THE OBSERVER | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
“She’s been a great leader and that’s been a huge plus for me,” Cantarella said. But for some reason, Benacquista does not want to play college softball. She would rather take her chances playing college basketball somewhere. “People inquire about her and I have to tell them that she just doesn’t want to play,” Cantarella said. “I can’t force her to play.” There’s a current fourplayer logjam at second base. Cantarella isn’t close to naming a starter there yet among junior Alyssa Welter and sophomores Jennifer Garrido, Crystal Medina and Ariana Ruiz. Senior Luciana Gilfone will make the move from second base, where she has played the last three seasons, to shortstop this season. “She’s a natural shortstop,” Cantarella said. “She has a strong arm.”
Latorre is the team’s starting third baseman. “She was primarily the third baseman last year,” Cantarella said. The outfield situation is wide open, with six young ladies battling for time in the three outfield slots. Junior Agustina Garrido will be one of the starting outfielders, but whether it is in left or centerfield is still up in the air. Junior Sydney Gomez, who earned a few starts in the outfield last season, is another returnee. Sophomore Jehann Dabon, the standout point guard on the basketball team, is another player in the hunt for playing time in the Buccaneer outfield. Freshman Fiorella Samaniego, the younger sister of former Belleville standouts Alison and Samantha, is the third and final Samaniego softball player to come through the ranks. Senior Victoria Bruno is a player who will see time
19
For art’s sake
at designated hitter and first base. “She’ll get in the lineup somehow,” Cantarella said. The Buccaneers open their season April 3 against Morris County Vo-Tech and then face Montclair Kimberley April 4 and Memorial of West New York April 6. “We’re deep in some positions,” Cantarella said. “But we also have a lot of inexperience. But I like these kids. They’re willing to take instruction. They listen and want to get better. They want to learn, which is what every coach asks for. They all play multiple sports in Belleville, so that’s a good thing. I don’t have to teach them how to play.” And Cantarella won’t have to teach them come late May and early June, when the Buccaneers take their Friday lessons to the softball diamond and the state playoffs.
Photo by Laura Comppen
Students in grades 6 through 8 at Washington Middle School in Harrison celebrated Youth Art Month by showcasing their artwork in a community exhibit on display this month at Kearny Bank, 534 Harrison Ave. Student artists and school administrators joined bank officials at a recent reception hosted by the bank. From l., are: Kearny Bank’s Sophia Collier, assistant vice president and branch manager; Luis Soto, assistant manager; and Margaret Sanchez, vice president for small business bankers; eighth-grader Anthony Neely; James P. Doran, assistant superintendent for the Harrison School District; seventh-grader Danniella Lecaros; Mike Landy, Washington Middle School principal; and sixth-grader Gerry Olmedo.
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