • 3/10/20 - 3/23/20
Shore Regional Fencer Aidan Johnson Finds Success with a Supportive Coach, but No Team By Robert Solomon
WEST LONG BRANCH – There are many choices available for team sports in high school. Of those sports, some involve individual competitions such as tennis, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling and fencing. What does a student-athlete do when he or she wants to compete but his or her high school does not have a team? The athlete needs to train on their own and find a coach willing to be a supportive supervisor.
season consists of two matches (the state qualifier and state championships).”
Fencer Aidan Johnson of Shore Regional found himself in that situation. With his determination and the help of the Shore Regional athletic manager, he was able to participate and excel as a high school fencer.
Johnson has a national ranking of A19 by USA Fencing, which is the highest ranking possible. This skill level, his dedication and the support given to him enabled him to overcome these obstacles. “He takes his sport seriously,” said Bohnert.
“I watched Star Wars and played with toy swords,” explained Johnson of his start in fencing. “I saw an ad in a magazine for a local fencing club and decided to try it out.” That was nine years ago and he is still fencing. Shore Regional does not have a fencing team, but six years ago Jared Cohen wanted to compete in fencing. Athletic Manager Rich Bohnert stepped up to become the school’s fencing supervisor. Bohnert has an extensive coaching background in baseball and basketball but feels a good coach can coach any athlete. “I would probably consider myself more of an administrative advisor,” said Bohnert. “My primary responsibilities are to keep the athlete focused on the task at hand and not looking forward to any other opponent.” Two years later Cohen graduated and Johnson arrived at Shore, already an accomplished fencer. Bohnert agreed to supervise him as well. “I grew up with his parents. I’ve known them forever,” he said. “The comfort of knowing who they were made the decision much easier as they knew my knowledge was limited, but I had experience coaching other sports plus part of my duties as the athletic manager includes coaching when necessary. “Johnson is a focused, determined and dedicated athlete,” said Bohnert. “He is dedicated to his craft.” This is evident as Johnson travels three times a week to train at Fencers Club in Manhattan. “Any student who takes a train to Jersey City and then Manhattan after school is dedicated.” To be a successful high school fencer Johnson had some obstacles to overcome. “Not having a school program and not having teammates has been a little bit of a difficulty,” said Bohnert. “With a school team there would be more time on the mat. He has no teammates to practice against and his
“Of course it is difficult (not being on a team) because it makes it harder to qualify for the state championship. You also do not have the support of a team, but Shore was very supportive,” said Johnson.
“He is a very intense, very skilled fencer. He is quick on his feet,” said Bohnert when asked about Johnson’s strengths. “He attacks immediately and doesn’t take anyone for granted.” As a high school foil fencer, Johnson has been extremely successful. In his freshman year he placed fifth in the state championships. He won the championship as a sophomore and was third as a junior. He was also selected first team all-state as a sophomore when he went 19-0. “It is very rare for a non-team athlete to make this,” explained Bohnert. He was a third team all-state as a freshman and second team all-state as a junior. This year’s ranking won’t come out for a few weeks. Any non-team fencer who wants to qualify for the state singles tournament must compete in the state qualifying tournament. The fencers need to submit their experience and rating in order to be accepted to qualify explained. At that point the fencer will be accepted into the tournament. This year the tournament was held at North Hunterdon on Jan. 25. Johnson made it through the qualifier and into the individual state championships which were held at Livingston on Feb. 27. The NJSIAA individual championships consist of a round of pool play with 22 fencers. The top 14 fencers are then split into two groups of seven for the semifinal round. Upon completion of the semifinals pool play, the top eight fencers move to the finals round which is a round robin format. The fencer with the best record at the culmination of this round is crowned the NJ state individual fencing champion. Each bout (a single contest) is won by the first fencer to five points (one point for each legal touch) with a three-minute time limit. Johnson was confident he would make it to the
