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Volume 25 • Issue 553

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2/19/19 - 3/4/19

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TRINITY HALL THROWS THEIR SKATES INTO THE RINK Coverage on page 11

Page 2 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 3

The Few, the Proud... the Point Pleasant Boro Boys Ice Hockey Team

By Eugene Stewart

POINT PLEASANT – Second-year coach Steve Plancey and the Point Boro Panthers ice hockey team just completed an undefeated, 8-0 in A South, outright division champions and a 16-4-1 overall record for the 2018-19 campaign. “We’re very happy,� stated Plancey.

As one of, if not the smallest team in NJ, the Point Boro boys ice hockey team consists of just 11 skaters. What they lack in sheer numbers, they make up for in grit, determination and great team play.

For the season, Boro won a pair against Southern Regional and Jackson

Memorial before a 3-1 loss to Middletown South. The Panthers then ran off another three consecutive wins against Toms River North, Brick Memorial and Rumson-Fair Haven. A tie with Bridgewater-Raritan was followed by four wins against Basking Ridge, Hunterdon Central, South Brunswick, and Howell/ Matawan.

Middletown North dealt Boro a 2-4 loss on Jan. 8, before wins versus Brick and Central Regional, followed by the last loss of the regular season to Manasquan/Point Pleasant Beach, 2-4.

Wins against Toms River East/South, Lacey and Jackson Liberty set a positive tone for the postseason with Point Boro

qualifying for both the SCT and the state playoffs. The SCT selection committee placed the Panthers as the fourth seed in the tournament which included 22 teams.

In the finals of the Handchen Cup against second-seeded Saint John Vianney, the Panthers put up a valiant effort before falling to the Lancers, 4-1, at Jersey Shore Arena. Point Boro advanced to the finals after besting both Jackson Liberty and Jackson Memorial.

Additionally, the NJSIAA Public B Tournament placed the Panthers with the No. 5 seed and will play No. 12 seed West Essex/Caldwell.

The Panthers are led by seven seniors, all of whom have secured academic scholarships. Outside of club hockey in college, the days of participating in the sport of ice hockey in an interscholastic capacity are over as they move into the next level of their young lives. “This is what makes what we’ve done this year even more special,� stated Plancey. A group of high school students working to finish with 16 wins, three loses and one tie, in such a competitive division, conference and group is unlikely.

Senior goalie John Meyer is one of the state’s leaders in goal with one of the highest save percentages. “He is the backbone of this team,� Plancey proudly exclaimed.

PT. BORO’S EDDIE COYNE_ Photos by Tom Smith

PT. BORO’S TYLER GRIFFIN Assistant captain senior Eddie Coyne has amassed 46 points over his fouryear career with 10 goals and 36 assists. He and fellow senior Tyler Griffin are a pair of solid defensemen for the Panthers.

On offense, Boro is led by the trio of seniors – Evan McCabe, Aidian Zielaznicki and Will Herrington.

Zielaznicki led the team with 38 points, 27 goals and 11 assists. His career numbers have shown continual improvement each year, while amassing 35 goals and 22 assists with 57 points.

In addition, Meyer and Coyne have been recognized as two of NJ.com’s top seniors this season.

Similar to the RIHA in the Freehold school district, the Point Pleasant Boro Athletic Boosters (PPBAB) assist with financially supporting the ice hockey program to present a quality product.

While not exclusively responsible for only ice hockey, the PPBAB is integral to sustaining the ice hockey program.

For more information on supporting Point Pleasant Boro athletics, including ice hockey, contact athleticboosters@ pointpleasant.k12.nj.us.

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Page 4 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP ON ICE

By Eugene Stewart

FREEHOLD – The Freehold Township ice hockey team is wrapping up another “routine” year for the club. In coach Mike Celano’s 11th year as coach, the Patriots have now qualified 10 of those years for both the Shore Conference and state playoffs. You can’t argue with success.

“This year, we started off hot then, the injury and sickness bug bit us,” said Celano.

Freehold came out of the gate strong, skating to an early record of 5-0 behind five elite level players against the likes of St. Rose/Donovan Catholic, Mountain Lakes/Boonton, Jackson Memorial, Middletown North and Freehold Boro/Raritan/Colts Neck.

When asked the strong suits of this year’s team, Celano replied, “We have depth, size and speed.”

December was not kind to the club, as the Patriots managed one win (Howell/Matawan), one tie (Manalapan) and three losses (Middletown South, CBA, Monroe). Three early January wins against Clifton, Jackson Liberty and Red Bank Catholic made for a respectable 9-3-1 record before another tough stretch including a loss to Indian Hills, a tie with Glen Rock and a loss at Marlboro/Holmdel.

Late January saw the team right the ship against Woodbridge Township

before alternating losses and wins to close out the season against Wall (L), Central Regional (W), Rumson-Fair Haven (L), Montville (W) and Saint John Vianney (L).

The Patriots closed the regular season at 12-8-3 with an A North record of 4-4-0 and with a .500 winning percentage through February 7, qualified for the sixth seed in the SCT and state playoffs.

The Patriots’ first game of the Shore Conference Tournament ended regulation in a 3-3 tie and their opponent, Middletown North, produced three goals in the shootout and Freehold was unable to light the goal. The game ended Freehold’s SCT quest for 2019 and the Dowd Cup. In the contest, Freehold was led by junior Jacob Liebross, who registered a goal and an assist. In addition, seniors Evan McNamara and Niko Neron scored a goal apiece. Freehold turned back 53 shots with senior Michael Ottone in goal.

“Their goaltender played phenomenal and Midd North deserves all the credit in the win” stated Celano.

Celano is very proud of this year’s team and says next year will be a rebuilding year as he is scheduled to lose 11 seniors, a stark contrast from this year when the entire team returned. The team has been led this year by sophomore Tyler Desrochers, who verbally committed to Providence College as a freshman. For his two-year career, he

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP’S MIKE OTTONE MAKING THE PAD SAVE

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP’S COLLIN SULLO WORKING AROUND THE NET Photos by Tom Smith has 13 goals, 24 assists, totaling 37 points.

“Evan McNamara, Colin Sullo and Tyler Sanborn, three of my seniors, have also provided roughly 25 points apiece, points that will be missed next year,” said Celano.

In Monmouth County, the Regional Ice Hockey Association (RIHA) is the life stream for high school ice hockey.

Colts Neck, Freehold Township, Freehold Boro, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro work together and coordinate comedy shows, golf outings and other events to raise the funds necessary to sustain the sport.

“The RIHA was started by Ron Reid and the organization is single hand-

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The RIHA is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization formed in 2008, comprised of parents and volunteers, supported by parents, sponsors and donors without a direct affiliation. It is estimated the organization meets a budget of close to $300,000 anually covering coaches’ salaries, equipment, referee fees, ice rental and uniforms. The current president of the RIHA is John Kerber and he can be reached at JKerber@RIHANJ. com for information on fundraising efforts or direct donations to RIHA for ice hockey expenses.

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edly responsible for ice hockey in these five schools. Not only does the RIHA pay for the programs, but they’re also responsible for clinics and building a culture around the kids through ice hockey,” explained Celano.

Francesca Attardi Publisher JSN is looking for high school students to intern as Photographers and Writers.

Contact Fran at jsnattardi@msn.com for more information.

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2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 5

FOLLOWING HEARTBREAKING LOSS IN DOWD CUP, OCEAN TOWNSHIP SETS SIGHTS ON STATE PLAYOFF RUN

By Mike Ready

OCEAN TOWNSHIP – The Ocean Township hockey team has had its best season on the ice since 2016 when that squad skated to a 15-10-2 record and qualified for both the Dowd Cup and state playoffs.

This year’s Spartans team is 13-6-3 and has recorded quality wins over RumsonFair Haven, Brick Township, Manalapan, Watchung Hills and Robbinsville and ties against West Windsor and Marlboro so far this season while qualifying for both the Dowd Cup and the state playoffs.

In the Dowd Cup, however, they were handed a disappointing 14th seed in the 16-team field, which resulted in a first-round match against No. 3 seed Marlboro, who was ranked fourth in the Shore Conference.

