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ABOUT THE COVER
Danielle “Diz” Olenik is in her fifth season coaching the Egg Harbor Township girls basketball program, and it has taken a lot of hard work and patience to build the Eagles up into the type of team that can begin to contend for a conference title and berths in the Cape-Atlantic League and state tournaments. In her first three seasons, the Eagles went a combined 19-55, but in the last two years they have started to turn things around. Last year, EHT posted a 9-15 record, and so far this year they are 8-4 and in third place in the CAL American race, just two games behind conference-leading Atlantic City. Cameron Bell is in a similar situation coaching the EHT boys team. In his first year, the Eagles went 11-14, but then dropped to 9-16 last year. But this year they are 8-7 and also in third place in the CAL American, and are in the conversation for the CAL Tournament. A positive vibe is beginning to make its way to the surface surrounding EHT basketball, as the new student cheering section, dubbed “The Flock”, is organizing a fan base to head out to home games, and even some away contests. Can the Eagles continue to build on this newfound momentum? Only time will tell. — Dave O’Sullivan, Staff Writer
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE General contact: 609-788-4294/advertising@acglorydays.com Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher: sully@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDsullysays Giuseppe Ungaro, Managing Editor: gungaro@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDgisepu Amy D’Adamo, Graphic Design: advertising@acglorydays.com Bill Lynskey, Director of Advertising: bill@acglorydays.com Victor McGuinn, Advertising Sales: victor@acglorydays.com STORY IDEAS/ADVERTISING: Have a story you’d like to see told in Glory Days Magazine? Want to get your business noticed with a marketing campaign in our print or digital platforms? Call us anytime at 609-788-4294. Volume: 6 Issue: 13 Overall Issue Number: 120. Cover Photography: Dave O’Sullivan. 2018 Glory Days Magazine. All rights reserved.
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MAKING HEADLINES Sully takes a closer look at the athletes, coaches and teams who are generating news and highlights in the Cape-Atlantic League and throughout South Jersey.
u He’s still at it: Mainland’s Destin Lasco, pictured above, is still
just a junior, but he continues to break national records, almost to the point of boredom it’s become such a frequen occurrence. This week he set a national meters record in the 200 freestyle to go along with more than a handful that he already has. In the same meet, Mainland sophomore Katie McClintock broke a 24-year-old school record in the 100 breaststroke. u Free basketball: Fans got their money’s worth on Wednesday night at St. Joseph when the Wildcats took mighty Wildwood Catholic into overtime before falling. The Crusaders, one of the top teams in the state, have continue to answer every challenge and are now 12-1 and have won seven straight. u Bolts on fire: Millville’s boys basketball team has won eight straight to improve to 11-2, third best in the CAL.
glory days digital Want the best high school sports coverage every day of the week? Visit glorydaysonline.com for game coverage, features and more! You can also like us at facebook.com/acglorydays, and follow Sully on Twitter @GDsullysays. Get the best. Every day.
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Junior forward Joe Glenn has been a key contributor on the inside for Holy Spirit, scoring 22 points in a win over Oakcrest on Jan. 17.
Holy Spirit fighting hard to stay in CAL National race (Editor’s note: Throughout the season, Glory Days Magazine staff will check in with area coaches to see how their teams are doing, and what their expectations for the rest of the season are. This week, Staff Writer Giuseppe Ungaro talks with Holy Spirit boys basketball coach Jamie Gillespie.) By GIUSEPPE UNGARO Staff Writer he calendar may read middle of January, but there is still time for the Holy Spirit boys basketball team to define itself. Will the Spartans be a good squad or a contender? The next three weeks will decide their fate. Holy Spirit has the talent and experience to climb the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference standings just like it did a year ago. As of Jan. 16, Holy Spirit was 7-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play, just a half-game out of second place behind Lower Cape May (4-0), Ocean City (3-1) and Mainland Regional (3-1). Although Holy Spirit coach Jamie Gillespie will certainly keep his players laser-focused on
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Season update HOLY SPIRIT
Overall record: 7-5 CAL National: 3-2 Last 5 games: 3-2 Next 5 games: Jan. 21 vs. St. Augustine; Jan. 25 vs. Absegami; Jan. 26 at Westhampton Tech; Jan. 29 at Cedar Creek; Jan. 31 at Ocean City. the next opponent — wary of looking too far ahead — the Spartans have the potential to make a late move as the regular season begins to wind down in early February. At the end of a 65-58 loss to Lower Township
See Spirit, page 8
Page 8 w Glory Days Magazine w Jan. 18, 2019 Spirit, from page 6
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
on Jan. 15, the Spartans had dropped two consecutive conference games. Holy Spirit also suffered a 2-point loss to rival Mainland on Jan. 11. “We were 7-3. We lost our last two in the National Conference, both close games, one to Mainland and one to Lower Cape May,” Gillespie said. “Our conference is a pretty competitive conference with four teams pretty evenly matched, and all the games are coming down to the wire. I’m a little disappointed that we have two conference losses at this point. But we are certainly not ready to pack it in. “I told our kids (after Wednesday night’s loss) we were in the same situation last year. The first time through the rotation we lost back-to-back to Ocean City and Lower Cape May, and then came back to win the conference after running the table. But we can’t look at it like that at this point, though. We are trying to run the table in the long run, but we are taking it one game at a
Jake Lamonaca and the Spartans are right in the thick of things in the conference race. As of Jan. 16 they were just a half-game out of second place.