finals round. “I felt really good because I fenced well in the pool play,” he said and he easily made it through to the finals round robin. In the round robin, Johnson’s record stood at 5-1 due to an early loss and his last bout was against defending champion and favorite Jack Woods, whose record was 6-0. Johnson would have to beat Woods to tie him and have any chance at the championship. If Woods won, he would take the gold and be crowned champion and Johnson would earn the silver with the second-place finish. In the tightly contested bout Johnson came out on top besting Woods, 5-4. “I was very excited because I knew I would get a chance to win states again,” exclaimed Johnson. Both fencers finished pool play with a 6-1 record. The tie caused some confusion as to who would be crowned the champion. “We originally thought the tie breaker would be based on point differential,” said Bohnert. “After the judges referred to the rulebook, a winner had to be determined by a fence-off (barrage).” “First I was glad because I had another chance to become state champion.” said Johnson. “It was stressful but I was confident. I was nervous but once you start fencing you don’t think about it. I knew I would have to beat Jack Woods to be state champion.” The barrage would be determined by the first fencer to five with a three-minute time limit. “The match was back and forth until the last minute when he (Woods) scored two points in a row,” recounted Johnson. Woods came out on top winning, 5-3. Johnson left the strip disappointed. “It was my senior year and I wanted to go out with a bang but I lost to a good competitor. I fenced well that day.” “He accepted it, but knew it was going to come down to a fence-off with Jack Woods. Johnson and Woods have been competitors for nine years. They are on the same circuit so there were no surprises,” said Bohnert. “He knew he would have to go through Jack to win.” When asked if Johnson would continue to be successful, Bohnert said, “Without any question. He is an honor student and a top athlete.” Johnson has committed to Penn State to begin his collegiate fencing career. This year’s team presently ranks fourth in the nation according to ncaa.com and
SHORE REGIONAL’S AIDAN JOHNSON Photos courtesy of Shore Regional HS its fencing program is ranked No. 2 in the nation according to superscholar.org. “I’ve always wanted to go to Penn State,” said Johnson. “Its program and coaches are amazing.” In addition to fencing at Shore, Johnson travels around the world as part of the 20-member USA Fencing Cadet World Cup Team. He has competed in the Cadet European Circuit traveling to France, Slovakia and Rome. He also competes annually with the Junior Olympics Team and monthly with the North American Cups. Bohnert and Johnson have great respect for each other. “I’ve had the privilege of coaching one of the better athletes in my career. I’m very proud of him. Going through four years with him has been a great ride. He’s a great kid,” he stated. Johnson added, “Coach Bohnert was absolutely helpful. He was a friend of my parents and was interested in fencing. He accompanied me to the qualifier and states. He probably supported me the most at Shore.” With his success in academics and fencing, there is no limit to how far Johnson could go.
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Miracle Shot Sends Manasquan to Dowd Cup Three-Peat By Casey Krish
MANASQUAN – Sometimes you just go to a hockey game and end up experiencing the unexpected. Back on Feb. 20 at Jersey Shore Arena, the Manasquan/ Point Pleasant Beach hockey co-op defeated Saint John Vianney, 4-3 to, earn the program its third consecutive Shore Conference Dowd Cup championship. Another year. Another title. Nothing that anyone in the stands hasn’t seen before. This year however, saw an ending no one could have seen coming. Chris Farinacci collected the puck near the boards at his own line with the final seconds counting down. The Dowd Cup seemed destined to be decided in a sudden-death overtime period. Everyone started to shift their focus to the upcoming extra 15 minutes. Everyone but Farinacci. Farinacci gathered the puck and clapped a slapshot from just inside his own blueline. It was a low percentage shot, destined to miss the net or at the very least, be brushed aside by the goaltender. The chances were low, but nowhere did it say impossible. The puck skipped across the ice and might have tipped off a skate or leg in front on its way toward the goal. Nevertheless, it found the twine, giving Manasquan a 4-3 lead with only 1.7 seconds flashing on the clock. “I was just trying to fire it on net,” Farinacci said. “I was hoping for a tip or something and it ended going right in.”
