all sports media northern review - 10/25/11

O c t o b e r 2 5 , 2 0 1 1V o l u m e - I / I s s u e - 3

www.asmnorth.com

Boys Soccer:Chatham ChargesForwardPage 4

The NJAC ShufflePage 6-7

Gridiron Crunch

Time: NJAC Football

playoff OutlookPage 8-9

Delbarton’s White

Knight0

Madison Reclaims

Morris County Field

Hockey Title

Page 10

Girls Soccer: Setting

New StandardsPage 12

County

Tournaments

RoundupPage 15




Gridiron Crunch

Time: NJAC Football


Delbarton’s White

KnightPage 10

Madison Reclaims

Morris County Field

Hockey Title

Page 10



County

Tournaments

RoundupPage 15




Gridiron Crunch

Time: NJAC Football


Delbarton’s White

KnightPage 10

Madison Reclaims

Morris County Field

Hockey Title

Page 10



County

Tournaments

RoundupPage 15

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www.asmnorth.com Volume- I Issue-3 10 /25 / 1 1 ASMNorthern Review / 3

The newspaper you’re holding inyour hand is an exciting newway to follow NorthwestJersey Athletic Conferencesports. But it’s only one halfof the way we cover local highschool action.

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Web exclusives fromAll Sports Media For The NJACBy Paul Mencher – ASM Northern Review Managing Editor

The moment of t ruth for a soccer team can occur

any t ime during the season. The members of the

Chatham boys’ team may have experienced theirs

af ter just the second game of the year.

The Cougars s tumbled in a 1-0

loss to upstar t Hanover Park

and immediately had some

soul searching to do. They

responded by winning their

next 16 games and

vanquishing those same

Hornets 3-0 on October 10 to

even the ledger.

Some teams might

have t reated the

ear ly loss as an

aberrat ion and

ignored their

problems or lost

confidence by

panicking. The

Chatham

players took

the loss as a

lesson to be

learned.

“I wouldn’t

real ly cal l i t a

f luke,’’ senior

defender

Thomas

Stephan said.

“They came

real ly hard.

They came to

play. We

defini te ly took

them l ight ly. I

would say we had their

number for a good decade or

so. They def ini te ly were the

bet ter team that day.’’

That humil i ty is not a lways easy

to except , especial ly in a place l ike

Chatham, where i t seems the

players are issued soccer c leats a t

bir th . The Chathams have

establ ished reputat ion for great

soccer dat ing back to the days

where Chatham Borough and

Chatham Township had separate

high schools and the Eskies and

the Gladiators held fever-pi tched

bat t les .

Chatham had a good preseason

and had success against wel l - regarded

teams l ike Mil lburn, Westf ie ld and

Princeton. The loss to Hanover Park, a

school that hasn’t had ser ious soccer success in

two decades, was a jaw-dropping

defeat . Afterwards the Chatham

players could ei ther unravel because of i t or learn

from i t .

“I t was just a wake-up cal l , ’’ senior defender Matt

Proto said. “In the game of soccer anything can

happen. Every game we have to go in 100 percent

physical ly and mental ly. We didn’t make i t a big

deal , but that game happened and you have to move

on and take every game l ike i t ’s our las t game.’’

Last year the Cougars played into overt ime before

fal l ing to Montvi l le in Morr is County Tournament

f inals . They gained their share of redemption in the

state Group III semif inals by upending the Mustangs.

Chatham lost s ix s tar ters to graduat ion but found

players to s tep into those roles .

“At the beginning of the season Trip (Burke)

was doing a lot of scoring, but that

was the f i rs t few games,’’ Proto

said. “Other people have been

scoring: (David) Gil l , Josh

Bris tol , Brian Schaefer has

been dishing and scoring so

i t ’s balancing out real ly

nicely.’’

The team has chemistry that has

come from years of playing together.

“We have good balance,’’

senior midfielder

Trip Burke said.

“I t just happens.

We’ve been

pract ic ing al l

summer. I t jus t

develops.’’

Defense has cont inued to

be a mainstay with Proto,

Stephan, outs ide

defenders Sean McHugh

and Chad Gilders leeve

and goalkeeper Brian

Petrunik helping to

generate nine

shutouts in i ts 16-

game run.

The Cougars are

comfortable with

their coach Gene Foca, a Chatham

native who pays close at tent ion to

detai l and keeps his players on an

even keel .

“He real ly just te l ls us what the

other team is about before the

game,’’ senior midfielder Brian

Schaefer said. “If there’s somebody

we have to watch, what we have to do.

He te l ls us to play s imple. In the

game, i f we’re not doing what we

have to he reminds us again. I t ’s

real ly up to us the way we

play.’’

Foca balances

the t radi t ion of

Chatham’s

soccer past with

the real i ty of the

present day

Cougars . His

calm demeanor

hides the fact

that he is a

motivator, who

often pushes the

r ight but tons to

get his squad to

perform.

“Gene l ikes to

think back to a l l

the good things

about Chatham

soccer, ’’ Stephan

said. “He te l ls us about the t radi t ion and we have to

l ive up to i t . The his tory over Chatham soccer is

real ly r ich but a t the same t ime he gets us focused

game-by-game to move forward.’’

And the Cougars have responded. Their win against

the Hornets was expert ly done. Chatham control led

the tempo on offense and l imited Hanover Park’s

scoring

opportuni t ies .

There was l i t t le

celebrat ing

afterwards, just

the sat isf ied

feel ing of a job

well done.