See Spirit, page 9
Jan. 18, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 9 Spirit, from page 8 time in the short run.” The Spartans are back on the winning track with a 60-33 win over Oakcrest on Jan. 17. Joe Glenn led the Spartans with 22 while Christian Kalinowski added 15. It was an important win with a Monday matchup against St. Augustine Prep looming. Regardless of the results against the Hermits, this is part of the schedule where Holy Spirit needs to string together some wins together. “One of the things we talked about is consistent effort, which we really haven’t been able to do for 32 minutes,” Gillespie explained. “We haven’t provided a consistent effort, so I think that is where things start with us. Then there are some things from an execu-
tion standpoint that we can improve upon, both offensively and defensively. But above it all we need consistent effort from everybody.” The Spartans have the potential to make a run. They have senior leadership with Jake Lamonaca and Santino Georgio. They also have balance and experience, getting solid contributions from Glenn, Kalinowski, and Isaiah Gerena, among others. “We have a good group of kids. We generally play unselfish basketball. We have some perimeter shooters. We have a good interior player in Joe Glenn. We just have to be able to put it together,” Gillespie said. “I know I have a group of players who are not going to quit. They are going to keep grinding. We are going to find a way to get back into this thing.”
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Santino Georgio, left, and Holy Spirit have some big games coming up before the end of January, including against St. Augustine Prep on Jan. 21 and at Ocean City on Jan. 31.
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY
Turning the corner EHT basketball starting to become a threat in the CAL By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer o build a snowman, you don’t start by trying to mold a giant ball of snow for the base. You scoop up a handful of snow and pack it into a ball, then start rolling that ball on the ground until it progressively gets bigger and bigger. It takes time and effort, but if you do it right, pretty soon you have a snowball the size of a car tire that you can use for the base. Egg Harbor Township basketball coaches Cameron Bell and Danielle “Diz” Olenik began packing their first snowball a few years ago when they took over the Eagles’ boys and girls hoops programs, respectively, and now EHT has a pretty good base to work with as it continues to build toward becoming one of the better programs in the Cape-Atlantic League. Bell is in his third season and Olenik her fifth, and prior to this year the numbers weren’t anything that would put fear into any other CAL teams. The past four years, the EHT girls were 28-70, and in the past two seasons the boys were 2030, but this year both teams are above .500 and in third place in their respective CAL American Conference races. Through Jan. 16 they had combined for a 16-11 record, the boys improving to 8-7 with an 82-77 road win over Bridgeton on Wednesday and the girls upping their mark to 8-4 with a victory over Bridgeton. The girls are one of seven teams in the league of 20 teams with eight wins or more, while the boys are one of eight teams in that category. Each program is in the conversation
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Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Sophomore guard Lauren Baxter is one of several young players the Egg Harbor Township basketball programs have who are beginning to elevate the Eagles in the Cape-Atlantic League standings. for berths in the CAL Tournament and state playoffs. “From the time I took over — I came in a year after Olenik on the girls side — we’ve been trying to instill, programwide, the type of work and dedication it takes to play with the high-caliber teams we have in the CAL; the work it takes every day, both in season and out-of-season. We’re still working and have a long way to go, but these guys are buying in more and more each day,
each week, each month and each year, and it’s slowly starting to show for us,” Bell said. “I think about the seniors we have, and particularly our two main seniors, Michael Dodd is a kid who was on the first travel team we put together a few years ago when we were trying to resurrect the travel program in Egg Harbor Township. Although he’s a guy who didn’t start with me, I’ve known him for a while and I’ve had him for three years, and he’s a program guy.”
Egg Harbor Township is one of the largest school districts in South Jersey, but often falls victim to parochial, tech and choice schools attracting some of its best athletes. It’s a bit of a catch-22 with EHT — the Eagles sports teams need the best athletes to stay at EHT, but they also have to win enough to give top athletes a reason to stay home
See EHT, page 11
Jan. 18, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 11 EHT, from page 10 and not venture off to schools such as Holy Spirit, St. Augustine Prep, Atlantic Tech or even public schools such as Mainland or Ocean City, which are now choice schools. Part of trying to keep kids inside the district is a concerted effort by all of the EHT athletic programs to build up a sense of pride and school spirit. This year, a group of students banded together to form “The Flock”, a cheering section for sports like football, soccer and basketball. It even has its own Twitter handle to let the public know about big games coming up. “It’s simple — keeping guys in EHT. We’re trying our best to keep kids in Egg Harbor Township. If we can keep the kids here, we’ll be around for a long time. I recognize that keeping the kids here is the biggest key to having a winning program. I go to the youth leagues a lot and see kids play. Everybody wants to be part of a winning program and a winning tradition, and I told my athletic director, Mike Pellegrino, that I have to get the program winning and when that happens, these kids will want to stay. And that’s happening, we haven’t lost a lot of kids the last couple years. For us, we just have to win. If we win, we’ll keep our kids and we’ll be in the conversation year in and year out, it’s as simple as that,” Bell said. “The Flock, our student section, has been great. They’ve come on the road with us. Against Mainland, even though we didn’t play well, it was great to have them there and it almost felt like a home game at times. The
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
EHT senior Michael Dodd celebrates after nailing a big 3-pointer during a recent game against Pleasantville. As of Jan. 16, the Eagles were 8-7 and in third place in the CAL American. energy in the entire building has been fantastic, and we love the support.” “I feel like we’re in the best position we’ve been in a long time and we’re pushing for better, and we’re getting better,” said sophomore Madison Israel, a starting guard on the girls team. “Everybody is hyping it up because there is a lot of hope for us. We’re re-
ally looking to push it this year and be a threat. We always want to come out as a threat and be able to rattle teams, and I think this year is the year. Our defense has definitely made us a force to be reckoned with, and that’s something that has changed from a few years ago to now. It’s gotten ten times better, and we continue to get better.”