The goal sealed a hard fought victory for the Warriors, culminating in their third straight Dowd Cup in the most thrilling ending imaginable. Farinacci’s goal made national headlines as well, being selected as the No. 3 play on ESPN’s Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays the next morning. The magical moment would be for naught had Manasquan not battled hard for the opening 44:58 of the game. Luke McNamara opened the scoring late in the second period, but Saint John Vianney managed to hold a 2-1 lead until the later stages of the final frame. Michael Farinacci finished off a play to tie the score up at 2-2 with 6:08 to play, before SJV took a penalty to give the Warriors a man advantage only 23 seconds after tying the game. Aidan Wiseman capitalized with the extra skater, putting Manasquan ahead with just 5:21 remaining in the contest. Colin Gartz tied the game for the Lancers with only 37 seconds remaining and the goalie pulled. The life was seemingly deflated out of Manasquan, but Farinacci’s dramatics in the waning moments proved otherwise. “This team is like a family and they will go through anything for each other,” Manasquan head coach Adam Houli said. “The opportunity for a three-peat of Dowd Cups is a tremendous feat and it couldn’t have happened without this tremendous group of kids.” It’s a funny game. Sometimes the bounces go your way, and sometimes it seems a wide open net is impossible to hit. For Manasquan, a little luck doesn’t take away from the hard work that went into reaching this moment. “We’ve been on the wrong end of a lot of bounces this season, but we did enough that night to come out on the right side of one of those crazy bounces,” Houli said. “Sometimes you can play a perfect game and the puck takes some crazy deflection and you fall short.” Manasquan started slow out of the gate, holding a record of 2-3-0 af-
MANASQUAN Photos by Tom Smith ter their opening five games of the season. They would end the season on a 16-game unbeaten streak on a 12-0-4 record, but ultimately succumbed to top-seeded Summit in the semifinals of the NJSIAA Public C state tournament.
Warriors will lose both to graduation, but return high profile scorers in Wiseman (28 points) and Anthony Dowd (38 points), not to mention the role players and depth that have helped carry the load this season as well.
Manasquan captured its third straight Shore Conference championship, but their fortunes in the state tournament have not been friendly to the Warriors. This year, the program finally got the monkey off its back, notching a state tournament win – the first in the history of the program.
Conall Dougherty took over in the crease and has stood tall against some high powered offenses in pressure filled games as a sophomore.
“We have a lot of depth and role guys on this team, and everyone is accepting of that role that they are asked to play,” Houli said after their March 2 victory over RFH. “Tonight was a great example of how this team gels together. So many kids that aren’t going to show up on the stat sheet made an impact tonight.” Mike Franzoni led all scorers with 53 points this year, and fellow senior Luke McNamara contributed 39. The
“Regardless of how the season ends, we are happy with the development that we have undergone as a program this season,” Houli said. “The titles and the accolades are always great, but none of these kids are going to let them define the type of team we are.” The Warriors will return to action next winter with some new faces, but make no mistake – Manasquan will once again contend for a Shore Conference championship. Is a four-peat in the making for the Warriors? Only time will tell.
3/10/20 - 3/23/20 • Jersey Sporting News
Page 9
FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM – SAINT JOHN VIANNEY CAPTURES FIRST SCT TITLE SINCE 2016 By Mike Ready
WEST LONG BRANCH – After beating Manasquan in 2016 for the program’s 13th Shore Conference Tournament championship, Saint John Vianney advanced to the SCT final the next three seasons only to come away empty handed all three times. That all changed Saturday night at the Ocean First Bank Center at Monmouth University as the topseeded Lancers held off a late charge by secondseeded Manchester – ranked fourth in the state – to break their three-game losing streak in the final beating the Hawks, 57-50. The win was even sweeter as it avenged their loss to Manchester in last year’s SCT final. “We spoke a little bit this morning about the negativity of being in the losing locker room last year,” said Saint John Vianney head coach Dawn Karpell. “I felt confident that wasn’t going to be the case this year.” Saturday night’s win didn’t come easy though. Two free throws by Lancers junior guard Katie Hill put SJV up by four, 47-43, with 3:03 left in the game and the Lancers appeared to be in control.
A three-point play, however, by junior forward Destiny Adams on Manchester’s ensuing possession pulled them to within one, 47-46, with 2:45 left in the game and senior Serenity Anderson’s two free throws put the Hawks back on top, 48-47, with two minutes remaining. You could cut the tension in the air at this point as the restless SJV fans looked on in disbelief with the possibility of another loss in the final now staring them right in the face. Fear not though. Hill and sophomore guard Madison St. Rose, who are the only returning starters from last year’s team, were not about to let this game slip away. The two seasoned veterans went to work and combined to score 16 of the Lancers’ final 17 points. “Maddie and Katie last year were a little overwhelmed by the moment,” said Karpell. “I felt confident that wasn’t going to be the case today. The two of them definitely pulled the other kids through that. Their leadership was really huge.” St. Rose’s clutch offensive rebound and putback gave the lead – one they would not relinquish – back to the Lancers, 49-48, and on the play Hill was fouled positioning herself for a rebound and then calmly sank both free throws for a 51-48 lead with 1:49 to play. “The whole team stepped up in the end,” said Hill. “When they went up by one we didn’t panic. We stayed composed and continued to play our game. It gave us an extra push to get through the end.”