Marlboro was undefeated at 12-0-2 and was a heavy favorite against Ocean in the first round of the Dowd Cup, but the Spartans, who had skated to a 5-5 tie against Marlboro earlier this season, played some of their most inspired hockey of the season, falling just short in an emotional 4-3 overtime defeat to the Mustangs.

“It was kind of a heartbreaking loss, but it was certainly one of our better performances of the year,” said head coach Dave Smith. “We were a little disappointed with the 14th seed knowing we played Marlboro to a tie earlier in the year. So, as much as much as I didn’t think it was an appropriate first-round matchup, it certainly wasn’t anything we feared. With all due respect to them, they were obviously an undefeated team, but we just knew we could play alongside them and that it was borne out by the fact that it took them seven periods to break the tie.

The ironic thing is that the matchup was a very even one, which is unusual when a 14-seed plays a three.”

Ninth-seeded Ocean now turns its attention to the NJSIAA Public A tournament and will meet eighth-seeded South Brunswick (11-5-3) on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 20.

The Spartan are looking for their first state playoff win since 2014, when they went 18-6-4 and beat River Dell, 5-0, and Ridge, 3-1, before losing to fourthseeded and eventual champion Morris Knolls, 2-0, in the Public A tournament.

That season, Ocean also picked up its first-ever Dowd Cup win, beating Jackson Memorial, 2-1, before dropping a 2-1 decision to Red Bank Catholic in the quarterfinals.

To date, those are Ocean Township’s only postseason victories in the program’s relatively brief 10-year history.

In 2009, a parent organization lead by Lori Lane, the mother of player Nick Lane, initiated a movement to bring varsity boys ice hockey to Ocean Township. At that time the school had little involvement in the team that was run by the parent organization which supervised the team and was responsible for the decision-making process in all matters concerning the team.

Smith, who had started the successful hockey program at Rumson-Fair Haven and coached there for nine years, was hired as head coach for the Spartans’ inaugural season in 2010 and is still behind the bench today.

Smith’s teams won 11 and 16 games, respectively, in the first two years of the program and made the playoff cut both seasons before falling in first-round games.

“The kids bought in,” said Smith of posting winning seasons his first two years. “I came there with a system and had done it before, making the states my first year at RFH, so I told everybody that this is what we’re going to do and we had enough talent and buy-in to do it.”

At that point in time, however, the school did not fund the team, so it was a payfor-play sport that was partially subsidized by fundraising efforts and donations.

In 2012, Shore Regional joined in a cooperative relationship with Ocean Township that still exists today and last season Monmouth Regional was added.

“The players we have participating from Monmouth are great kids and have fit in seamlessly just the way the Shore kids did early on,” said Smith. “If you watch the players interact you would never know which kids are from what school – they’ve become a family.”

Eventually, in 2014, the Spartan Booster Club got involved and fully funded the program, turning over the majority of responsibility for the team to the Ocean Township High School Athletic Department, headed by athletic director Rusty Todd, who still holds the position today.

“In 2014 we had a particularly strong year with such a group of overachievers that actually captured everybody’s heart both at Ocean and at Shore,” said Smith. “I think the karma around that team had something to do with the board which, truly in their wisdom, saw that the team was really representing the fabric of their respective schools so we then got sanctioned to be fully supported by the school, as did Shore.”

Smith, who picked up his 200th win as a head coach earlier this season, brought on former Point Pleasant Boro head coach Mike Ryan as an associate head coach in charge of the defense in 2015, giving the Spartans two of the brightest hockey minds in the Shore to guide them.

“Mike was a very successful coach at Pt. Boro and we just think so much alike and enjoy each other’s company,” said Smith. “I look at him as my co-coach and bounce everything off him and he’s equally or more capable than me and that’s such a privilege.”

Second-team All-Division forward Dylan Haar leads the team in scoring with 37 goals and 13 assists and heads up the red line along with sophomore right wing Ryan Convery (5 goals, 4 assists) and junior center Patrick Brannen (3 goals, 12 assists).

“We don’t refer to our lines as first, second and third. Our lines are colors and sometimes during the season you may move from one line to another,” said Smith.

OCEAN’S COACH DAVE SMITH Photos by Tom Smith

Sophomore Kenny Maxwell, a first-team All-Division pick last season, is second on the team in scoring with 34 goals and 19 assists and fills the right-wing spot on the white line along with senior left wing Eli Perelshteyn (16 assists) and junior center Luke Hagerman (6 goals, 7 assists).

OCEAN’S #28 DYLAN HAAR As opposed to last season when Haar and Maxwell skated on the same line, Smith has his two stars skating on separate lines this season.

“Last year we felt we needed them to play together because honestly we only had nine skaters,” said Smith. “So, we didn’t have a lot of room for moving things around. This year with the addition of Monmouth and some really good returning players, we had some options. We separated Dylan and Kenny because they are both such serious threats to score it give us two really dangerous lines.

“Dylan is the offensive character of the red line for sure, but he’s also bought into our defensive system as well, which is important because he wants to have a career in hockey beyond high school and he knows he can’t just be a onedimensional player,” Smith continued.

However, Smith combines Haar and Maxwell on the power play line to maximize their chances of scoring with his two top guns.

Senior Brendan Convery (1 goal, 6 assists) heads up one defensive pairing along side junior Nick Ciancia (2 assists) while juniors Scott Sirianni (1 goal, 15 assists) and Rich Canneto (3 goals, 2 assists) make up the other pairing with Convery and Sirianni skating on the power play. Freshman P.J. Schwartz has impressed and has forced his way onto the ice on defense as well.

“I wouldn’t really say that we have a first pair and a second pair,” said Smith. “We have four top defensemen.”

Freshman goalie Tony Macaluso stepped into the starting role and hasn’t looked back. He’s recorded 278 saves on 343 shots on goal for a 0.81 save percentage.

Ocean Township hasn’t won a state playoff game since that overachieving 2014 team won the program’s only two playoff games in program history.

“We talk about that a lot,” said Smith of the playoff-win drought, “Our first two goals this year were to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament (Dowd Cup) and qualify for the states and we did both of those things. Then the idea was we want to advance at least a round in each. We came up a little short in the SCT, but maybe we can go two rounds in the states or maybe three. I told the players when you get on a roll, magical things can happen because at the end of the day they’re all high school players.”

Page 6 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

CBA MOVES PAST GORDON CUP LOSS, EYES STATE PLAYOFF RUN

By Mike Ready

LINCROFT – With the upcoming NJSIAA NonPublic state tournament looming, Christian Brothers Academy has already put its 3-0 loss to Delbarton in Wednesday’s Gordon Cup semifinals behind them and are focusing on their upcoming first-round game in the tournament.

In the semifinal, third-seeded Christian Brothers – ranked third in the state and No. 1 in the Shore – was still very much in the game after two periods, trailing No. 2 seed and secondranked Delbarton by just one goal, 1-0. But Delbarton scored on a short-handed goal at 10:52 of the third period, and then put the game away scoring with 1:32 remaining.

Freshman goalie Jake Brown had 20 save for the Colts in the contest.

Delbarton lost, 5-3, to No. 1 seed Don Bosco in the final. The win marked the Ironmen’s first Gordon Cup championship since 2014.

The Gordon Cup semifinal was the third meeting between the Colts and the Green Wave this season, with the first game resulting in a 2-2 tie back on Jan. 15, and Delbarton then taking the second game of the regular season, 3-1, on Jan. 30.

Recently, Delbarton has been a thorn in the side of the Colts, knocking them out of the state tournament the last three years in a row, once in the 2016 final, 3-1, and twice in the semis – 6-3, in 2017 and 5-0, last year.

CBA’S GIO CREPALDI Photos by Tom Smith

CBA’S JOSH SHARF ON HIS WAY TO SCORING THE WINNING GOAL In the Gordon Cup of late, Delbarton beat the Colts, 6-3, in the 2018 semis before winning the whole thing, but the Colts did skate by them, 3-1, in the 2016 final for the title.

Both CBA and Delbarton have eight Gordon Cup championships in program history.