“This is my fifth year, and it’s really cool because now we’re not playing just in front of parents. Kudos to the boys track team, we are their No. 1 fans, they come to everything, and little stuff like that makes a difference and gives us pride. A lot of these girls
See EHT, page 12
Page 12 w Glory Days Magazine w Jan. 18, 2019 EHT, from page 11 played varsity last year for the first time, and we were like, ‘OK, this is good, this is the right step.’ I’m really looking forward to the next couple of years because now we’ll be an experienced group,” Olenik said. “But we do have to get better. When we don’t shoot the ball well, we have to make sure we
limit the turnovers, stuff like that. But we did see this coming. We still have to turn that corner. We gave Mainland a run in the first half, there was a game in the Christmas tournament we could have won, and those are the games that keep you up at night. But we have to start playing these teams. This is the
See EHT, page 13
“It’s simple — keeping guys in EHT. We’re trying our best to keep kids in Egg Harbor Township. If we can keep the kids here, we’ll be around for a long time. I recognize that keeping the kids here is the biggest key to having a winning program. I go to the youth leagues a lot and seeing kids play. Everybody wants to be part of a winning program and a winning tradition, and I told my athletic director, Mike Pellegrino, that I have to get the program winning and when that happens, these kids will want to stay. And that’s happening,”
Cameron Bell, EHT boys basketball coach
Jan. 18, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 EHT, from page 12 first year we’ve played Mainland, and we have to start playing tough teams. The last couple of years I wouldn’t even think about scheduling them, but it’s the right step, we have to play those teams to see where we measure up. “There are really cool fans, which is awesome, and our news broadcasts at school do a really nice job,” she added. “We’re really pushing the pride around here because we’re such a big school, we really could be in your face. So, it’s cool.” The Eagles aren’t there yet, there’s still a lot of work to be done. But they’ve opened some eyes this season. The boys had Pleasantville on the ropes earlier this month, jumping out to a 15-0 lead to start the game before eventually losing by six points, and the girls played Mainland — one of the top teams in South Jersey — to a virtual standstill through the first half before the Mustangs pulled away in the second half. Each team now has the benefit of having some experienced upperclassmen to pair with some tal-
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
With a win over Bridgeton on Jan. 16, Natasha Iqbal and the EHT girls team improved to 8-4. ented younger players. The boys have Michael Dodd and Jordan Sweeney — who is a Division I baseball recruit for Rutgers — leading the way with sophomores like Ethan Dodd and Rahim Muhammad, along with junior Isaiah Walsh, making a big impact. The girls are led by experienced players like Si-
erra Hegh and Mackenzie Mahana, and have a couple of talented sophomores in guards Lauren Baxter and Israel. “We have to have a belief. My guys are finally starting to believe in themselves. My first two years we had a saying, ‘respect all, fear none,’ just trying to get them over that mental hur-
dle. This year, it’s ‘DNA,’ it’s who we are, this is the kind of program we are, and they are finally believing in themselves. We lost a couple of games when we were down, but they had the belief that they could battle back, where as in years past they would have just checked out. They are finally believing in themselves. They know they are good basketball players and they are learning how to win and how to play this game the right way,” Bell said. “The key was when I took over, Dodd and Sweeney already had a year experience, and in my mind I thought that by the time they were seniors they would be well-seasoned and be ready to have a leadership role. I knew we had some young guys coming up. When I took over, Isaiah Walsh was a freshman and I knew he would get some time — year No. 3 was the year I was looking at to turn the corner. We’re still not exactly where we want to be, but I was hoping this would be the year when it all started to come together.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GMS Law Assistant Coach Profile MARIA EDWARDS/EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP BOYS BASKETBALL
Edwards doesn’t back down from anyone Former Buena star has proven herself in boys sports for two decades By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer ecky Hammon was an outstanding player in the WNBA for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty, and when her playing days were over she got into coaching. She’s now an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA and has been a trendsetter, proving that women can be successful coaching men in professional sports. Maria Edwards is a bit of a trendsetter herself at the high school level, even if she won’t admit as much. Edwards is an assistant to Egg Harbor Township boys basketball coach Cameron Bell, one of the few females in the state coaching a boys sport. There are plenty of men coaching girls basketball, but not many women have taken on the challenge of coaching boys. But Edwards is a strong-willed woman, a former standout at Buena Regional and Trenton State College (now TCNJ), and she’s been coaching boys for most of the last two decades. “I got into coaching when my son was young because I didn’t like how he was being coached. I started coaching for coach Bell doing travel ball, and he liked the way I was coaching and asked me to be a part of EHT when he became the head coach. I only coached girls for about two years, and I didn’t really like it. I’ve always coached boys. My son is 20 now, so we’re talking years of coaching. So there was no hesitation with coaching boys, and I do some training on the side and most of that is with boys,” she said. “When I came in (to EHT), most of those boys, I had coached them in recreation and travel leagues, so I already had a rapport with them. The last eighthgrade team I coached was the freshman team when I came in here, so those boys knew me, and some of the older boys knew me because I had coached them before. So it wasn’t a major issue. They have a lot of respect for me, so I didn’t have any problems.” Coaches want to win, and winning takes a team effort from a coaching staff. That’s why Bell wanted people such as Phil Strauss and Edwards on his staff. He wants good coaches by his side, regardless of gender.