As those final seconds ticked off the clock no one was more excited than Karpell who leaped in the air pumping her fist in jubilation. This just might be Karpell’s greatest coaching job yet of her illustrious career. This was a team that wasn’t supposed to do anything this season without a single senior on the team and only two players who played any significant minutes a year ago. As a testament to Karpell’s coaching, the Lancers are now 25-1 and ranked No. 1 in the state. The Lancers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game but Manchester closed the gap to five, 14-9, at the end of the first quarter. Hill’s three-pointer and Megan Callahan’s layup off an assist from Hill gave the Lancers a 22-14 lead with 4:14 left in the second quarter but the Hawks closed out the half on a 7-0 run highlighted by Anderson’s three-point shot with 29 second left to pull within one, 22-21, at the half. St. Rose was voted the MVP with 23 points, seven rebounds, two assists and five steals, while Hill added 15 points, five boards, three assists and two blocks.
Ashley O’Connor, who had a clutch offensive rebound and assist to St. Rose with 32.8 seconds left, had eight points, three boards and a steal and Callahan contributed six points, five rebounds and four blocked shots. Adam finished with 25 points, eight boards while Anderson added 11 points three rebounds and four steals. “We’re just going to enjoy this one as long as we can for a couple of days,” said Karpell. “This tournament prepares you for the states like no other. We just won a couple of really tough games back-to-back so the fact we were able to do that and execute in consecutive games I’m hoping that will propel us in the states.”
That was the final of seven lead changes in the second half with the Lancers then closing out the game on a 10-2 run in the final 1:49 – most of it coming at the free-throw line. Saint John Vianney’s ability to convert free throws in crunch time was the difference as Hill and St. Rose went 6-of-7 from the stripe down the stretch, while Manchester (23-4) was just 6-of-11 with Adams missing both free throws with 22.8 seconds and making just 4-of-9 in the final minutes. With 3.8 seconds left in the game, St. Rose pulled down her final rebound of the night and was fouled immediately. As she walked to the foul line she cracked a smile knowing the game was theirs before she calmly sank both shots to put the finishing touches on the game.
SAINT JOHN VIANNEY’S #22 MADISON ST ROSE
“Last year we were really sad seeing that the seniors couldn’t get the win,” said St. Rose. “I just kept telling my teammates that we weren’t losing and we had to keep pushing. The score might’ve gotten close but whatever we had to do, we were going to do it. We weren’t losing.”
SAINT JOHN VIANNEY Photos by Eric Braun
Saint John Vianney High School Congratulations to our Lady Lancers on their amazing season!
SJVHS ~ www.sjvhs.org, 540A Line Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733 (732)-739-0800
Page 10 Jersey Sporting News • 3/10/20 - 3/23/20
TOTAL DESTRUCTION – MANASQUAN WINS FIRST SCT TITLE SINCE 1957 By Mike Ready
WEST LONG BRANCH – Manasquan was the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, is ranked No. 1 in the Shore and sixth in the state and went 14-0 to capture the A Central division for a reason; they’re really, really good – with an exclamation point. Saturday night at Monmouth University’s Ocean First Bank Center in the Shore Conference Tournament final against third-seeded Toms River North, the Warriors got the chance to show 3,000-plus spectators just how good they are in their 75-49 annihilation of the Mariners. And believe it or not, the final score wasn’t even a true indication of just how dominant the Warriors were Saturday night from wire to wire. The Warriors jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back as they not only avenged their loss to Ranney in last year’s final but won the program’s first SCT championship in some 63 years. Manasquan likes to run in the transition game and they ran the Mariners right out of the gym and into the cold winter night.
