Spring 2011

Girl’s Track and Field

The Raiders blended youth and experience for an outstanding season. After a dominant 5-0 dual meet season, they won their first two championship meets of the season, sweeping the Union County Relays and the Watchung Conference meet. Senior Kathleen Leeper and junior Erin Pierce were dominant in the long distance races.

Seniors Osazenoriuwa Ebose, Danielle Schweizer and Erin Brown dominated the shot put and discus. Brown also was a top javelin thrower and Ebose was a solid sprinter.

Freshman Sarah Robinson was outstanding in the hurdles and jumps as was sophomore Najla Gilliam. Sophomore Christine Charles and senior Emily Nagourney excelled in the jumps. Junior Isabel Crystal was the top 400 meter runner and added to solid relays.

Baseball

Eighth year Coach Tom Baylock had an almost brand new team after losing all but one starter from last year’s outstanding squad. Their 11-11 record reflected a team that could be outstanding at times but their lack of experience often showed. The team also suffered without their best player and only returning starter, Marcus Rivera, who missed much of the year with injuries. Sean Reilly, John Howarth and Kevin Raszka led a revamped pitching staff. Connor Thompson was the team’s top power hitter. Frank Degnan, Ryan Haggerty and James D'Angelo also added to the offensive onslaught. Freshman Christian Zazzali, the third member of his family to play for Scotch Plains, is a future star.

Softball

Second year coach Jess Hulnik’s young team went through growing pains and was 4-19 at press time. Most of the offense was provided by seniors Courtney Zyla, Olivia Brokaw and the Yutz twins, Kelly and Sharon. Lindsey Wilkinson and Kelly Lapham were other offensive stars, while Amanda Marcus was the top pitcher.

Boy’s Track and Field

As usual the Raiders had a strong weight group led by senior discus throwers Sebastian Valdes and Mike Tufaro who went 1-2 in the conference meet. They combined with junior Chris Burke to win the county shot put relay title. Junior Zack Carow continued a family tradition in the pole vault and captured a conference title. Sophomore Dan Pesin gave the Raiders a tough pole vault relay. Senior Alex Parker was the team’s top distance runner.

Tennis


Fourth year coach Gary Wasserman’s veteran team was 8-8 at press time and won their first round state tournament game. They finished fifth in the tough Union County Tournament.

Senior Ezra Klemow moved up to first singles and fought hard all year against the opposition’s toughest player. Senior Eric Leyden moved up to second singles and finished seventh in the counties. Sophomore Andrew Leischner took over third singles and was third in the county. Seniors Evan Shlissel and freshman Josh Lopez, played first doubles and also were fifth in counties Sophomores Kyle Douglas and Michael Rosenheck rounded out the team at second doubles also were fourth in the county.
Golf

Veteran coach Steve Ciccotelli’s team was 7-6 and finished third in the Union County Tournament. John Foti finished second with a 77.and Steve Pederson was fourth with 79.



Girls Lacrosse

In just their second season the Raiders were a highly competitive 8-9, including two victories over county power Cranford. Annie Canone, Jessie Klein Andrea McNeely, Meghan Bruckman and Elizabeth Schiller were offensive stars and Megan Welch was a fine goalie.

Boys Lacrosse

In their first full varsity the boys took their lumps with a 6-12 record but played their best ball in the latter part of the season. Rich Polhamus and Jason Mazursky shared goalie duties. Among the offensive threats were Jason Breit, Sean Coloney, Jack Cunningham, Christian Gordon, Matt Greenberg, Tyler Haack, and Simon Johnston. Kevin Lewis, Dylan Mruczinski and Jonah Offitzer.