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Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Egg Harbor Township boys basketball coach Cameron Bell says assistant Maria Edwards has been instrumental in turning the Eagles into a contender in the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference. “She’s been coaching with me for almost 10 years now. She used to coach in the travel program and she played in college. She’s a phenomenal resource. She’s kind of the Yin to my Yang sometimes, her and coach (Phil) Strauss, my JV coach. When I get too fired up they bring the ice, and when I’m not fired up enough they bring it, so it’s a nice balance,” Bell said of Edwards, who is not a teacher but rather the administrator for Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville. “They respond well to her because she is no-nonsense. Early on some of the guys may have looked side-eyed (at having a female coach) but they recognized early on that she knows the game and knows what she’s doing, so she has their respect. They are responding well, and to them it’s just commonplace now, they don’t even think twice about it.”
It’s been a learning process with Bell and Edwards, with a little bit of give-and-take. Every head coach/ assistant relationship has a bit of that good cop/bad cop dynamic to it, and Edwards says she willingly plays the good cop, and thinks that sometimes it helps that she’s a woman in situations like that. “Our styles were different, so we had to kind of come together on that. Originally, he liked (the team) to come down and set up stuff on offense, and I like to run. So we kind of combined things a little bit to make it work for us, and it has,” Edwards said. “With me being a woman, I think that helps the team and helps the players come on board quicker with what (coach Bell) wants to do. They can go at it, because
See Edwards, page 16
Page 16 w Glory Days Magazine w Jan. 18, 2019 Edwards, from page 14 coach Bell is a little more aggressive, then I come in with a softer touch and tell them what they are doing wrong in a gentle manner. So, I think it’s a good mix for the boys.” It hasn’t always been easy for Edwards coaching boys teams. Two decades ago, attitudes toward women being involved with boys sports was very different, and she said coaching staffs from other travel teams would sometimes try to intimidate her in hopes of gaining a mental advantage for their team. It rarely worked. “I don’t have any issues with that now. Back when I first started, I had major issues with that, but now, none at all. When I was coaching the younger levels, I had problems, but I stood my ground. I haven’t had any problems with the parents, it doesn’t seem to bother them that I’m a woman and I coach (boys),” she said. “The biggest problem I had (years ago) was we were winning — and my assistant was a female at the time, and I did that on purpose because I had problems (with male assistants) the year before — and we ended up winning a championship. Every single game we played we were having issues with the guys (on other coaching staffs). But that just made me want to push even harder, and we won the championship and that’s all I needed to validate who I was. I can’t be intimidated, although they tried.” Bell said that Edwards has consistently proven her
Edwards spent her playing days at Buena High School and Trenton State College, and now is administrator at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville. Glory Days Magazine photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
merit the past 10 years he’s been coaching with her. “She has been indispensable to me. Being in private industry, she has to get out of work to come to certain things, and she doesn’t miss anything,” he said. “She comes to every single event, has never missed anything, and to have that other person who is constant and consistent, that extra set of eyes and ears, I can’t express enough how appreciative I am of all the time and hard work she puts in.” Edwards, who also is the aunt of ACIT girls basketball star Kayla Sykes, a 1,000-point scorer, is helping to build the Eagles into one of the better teams in the Cape-Atlantic League. As of Jan. 17, the Eagles were 8-7 and in third place in the CAL American, and had wins over teams such as Bridgeton, Vineland,
Washington Township and Atlantic City, and nearly knocked off Pleasantville, one of the top teams in the CAL United. “Now they have bought into the program and what coach Bell is trying to do. My main premise when I first got there was all the tension I saw between the players, so we wanted to build a family and I feel like we’ve finally gotten there, and that’s the reason we’re playing better,” she said. “Now, we depend on each other and it’s not a selfish game. I’m the kind of person who kids naturally gravitate toward. I have one biological child but I have about 13 people who call me Mom.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GIRLS BASKETBALL
‘Kiss Cancer Goodbye’ returning to ACIT Girls hoops showcase event in its second year; Imhotep Charter making an appearance From staff reports The ACIT girls basketball program is excited about the Kiss Cancer Goodbye showcase event returning to its Mays Landing campus. Last year, the RedHawks kicked off the inagural event and this year many of the same teams are returning, along with a few new ones. The tournament was inspired by current ACIT senior Kayla Sykes and her mother, Lonniyell, who wanted to do something to honor Kayla’s aunt, Carol Small Smith, and her battle with cancer. Proceeds from Saturday’s event go to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. “We have five girls games starting at 11 a.m. It’s a great event, we raise money for St. Jude’s. We raised $1,200 last year and we’re looking to double that this year,” said ACIT coach Jason Vander Ryk. “I wouldn’t be doing justice if I didn’t give Kayla’s mom, Lonniyell, a shout out. She’s been the mastermind and the brains behind it and has done everything for the tournament this year. She gets all the credit. I set the teams up but she does everything else. She’s been going to local businesses to get the sponsors. She’s an angel, it’s hard to tell her no, and she’s done an amazing job and she gets all the credit in the
schedule Saturday, Jan. 19 at ACIT 11am: Bridgeton v. Atlantic Christian 12:30pm: Wildwood v. Deptford 2:15: Southern v. Cedar Creek 4: Imhotep Charter vs. Winslow 5:30: Glassboro vs. ACIT u Proceeds benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital world for the tournament.” The event features some interesting matchups. Bridgeton is coming off a tough 34-30 loss to Egg Harbor Township, but the Bulldogs have some exciting young players and they’ll take on Atlantic Christian to start things off, and the second game will feature one of the best players in South Jersey in Wildwood senior Maddie McCracken. They’ll be taking on a Deptford team that as of Jan. 17 was 7-5, and the Spartans will have a quick turnaround as they have to face Williamstown on Friday night. The third game of the day features Southern Regional, a team that is 6-6 but plays in one of the more competitive divisions in South Jersey, the Shore