Toms River North’s 2-3 zone played right into the hands of Manasquan as did its preference for an up-tempo offense and the Warriors made them pay. With just under two minutes left in the first quarter until the 3:26 mark of the first half, Manasquan went on a 17-0 run that pushed its lead to 32-7 that essentially put an early nail in the Mariners’ coffin. Super sophomore Ben Roy, who was the game’s MVP, led the beat down of the Mariners dropping a career-high 31 points on 13-for-21 shooting, including 18 points in the second half as he continually deflated any hope Toms River North (24-4) had for a comeback, with dagger-like answers to anything resembling a Mariners’ rally. “To be honest, it was to our advantage having played here last year and we knew the court a little bit and we really felt like the home team,” said Roy. “When we got up 8-0, we looked and the clock and said, ‘This is where it starts; let’s go off on this.’ So that’s what happened and we just kept the same intensity. “I was definitely feeling it tonight,” Roy continued. “I was pumped up to be here, but it was only because of my teammates. They found me cutting to the baskets and in good spots, so I couldn’t have done what I did tonight without them.” In last Thursday’s semifinal against Holmdel, the Warriors (27-1) struggled to get untracked against the Hornets’ relentless pressure defense, which forced 14 Manasquan first-half turnovers, until the fourth quarter when they outscored the Hornets, 16-4, to steal a dramatic 44-40 win. They kept that intensity flowing into Saturday’s final from the opening tipoff up until head coach Andrew Bilodeau emptied his bench following a floater by Roy with 3:13 left in the game that gave them a 33-point lead, 75-42. “I feel like we did a good job of taking the fourth quarter against Holmdel and carrying it over into this game,” said star forward Alex Galvan, who is one of the top pitchers in the state and is committed to the University of Louisville. “That was our thing going into this game. We didn’t want to sit back, relax and let them come to us. We wanted to go up by 20 and keep it that way.”
MANASQUAN’S #10 BEN ROY
Roy and Galvan each scored four points in the game’s opening 8-0 run to set the tone
of the night. Galvan, who finished with 17 points, a team-high nine rebounds and four blocked shots, had a thunderous dunk off an assist from senior point guard Kieren Flanagan during their 17-0 run that brought the crowd to its feet.
Junior guard Jack Collins, who was limited in Thursday’s semifinal after getting into early foul trouble, helped get the Warriors off to a blazing start on Saturday scoring all eight of his points in the first quarter when they built a 24-7 lead.
“It was important to jump on them early,” said Galvan. “We wanted to seal the deal from the get-go and not let them hang around with us.”
Shooting guard Casey Mulligan, the third senior on the starting five, had four points, including a big three-pointer to jump start the 17-0 run in first quarter, four rebounds, two assist and two steals.
Flanagan ran the show to perfection finishing with a game-high seven assists to go along with 11 points, two rebounds, a blocked shot and a game-high five steals. Roy had high praise for his team’s outstanding defensive effort against Toms River North, which had just scored 114 points in its quarterfinal win over Marlboro, but was held to 49 points Saturday night. “Playing against Holmdel they really made us struggle offensively,” said Roy. “Our defense won us that game so we knew coming into this game defense was going to be huge and that really fed into our offense.” Senior forward Tim McEneny had a monster game on defense for the Warriors. He was matched up for most the night with Mariners’ big man Najae Hallenbeck, who came into the game averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds per game, but was held to just six point and six boards.
Jakari Spence scored a team-high 24 points for Toms River North along with four rebounds and two assists. The Warriors deserve a lot of credit for their endurance, among other things, throughout the season. They’ve passed every test that’s been thrown at them. They’ve had the bullseye on their backs since day one after being named the preseason No. 1 and have had to play almost half their games without Galvan, who’s battled a high ankle sprain and shin injuries. It’s almost as though they’re destined for greatness and this was only the beginning. Their road to the Tournament of Champions begins Tuesday as the first seed in a Central Jersey Group III first-round game against Metuchen.
MANASQUAN’S #1 KIERAN FLANAGAN “I have to give the guys a lot of credit,” Bilodeau said. “To have that pressure (as the No. 1 team) from day one and being able to maintain it, get to this point with one loss with the quality of schedule we’ve played I think is impressive. They showed a lot of mental toughness dealing with the pressure.”
“He was phenomenal,” said Bilodeau of McEneny’s work on Hallenback. “He did against Roselle Catholic, he did against St. Peter’s Prep and he did again tonight. I thought he was just marvelous. He did a great job on the glass too, as well as defending Najea.” McEneny’s final stats weren’t flashy, finishing with four points, six rebounds and three assists but he was definitely an unsung hero in the game. Galvan had a tremendous all-around game but it was his defense that really stood out. His four blocked shots and his three steals were indicative of just how tenacious he was on the defensive end. “We were very disciplined on defense,” said Galvan. “We weren’t reaching and going for those highlight blocks and bailing them out. We have 6-5 guys who are going straight up, it’s not easy to score. Don’t bail them out, play good defense and that leads to offense.”