“We were more

relaxed,’’ Burke

said. “We kept the

bal l . We passed i t

around. The turf

real ly helped that .

We got much

bet ter possession

and bet ter chances.

We didn’t panic . ’’

Like many teams

that carry

tradi t ions, the Cougars wil l be ranked against the

success of past teams. Their resul ts in the county

and s ta te tournament wil l be the overal l measuring

st ick.

“The biggest thing is how we come into every

game mental ly, ’’ Proto said. “After Hanover Park i t

was, we can’t take any team l ight ly any more. We

have to t reat every game l ike i t ’s the most important

game of the season.’’

Defender Chad Gildersleeve

4 / ASMNorthern Review Volume- I Issue-3 10 /25 / 1 1

David Gill

CHATHAM CHARGeS FORWARD:Cougars on a rol l after early stumbleB y M a r k K i t c h i n – S t a f f W r i t e r

Goalie Brian Petrunik

P h o t o s b y :

R ob er t H ar r i sw w w . r o b e r t h a r r i s . s m u g m u g . c o m

www.asmnorth.com ASMNorthern Review / 5

Chatham is moving up, Jefferson is re joining some

old fr iends and a number of other teams wil l be

changing divis ions as a resul t of the Northwest

Jersey Athlet ic Conference’s bi-annual real ignment .

The new al ignment approved by the conference

athlet ic directors went “s t r ic t ly by the bylaws”,

according to NJAC president John DiColo. Those

rules use the s ize of each school and their

geographic locat ion

to determine the

makeup of the f ive

divis ions. The new

alignment takes

effect in September

2012 and is s la ted to

remain in place for

two years .

The most

prominent change

sees Chatham move

to the Nat ional

Divis ion af ter

spending the las t

three years as a

member of the

Independence

Divis ion for most

sports and the

Freedom Divis ion in

footbal l . That

change was

automatic under the

conference bylaws

because Chatham’s

increasing s tudent

populat ion made i t

one of the largest

schools in the NJAC

(in fact , Chatham is now the 11th largest publ ic

school in the conference) .

The makeup of the two large-school divis ions is

determined geographical ly, so Chatham joins schools

l ike Delbar ton, Morr is town and Randolph in the

National Divis ion. The Cougars would appear to be

ready to compete in many sports , but some squads

may f ind the going rough in the new divis ion.

“The teams wil l do the best they can,” says

Chatham athlet ic director Harvey Cohen. “The

games wil l be bat t les , they wil l be great competi t ive

games.”

Chatham wil l face a couple of old r ivals f rom the

Iron Hil ls Conference, Mendham and Parsippany

Hil ls , in i ts new league, but wil l no longer be in a

divis ion with neighbors Hanover Park and Madison.

The Cougars won’t be able to play those schools in

footbal l , but as Cohen notes , “All the other sports

have non-divis ional games, so there’s the potent ia l

to play ( them).”

Chatham’s move to the Nat ional Divis ion forces

one school to switch to the American Divis ion, and

Morris Knolls wil l be that school . The shif t means

Morris Knolls wil l no longer face schools l ike

Randolph, Roxbury and Morris town on a regular

basis .

“That move is probably going to have the biggest

r ipple effect in Morr is County,” says DiColo.

“They’re losing some of their longt ime r ivalr ies .”

“These are r ivalr ies we’ve had for many, many

years ,” notes Morr is Knolls a thlet ic director Ken

Mullen. “I t ’s

not ideal to be

sure.”

“The good

part is that the

tradi t ions

won’t cease

al together,”

Mullen adds.

“We can s t i l l

pick up games

with these

teams in many

sports .”

Mullen says

he’s a l ready

looking to set

up independent

games with the

old Iron Hil ls

Conference

schools where

possible .

The change

does put

Morris Knolls

in the

same

divis ion with local r ival Morr is Hil ls , but

that is a mixed blessing, according to

Mullen. “We’re exci ted about playing

Morris Hil ls , but in some ways the games

lose a l i t t le luster,” he says. For example,

the schools may no longer be able to play

each other in basketbal l a t County College

of Morr is , as they have in recent years ,

s ince they now wil l square off on a home-

and-home basis .

Overal l , though, Mullen says “the feel ing

(at Morr is Knolls) is le t ’s play the schedule

that we’re given.” He says other schools in

the conference have deal t with s imilar

issues involving t ravel and loss of r ivalry

games.

The school dropping out of the large-

school divis ions, based on enrol lment

f igures , is Jefferson. The Falcons wil l move

to the Freedom Divis ion, joining former

Sussex County Interscholast ic League r ivals

l ike Hopatcong, Lenape Val ley and Newton.

Also joining the Freedom Divis ion is the

NJAC’s newest school , North Warren, meaning that

divis ion wil l

jump from

six to e ight

schools next

year.

“For the

most par t ,

our coaches

are happy,”

says DiColo,

who is a lso

the Jefferson

athlet ic

director.

“We went

from the

smallest

school in our

divis ion to

the biggest

school in our

divis ion.”

However, DiColo notes that in cer ta in sports , l ike

wrest l ing and f ie ld hockey, the competi t ion may wel l

be tougher in the Freedom Divis ion.

“From a r ivalry s tandpoint , i t ’s kind of a wash,”

DiColo says, not ing that Jefferson wil l no longer

have divis ion games against teams l ike Sparta and

Pope John. “I t ’s going to increase our t ravel a l i t t le

bi t . But going into the season we have a more

posi t ive out look.”