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Senior Kayla Sykes and ACIT were 10-0 heading into Friday night’s matchup with Bridgeton, and will be taking on Glassboro at the Kiss Cancer Goodbye showcase. Conference A South, and the Rams will be going up against Cedar Creek, which features star forward Trina Deveney and some quality guards. This year, Imhotep Charter out of Philadelphia is coming to Mays Landing and features several players who play AAU basketball with Sykes. They’ll be taking on Winslow, a team that is 7-5 and traditionally is a state playoff qualifier in South Jersey Group 3. The event finishes up with host ACIT taking on Glassboro, another team that is 7-5 and has won four of its last five games.
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Mainland hanging tough in CAL National Big games against Lower, Ocean City looming next week By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer hroughout the first half of the season, Mainland Regional boys basketball coach Dan Williams has been preaching — and trying to find — chemistry that will produce team basketball, and, hopefully, a lot more wins. It’s been a little bit of a work in progress, as Williams only had a few guys coming into the year with any significant varsity experience, but lately the Mustangs have started to put it all together and have scored some nice wins that have them in contention for the Cape-Atlantic League’s National Conference crown, and possibly an automatic berth in the upcoming CAL Tournament. Only the top two teams in each of the three conferences earn automatic bids, and the rest of the teams are left to fight it out for the two remaining at-large bids. Through Jan. 16, the Mustangs were tied with rival Ocean City for second place in the conference, each with 3-1
Season update MAINLAND
Overall record: 8-4 CAL National: 3-1 Last 5 games: 3-2 Next 5 games: Jan. 23 vs. Lower Cape May; Jan. 25 at Ocean City; Jan. 30 vs. Oakcrest; Feb. 1 at Absegami; Feb. 4 vs. Highland.
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Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan
Tommy Zanaras and the Mustangs have games against Lower Cape May and Ocean City next week that may decide their fate in the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference. records and a game behind first-place Lower Cape May, which was 4-0. Mainland hasn’t yet gotten through the first cycle of conference games, which means it still has two big matchups with Lower Cape May looming, the first of which is home on Jan. 23. The Stangs also will take on Ocean City for the second time this season two days later, at home. They lost to the Red Raiders in the teams’ first meeting,
on Jan. 8 in Ocean City. Heading into Thursday night’s action, Mainland was 8-4 overall and had won three of its last five games. “I’m happy with where we are. I don’t know if it’s what I expected, necessarily, because even though we do have three seniors we’re actually lacking a fair amount of experience. But there’s only been one game this year where we’ve been entirely out of it,” Wil-
liams said. “We played Eastern, and I think Eastern would get us anytime this year, but every other game — whether it was Pleasantville, Millville, Ocean City — we were right there for most of the game and competed hard. There’s nothing they should be ashamed of (in those losses).” Mainland has a solid, athletic front line with guys like Angelo Barron, Jake Cook and Tommy Zanaras — who is sort of a guard/forward hybrid — and point guard Joe Massari, one of three
See Mainland, page 19
Jan. 18, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 19 Mainland, from page 18 seniors, seems to be all healed up from an ankle injury that cost him a couple of games earlier this month. The Mustangs have also gotten some surprisingly good play from its other two guards, juniors JaQuan Mace and Luke Mazur. Mace is a solid defender, and Mazur showed he can be an offensive threat when he dropped 18 points on Egg Harbor Township in a win earlier this week. “That win pushed us to 8-4 and gave us a lot of power points because they area Group 4 team that has some good wins,” Mazur said. “We just have to keep pushing. We have about six straight home games, which is great, our fans are great and we’ll just keep feeding off them and hopefully put a good product on the court.” Williams said the key to any February success will lie in Mainland’s ability to avoid injuries. He has a short bench, and not much experience as many of the bench players are first-year varsity guys. “We have to stay healthy, that’s No. 1. Massari was hurt a little bit and that made things a bit challenging. Luke and Jaquan really stepped up when he was
Coach Dan Williams said the key to Mainland’s success down the stretch will be the Mustangs’ ability to stay healthy. hurt, it’s just that (without Massari) we become very thin. If one of those guys were to get in foul trouble or have an off night — so, health, for sure,” Williams said. “And we have to be really prepared the next time around with Ocean City, with Holy Spirit, we still see Lower Cape May twice. And we can’t take any other game for granted. We can’t get fat and hap-
py because we had two nice wins here back-to-back. We can compete with anybody, but we’re not that good to say we can just show up and there are some wins. That’s not who we are.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Mazur, Mace making things happen Junior guards helping Mainland challenge for top spot in CAL National By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer ainland Regional boys basketball coach Dan Williams knew what he had with guys like Angelo Barron, Jake Cook, Tommy Zanaras and Joe Massari heading into this season, but other than that the rest of the roster was a mystery in terms of what those players could produce on the varsity level. The veteran Mustangs skipper said he’s been pleasantly surprised by the play of a pair of junior guards who have helped solidify the starting lineup and bench play. With Massari running the point, Williams needed another guard who could handle the ball and help distribute the ball down low to the big guys. In Luke Mazur and JaQuan Mace, he sort of has two players in one, in the sense that often they sub in for each other and their skills are very similar. Both can handle the ball and both can distribute and play defense, and Mazur has also shown the ability to be a threat from three-point range. In a recent win over Egg Harbor Township, Mazur nailed a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 18 points to help the Mustangs to a 71-55 win over the Eagles, who are one of the better teams in the Cape-Atlantic League’s American Conference, which houses the bigger public schools as well as St. Augustine Prep.