MANASQUAN Photos by Eric Braun
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3/10/20 - 3/23/20 • Jersey Sporting News
Page 11
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE – HOLMDEL STILL NOT GETTING THE RESPECT IT DESERVES By Mike Ready
HOLMDEL – Maybe it’s that they’re a Group II team or maybe it’s their style of play, but for whatever reason, Holmdel isn’t getting the respect and/or recognition it deserves despite being ranked No.2 in the Shore while quietly putting together one of the best seasons in program history. “I kind of thought that for most of the year; I think most everyone was just waiting for us to lose,” Holmdel head coach Sean Devaney said of his team’s lack of recognition. “We’re not a flashy team. We’re not going to go out and score 75 or 80 points most nights. We’re kind of a grind-it-out team that can have some scoring droughts but that makes us dig in more defensively. “I guess we’re not a real graceful basketball team where you watch us and say, ‘Wow.’ But we’re a big effort team, a big defensive team and we kind of scrap for everything we get. So, yeah, I think all year long our kids have played with a little bit of a chip.” Holmdel’s 1998 and 1999 teams won Group II championships and that’s the goal of this year’s team. However, for them to duplicate that feat there are still quite a few obstacles they need to clear, and not getting too far ahead of themselves is one of them. It is, however, only natural for them look ahead at a possible rematch with division foe and A Central champion Manasquan, a
team that beat them three times this season, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II final. But first they need to focus on just getting there – which they’ve done a good job at so far without a hitch.
Senior guards, brothers Doug and Derek Chan, are two-year starters and bring a wealth of experience to the backcourt while both averaging over nine points per game this season.
As the two-seed in the CJGII tournament’s opening round, the Hornets destroyed 15thseed Governor Livingston by 45 points. They then easily got past seventh-seed Roselle, 65-48, in Thursday’s quarterfinal to set up Saturday’s semifinal matchup with No. 6 Lincoln, which upset third-seeded Hillside to advance. “We have to win Saturday before we can even think about Manasquan,” said Devaney. “We’ve still got a long way to go. Lincoln is a really good basketball team, they’re athletic and quick and they’ll present a lot of problems to us. If we don’t play well, we’ll lose; a lot can happen and there’s no tomorrow.” If Holmdel (21-4) can get by Lincoln it will set up their fourth meeting against Manasquan, which is ranked No.1 in the Shore and sixth in New Jersey. Three of the Hornets’ four losses this season are to the Warriors and the only other blemish to its record is a one-point loss to Carteret (20-7) in the Huskies Holiday Classic. Manasquan (28-1) holds an average 25-point scoring differential against opponents in their 28 wins but in their last two games against the Hornets they’ve managed to beat them by just six and four points, respectively. Nobody in the state has come close to hanging with Manasquan as Holmdel has in those two games. “I guess, but we just kind of do what we do,” said Devaney when asked if he thought those two close games against the Warriors might’ve opened some eyes. “A lot of it is what we need to do for us and then what people say on the outside is up to them. Our responsibility is to go out and play the way we practice and then we let the chips fall where they may. This group has been very resilient, these games are hard for us and we just have to keep grinding and the guys don’t take anything for granted.”
HOLMDEL’S #12 ALEX BAKER
Central selection this season after averaging 13 points per game in the regular season.
In the Shore Conference Tournament semifinal against Manasquan, the Hornets led, 36-28, after three quarters before the Warriors went on a 16-4 run to close out the game in a heartbreaking 44-40 loss for the Hornets.
Against Roselle, Doug put up 15 points while Derek added six. Senior guard Eric Hinds, averaging seven point per game, rounds out the starting five for the Hornets.
HOLMDEL’S #3 JACK GIAMANCO “That was brutal; there’s not many words you can say that would accurately describe how we all felt,” said Devaney of the loss. “Not to be arrogant, but we felt not only did we lose to Manasquan but we felt like we could’ve won the whole Shore Conference Tournament. And that’s no disrespect to anyone.” Holmdel relies on a balanced scoring attack with two players averaging double-digits in scoring but no one over 14 points a game and two averaging nine-plus.