The athlet ic directors a lso decided to fol low the

league bylaws in terms of the other two divis ions,

which means the Independence and Liber ty Divis ions

wil l see some shif ts as wel l . Under geographic

cr i ter ia , Pequannock

and Whippany Park

are changing places ,

as are the

conference’s smaller

non-publ ic schools .

Pequannock joins

Kinnelon, But ler,

Mountain Lakes and

Boonton in the

“northeast” divis ion

of the league, which

wil l now be cal led the

Independence

Divis ion. Morr is

Cathol ic wil l a lso be

placed in that

divis ion, a long with

St . El izabeth, which

is fur ther north than

the other a l l -gir ls

school , Vil la Walsh,

by a few yards .

The new

“southeast” Liber ty

THe NJAC SHUFFLe: Conference Re-alignsDivisions For Next FallBy Paul Mencher – ASM Northern Review Managing Editor

Jefferson drops out of the AmericanDivision and will play in the Freedom

Division starting next September.


Morris Knolls won't be in the same division as longtime rivals like

Randolph beginning next fall under the NJAC's new alignment.

Pequannock technically will remain inthe Independence Division, but will losefive current division rivals and gain four

new ones.

C o n t i n u e d o n n e x t p a g e

Divis ion consis ts of the grouping of

Madison, Hanover Park, Pars ippany

and Dover, who wil l be joined by

Whippany Park, Morr is town-Beard and

Vil la Walsh.

“There was a l i t t le concern about

having Hanover Park and Whippany

Park in the same divis ion, as they are

sis ter schools , but that’s the way i t

fa l ls ,” notes DiColo.

The general c lass if icat ion appl ies for

most sports , with a handful of

except ions. The most prominent

except ion is footbal l , which wil l s t ick

with a four-divis ion format for the

next two years .

The Nat ional and American Divis ions

wil l be the same as in the overal l

c lass if icat ion. The other three

divis ions wil l cont inue to be

condensed into two, with just a couple

of changes from this year ’s a l ignment .

Jefferson wil l take Chatham’s place in

the Freedom Divis ion, which wil l s t i l l

have nine teams. Meant ime, new

conference member North Warren wil l

be placed in the Independence

Divis ion for footbal l , br inging that

divis ion back up to 10 teams.

The changes mean Independence

Divis ion teams wil l no longer need to

play a non-league game during the

regular season, but Freedom Divis ion

teams s t i l l wi l l have to f i l l an open

date—and that may become a bigger

chal lenge as crossovers wil l no longer

be possible .

Chatham's growing enrollment meansthe Cougars move up to the tough

National Division.

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n the NFL, they strivefor parity as a way tokeep most of the

league in playoff contentionright up to the final gamesof the season. The NJAC maynot exactly have parity, but itcertainly has a lot of teamswith a chance to reach thepost-season.

With just one game left before the eight-

game cutoff for the bulk of the league, 14

NJAC teams are in playoff position and no

fewer than nine more could qualify with a win

in Week Eight (and some help in a

few cases).

Here’s a group-by-group

breakdown of the various sections

in terms of qualifying, plus an

early look at the how the

playoffs may shape up:

North 1 , Group IV

Three NJAC teams sit at 3-4

with one game left, so all three

must win in order to get in. Morris

Knolls is in the best position by far,

as the Golden Eagles are actually

sixth in power points despite the

sub-.500 record, and they face

winless Mendham in their 8th game. A

win is likely enough to get Knolls into

the dance, barring some big upsets

elsewhere.

Both Roxbury and Randolph are

teams hoping to spring one of those

upsets that could shake up the playoff

picture. The Gaels stayed alive by

beating Morristown and now must

upend 5-2 Parsippany Hills to have a

chance. Randolph has an even tougher

task with a game against unbeaten (and

motivated) Delbarton.

In terms of the playoffs, Montclair is a

prohibitive favorite to win this section after

falling to Randolph in last year’s final.

None of the other teams strike fear in

anyone’s hearts, so if

one of the NJAC teams

can get in and avoid

the 8th seed, it

could have a real

chance to

advance.

North 1 ,

Group I I I

Sparta continues to stand

near the top of what is

usually a crushingly

competitive section. The

Spartans are second, just

one point adrift of Pascack

Valley. Sparta plays surging

Morris Hills this week, and

with a win could very well

finish first—and should place

no worse than second.

Vernon moved up into 7th place

with its victory this week over High

Point, but is far from secure in

playoff position. The Vikings

will almost certainly need

to beat Jefferson this

week to qualify, in what

amounts to a playoff game, as the

winner should be in and the losing

squad is almost surely out.

The top three teams in this section

(Sparta, Pascack Valley and Wayne

Hills) appear to be a level above the

rest, so the team that places first in

the power points gets a major

advantage in avoiding the other two

until the sectional final. It looks like

things could break well for Sparta,

which is looking to reach the finals

for the first time since 2005, when

it played in Group II.

North 1 , Group I I

Lenape Valley is solidly in

the playoffs, and could well

hang on to the 4th seed in

order to have a first-round

home game. The Patriots

will need to beat winless

Parsippany and get a little help elsewhere to lock up

home field. Hopatcong also looks to be in good

shape. The Chiefs are in 6th, and with a victory

over Boonton would be in.

Three other NJAC squads are part of a seven-way

scramble for the final two spots in this section.