In 2015’s state playoffs, third-seeded CBA beat No. 1 seed Delbarton in the Non-Public final for the championship and the No. 1 ranking in the state. The previous year they were anointed co-champions after skating to a 4-4 tie with Morristown-Beard in the 2014 final. Those two titles represented the six and seventh state championships in program history for the Colts.

As the third-seed, CBA is now concentrating on its NJSIAA Non-Public tournament opponent which will be the winner of the 19th-seed Oratory vs. 14th-seed Morristown-Beard first-round contest on Feb. 21 at the Jersey Shore Arena with faceoff scheduled for 4:15 pm.

Salt Creek Grille’s 16th Annual Wine & Martini Tasting Will Benefit Impact 100 Jersey Coast RUMSON – Salt Creek Grille’s 16th Annual Wine & Martini Tasting Fundraiser benefitting Impact 100 Jersey Coast will be held Thursday, Apr. 11 from 7-10 pm.

The event, which is always a sell-out, features heavyhors d’oeuvres, serving stations and over 100 different wine varietals and several distilled spirits to taste. There is a live auction with popular local radio personality, NJ 101.5’s Big Joe Henry, serving as auctioneer and live music by The Bobby Boyd Trio. 100 percent of the proceeds from the night’s events will go directly to Impact 100 Jersey Coast.

Tickets to the event are $150 per person and sponsorships are available. To purchase tickets or become a sponsor visit http://www.impact100jerseycoast.org/ news/upcoming-events/. To become a sponsor contact Lori Missig by March 22 at events@impact100jerseycoast.org

Salt Creek Grille’s annual event has raised over $1 million in total funds for local charities. Once again local businesses are stepping up to help co-owner Steve Bidgood and his staff by donating goods and services including a scrumptious a cheese table by Sickles Market, decadent raw bar by Lusty Lobster, premiere wines and distilled spirits by local distributors, and prime food products from Salt Creek Grille’s local vendors and suppliers.

"We are tremendously grateful to Salt Creek Grille for supporting Impact's continued growth and for helping us reach new women and nonprofits in every corner of our community," said Heather Burke, vice president and cofounder. "Their support will truly have a ripple effect in our community as we help identify and fund high-impact projects across a range of issue areas."

Impact 100 Jersey Coast is a collaborative of women of all ages and backgrounds who combine their charitable dollars, experience and energy to raise awareness of our community’s most pressing needs and to fund transformational grants for high-impact projects addressing needs in five areas: arts and culture; children and families; education; health and wellness. Proceeds from the Salt Creek Grille will be a tremendous help with building organizational capacity to support the group's

explosive growth in the four years since its launch and will enhance its continued community outreach activities.

They also hope to use some of the funding for a recently launched scholarship program, where interested women can apply for support with the cost of an Impact membership.

Impact 100 Jersey Coast has awarded $727,000 to local nonprofits in high-impact grants since it began in 2015.

“Sixteen years ago, we created the Salt Creek Grille Annual Wine & Martini Tasting to celebrate our fifth anniversary,” explained Bidgood. “We throw this party for a local charity with no expense to the charity to celebrate and honor the tireless efforts of our community’s volunteers. We are happy to be able to use our expertise as an event venue to help give local charities a leg up. Impact 100 has made an enormous financial impact on our community in just four years. We are honored to have them as our 2019 charity.”

On Feb. 2, Bidgood and his managers presented Impact 100 with a flag bearing their logo that will be raised year round at the landmark restaurant to create further public awareness about the not-for-profit. Executive board members also spoke to the staff at Salt Creek Grille about their mission so that they could field guests’ questions about the flag and the event.

Past charities that benefitted from the Salt Creek Grille event are: 2018 Covenant House New Jersey; 2017 180 Turning Lives Around; 2016 Michael’s Feat; 2015 Kortney Rose Foundation; 2014 Hope For Children Foundation; 2013 Big Brothers Big Sisters; 2012 Count Basie Performing Arts Academy; 2011 Community YMCA; 2010 K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital (Meridian); 2009 Parker Family Health Center; 2008 Kidz Kare (Monmouth Medical Center); 2007 SPUR; 2006 COSAC; 2005 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; 2004 Tuberous Sclerosis.

Salt Creek Grille is located at 4 Bingham Avenue in Rumson. For more information, call 732-933-9272 or visit www.saltcreekgrille.com.

Photo Credit: Impact 100 Jersey Coast

The Colts utilize a deep roster that allows them to distribute the scoring and are led by Kyle Contessa (15 goals, 12 assists), Garrett Silverman (9 goals, 11 assists), Logan Heroux (8 goals, 10 assists), Giovanni Crepaldi (7 goals, 7 assists), Zachary Wagnon (7 goals, 5 assists), Josh Scharf (5 goals, 5 assists), Patrick McHugh (4 goals, 12 assists), Matt Herick (4 goals, 10 assists), C.J. Cummings (3 goals, 7 assists), Nick Wallace (3 goals, 2 assists), Colin Grable (1 goal, 5 assists), Aiden Guinnessey (1 goal, 6 assists), Peter Vallebuona (1 goal, 4 assists), Lucas Salas (1goal, 4 assists), Ryan Cartigiano (1 goals, 1 assists), Ken Fogarty (1 goal) and Zachery Malone (1 assist).

(From left to right) Lori Missig, Events Chair; Joe Mays, Salt Creek Grille Bar Manager; Mark Shopene Salt Creek Grille General Manager; Anna Andre; Heather Burke, Co-Founder; Denise Liotta; Casey DeStefano; Mary Riley; Steve Bidgood, Salt Creek Grille Co-Owner; Michelle Peoples; Anthony Ixcot, Salt Creek Grille Assistant Manager; Maggie LaRocca; Deidre Spiropoulos, Co-Founder; Rowena Crawford-Phillips, Grants Chair

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2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 7

SHORE CONFERENCE HARDWOOD HIGHLIGHTS GIRLS BASKETBALL RECAP

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY

By Eric Braun

RED BANK REGIONAL

(16-7 overall, 9-5 B North, 3rd Place) Red Bank Regional, the No. 12 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, took on a tough Southern Regional team in the opening round and advanced with a 51-44 victory over the Rams. Meghan Murray (18 points) and Chloe Teter (17 points) lead the way for the Bucs. In the second round against fifth-seeded Red Bank Catholic, the Bucs pulled the upset of the tournament with a dominating performance to earn a 65-62 victory over the Caseys. The veteran group from RBR took it to the young RBC program early and often, leading 26-19 at the half, 44-31 at the end of the third and held on for the three-point win. In the quarterfinals on Saturday, the Bucs showed the heart of a champion and let everyone know they will be a team to be reckoned with the rest of this season and years to come. RBR overcame deficit after deficit against Manasquan and forced overtime to decide a winner. The Bucs came up just short, losing to the Warriors, 61-58. Meghan Murray paced the Bucs offense with 21 points.

MANASQUAN

(17-5 overall, 12-2 A Central, 2nd Place) Manasquan is no stranger to this time of year and all that is at stake. Gone is the division title that they surrendered this season to St. Rose, to whom they fell in their only two conference losses.

Still in their sights are Shore Conference and NJSIAA tournament runs.

The Warriors earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye to start the tournament. In the second round against No. 13 Freehold Township, the veteran Warriors were too much for the Patriots and pulled away with a 61-23 win.

Manasquan was led by Lola Mullaney with 21 points and Faith Masonius with

MANASQUAN Photo by Tom Smith 18 points. Manasquan advanced to another Shore Conference Tournament semifinal with a 61-58 overtime win over Red Bank Regional. The Bucs gave the Warriors everything they had, but down the stretch the leadership and experience of Masonius (26 points) and Mullaney (22 points) were too much to overcome. Manasquan will tip off against Saint John Vianney on Tuesday night.

(19-2 overall, 14-0 B North, 1st Place) As one of the most complete teams in the Shore Conference, Saint John Vianney is the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. The Lancers took care of an always talented and tough Jackson Memorial team in the second round, 72-40. SJV was led by Sajada Bonner with 18 points, Brelynn Bellamy with 14 points, Katie Hill with 13 points and Madison St. Rose with 12 points.