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Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan
Luke Mazur, a junior guard, has been a key offensive contributor for Mainland, which is 8-4 and in second place in the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference. Mazur has also had some other solid games, scoring 17 points in a loss to Eastern and 12 points against both Millville and Ocean City. Mace usually scores anywhere from about five-to-eight points in any given game, but he’s not asked to score a lot. His role when he is on the floor is to play aggressive defense and help get Mainland’s transition offense going with steals. Williams said Mazur has really matured in the past
year or so and feels confident he can handle any situation that presents itself in varsity games. “On the varsity level, he had virtually no playing time (last year), and he’s really matured a lot. I don’t know at this time last year he would have handled coming off the bench, knowing that he’s every bit as good as the first five guys,” Williams said. “This
See Mazur, page 21
Jan. 18, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 21 Mazur, from page 20 year, he’s been great with it, has a great attitude and he and JaQuan — who is the guy who he usually subs in for — have a great rapport, they pick each other up in practice every day. JaQuan is one of our best defenders, if not our best defender, he just didn’t have it on the offensive end (against EHT), but he was as happy as anybody in the locker room after the game.” Mazur and Mace are former middle school rivals, as Mazur attended Belhaven in Linwood while Mace went to Jordan Road School in Somers Point. They never thought they would end up being great friends just a few years later at Mainland. “We used to go at it in middle school, and once we got to high school we joined forces on the freshman team, and we became really good friends. We hang out outside of school, and now we’re in the big leagues on varsity, subbing in for each other, and at one point we were both starting when Joe Massari was hurt. We just have that chemistry where we can set each other up, or set up Tommy on the wing or Jake on the wing, or Angelo down low,” Mazur said. “I went to Belhaven in Linwood and he went to Jordan Road School in Somers Point, so we would play against each other twice a year, play in big-time tournaments, championship games, and we just brought that to high school and are putting it on the floor here now. I never thought it would happen when were guarding each other in middle school, that we would become
really good friends in high school, on the court together, side-by-side and controlling things together.” The win over EHT put Mainland at 8-4 overall and as of Wednesday night the Mustangs were 3-1 in the CAL National, tied for second place with rival Ocean City and just a game behind conference-leading Lower Cape May. There is plenty of basketball left this season and everything is right there in front of the Mustangs, and Mazur and Mace are working hard to make sure Mainland is playing meaningful games in late February. “That win (over EHT) pushed us to 8-4 and gave us a lot of power points because they area Group 4 team that has some good wins,” Mazur said. “We just have to keep pushing. We have about six straight home games, which is great, our fans our great and we’ll just keep feeding off them and hopefully put a good product on the court.” “I felt like we just had to play aggressively and stay mentally focused. I felt like we had to take the lead and keep it. I was just trying to stay aggressive and help the team out, create steals and get offense quickly,” Mace said after the EHT game. “We have great energy when either one of us is coming off the bench. I just tell (Luke) to do his thing. He works his tail off in practice, so if he just keeps doing his thing and keeps his head up, he’ll be fine. We just need teamwork and to play unselfishly, set each other up and make good plays.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Mainland coach Dan Williams calls junior guard JaQuan Mace his best overall defender.
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Dr. Sokalsky helping Sully get back in the game
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hen you are an athlete and in your teens and 20s, you never imagine a day will come when your body begins to break down on you a little bit. I began playing organized baseball when I was 8 years old, and haven’t stopped, missing only one summer after graduating from Pfeiffer University in 1994. But after you graduate college, baseball is no longer an everyday thing. A job, and sometimes multiple jobs, keeps you from working out as much as you’d like, and when I was in my early 30s I began to experience some tendinitis in my Achilles tendons. It’s been a chronic ailment for at least the past 10 years or so, athough I’ve continued to play summer and fall
Dave O’Sullivan
baseball, albeit in a modified way. I probably haven’t stolen a base since I was about 34 years old, and in recent years have had to get “courtesy” pinch runners in a lot of games. Kind of makes you feel old! At 46, I still feel like I have a lot of athletic ability in me, so I turned to Dr. Brian Sokalsky of Jersey Shore Sports Medicine in Somers Point to help get me “back in the game.” He recommended a PRP, or Platelet Rich Plasma, injection, and after getting an MRI from Atlantic Medical Imaging, his original thought of chronic tendinitis was confirmed, although not as bad as I originally feared. I had the procedure done on Jan. 17 at Dr. Sokalsky’s office, and it was relatively quick and pain free, although there will be some initial soreness for the first 72 hours. In the coming weeks, Glory Days will chronical Sully’s recovery in a “Getting back in the Game” video series, so stay tuned and I’ll let you know how I progress!