Morris Hills stands 7th, with Jefferson 8th—but

tied with Dover on power points for that final

position. For both the Scarlet Knights and

Falcons, the scenario is pretty simple: win

this week and qualify, lose and almost surely

miss the states. Both face tough games,

Jefferson meeting a Vernon team that also

must win, and Morris Hills playing

undefeated Sparta.

For Dover, the Tigers must beat

winless Morris Catholic, then need at

least four other teams to lose, but it’s not

nearly as hopeless as it sounds, as all of those teams

are underdogs this week.

Ramsey, River Dell and West Essex are the top three

teams in the standings and look like the toughest teams

in the section, but Lenape

Valley showed in its recent

game against Madison

that it is ready to

compete at a high

level as well.

North 1 ,Group I

While the

bottom half of

many other

brackets will

feature mediocre

teams, that won’t be the

case in this section,

loaded with high-quality

small school squads.

Mountain Lakes moved

up to 3rd after beating

Butler in their Week

Seven showdown. Now

for the NJAC teams in

this section come two

huge games with major

playoff implications.

Mountain Lakes hosts

Pequannock, currently holding

onto the 8th spot. If the Herd wins,

they lock up a first-round home game

IBy Paul Mencher – ASM Northern Review Managing Editor

Mountain Lakes RB Dylan Muti

Lenape Valley QB Bobby Pregno

Vernon RB Chris Gonzalez

and could move up into one of the top two spots, while a loss would likely drop

them into the lower half of the bracket. The Panthers simply must win to qualify;

there are several teams waiting to pounce if they falter.

The other game to watch this week is Kinnelon at Butler. The Colts are in 12th

place but with an upset over Butler would gain plenty of power points and would

have a chance to make the playoffs. Butler fell to 9th after its tough loss to

Mountain Lakes, but that is somewhat deceiving, as the Bulldogs are one of two

NJAC teams (along with Madison) that have only played six games to date. That

means Butler has two more games to gain points; a win over Kinnelon is probably

enough to sneak in but a Week Nine win over Hopatcong would push them up the

ladder.

This looks like a tremendous section in terms of the playoffs as well, with

quality teams like Glen Rock, Cresskill, Saddle Brook and Pompton Lakes along

with Mountain Lakes and Butler. Whichever team ends up as champion in this

group will have earned it.

North 2 , Group I I

Madison stands atop this group, and the defending

section champion should secure the top seed barring a

major upset. Three other NJAC teams are in the

running here, with two big games on tap this

weekend.

Chatham visits Hanover Park in

a key matchup. A win for the

Cougars locks them in to the

states, but

it

would be hard for them to move up

from 5th position. With a loss,

Chatham might still be able to sneak

in. Hanover Park has no such luxury;

the Hornets must win to get into the

playoffs.

Meantime, Hackettstown slipped

into 8th place with its win over

Wallkill Valley. The Tigers go for

their fifth straight win when they

meet Kittatinny, and will secure a

playoff berth with a win as well.

But a loss will almost certainly

knock the Tigers out.

Madison looks like the team

to beat in this section, but the

Dodgers know repeating

won’t be easy, with tough

teams like Summit and

Orange standing in their

way.

North 2 , Group I I I

This section hasn’t been very strong in

recent years, and this year appears no

different. 11 of the 19 teams are already

eliminated from playoff contention,

and two others appear almost

certain to fall short of the

necessary .500 record as well.

Two NJAC teams

are already in: West

Morris, which can lock up

the top seed with a win over

Morristown, and Parsippany

Hills. Meantime, Morristown is facing a

desperation scenario in its game against West

Morris; now 3-4, the Colonials must win to

qualify. If Morristown falls, this section will

almost surely have only five playoff qualifiers.

West Morris looks like the favorite in this

section, and the Wolfpack’s toughest competition

could come from Parsippany Hills. When the two

teams met early this season, West Morris won by a

touchdown on its home field.

Non-PublicGroup I I I

Delbarton continues to

stand atop the power-

point rankings in this

group, and with a win at

Randolph the Green Wave

can assure itself no worse than

the second seed (St. Joe’s of

Montvale has a game in hand and

would pass Delbarton with two wins). That’s a

significant advantage in this difficult group.

Pope John locked up a playoff berth with its

win over Jefferson; the Lions appear almost

certain to be the sixth seed and face a road trip

to play DePaul, Red Bank Catholic or

Immaculata.

St. Joe’s is very strong this season and plays a

remarkably difficult schedule. The Green Knights are seen as the

group favorite, but will their schedule help them improve or simply

wear them out by the end of the season? That could be the key

question, and if anyone is to knock off St. Joe’s, Delbarton appears

to be the most likely candidate.


West Morris RB Jon Ciccone

Morris Hills RB Eric Turner Delbarton’s RB Jamie White

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Delbarton football practice was over and Jamie White was

asking the driver of the equipment cart for a lift back to the

fieldhouse. “It’s full,’’ said the driver. “Besides if you run, you

can make it before the cart can.’’

Such is a rare disadvantage for one of the quickest running

backs in Morris County, if not the state. The speed and ability of

the Green Wave’s junior tailback is one of the major reasons

Delbarton is off to an outstanding season.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound athlete has rushed for 1,085 yards

and had scored 16 touchdowns this season after his team’s

35-0 blitzing of Mendham in last Saturday’s homecoming

contest. White can be dazzling at times with his open field

jaunts but his toughness is also unquestioned.