The Lancers have shown no shortage in scoring this season with 409 field goals and 121 three-pointers. This type of offense is what Coach Karpell looks to ride to more SCT, NJSIAA and TOC championships. The Lady Lancers advanced to the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals with a 66-38 win over Middletown South Saturday, with Bonner scoring 18, Sarah Karpell with 14, Bellamy and St. Rose with 10 apiece. They will tip off against Manasquan on Tuesday night.

MARLBORO

(20-4 overall, 11-1 A North, 1st Place) Marlboro, who ousted Middletown South as the A North front runner the past couple of years, is on a roll this season entering the Shore Conference Tournament. They are the No. 7 seed and took care of Keyport in the opening round, 68-38, and then ousted tenth-seeded Toms River East in the second round, 65-45. Sharp shooter Gisella Romeo has paced the Mustangs with 19 points against Keyport and 15 points against Toms River East. On Saturday, Marlboro fell victim to the up-tempo St. Rose offense that exploded in the second half to knock the Mustangs out of the Shore Conference Tournament with an 8849 loss.

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY Photo by Tom Smith MIDDLETOWN SOUTH

(18-4 overall, 10-2 A North, 2nd Place) Middletown South, another constant fixture during tournament time, enters the Shore Conference Tournament as the No. 8 seed and took care of Barnegat with ease, 56-30. The Eagles were up 34-7 at the half and were led by Kayla Richardson with 18 points and five rebounds and Isla Brennan with 13 points and seven rebounds. Middletown South took on a tough Toms River North team in the second round

and held on for a 53-52 win. North made a game of it in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Eagles, 18-12, but dug themselves too big a hole entering the quarter down, 41-34. The Eagles were led by Brennan with 18 points and seven rebounds and Stephanie Mayerhofer with 13 points. Saturday the Eagles fell to Saint John Vianney, 66-38, in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament, led by Brennan with 14 points.

RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN

chester was led by Leilani Correa with 18 points and seven rebounds, Kemari Reynolds with 18 points and five assists, and Destiny Adams with 13 points and nine rebounds. On Saturday, Manchester took care of Rumson-Fair Haven early, jumping out to a 19-0 run and closing out the first quarter, 19-3.

The Hawks would continue their dominance closing out the half up, 34-15.

Rumson clawed back into the game, but Manchester withstood their effort and defeated RFH, 67-33, behind 22 points from Adams.

(15-8 overall, 8-6 A Central, 4th Place) The Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs, always a tough draw for anyone, once again showed their mental toughness in a tightly contested second-round Shore Conference matchup against Colts Neck. The Bulldogs entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed and the Cougars as the No. 11 seed. RFH jumped out to a first quarter lead, 14-6, and the two teams played even basketball the rest of the way with neither team giving an inch. In the end, Rumson held on for a 42-35 win led

by Grace Munt with 13 points and six rebounds, Grace Colucci with 10 points, and Lucy Adams with six points and 12 rebounds. The Bulldogs’ Shore Conference Tournament run came to an end against Manchester on Saturday. Rumson fell behind early in the first and could not climb back into the game, falling to the Hawks, 67-33.

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP

(22-2 overall, 14-0 B South, 1st Place) Manchester Township entered with high expectations and has not altered their plans. The Hawks took care of business in conference going undefeated. Next up is a run at the Shore Conference Tournament title. They entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and earned a first-round bye. Their second-round opponent was an up and coming Trinity Hall team that was not ready for the stage with Manchester. The Hawks led from start to finish with a halftime lead of 40-16, and finished off the Monarchs, 69-38. Man-

MANCHESTER Photo by Tom Smith

Page 8 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

MANASQUAN ROLLS TO SECOND STRAIGHT DOWD CUP CHAMPIONSHIP, STATES UP NEXT

By Mike Ready

HOWELL – Top-seeded Manasquan/Pt. Pleasant Beach checked off another box of things they want to accomplish this season beating No. 11 seed Middletown North, who upset third-seeded Marlboro, 2-1, in Tuesday’s semifinals, 7-1 to capture their second straight Dowd Cup championship and third in program history.

“We’re young back there but we move the puck well,” said Houli. “We’re not afraid to push the pace a little bit to get up ice and our goaltenders do their jobs.”

The Warriors are a tight-knit group with excellent communication skills on and off the ice between the players who understand what it took to get here and who value the comradery between each other that extends way beyond the rink.

Having already clinched their second straight Shore Conference Central Division championship, the undefeated (19-0) Warriors – ranked 15th in the state – bulldozed their way through the Dowd Cup field outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 27-2 to check box number two.

“The team is very, very close; very, very tight,” said Houli when asked about team leadership. “They all respect their different roles. They look up to the Franzonis and those guys who put the puck in the net for us, then they look to guys like Liam Farrington who’s a steady defenseman who has been there a long time.

I guess I would say our senior class as a whole they look up to – guys like Farrington, Tolnai and Wells.

Because those are the guys who when they were freshmen were on the other end of games when they were losing 10-0 and 12-0 and now they (underclassmen) get to reap the rewards of having a very good team around them.”

“We set a team goal to make a statement in the tournament and obviously we played well throughout and had all our wheels turning the right way,” said Manasquan head coach Adam Houli. “Entering the season we did set our sights on winning our division, winning the Dowd Cup and obviously now the third part is to make a deep run into the states. I’m certainly happy but I wouldn’t say satisfied quite yet.”

Manasquan was given a disappointing fifth seed in the NJSIAA Public Group C bracket where they attempted to win their first state playoff game in program history in a rematch of the Dowd Cup final when they faced off with No. 12 seed Middletown North on Monday, Feb. 18.

Last year’s 15-3-1 team qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 2012, but came up short as the 11th seed in the NJSIAA Public C bracket, losing to sixthseeded Mahwah, 5-0, in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round.

MANASQUAN’S #18

Manasquan enters the playoffs cautiously optimistic about their chances while at the same time trying to manage any pressure of getting that first state playoff win.

MANASQUAN Photos by Tom Smith “Last year we were disappointed in how we went out in the states in the first round,” said Houli. “Obviously a big thing for us is to get over that hurdle, win a state game and move forward. I have a good group here that’s been through a lot of downs early in their careers and now they’ve been through a lot of ups, so when you head into the states, obviously, anything can happen, but if you have a team that’s kind of experienced it all like they have, it makes you a little bit deadlier.”

minutes for our top guys creating some energy and buzz that way. I think our depth is something that is a tremendous asset of ours and certainly something we’ll look to use in the states.”

Wednesday night Manasquan had seven different players score a goal apiece which is a testament to the depth of the team which is a driving force behind their success this season.

On the second line is Tolnai (25 goals, 12 assists) on the left wing, senior Ryan Scott (10 goals, 12 assists) at center and junior Michael Farinacci (six goals, 15 assists) on the right wing.

Juniors Mike and Matt Franzoni, senior Aiden Tolnai, senior Alec Wells, Brendan Kearney, junior Hunter Alia and junior Luke Sepe all tallied one goal for the Warriors.

Mike Franzoni added two assists to lead the team offensively, while senior goalie Steven Gibilisco turned away all but one of Middletown North’s 25 shots.

Houli’s all-junior third line consists of Sepe (2 goals, 3 assists) on the left wing, Liam Stark (1 goal, 4 assists) in the middle and Jake Brown (5 goals, 3 assists) on the right, while James Conti (1 goal, 4 assists) is at center, on his right is Shea Keating (2 goals, 5 assists) and on the left Trevor Well (3 goals, 2 assists), Sean Rogers (1 assists) and Braden Ryan rotate on the fourth line.

“Our depth is something I talk about after every game,” said Houli. “I roll four lines, I roll six D and I rotate my goalies. I don’t know if there’s any other state teams that do that consistently where my top line maybe at the end of the game has one or two more shifts than my bottom line. So, I think that our depth is going to show how far we can go with this thing. We have the right players in the right spots and have our top line that can put the puck in the net at will. Then we have our roll guys that fill in some

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“I think we’re confident yet reserved,” said Houli. “A bit anxious in a good way, a bit nervous in a good way. We know we’re good, they know we’re good.