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Dr. Brian Sokalsky of Jersey Shore Sports Medicine performed PRP injections for Achilles tendinitis on Glory Days Magazine Publisher Dave “Sully” O’Sullivan this week. The procedure, along with about 8-to-10 weeks of rehab, is meant to help treat chronic tendinitis.
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KING PIN/GLORY DAYS BOWLING CHALLENGE
Glory Days staff rallies late to upend Absegami baseball From staff reports The challengers keep lining up, and the Glory Days staff bowling team keeps knocking them down. Recently, a couple of players from the Absegami baseball team tried their hand at beating Glory Days, which came into the match sporting a 15-3 career record, its only losses coming at the hands of the EHT bowling team, the King Pin staff and the Upper Township Challenger League. The Absegami baseball players were feeling their oats early, as Billy rocked Glory Days Magazine staff members Billy Lynskey, left, and Dave two straight strikes to start off Game “Sully” O’Sullivan outlasted Absegami baseball players to notch 1. He was on fire throughout the rest their first win of 2019 and improve to 16-3 lifetime. of the first game, picking up spares in three of his final four frames to finish ing 103 in the opening game, but was victory after seeing the way Billy was with a game-high 141. But Glory Days still in third place of the five players, as bowling in that first game,” Sully said. stayed within striking distance on the Shane and Ray of Absegami rolled 73 “It was plain to see I was very rusty, and I had a difficult time adjusting to strength of Director of Advertising Bill and 72, respectively. “I was actually pretty nervous about the oil pattern on that lane. King Pin’s Lynskey, who rolled a 128. Publisher Dave O’Sullivan scored a disappoint- our chances of starting out 2019 with a oil patterns can be tricky at times,
which really challenges you, and for some reason I just never really go on track. Luckily for us, Lynskey is pretty consistent, and I can count on him to get stronger in the second game almost every time.” Sully’s struggles continued into the start of the second game until he finally notched a strike in the sixth frame, and ended up striking in two of the final four frames, but limped to the finish line with a 91 and a series score of 194, good for third place. Lynskey began to heat up early in the second game, picking up spares in frames 2-5 before striking in the next three frames. He finished strong, rolling a strike on his final shot to finish with a 190 game and a 318 series, good enough to secure the win as Billy rolled a 121 game and 262 series to finish second. Ray and Shane finished up at 163 and 154, respectively, in the two-game series.
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GOLF
Stockton laying groundwork for D3 women’s team Gottlieb ready to lead Ospreys into new era on the links By SEAN FAWCETT Glory Days Golf Writer tockton University has a women’s golf team. Currently a club sport, like the Ospreys men’s golf team, the Galloway university unit, which teed off in September, is hitting the links with a drive toward becoming an NCAA Division III varsity squad in Fall 2019. In August, Stockton University Athletic Director Kevin McHugh saw the women’s program drive one well down the middle by hiring local — and former LPGA ShopRite Classic Director of Communications —Rodger Gottlieb as the team’s first head coach. “Rodger has been a terrific addition to our coaching staff,” McHugh said. “ He has devoted an enormous amount of time and energy since Day One and has been aggressively recruiting to expand the squad size. The women’s golf program couldn’t be in better hands.” Gottlieb, a lifelong golfer, knows golf — and the ladies’ game — exceptionally well, having close to two decade worth of experience as communications director for the LPGA’s ShopRite Classic. The ShopRite Classic, presented by ACER, is held annually every May or June at Stockton’s home course, the historic Seaview Bay Golf Club, which Stockton had previously owned through 2017 and into early 2018. Seaview, a Hugh Wilson and Donald Ross classic, opened in 1914 and was the host course for World Golf Hall-of-Famer Sam Snead’s first major championship, the 1942 PGA Championship. Traditionally, 90 of the top 100 women professional golfers in the world compete at Seaview at one of the Tour’s top grossing and best-attended pro-ams, the ShopRite Classic. “I have a wealth of experience and a passion for playing, teaching and coaching golf,” said Gottlieb. “This position affords me the opportunity to help instill that passion and love of the game in the next generation of golfers.” Team Captain Danielle Elia is just one of that next generation of Stockton women golfers who Gottlieb will be guiding. Elia, a four-year starter from Pinelands Regional High School in nearby Little Egg
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Photo provided by Stockton University Athletics
Stockton University women’s golf coach Roger Gottlieb will be leaning on former Pinelands star Danielle Elia as the Ospreys look to make the jump from club team to NCAA Division III competitor in the fall.
“I have a wealth of experience and a passion for playing, teaching and coaching golf,” said Gottlieb. “This position affords me the opportunity to help instill that passion and love of the game in the next generation of golfers.”