Jammed with a shoulder injury early in

another recent game against cross-town

rival Morristown, he came back in the

second half and scored on an

electrifying 74-yard run to put a final

touch on the 42-20 victory against a

talented opponent.

“A lot of the defenses come

in and focus on Jamie,’’

Delbarton quarterback

John Shaffer said. “He’s

a great player and he

deserves it but that also

opens up the passing game

for us. I think that’s kind of

what happened for us against

Morristown. His running ability in

the past few games really helped the

offense. It let us throw the ball deep and

it opened things up.’’

At 7-0, Delbarton has been playing

well on both sides of the ball and Green

Wave linebackers Dennis Bencsko and

Chris Soulas have put on impressive

tackling displays on defense at times.

However, having an athlete like White

who can turn a short gain into a long

run at any time he touches the ball

provides a distinct advantage for any

football team.

“Jamie is a spectacular player,’’

Delbarton coach Brian Bowers said. “We

feel like if we give him enough of a crease,

he is going to get through it. He’s a game

breaker. And he showed some toughness getting

back after he banged his shoulder a little bit.’’

White is from Summit. If you don’t know him, you

might remember his brothers. Terry and Alex both

played football and lacrosse for Delbarton in the past

decade. Now both are students and lacrosse players

at Harvard. They are in close contact and always

checking up on what little brother Jamie is up to.

White often uses his brothers as a sounding

board for ideas.

“I’ve learned a lot from both,’’ Jamie White said. “They try and

teach me the ways of things and I take advantage of it as much as

I can. A lot of it is just the way to approach situations and lessons.

They try to teach me drills.’’

Having older brothers is the type of thing that usually keeps an

athlete grounded. White doesn’t consider his size much of a

detriment on the football field. He’s not easily intimidated but he

also doesn’t walk around feeling that he has

something to prove because of his frame.

“I was bigger (then most of my

teammates and rivals) when I was a

little younger and then I stopped

growing,’’ White said. “I haven’t had

too much trouble with my size. I

think I make up for it in other

ways. I definitely think I’m

a target.

“It’s become an

advantage in our pass

game. We run a fake to me

and then the pass goes to

somebody that’s wide

open. It also opens things

up in the run game. They

can use me as a decoy

and I actually like that.’’

White gained

confidence during his

sophomore year which

he used his quick and

elusive abilities to

ground out yards for a

team which finished at

5-5 last year.

The underclassmen -

- including White and

many of the members of

the offensive line -- that gained

experience on that team are reaping the

benefits of last year’s trials by fire.

“I definitely couldn’t do it without the

line,’’ White said. “They do a great job.

They are mentally focused every game and

they know what they are doing.”

Will Reynolds, who also plays lacrosse with

White, is the center. Niyi Odewade plays left

guard. Donny Alvine, the lone senior, is an anchor

at left tackle. Casey Moran, Peter Bergh and Chris

Shafer all do a great job on the right side.

It’s a line that has only two returning starters but bonded

pretty quickly this fall.

“Donny gets us going,’’ Reynolds said. “We all do our thing.

We’re not the biggest line but we’re a bunch of athletes and we

use that to our advantage.’’

It helps the line to know that it doesn’t take much to get

White into open space.

“We know that Jamie is going to do what Jamie does,’’

Reynolds said. “We just try to open up the holes and he finishes.

… We expect him to break the first tackle. If he can make that on

the second level (of defenders), he usually comes through and

ends up in the end zone.’’

When asked to describe what it’s like for a player his size to hit

the line, White says it’s kind of like running through tunnels as

fast as you can. There’s very little thinking involved and White

admits there’s little time for it. He looks for a hole and heads for

it.

“It’s a lot of fun,’’ White said. “I don’t think that much when

I’m running so I don’t remember much of it. I just see it and I just

go. We do a great job of repetition and making cuts in practice so

I’m used to it.’’

There’s little time wasted during a typical Delbarton football

practice. Coach Bowers employs a large digital clock mounted in

the stands that ticks off practice time in five-minute blocks. There

are 32 blocks in an average practice. The practices are upbeat,

well-organized and regimented although there are numerous

variations from day-to-day.

“When you wear the jersey, you have to work hard,’’ White

said. “It’s not given it to you. We all know that out here. It’s a

great tradition.’’

And White has the type of qualities that his coaches covet no

matter his size.

“He’s very smart, very coachable,’’ Bowers said. “You wouldn’t

want to coach a better kid than Jamie White. He has no ego. He

comes to work every day. He’s just a humble, outstanding young

man and it is a pleasure to coach a kid like that.’’

That type of attitude will to make it difficult for teams to catch

White or the Green Wave for the remainder of the season.

“We knew coming into the season that we had some players,’’

White said. “We had a lot of returning starters from last year and

all of our key places were really in check. We have a lot of

confidence.’’

DeLBARTON'S WHITe KNIGHT:Speedy Jamie White LeadsUndefeated Green WaveB y M a r k K i t c h i n – S t a f f W r i t e r

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It was a familiar scene on Saturday night as the

Madison High School field hockey team celebrated yet

another Morris County Tournament title.

Denied last year

by Chatham, the

Dodgers seemed to

yell a little louder

and embrace one

another a bit tighter

after wrapping up

their 17th MCT

championship with a

3-1 victory over

second-seeded West

Morris.

"We really earned

this one," Madison

coach Ann Marie

Davies said. "We

didn't run all over

anyone. There was

never an easy

game."