But as you know, no one in Manasquan history has won a game in states, so if we can get over the hump we’ll be in good shape and I think we have a confident group heading into the states.”

On Houli’s top line is Mike Franzoni (31 goals, 28 assists) on the left wing, junior Luke McNamara (9 goals, 24 assists) at center and on McNamara’s right, Mike’s brother Matt (31 goals, 19 assists).

On the backend, Anthony Dowd (1 goal, 3 assists) pairs with Alia (1 goal, 4 assists); Chris Farinacci pairs with senior Liam Farrington and the last pairing is Kearney with Wells.

In the nets, Gibilisco and Ryan O’Leary split time, with Gibilisco posting a 0.896 save percentage and O’Leary 0.872.

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LANCERS CAPTURE HANDCHEN CUP AND LOOKING FOR MORE

2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 9

By Alan Brehme, Toms River North, JSN Intern

period. With 3:46 in the first session Troisi got the Lancers on the board first after he buried a rebound shot from Gutt, who took on the Panthers goalie who made a sprawling save, before Troisi buried the puck in the back of the net for a 1-0 Lancers lead. With 6:28 left in the second session, SJV scored again, making it harder for Boro to come back with the score at 2-0 on a beautiful shot from Gutt for his first of the game.

Saint John Vianney thought they had this game in the bag, but Point Pleasant Boro would strike quickly which added momentum to their side. With 5:31 left in the second session, Matt Buccino’s goal off a faceoff brought Boro to within one with the score now 2-1. Entering the final two minutes of the second session, SJV’s Gutt scored again.

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY’S #49 AJ MICALIZZI HOLMDEL – What a season for the Saint John Vianney boys ice hockey team. The Lancers are in the midst of another great season and looking to make a little history as the season wraps up. They finished the season first in their division with a perfect 7-0 record, and an overall record of 18-1-2.

Point Boro was in a deep hole but still had life coming out of the intermission battling the Lancers up and down the ice, but could not crack the Lancers defense or goaltender. One thing that people love about hockey are the hard hits and the anger between both sides and that's exactly what Will Herrington and Rich Kulaszewski of Saint John Vianney provided the packed house at Jersey Sports Arena. Both players got a little scrappy with one another but it was quickly broken up by teammates and officials.

With just over two minutes left in the game, Boro pulled their goalie for an extra to jump back into the contest, but with 50 seconds remaining, Gutt put the game away for good as he scored his hat

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY’S #30 JEREMY CONNOR trick and the celebration began with the final score of 4-1. Goalie Jeremy Connor secured his 16th win of the season with 15 saves.

On the heels of their incredible 2018-19 Shore Conference run, the Lancers received a tough draw in the upcoming NJSIAA Non-Public School tournament. They will receive a first-round bye before the ninth-seeded Lancers travel to eighth-seeded Seton Hall Prep in the second round, with the game to be played before Feb. 22, and the winner taking on top-seeded Don Bosco Prep.

To start the season they faced off against Red Bank Catholic. SJV clearly proved they were the more talented team in this matchup, beating RBC, 8-0, behind the scoring of John Gutt with a hat trick, Nick Colao with two and Colin Meany, AJ Micalizzi and Dom Troisi each with one apiece. One of SJV’s two ties came in week 2 against non-conference opponent Vernon with a 3-3 draw and scoring from Meany with two and Micalizzi with one. The second tie of their season came in week 5 against St. Joseph-Montvale with the score ending 1-1 and Meany with the lone Lancers goal.

Saint John Vianney’s only loss of the season came in week 15 against perennial power Christian Brothers Academy, 3-1. In this contest, the Lancers would jump on the board first with a goal from Meany in the first period. The Colts would tie it on a power play goal to close out the first period. The two teams skated to a scoreless second period before Christian Brothers Academy put the game away in the third with two goals a minute apart.

The Lancers quickly rebounded from the loss, winning the next three games including two tournament games and a run to the championship game of the Handchen Cup against Point Pleasant Boro, which they won, 4-1, in a brutal and heated matchup between two of the top teams in the Shore Conference. This win over Point Boro completed Saint John Vianney’s goal of repeating as Handchen Cup champions.

Throughout the game there was a lot of hitting and great plays made by both goalies keeping the score at zero early in the first

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY Photos by Tom Smith

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Page 10 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

TENNIS PRO ROB BEDNAR BRINGING HIS YEARS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE TO THE NEW PARK AVENUE TENNIS CENTER

By Mike Ready

I’ve got to keep myself in the game so I’m still very active with the doubles.”

After excelling at Mercer County Community College, Bednar walked on at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he earned a spot on the tennis team as the No. 5 singles player. However, following his collegiate career, an ankle injury derailed any hopes of turning pro.

“I did make a little comeback attempt in my early 20’s,” said Bednar.

“I tried my hand on the satellite circuit, which is now the futures, for a while but got a real taste of reality of just how competitive as a player it is on the professional level.”

Bednar always knew he wanted to be a tennis teacher so following his retirement from competitive tennis he followed his dream.

“I knew right away when I was a kid what I wanted to do as a profession,” Bednar said. “I always wanted to be a tennis teacher. It was a dream of mine that came true. That’s the real truth of the matter, and I was passionate about being able to do that.”

Local tennis pro, Ray Grace, taught Bednar the ropes of the profession and shortly after, Bednar got certified by the USPTA. He then took a job as a tennis instructor at Fox Chase Tennis Club in Chester, NJ, where he worked under the tutelage of master pro, Greg Presuto.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - After 20 years as a tennis pro at Jersey 34 in Matawan, Rob Bednar has made the move to the brand-new Park Avenue Tennis Center in Ocean Township.

The new eight-court “State of the Sport” indoor tennis center, located adjacent to the Ocean Community Pool and Tennis facility at 615 West Park Avenue, opened last fall to rave reviews and is rapidly becoming a family-oriented hub for instructional, developmental, competitive and recreational players of all ages.

“Greg was the guy who was most instrumental in my teaching and learning the actual business of being a tennis instructor,” said Bednar. “He taught me everything about the business from buying, to selling, to running a club and opening and closing, the cash register, cleaning the club, stringing rackets – the whole business.”

After a few years, Bednar was offered a job at Jersey 34 where he was an instructor for 20 years before joining the staff at Park Avenue Tennis Center.

While at Jersey 34, another highly regarded tennis pro, John Shaw, took Bednar under his wing and was here that Bednar really developed and refined his skills as a teacher.

Bednar grew up with tennis in his blood. As a young boy he learned the game from his mother, who played competitively at Drexel University, and by the time he was 15 years old, Bednar was already coaching and teaching friends of his mother’s children.

“For whatever reason he (Shaw) took me under his wing and he was one of the top teaching pros in Monmouth County forever,” Bednar said. “He taught a tremendous amount of nationally-ranked kids and I learned from everything he did. He was just a tremendous, tremendous teacher.”

He was also a mentor to his younger sister, who went on to win three national championships while playing for the University of Tennessee and is now a tennis pro in Florida.

Across the board, Bednar is proficient at every level of teaching, but will be specializing in kids 10 and under at Park Avenue Tennis Center.

“I’ve just been very passionate about playing my whole life,” said Bednar. “I still play competitive doubles and just love the game so much.

“As far as the teaching aspect goes, what I’m specializing in right now is the 10 and under kids, and I’ll be heading up the Quick Start pro-

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gram,” said Bednar. “I like working with the kids first because then I can teach them the proper form and technique and I don’t have to worry about having them relearn once they get to me. I like to get to them first because I feel like I’m really good at teaching them the proper basics, form and technique from the start.”

Many of Bednar’s past students have gone on to earn partial or full academic/athletic scholarships to schools such as Bucknell, Colgate and Brown, just to name a few.

“Most of the kids that are across the net from me are very good academically and tennis is a complement to what they’re already doing a c a d e m i c a l l y, ” said Bednar. “Tennis and academics seem to work well together.”

Bednar is at the facility every day and he’s in the process of creating all new programs for the juniors which he’ll oversee.

“I’m very happy I made the commitment to Park Avenue and I think it’s going to be a fantastic club for the area, I really do,” said Bednar. “I also think this particular area is a big tennis area and a lot of people love to play.