Junior forward Ryan Bradley has come on strong as of late scoring 19 points in the SCT second round and 13 points in the quarterfinal after averaging five points per game in the regular season. Senior guard and captain Peter Cannizzo (five points per game) and junior forward John Curreri (four points per game) round out the eightman rotation. “These guys are a quiet, confident group,” said Devaney. “There’s not just one player that jumps out. On any given night the sixth, seventh and eighth man can play more than the starters.” “I know it’s very in vogue to game at a time, I know that’s eryone says, but we started that beginning of the season,” said
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on keeping his players focused on Saturday’s game and not looking ahead. “I don’t think we’ve ever really looked far down the road at any point this season. They know Saturday’s a tough game so Manasquan seems way off in the distance. “People ask me ‘Do you think you’re going to play Manasquan a fourth time’ and I tell them that Manasquan’s the least of our thoughts.” If the Hornets do get another shot at the Warriors, whatever you do, don’t count them out. UPDATE: Holmdel advanced to the CJGII final Saturday with a 60-57 win over Lincoln in a game that could’ve gone either way. After seeing a 14-point lead disappear, the Hornets found themselves trailing, 52-47, with 6:16 remaining in the game. Holmdel then forced three straight turnovers to ignite a 10-1 run to regain the lead for good, 57-53, with 2:19 left. Then, with 17.1 seconds left, a Hinds steal led to two free throws by Baker to ice the game and send the Hornets into round four with Manasquan, which beat Bordentown, 80-67. Baker had a monster game with 22 points, five boards, two assists, a block and two steals. Giamanco added 10 points and Hinds and Cannizzo each dropped eight points. Cannizzo also had team-highs in rebounds (7) and assists (4), while Hinds added a team-high five steals.
“That’s certainly not by design, it’s just kind of how it’s evolved,” said Devaney. “It’s also a reflection of our group as being very unselfish. We’ve been lucky though that we have a lot of different kids that can get double figures on any given night.” Junior forward Alex Baker, the only starting underclassman on the team, is a 2020 second team Coaches All-Shore selection. The 6-foot-5 Baker, who averages 14 points and 11 rebounds, scored a combined 34 points in the SCT second round and quarterfinal rounds. In Thursday’s quarterfinal win against Roselle, Baker dropped a game-high 19 points to lead the Hornets. Senior guard Jack Giamanco is one of six seniors in the Hornets’ eight-man rotation. He is a Coaches second team All-A
HOLMDEL Photos courtesy of Holmdel HS
Be An Ally to LGBTQ Individuals By Nicole Sorokolit Croddick
Under many state and municipal laws, LGBTQ individuals have some legal protections. Currently, the Supreme Court of the United States is considering various employment law cases in which discrimination in employment, based on Gender Identity/ Expression and Sexual Orientation, would expressly deem to be protected classes under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Despite this trend, LGBTQ individuals face some of the highest harassment and discrimination rates in the country in all aspects of life. This harassment and discrimination can occur not only at work and in public places but frequently happens amongst family and friends in seemingly “safe environments.” This is why many individuals in the LGBTQ community experience feelings of sadness, rejection, turmoil, and conflict, because, for example, although the home or family environment should be a safe place grounded in peace and honesty, for LGBTQ individuals, it is often a place of lies, rejection, danger, abuse, and neglect. Many individuals have been physically or emotionally “kicked out” of their homes or families because of who their authentic self is. Some are forced to endure living a lie, in their family home, as they are not free to be themselves or “come out.” This rejection, amongst those who are closest to a person, can lead to mental and physical illness, substance abuse, and even suicide. Some LGBTQ individuals have their own supportive “chosen” families because their biological families have not accepted or supported them. Families and friends must recognize the difficulties that the LGBTQ community faces and provide these individuals with respect, acceptance, and support. Everyone should consider being an ally to this disenfranchised population. It is of primary importance for families and friends of the LGBTQ community to both understand and use the proper vocabulary and terms so that they can have appropriate, respectful, and educated dialogue with LGBTQ individuals. Following are some critical, frequently used (and often misunderstood) vocabulary amongst LGBTQ individuals. LGBT(Q): is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and (Queer/Questioning). Gender identity: is a person’s fundamental concept as male, female, both or neither.