There certainly

wasn't. The road to No. 17 was challenging. After

shutting out Mendham 4-0 in the first round, the top-

seeded Dodgers went to overtime before emerging with a

3-2 win over Mountain Lakes in the quarterfinals. In the

semifinals, they trimmed Pequannock, 2-1. West Morris

provided a

challenge of

paramount

proportions, too.

By clawing and

fighting its way

through the MCT,

Madison left

behind bad

memories of 2010,

a subpar season by

its lofty standards.

In 2010, the

Dodgers were MCT

runners-up and

didn't win any

titles.

The letdown

came one year after

Madison had a

stellar 2009

campaign, garnering conference, MCT, sectional and

Group II crowns. The Dodgers' run landed them a berth in

the Tournament of Champions.

"We brought the title back to Madison," an elated Tori

Ellis, a junior back, said. "We've worked so, so hard for

this."

A lack of chemistry, said Davies, was what hindered

Madison last season.

"This year's group is playing as a team," Davies said.

"They play for each other, not as individuals."

According to goalie Caroline McCabe, named the

defensive MVP of the MCT for her 13-save effort, 2010

was trying for several reasons.

"We were rebuilding. We lost some great players from

the team that won four titles," McCabe said. "That was

hard to live up to. We had players at different positions

and some that hadn't played varsity before. It took time

for us to get used to each other."

Madison went into this season without two more

standouts, Ally Helwig and Mackenzie Ellis, both now

playing Division 1 field

hockey. Still, the Dodgers

got back on track and were

more determined than ever

to honor the program's

tradition.

"It's

amazing

what we've

done with

the group

we have,"

Davies

said. "The

improvement from the beginning of the

season has been unbelievable. The girls

have figured out that hard work pays off.

They do drill after drill after drill.

They're very well-conditioned. They

know what needs to be done."

No longer can Davies

count on the majority of

her players being

involved in club field

hockey. That has had an

impact yet there are

enough devoted to the

sport year-round to keep

the Dodgers among New

Jersey's elite.

"Things have changed

over the years," Davies

said. "The commitment to

club is huge and some

kids shy away from that.

I understand that. Many

of the girls love the game

when it's here but they're

not interested in playing

Division 1. Some clubs

are very intense. Some are not."

Those factors aren't going to stop

Madison from pushing hard for more

championships. Looming is the state

tournament, which will be tough because

West Essex, Chatham and Ramsey are

among the squads vying for top honors in

North Jersey Section 1, Group II. The

Dodgers are also aiming to emerge atop

the NJAC Independence Division.

"If we play the way we've been playing,

we can go far," said McCabe, a captain

along with Sam Spelker and Liz

Lehmann. "We work with each other's

strengths rather than focusing on

weaknesses. We communicate well and

connect."

Besides McCabe, Ellis, Spelker and

Lehmann, Brynn Taylor, Ali Jago, Lexi

Dellavia, Rachel Massaro, Maggie Dalena, Michelle

Montagna and Rachel Alvey are starters for the Dodgers.

Dellavia, the right wing who scored two goals,

including the decisive one, in the county final, declared

winning "the best feeling in the world" and, no doubt,

wants to experience it again.

BACK WHeRe THeY BeLONG: Madisonreclaims Morris County Field Hockey TitleB y S a n d y S e e g e r s – s o a r - n j . c o m

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Madison's Liz Lehmann (left) tries to send the ball into the circle

Dodgers swarm Lexi Dellavia (#9) after her

second goal of the county final.

Mount Olive soccer players Nicole Amada and Victoria Portesyare good at playing together on the soccer field -- maybe, a littletoo good.

“I know where Victoria is going to go,’’ Amada said. “Shescored on about 70 percent of my assists. Sometimes I get yelledat for only giving Victoria the ball.’’

Those complaints are usually few and far between this season.The pairing of the two Marauders standouts are a good enoughplace to start when it comes to talking about this year’s success.Mount Olive earned its 10th victory ofthe season with a 4-2 triumph overMontville on Oct. 12. Ten wins wasbelieved to be the prior school recordfor girls’ soccer. The team, which was11-5 going into the last week of theregular season, is now venturing intonew territory and the players seem to beenjoying their role as trailblazers.

“The reason that we are doing so wellthis season is the girls that start on thefield, we’ve been playing together sincewe were kids,’’ Amada said. “We’vebeen on the same travel teams, sameclub teams. We’re all more dedicated.We all want to win.’’

Amada and Portesy have beenkicking the ball to each other since theywere in the second grade. Amada issmaller, but quick and very active as adistributor while Portesy is long andlean and makes powerful runs often finishing what Amada starts.Portesy, who was hindered by ACL and ankle injuries herfreshman and sophomore seasons, is leading Morris County ingoal scoring. She has 21 goals, many of them coming of plays setup by Amada.

“This year the difference is that they have more of an offensivesupport system,’’ Mount Olive coach Lauren Caruso said.“Victoria is very unselfish. She wants to score goals but she alsowants to win as a team.’’

The development of sophomore midfielder NicoletteThorkildsen has also made a difference in stoking the Maraudersoffense. The two-year starter excels at getting and redirectingopponent’s clears once the first wave ofthe attack comes through.

“Nicolette is a hard worker,’’ Portesysaid. “It shows. She’s very physical andthat’s what it takes.’’

She’s often seen distributing the ballback on the forwards or taking a crack atthe goal herself. She has five goals thisseason

“She’s going to be a phenomenalplayer,’ Amada added. “She’s a bulldozer.That’s why I love her.’’