“I’m very fortunate that I get to do what I love; not a lot of people get to do that,” Bednar added. “And I’m just so excited for what the club has to offer the community.”

2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 11

TRINITY HALL ICE HOCKEY BREAKS THROUGH IN INAUGURAL SEASON

By Eric Braun

Since the inception of women’s ice hockey on the national level, the number of girls playing organized ice hockey has grown from the club level, to high school level, to college and professionally. The United States continues to be one of, if not the best, in international play winning two golds, three silvers and one bronze in Olympic play and eight golds and 10 silvers in World Championship play.

So it brings us back to the first-ever, all-girls team in the Shore Conference, and 14th team in the state here at Trinity Hall. The group consists of seven freshmen and two juniors. Not one will complain of the early morning practice schedules before school and the hard work that has been asked of them. With only eight healthy players, the girls at times are asked to skate 8-10 minutes shifts against some of the top players in the state and have done so without any hesitation, due to their love for the game and each other.

TRINITY HALL’S ELISABETH CLEMENTS TINTON FALLS – The Shore Conference is already rich in ice hockey tradition, and now Trinity Hall, an all-girls school in Tinton Falls, has thrown their skates into the rink. The Monarchs opened their inaugural season with an impressive 8-2 win against Westfield in front of their home fans at Middletown Ice Arena on Dec. 20.

TRINITY HALL’S ADRIANA CREPALDI

“This team is exciting to watch, and they love to play with each other. They are talented and young, and as they grow together, this could be the start of something special,” said athletic director Ken Santos. “The coaching staff is looking forward to building a great program, and the core group of players is already here and ready to grow,” The hockey team began after the Athletic Advisory Committee noticed that several freshmen played hockey and

TRINITY HALL’S MOLLY RIGGI Photos by Tom Smith

had experience with the sport. Last winter, former teacher Alyssa Anderson coached a clinic to generate interest in ice hockey. This is the program’s first year as a fully functioning and practicing team. Despite the newness of the team, the athletes say they instantly became good friends and tight-knit teammates.

With the success of this year’s team, Santos added, “Our school and community have really rallied around this team and it has become a big part of our winter sports program.

We now have more girls that are students that want to play next season. We also have interest from incoming freshmen who have experience playing who have seen our success and want to be a part of it.”

The inaugural Trinity Hall Monarchs are Maddie Reynolds, Anna Clements (1 goal), Adriana Crepaldi (4 goals), Caitlin Bermingham, Elisabeth Clements (11 goals), Riley Francese, Carolyn Litwin, Molly Riggi (3 goals) and Noelle Turek.

On the season, they are 1-3 with the lone winning coming on opening night against Westfield, followed by three losses to Kent Place, Morristown-Beard and Princeton Day. The Monarchs’ final game of the season is Feb.19 against Morristown-Beard.

Page 12 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

HOWELL CAPTURES SECOND SHORE CONFERENCE WRESTLING TITLE

By Eric Braun

HOWELL – The Howell wrestling program captured another title this season with a 36-18 dominating performance over Raritan. Normally at this time of the year, it is the veteran faces that step up and lead by example, but for the Rebels it was their younger wrestlers that took center stage and led the way.

Howell, long known for their excellent wrestling program, once again showed why they are a top contender each and every season. After getting past Long Branch relatively easily in the semifinals, 41-19, Howell was looking to earn their second Shore Conference Tournament title against an upset-minded Raritan Rockets squad that was making their first-ever SCT championship appearance.

The match opened at weight class 113 pounds, where the Rebels Luke Rada took to the mat against an undefeated Raritan wrestler in Charles Barrale.

The two sized each other up for the first two periods and at 2-2, Rada scored a point on a take down late in the second. In the third, Rada pulled the upset of the night when he escaped for another point and opened the scoring with a 5-2 win for Howell.

Next up was Darby Dietrich from Howell, who scored a first-period pin over Cameron Rafalko with 36 seconds left to give the Rebels another key victory.

Kyle Slendorn kept the momentum going for Howell when he outworked AJ Erven,10-4, to give the Rebels three straight wins to open the finals and a 12-0 lead on the scoreboard.

Raritan would climb back into the contest winning the next two matches, with Russell Benson scoring a 3-1 sudden-death victory over Daniel Esposito and then Christian Sookdeo with the 5-0 win over Evan Richard. With the score now respectable at 12-6, the two teams traded match wins over the next six weight classes.

Howell’s Xavier Kelly would steal the momentum back from Raritan in the 145-pound weight class when he took on Andrew Bohal. Kelly, who is only in his second year of wrestling, scored a 16-0 technical fall win over Bohal.

This win energized the crowd and even though the match was still close, this seemed to be the turning point for Howell. After teammate Nick Solkowski lost on a majority decision to Jimmy Van Fecthmann at 152 pounds, Christian Murphy at 160 pounds increased Howell’s lead with a 6-4 win over Anthony Aquilano.

HOWELL’S 132LB NICK ACQUE

ST. ROSE GEARING UP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP RUN

By Eric Braun BELMAR – Tournament time and St. Rose girls basketball go hand-in-hand over the past seven years, having made the Shore Conference Tournament finals four out of the past six years, winning the tournament twice in that time frame. This year’s group has the similar characteristics as the last group of Purple Roses to walk out of the Monmouth University gymnasium as champions.

The last time St. Rose was the champion of the courts at the Shore was back in 2017 when they knocked off heavily favored Saint John Vianney, 56-31. The Purple Roses then and now did it with defensive pressure and controlling the glass on both sides of court.

On Thursday night in the second round of the Shore Conference Tournament, St. Rose put on a clinic in the rebounding category pulling down 31 rebounds. This, along with their stifling defense that created nine steals and three blocks, kept Donovan Catholic under constant pressure from midway through the first quarter through the rest of the game.

The Griffins won the opening tip and immediately sophomore Jordyn Keating put Donovan in front, 3-0. For

The next three bouts finished at majority decisions with Raritan’s George Burdick defeating Chris DeMarco, 15-5, at 170 pounds; Howell’s Shane Re-

the next couple of minutes both teams traded possessions and missed shots. With a little over five minutes to play in the first quarter, St. Rose started to find their lanes and pressure the Griffins inside with great success.

Junior Brynn Farrell and senior Lauren Lithgow drained four straight free throws as a result of driving the lane and taking the fouls to give St. Rose the lead they would never relinquish.

St. Rose would make a living at the line against Donovan Catholic, making 15 of 18 from the line. This is a telling stat line for St. Rose who has already scored more from the line this year than they did the past two seasons.

At the end of the first quarter with both teams starting to settle in, the Purple Roses led Donovan Catholic, 11-4.

St. Rose then went on a run to increase their lead to ten, but then Donovan Catholic cut the deficit to six points, but that is as close as the game would get. St. Rose dialed up the pressure on both ends of the court and jumped out to a 30-14 halftime lead.

Farrell led all scorers at the half with 15 points, followed by teammate sophomore Abby Antognoli with nine points and Donovan Catholic’s Keating with 12 points.

The second half was more of the same, as the Purple Roses continued to pound the rock into the paint and create offensive production. By the time the third quarter ended, St. Rose had the contest in hand with a 22-point lead, 45-23.

HOWELL’S 145LB PIERCE GOMEZ Photos by Tom Smith itsma with a 15-3 win over Justin Acevado; and Raritan’s Ryan Dickens with a 15-4 win over Danny Schick.

Howell would earn their second Shore Conference Tournament title on the next match at 220 pounds when Eric Keosseian pinned Ethan Wolf at 5:08.

Not to be out done, Howell’s Jake Nash took to the mat for his HWT bout against Dylan Kansky and he would best Keosseian’s pin time with a 3:13 pin of his own.

Howell added to their winning streak with five more match wins before falling in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 5 final to Southern Regional, 30-28, and ending their team season with a record of 24-1. Several wrestlers will be vying for individual state titles when the NJSIAA individual championships kick off in Atlantic City in a couple of weeks.