Gender expression: is a person’s external appearance of gender identity expressed through clothing, voice, accessories, behavior, grooming, and hair. Such expression can either conform or not conform to socially defined behaviors associated with being male or female. Pansexual individuals have an emotional or romantic attraction to people regardless of their gender or gender identity.
Once this vocabulary is understood, families, colleagues, associates, and friends of LGBTQ individuals should be open to and accepting of LGBTQ individuals. This is especially important as acceptance and support, especially amongst family, friends, and co-workers, can mean the difference between happiness and depression and even life and death in this marginalized community.
• Be empathetic.
Agender or gender-nonbinary: are people who do not identify with either gender.
Remember these tips when interacting with family, colleagues, associates, and friends of the LGBTQ community.
• Present information, such as podcasts or reading materials, to educate family and friends.
Cisgender: denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex. Gender dysphoria: refers to the distress a person feels because their birth-assigned sex and gender not matching their gender identity. Gender non-conforming: Gender non-conforming people have, or are perceived to have, gender characteristics that do not conform to traditional or societal expectations.
• Do not force religious beliefs on LGBTQ individuals. • LGBTQ individuals also can benefit from tips to assist in gaining acceptance by family and friends. • Do not assume you will know a family or friend’s reaction.
• Be patient as changes in attitude take time. • Demonstrate dignity and respect for transgender individuals. • Educate yourself about LGBTQ rights and issues. • Be “normal” – treat everyone with the same respect, equality, and courtesy, regardless of LGBTQ status.
• Be respectful but firm with slips in name or pronouns. • Be strategic in who you will discuss certain things with, or even who you will be fully “out” with. • Plan if you are bringing a partner home so that family and friends are prepared.
• Be an ally. • Have an ally to call on. • Do not use slurs, insults, or even microaggressions. • Self affirm and self assert.
Transition: The process of changing genders from one’s birth-assigned gender to one’s gender identity. There are many different ways to transition. For some people, it is a complex process that takes place over a long period, while for others, it is a one or two-step process that happens more quickly. The transition may include social aspects such as: “Coming out”: telling one’s family, friends, and/or co-workers; Legal aspects changing one’s name and/or sex on legal documents; Medical aspects such as accessing hormone therapy or possibly medically necessary surgical procedures. Not all transgender people access medical care as part of their gender transition. Whether they do so does not make their gender transition any less real.
• Be inclusive. • Take the time to enjoy yourself in social situations. • Let the LGBTQ individual be themselves. • Treat LGBTQ individuals the same as everyone else. • Demonstrate love and support. • Do not ask these individuals to act in a certain way. • Cultivate an environment where people feel safe in coming out or changing their gender identity, expression, or name. • Use proper terminology, names, pronouns.
Sexual orientation: is the inherent emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people, such as gay, lesbian, or heterosexual. Ally: An ally is someone who is not a member of an underrepresented group but who takes action to support that group. It's up to people who hold positions of privilege to be active allies to those with less access and to take responsibility for making changes that will help others be successful. These people support equality and civil rights amongst all groups and challenge bias, prejudice, and discrimination.
• Recognize that gender can be fluid or non-binary. • Address inappropriate remarks, slurs, microaggressions, and comments. • Show support; keep “reactions” to a minimum. • Don’t be afraid to ask questions. • Get preferred names and pronouns right.
Nicole Sorokolit Croddick is of Counsel at Davison, Eastman, Muñoz, Paone, P.A., where she focuses her practice on employment and labor matters. She consults companies on human resources issues and has conducted internal investigations on ethical and legal violations. With this breadth of experience, she has gained a deep understanding of the problems that exist in the modern workplace. Additionally, she has drafted employee handbooks, severance agreements, has updated hiring and employee discipline forms and procedures, and facilitated trainings on a variety of labor and employment law and compliance topics, including Continuing Legal Education. Nicole has also taken her experience and used it appropriately as a subject matter expert in numerous ethical/legal training videos for LRN Corporation, a leader in ethics and compliance training to major organizations worldwide. Nicole is admitted to practice in New Jersey and in New York. She is a board member of RCDS’s Diversity and Inclusion Board. She received her J.D. from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and her B.A. from Boston College. She conducts all work in both English and Spanish and may be reached at ncroddick@respondlaw.com or 732-462-7170.