Anna Poggi, Melanie Kopacki, AlisonSchroeder, Michelle Kozak, StephanieLopez and four-year varsity goalkeeperKat Clint have known each other goingback to the travel soccer days.

Kozak is the key to an improving defensive unit with RebeckaDeValve, Kelly Hartt and sophomore Sara Fasino. Those tightrelationships that have gone on for years translate tounderstanding on the field.

“We haven’t had any fights and if we do yell at each other onthe field, we know that it’s just to push each other,’’ Portesy said.“Right when we step off the field, we forget about it.’’

Even though criticism is often difficult to take, it often serves tomake the players understand that it’s not done to be hurtful but tohelp.

“That’s the advantage of being so close,’’ Amada said. “If (ateammate) says something, I respect what she says and I take it toheart. When my keeper tells me to do something I do it not

because she’s my teammate, she’s also myfriend.’’

The Marauders have developed confidenceand are getting better and better at exhibitingpoise under pressure, something that hasn’talways been a trademark for Mount Olivesoccer teams but something that must bemastered in order to be successful. TheMarauders credit their coach Lauren Carusofor instilling some of those qualities into theprogram.

Caruso, in her third season as the Marauderscoach, learned her soccer at Parsippany Highand counted current Parsippany Hills coachGia Rosamilia as one of her teammates. Shewas anassistant coachat Montvillefor two yearsbefore takingover at Mount

Olive.

“She’s taught us composure andsportsmanship and discipline,’’Portesy said.

“Everyone knows their job. Youknow where you stand. That’sreally important. Players that areseen as leaders, she’s taught usthat you have to act like a leader.If the players on the bench seeyou are not working hard, it islike a slap in the face because you

are on the benchso you want towork hard for yourplayers.’’

Mount Olive isin the running forNJAC Americanhonors and if theMarauderscontinue on theircurrent paceshould earn a statetournament seedthat could landthem at least onehome game if notmore. As the ninthseed in the MorrisCountyTournament, their

loss against eighth-seeded WestMorris in the opening round maynot be looked upon so harshlyconsidering the Wolfpack has

played well lately. In fact,the players have used thatdefeat as a measuringstick for how far they’veprogressed.

“That game showedhow much we’veimproved and our recordshows how much weimproved,’’ Amada said.“Last year we lost toWest Morris 5-0. Thisyear we stayed in thegame the entire time.’’

“It just proved toeveryone that we coulddo it,’’ Portesy added.“We worked really hardand it just shows howskilled we are.’’


SeTTING A NeW STANDARD: Mount OliveGirls' Soccer Enjoys Landmark SeasonB y M a r k K i t c h i n – S t a f f W r i t e r


Midfielder Nicolette Thorkildsen

Midfielder Nicole Amada

Forward Victoria Portesy

P h o t o s b y :

M ar k K i t ch in


Boys' Soccer

Chatham and Delbar ton are this year ’s Morr is

County Tournament f inal is ts . Chatham cont inued i ts

winning ways in

the semif inals

of the MCT by

el iminat ing

Roxbury on

penal ty kicks

af ter a 0-0

draw.

Technical ly the

Cougars’

semif inal win is

considered a t ie

because the

contest went

into the

shootout round

but the 16-1-1

team emerged

victor ious.

Chatham

goalkeeper

Brian Petrunik

saved the day

with a couple of s tops in the shootout

round, which went into sudden death mode

since the teams were t ied af ter the f i rs t

round of f ive kicks. The Cougars won the

shootout 5-4.

Chatham, which is seeded fourth, wil l play

third-seeded Delbar ton in the

championship game scheduled for

Saturday, October 29 at Roxbury High

School . The highly regarded Green Wave

returned to the t i t le game af ter a two-year

hiatus but i t wasn’t easy. Delbar ton (15-2)

received a s t i ff chal lenge from seventh-

seeded Whippany Park (10-5-4) . The Green

Wave won 2-0, but victory wasn’t assured

unt i l Jack Clarke notched an insurance

goal with 8:33 remaining in the contest

played at neutral s i te Morr is Cathol ic .

The game was t ight with the upstar ts f rom Whippany

Park muster ing just as many scoring opportuni t ies as

i ts pr ivate school foes . Delbar ton took the advantage

when junior midfielder Connor Kel ly knocked in a

rebound off his own miss , which clanged off a

goalpost and bounced r ight back to him.

Two upsets helped to shape this year tournament .

Whippany Park pul led off one of the s tunners by

toppl ing defending champion Montvi l le in the

quarterf inals . The second-seeded Mustangs came in

undefeated but the Mustangs were s tunned in the

opening minutes by a goal by the Wildcats’ Ricky

Tango off a Tyler Raff pass . The spectacular play of

Whippany Park goal ie Anil Vegesna and the effor ts

of Raff , who la ter set up Paul Coi ley for one of the

most picturesque goals of the tournament ,

cemented the 2-0 win.

Roxbury, a ninth seed, advanced to the

semif inals for the f i rs t t ime in tournament

his tory af ter defeat ing Pequannock 4-1 in

the quarterf inals with the help of goals f rom

Scott Sclar and Dylan Hammer. Dave

Columbo scored for Pequannock, a 16th-

seed which reached that game af ter toppl ing

top-seeded Randolph in the opening round.