St. Rose secured their trip to the next round of the SCT against Marlboro, winning, 58-38, despite a gutsy performance from the Griffins. When great teams start to click you can only hope to slow them down, and that’s what Donovan ran into against St. Rose, which displayed too many offensive weapons and tremendous rebounding on both ends of the court.

St. Rose will now take on Manchester in the semifinals Tuesday night.

The trio of Farrell, Antognoli and Lithgow, who have been the top three scorers for St. Rose this season, once again led the Purple Roses against Donovan Catholic. Farrell led with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Antognoli finished with 13 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals. Lithgow finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

Saturday afternoon, the Purple Roses took to the hardwood against Marlboro in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament and wasted little time getting to work. St. Rose jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead before Marlboro could settle in. The Mustangs would find their legs and closed out the first quarter tied, 15-15. St. Rose finished the second quarter on a 13-6 run to take a 4231 halftime lead.

The second half started the way the first half finished, with the Roses on fire as they raced out to a 7-0 run and would close out the third quarter outscoring Marlboro, 26-3, to enter the final quarter up, 68-35. St. Rose closed out Marlboro with an 88-49 victory, with Farrell once again leading all scorers with 25 points.

ST. ROSE’S #22 BRYNN FARRELL Photo by Eric Braun

2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

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Brick Brothers Aided by GoFundMe Page and Generous Community

MARLBORO’S GISELLA ROMEO NETS 1,000TH POINT

The Brick Township football community and community at large have launched a GoFundMe page for two brothers who graduated last year. Here is their story:

MARLBORO – Gisella Romeo joined Mustang royalty on Feb. 13 when she scored her 1,000th point. The five-foot, seven-inch senior is a four-year player for the Marlboro program and entered the season needing just 302 points to reach this milestone.

Hi everyone. These are two brothers – Patrick and Tyler – recent high school graduates that have fallen on a very difficult situation. Please read their story and consider helping them out, if you wish to do so. They are good, hard working boys in a very difficult time, We are working with them, local county officials, and a food pantry. We are trying to get them into an apartment, where they can be better supported. Remember, anything is enough to help, it all adds up. Thank you.

During her freshman season in 26 games, Romeo recorded 147 points on 60 field goals made, 6 three-pointers and 19 free throws made. In her sophomore season in 28 games, she increased her scoring to 197 points on 73 field goals, 10 three-pointers and 23 free throws. During her junior season in 27 games, Romero became one of the top scorers in the Shore Conference with a careerhigh 354 points on 124 field goals, 17 three-pointers and 55 free throws.

By Eric Braun

By Eric Braun

P O E N D ING From Basics to Ch N A R G

Patrick and Tyler Giesler have had a lot of adversity in their lives, more than any boys should have to deal with. Pat and Tyler lost their father at a very young age. Soon after the death of their father, the boys had to deal with being abandoned by their biological mother. They were fortunate enough to have their loving grandmother, Theresa Burke, who the boys refer to as “Mom,” and their great grandmother Filomena Santapolo Irons, to raise them. They lived together in a long-time family home near the Mantoloking Bridge in Brick Township (the family home was built in the 1800's).

BRICK’S PATRICK AND TYLER GIESLER Photo courtesy of Twitter

In her senior season that is still going strong with the Mustangs advancing deep into the Shore Conference Tournament, and the NJSIAA tournament right around the corner, Romeo has already surpassed her career high in three pointers with 26 this season and will most likely surpass her career high in free throws from last year as she currently has 49, field goals where she currently sits at 100 and total points scored where she has 321.

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 practices and on the weekends. The most amazing thing about

2248 US 9 South, Howell, • 732-966-3441 Pat and Tyler is they each have NJ NEVER (Ideal missed a lifting,Plaza) training or high school sport practice for any of the teams they were on during their four years in high school! They were always the hardest working boys on their teams. Patrick finished his high school career with six varsity letters and Tyler finished with four.

P O E N D ING N A R G

On October 29, 2012 tragedy once again struck the boys and their family. Superstorm Sandy, which made landfall in New Jersey and became the most destructive hurricane in history, destroyed the family home, and all of their belongings, including vital paperwork (they just obtained their birth certificates this past fall). With no means to rebuild, the family was now homeless. Having to sell the house for much less than it was worth, they were fortunate enough to move into a rental home in the Lake Riviera section of Brick. The social security of their great grandmother and “Mom” is what helped the family survive. For a little while things were okay, until their great grandmother, passed away. Soon after her passing, the family was evicted from their rental property and they were homeless once again.

After graduating in 2018, the boys and “Mom” began living in Wenke’s Motel in Point Pleasant. They have been working fulltime at Wendy’s in Brick, while attending Ocean County Community College. Soon after graduation, “Mom” was diagnosed with cancer and had been in and out of hospitals until she recently passed away.

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 2248 US 9 South, Howell, (Ideal Plaza) 732-966-3441 The boys are currentlyNJ on their own at the ages of 18•and 19

and are months behind on their rent at the motel. They ride their bikes to work or Uber if the weather is bad. They are currently trying to balance their college classes around their work schedule, and deal with the recent loss of “Mom.” We are asking you to help these boys get their adult lives started off on the right foot. Remember, any amount whatsoever is a help. 100% of all money collected is going to pay the back rent owed, new security deposit, food, future rent payments, obtaining driver Over the past few years they have bounced around from rental licenses, securing a vehicle, and helping them create a stable homes and hotel rooms. At times the 2248 boys andUS “Mom” have 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 and productive life. Thanks Again, we appreciate any and all lived out of their mini-van. Throughout this time with the help of help. Please look for updates, as we will be sharing all the progthe Brick Township High School community, Pat and Tyler have ress that is made with all your help and support. Thank You. remained focused on their goals. They each played three varsity MARLBORO’S GISELLA ROMEO sports throughout high school, while holding down full-time jobs To help, visit https://www.gofundme.com/giesler-brothers-reto help “Mom” with the bills. Pat and Tyler would come in from Photo courtesy of Marlboro High School lief-fund. practice, shower, get dressed, and go to work each night after 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

P O E NING D N A R G

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Page 14 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19

SHORE CONFERENCE HARDWOOD HIGHLIGHTS BOYS BASKETBALL RECAP

By Alan Brehme, Toms River North, JSN Intern

three players include Jakari Spence (396 points, 61 rebounds, 86 assists, 44 steals), Najae Hallenback (288 points, 235 rebounds, 10 assists, 21 steals) and Nick Duncsak (231 points, 124 rebounds, 13 assists, 19 steals). Toms River North’s last game was a 67-55 win over Jackson Memorial, who, despite leading, 25-24 at the half, fell short. Hallenback accounted for 24 points and 10 rebounds. Toms River North plays Middletown North on Feb. 19.

WALL TOWNSHIP

MANASQUAN Photo by Tom Smith MANASQUAN

(22-2 overall, 13-1 A Central) The Manasquan Warriors entered this season with high hopes led by seniors Quinn Galvin (24 points, 18 rebounds, 3 steals), Jack Heenan (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Xander Korolik (145 points, 118 rebounds, 16 assists, 15 steals), Brad McCabe (354 points, 177 rebounds, 36 assists), and Tim Wheat (11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals). The Warriors’ last two matchups were wins against Wall (71-63) and division-rival Shore Regional (73-52). Junior Alex Galvan was a powerhouse against Wall, tallying 19 points, which was only second to fellow junior Quinn Calabrese who had 25 points and four rebounds.

Manasquan’s first tournament game kicks off against Johnson on Feb. 25.

TOMS RIVER NORTH

(18-3 overall, 14-0 A South) The Mariners came into the season with four seniors and five juniors on the roster. The top

(15-6 overall, 12-2 B North) With only two seniors on the Crimson Knights this season, they were destined be an average Wall team, but all the sophomores and juniors have stepped up, as well as one freshman. Freshman Colin Ackerman (139 points, 63 rebounds, 35 assists, 28 steals) has made a name for himself by racking up the numbers.

6-3 junior Quinn Calabrese’s career stats include 740 points, 233 rebounds, 107 assists, 21 blocks, and 64 steals. Calabrese leads the team in with 52 three-point shots, 68 field goals, and is tied for games played with 21.