Roger Gottlieb Stockton University women’s golf coach
Harbor, Ocean County, placed sixth (90) at the Arcadia Invitational held at Cedarbrook Country Club in Blue Bell, Pa., on Oct. 29. The former Wildcats’ No. 1 was one of New Jersey’s Top 20 girls players when she played from 2012-2015. “Danielle is blessed with great athleticism, which really helps her as a golfer,” Gottlieb said. “She has a Tour-caliber golf swing. She’s a fierce competitor, but also understands that the game is supposed to be fun as well.
“I’m very excited about our new women’s golf program,” Gottlieb continued. “With an excellent talent pool to build from among New Jersey high school golfers, exceptionally strong support from Kevin McHugh, Jeff Haines and the entire athletic department at Stockton, as well as a terrific home practice and playing facility at Seaview, there is no doubt in my mind that we will be successful in a very short period of time. We already have a few very solid players, and more are on the way.”
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Win over Lower puts O.C. into top spot
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asten your seatbelts, folks, because it’s about to be a wild ride in the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference on the boys side. Ocean City took down Lower Cape May Regional, 67-63, on Jan. 17, outscoring the Caper Tigers 10-7 in overtime to forge a tie atop the conference standings. Gannon Brady (18 points), Donovan Graham (16), Joey Sacco (15) and Luke Varallo (10) were all in double figures as Ocean City improved to 4-1 in conference play while handing Lower its first conference loss. That puts both teams just barely ahead of Mainland and Holy Spirit, who both are hot on the heels of the conference leaders. The Red Raiders have now won five in a row and are one of the hotter teams in the Cape-Atlantic League. u Speaking of overtime: Earlier this week, Wildwood Catholic, which has won seven straight and has just one loss this season, needed OT to take care of St. Joseph, which started out 7-0 and is now 9-2. The CAL United is now a three-team race between Wildwood Catholic, St. Joe’s and Pleasantville, which is set to have a third 1,000-point scorer this season as senior forward Jacob Valeus entered Friday’s action needing just 14 points to reach the milestone.
Dave O’Sullivan
Games To Watch January 21, 5:30 p.m. Wildwood Catholic at Pleasantville (boys): The Greyhounds got blown out in the first meeting, and you can bet they will be out for some revenge at home. January 22, 6:30 p.m. Millville at EHT (boys): The Eagles are hungry for a signature win this season, and Millville has been playing some of the best basketball in the league. u Bulldogs a team to watch: In girls hoops, I have to say, I was impressed with Bridgeton’s energy and defensive effort in a close loss to Egg Harbor Township this week. EHT coach Danielle “Diz” Olenik was as well. Said Olenik, “credit to Bridgeton. (Coach George Linen) is doing an awesome job over there. The amount of work he’s doing for that team — he’s just doing everything right. He’s starting with the young kids, and they are going to be a team to look out for. I told our girls that this was a game that, for Bridgeton — we look for games to steal, this was a game they were looking to steal from us, without a doubt.” Scotti Walker is a pretty good player, and I was also impressed with the guard play of Tatyana Chandler and Jada Edwards. These two are going to be fun to watch at the Kiss Cancer Goodbye showcase at ACIT on Saturday.
ROUNDBALL REPORT
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Donovan Graham was one of four players in double figures for Ocean City on Thursday night when the Red Raiders took down Lower Cape May in overtime to forge a first-place tie with the Caper Tigers atop the CAL National standings.
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ttttttttttttttttttttttt GAME REWIND
Swimming EHT 88.5, Mainland 81.5 (girls) EHT 96, Mainland 74 (boys) This was a huge meet for both the EHT boys and girls squads, and both passed their respective tests with flying colors. For the girls, Mainland represented the last big hurdle to a second straight Cape-Atlantic League championship. For the boys, none of the current Eagles swimmers had ever beaten Mainland in their high school careers. WHAT WE LEARNED Destin Lasco is on another level. He’s setting national records every season, and notched another one in this meet, putting up a new mark in the 200-meter freestyle by clocking in at 1:51.15. The Mainland junior is being recruited by all the best swimming universities in the nation. And Mainland junior Katie McClintock is also making a name for herself, as she broke a 24-year-old school record in the 100 breaststroke. Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan KEEP AN EYE ON The Egg Harbor Township boys team. The Eagles have more depth than Nikki Beiber and the Egg Harbor Township girls swimming team they’ve ever had, and it will be interesting to see if it’s enough to unseat took down rival Mainland earlier this week, scoring an 88.5-81.5 victory that boosted the Eagles’ record to 5-1. powerful Cherry Hill East in the South Jersey Public A tournament.
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ttttttttttttttttttttttt GAME REWIND
Girls basketball EHT 34, Bridgeton 30 The host Eagles had all kinds of trouble in the first half with a slew of turnovers and missed shots, but made enough buckets to stay with the Bulldogs and eventually relied on their defense to create offense in the final minute to squeak out a four-point win. It was a big win for EHT, which is trying to keep pace with Atlantic City and ACIT in the CAL American race. WHAT WE LEARNED The Eagles can play some good defense, but will have to find a way to be more efficient on offense if they hope to win games in February. The Bulldogs are much improved and have some exciting young guards who are relentless on defense. Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan KEEP AN EYE ON EHT’s Jayla Perdomo, she recently came back off injury and will be a key Mackenzie Mahana made a key play on defense in the final minute to help EHT secure a 34-30 win over Bridgeton on Jan. 16. piece moving forward for the Eagles.