Although the Golden Panthers’ 2-0 victory

over the Rams is s t i l l considered a s tunner,

i t was actual ly the third t ime in the las t

four years that the top-seeded team was

el iminated in the opening round of the

Morris County boys’ tournament .

In the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex

tournament , only one NJAC team made i t to

the semif inal round, which is scheduled to

be played Wednesday. Newton, the top-

seeded team from Sussex County, had to

survive a

penal ty-kick

shootout with

Wallki l l Val ley

to advance

after the

Rangers held

the Braves to a

scoreless t ie .

Newton wil l

play host to

Hunterdon

Central in the

semif inals in

what wil l

l ikely be a

very

chal lenging

game. The winner is scheduled to meet e i ther North

Hunterdon or Delaware Val ley in the tournament

f inal on Saturday.

Girls' Soccer

This year ’s Morr is County Tournament f inal renews

acquaintances between Randolph and Kinnelon, two

teams which met in the 2008 t i t le game.

The Rams and the Colts wil l bat t le once again when

they meet in the championship contest a t Roxbury

High School on October 29. Both teams had to go

into extra per iods to reach the f inal . Second seeded

Randolph edged Mendham 1-0 in double overt ime. I t

took a s ingle overt ime for fourth-seeded Kinnelon to

dethrone defending champion Vil la Walsh by a 2-1

score. Both semif inal games were contested at

Morris Cathol ic .

I t was just three years ago when Kinnelon was a

considered a small-school Cinderel la team. The Colts

proved themselves worthy by upset t ing Randolph 2-1

that year for the f i rs t gir ls’ soccer MCT t i t le in

school his tory. The Colts are now perennial favori tes

under coach Steve Racine, who previously led Morris

Cathol ic when i t was a county powerhouse.

He acknowledges that there is no comparison

between this year ’s squads and those from three

seasons ago. “They are two total ly different teams,’’

Racine said. “I t ’s s t i l l hard for me to say that but

we’re not the Cinderel las anymore.’’

Kinnelon made a s t rong run to the f inal a l though

they have not had to compete against any of the

physical Nat ional Divis ion teams. In the opening

round the Colts topped 14th-seeded Liber ty Divis ion

rival Mountain Lakes (2-0) . The fol lowing week they

handled upstar t Pars ippany (2-1) . When i t reached

the semis , Kinnelon had a September loss to Vil la

Walsh (1-0 on a la te goal) c lear ly in mind. The Colts

also knew that the Vikings had advanced twice in the

tournament by shootout .

The duo of f reshman Emily Thiem and senior

County Tournaments RoundupBy Paul Mencher – ASM Northern Review Managing Editor


C o n t i n u e d o n n e x t p a g e

Delbarton's Connor Schaible (#6)

Kinnelon's Jess Daniels (#4)

Delbarton's Greg Seifert (#9)


10% OFFYo u r F i r s t O r d e r !

midfielder Karyn Anselmo played a huge role for the

Colts . Anselmo, a

senior midfielder,

connected twice

including the game-

winning goal which

occurred in a wild

scramble in f ront of

the net for the 2-1

tr iumph.

The Colts can score

in a lot of different

ways. Midfielders

Ingrid DiClemente

and Daniel le

deTorres of ten put

shots on net . Chalen

Noble has been a

ser ious offensive

target s ince her

freshman year and

Anselmo is an

emotional leader as

well as aggressive

around the net .

Defender Aine Schanche cont inues to impress a t

t imes when defense is needed. However, the Colts

are sometimes uneven and show lapses too, l ike they

did when surrendering a second-half goal to Vil la

Walsh’s Rei l ly Esposi to which sent the game into

overt ime.

Randolph was also very decis ive in i ts victor ies

leading up to the MCT semif inal . The Rams had sol id

wins against Montvi l le and Chatham. The seeds of

Randolph’s semif inal victory

came from their

react ion to a 2-0

loss to Mendham in

an NJAC-National

regular season game

a couple of days

before the

tournament contest .

The unl ikely hero of

the MCT contest was

Alexa Roemer.

Playing in her f i rs t

vars i ty contest , the

Randolph sophomore

ended up scoring the

double-overt ime

game winner. The

Rams have always

been s t ingy on defense. This year is no

except ion, however in the regular-season

game they t r ied to a l ter their formation in

the back to t ry and discourage Mendham

from scoring on deep diagonals . I t d idn’t

work, so Randolph returned to i ts f la t

back with much bet ter resul ts . Sam Brener, Megan

Olsakowski , Carol ine Matos and the s teady play of

sophomore keeper Mel Durbin are making the

defense cl ick. On offense Anna Conklin and Steph

Gonnel la have been s tepping up as of la te , but

Randolph can always use more.

In the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament , two

NJAC teams remain al ive heading into the midweek

semif inals . Hacket ts town edged Pope John in

overt ime, 3-2, and

wil l next host

Belvidere , which

upset Sparta in

another quarterf inal .

The Tigers would

have to be

considered the

favori te here , as they

defeated the County

Seaters ear l ier this

season on the road,

and wil l now get to

play at home.

Meant ime, High

Point scored an

impressive 3-0 win

over North

Hunterdon, and wil l

t ravel to face Hunterdon Central . While the

Wildcats must make the long t r ip to Flemington, they

are one of the hot tes t teams anywhere r ight now, as

their win over North Hunterdon was their 11th

straight . An al l -NJAC f inal on Saturday would

hardly be a surpr ise .

Randolph's Taylor Lusardi (#23)

Randolph's Shannon Kiss (#6)

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