Wall defeated Matawan, 46-45, on Feb. 7, led by sophomore Pat Lacey’s 18 points.

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CBA Photo by Tom Smith (224 points, 33 rebounds, 31 steals), and Phillip Wheeler (116 points, 48 rebounds, 7 steals).

Ranney’s last games were wins against Asbury Park (72-47) and Mater Dei Prep (103-43).

Ranney is scheduled to play Timothy Christian in the tournament on Feb. 27.

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY

(18-4 overall, 13-1 A North) Christian Brothers Academy won their division over Freehold Township by one game.

Top players include Stephen Braunstein (358 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists), Josh Cohen (443 points, 45 rebounds, 2 assists) and Mike White (122 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists). CBA downed Freehold Boro, 78-47, with a huge game from Cohen. They then lost to Elizabeth, 54-55, on a last-second three-pointer. CBA’s next game is Feb. 28 against Camden Catholic.

JOIN THE TEAM!

RANNEY

(20-3 overall, 10-0 B Central) Ranney was a powerhouse this season, going undefeated in conference play and dropping only three games in their rigorous schedule.

Bryan Antoine (516 points, 63 rebounds, 43 assists, 42 steals) was a huge part of their season and averaged almost 23 points a game.

Others include Scottie Lewis (331 points, 94 rebounds, 71 assists, 33 steals), Alex Klatsky

RANNEY Photo by Eric Braun

JSN IS LOOKING FOR WRITERS

FOR MORE INFO EMAIL JSNATTARDI@MSN.COM

2/19/19 - 3/4/19 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 15

ALBRECHT, DABAS LEAD MIDDLETOWN SOUTH INTO SHORE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS

By Mike Ready

MIDDLETOWN – Eighth-seeded Middletown South advanced to the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals Thursday for the first time since 2010, taking down ninth-seed and division rival Marlboro, 63-49, on the Eagles home court.

The two A North combatants split the regular-season series with each winning on the road and could meet a fourth time in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV bracket if both teams win their first-round games.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 9-2 lead and led, 16-8, after one quarter with sophomore guard Luke Albrecht and junior forward Mike Dabas doing most the damage.

In the first quarter alone, Albrecht scored four points, had three assists, four rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot, while Dabas added seven points and three assists. One play in particular stood out as Albrecht one-hopped a three-quarter-court pass to a charging Dabas for an easy layup that gave them the 9-2 lead.

“Luke had a good day,” Anderson said of his sophomore guard. “Luke is the fastest guy we have; he gets paint touches on the dribble and had a good shooting day. Once he gets that confidence it adds to his whole game. It gets his offense going; it gets his defense going. He’s grown up a lot and he demonstrates that on the court.”

“We’re so fortunate to have seven guys that can step up in their roles,” said Middletown South head coach Jim Anderson. “We know there’s going to be days where Jack Sheridan and James Anderson aren’t going to be hitting shots and we have to go to our interior play so guys can score inside.

The Eagles went up by 17 points, 40-23, after a putback by senior center Dan Mitchinson midway through the third, but the Mustangs closed the gap cutting it to eight, 44-36, on freshman guard Jonathan Spatola’s three-pointer with 1:00 left in the third.

“One of the things we talked about was getting paint touches against Marlboro,” Anderson added.

“Without Kaufman we thought we could get the ball to the inside and we knew we could out-rebound them. Mike Dabas is a spectacular offensive rebounder – for a 6-foot-1 guy, his rebounding is freighting.”

Junior guard Richie Boyko, however, put South back up by 12 on consecutive baskets in the closing minute of the third.

ETES, WE CAN HELP YOUR PAIN! With Marlboro big-man Dylan Kaufman on the bench in concussion protocol and the Eagles struggling to hit from the outside, they turned to their inside game with Albrecht and Dabas taking over underneath getting to the rim and penetrating to the basket.

“We had played them two times this season so we knew what we had to do going into this game,” said Albrecht. “Also, with Kaufman being out I knew I would be able to facilitate more, get to the rack and get to the rim and that’s what I did.”

“When you don’t’ shoot the ball well you have to do other things in the game to help you win,” Dabas said. “So, when shots aren’t falling you have to go hard to the rim, rebound and do the little stuff to win. No matter who was there we were going to go as hard as we could to the boards and fight as hard as we possibly can no matter who’s there.”

The Luke Albrecht show continued into the second quarter as he scored the Eagles’ first five points helping South maintain a comfortable lead.

However, Marlboro’s Alex Ratner’s three-pointer trimmed the Eagles lead to 25-20 with 2:36 left in the half, but Albrecht followed a Bobby Pirie midrange jumper with five-points of his own to close out the third quarter.

Albrecht finished off his mini scoring spree by pulling down a rebound and going coast-to-coast for the basket to give the Eagles a 12-point, 32-20, lead at the half.

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Junior guard James Anderson came down with an offensive rebound and bounced a perfect pass to Boyko who buried it and then Albrecht dished one to him for two points pushing their lead to 48-36, entering the fourth quarter.

“At the end of the game I feel like we kind of lost our mentality of stepping on their throats,” said Albrecht. “But we still got back up and stayed ahead and that’s all we needed to do.”

Pirie opened the fourth quarter hot, scoring six of Eagles’ first eight points to put the Eagles up by 15 with just over five minutes left in the game to seal the 63-49 win. Albrecht found him for two then he grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback and finished off his scoring spree with a layup off a pretty dime from Albrecht.

“Bobby’s a great player when he wants to be,” said Albrecht. “When he gets his motor going and his mind set he can do things a lot of big men can’t do.

He can step back and shoot the three but he can also get in the paint and be tough.”

MIDDLETOWN SOUTH’S RICHIE BOYKO Photo by Tom Smith

points second-half points, three rebounds and two assists.

After scoring 23 points against Middletown North in the Eagles’ last game, Anderson had an off night shooting but chipped in with eight rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot while Mitchinson chipped in with four points and four rebounds.

Ratner had a game-high 19 points, including four three’s for Marlboro.

The Eagles’ prize for winning is a date with Ranney – ranked No. 14 in the country in the USA Today’s Top 25 – in Sunday’s first quarterfinals matchup at 11 am at Toms River North.

“It should be a good one,” said Albrecht when asked about the matchup with Ranney. “It will set us up for the future and get us ready to play better teams later on.”

rts Injuries daches & Concussions e injuries ulder injuriesWE CAN HELP ATHLETES, WE CAN H ATHLETES, injuries WITH YOUR PAIN! ATHLETES, WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR PAIN! ATHLETES, WE CAN HELP t and ankle injuries WITH YOUR PAIN! Specialties: Specialties: ATHLETES, WEPAIN! CAN HELP WITH YOUR • Sports Injuries Sports Injuries k &• Back pain Specialties: & Concussions • Headaches & Concussions • Headaches WITH YOUR PAIN! • Sports Injuries • Knee injuries •Specialties: Knee injuries generative medicine • Headaches & Concussions • Shoulder injuries •• Shoulder injuries Sports Injuries Specialties: • Knee injuries • Hip injuries tomized physical therapy programs •• Hip injuries Headaches & Concussions • Shoulder • Sports Injuries injuries • Foot and ankle injuries “Bobby Pirie had a spectacular second half,” said Anderson. “I laid into him a little bit to play harder and get after it. He’s so athletic at 6-foot-4, he’s a game changer and he certainly stepped up. When Marlboro made their little run it was his rebound and putback that gave us some distance.”

MIDDLETOWN SOUTH Photo by Mike Ready

Albrecht scored a team-high 17 points along with four rebounds and seven assists while Dabas added 13 points, 10 boards, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Pirie added 12 points, three rebounds and an assist and Boyko contributed eight

The Eagles start three juniors and a sophomore and their top two players off the bench are juniors so playing a nationally-ranked opponent that has squared off with some of the top teams in the country is a golden opportunity for growth as they head into state playoffs and look towards next season.

“We love the challenge of playing Ranney,” said Anderson. “We’re going to coach it up and the guys are going to buy into it.”

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Page 16 Jersey Sporting News • 2/19/19 - 3/4/19