Winter 2011

Boys Swimming
The Boys Swimming Team made history when they won their first state title with a 90-80 victory over Princeton in the state finals. It capped a spectacular season that also saw the Raiders crush Westfield in a dual meet, win their first county title since 1999 and defeat Bridgewater(second ranked at the time) in their home pool.
“Finally, after three years of anticipation for the 2010-2011 year it had all worked out in our favor. The training that went in was intense, but in the end it was all worth it,” said junior Greg Baliko, who had a breakout season and was the county’s top swimmer. Baliko was dominant in the 200 yard individual medley, the 100 yard breastroke and the relays, where the Raiders relied on tremendous depth to fill out two strong relays for each event.
Raider Coach Jess Hulnik joins a shortlist of coaches who have won both a boys and girls state title. In 2005 she had coached the Raider girls to the school’s first state title by defeating Princeton in the finals and Mountain Lakes in the semi finals, the same two team the Raiders defeated this year.
“We had a lot of stars on this team but we don’t have our success without the efforts of every team member,” said Hulnik.
Sophomore Ryan Gadjzisz became one of the top distance swimmers in the state, dominating the 500 and 200 yard free style events. Senior twins Mike and Dan Napolitano were outstanding in numerous free style events and also were major relay contributors. Junior Joe Dunn evolved into one of the county’s best sprinters and was county champion in the 50 and 100 yard free styles. Sophomore Dan Pesin was one of the county’s best in the backstroke.
Senior free stylers Mike Pesin and Jason Shaub, and versatile Mike Rizzo were also solid contributors. Additonal depth was provided by Nick Sorace (breaststroke), Ryan Henkels (sprint freestyles) Austin Englehardt (breaststroke), Jeff Peart (distance free), and Keith Montiero (fly and backstroke).

Boys Basketball

The basketball team rode the play of seniors Charles Oliver and Patrick Dougher to a 20-9 season, their first 20 win season since the state championship 2008 team. The Raiders had numerous signature wins, but the two biggest occurred over strong Newark schools.

Scotch Plains christened the New Year with a stunning 68-64 victory over highly rated St Benedicts. Oliver scored 21 points to lead the winners. Junior forward Matt Jegede also excelled, scoring 18 points.

Their other biggest win was a road victory in the state tournament over Newark East Side. Dougher hit two free throws with 40 seconds remaining in the game and Oliver hit seven 3-pointers on his way to 26 points. The Raiders also split with county rivals Roselle Catholic and Rahway, swept Summit and St. Mary’s and had an impressive victory over St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City.

Oliver,who transferred back home from Seton Hall Prep after his sophomore year, had an all county type season and often drew double teams, averaging over 20 points. Dougher, the younger brother of all time leading scorer Bryan Dougher, showed his brother’s court savvy and was a constant threat from three point range. Jegede, a rangy 6’5 junior, was the team’s third leading scorer and figures to be a team leader next year along with quick junior Dominic Gonzalez and 6’5 sophomore Thomas Bonacum, who along with senior brother Tim provided inside and outside shooting and defense. Senior Brandon Langston was another key player who will have to be replaced.


Girls Basketball

The girls bounced back from a losing season in 2009-10 to finish 15-10. The Raiders combined three experienced seniors with three talented sophomores. Senior Aysia Peterson was a dominant inside presence and led the team in scoring and rebounding. Sophomore Taylor Sebolao, the team’s second leading scorer, exploded for 25 points in a big win over Linden and displayed versatility as well as scoring ability.
Senior Evie Klotz, the third leading scorer, was an accurate outside shooter and a solid all around player.

Senior point guard Rebecca Kreyer was an experienced ball handler and team leader. Sophomore forward Tara Sweeney had a strong second half of the season and exploded for three straight double figure games in late January. Sophomore guard Renee Oliver had three double figure games and showed potential. Freshmen Alyssa Riporti and Katie Harper are two more future stars, who contributed major minutes off the bench.

Girls Swimming




The girls’ swimming team finished 8-6 and was third in the Union County tournament and won their opening state tournament meet before losing in the second round. Sophomore Jodie Thompson led the team in the individual medley and the breaststroke. Senior Ana Bogdanovski was the team’s top sprinter, pacing the 50 and 100 yard freestyle. one Senior Jillian Leahy, sophomore Caroline Lesce, junior Maggie O'Brien, and Thompson combined on a strong 200 yard free style relay. Bogdanovski, English, junior Brenda Ho and Lesce excelled on the 400 yard freestyle relay. Bogdanovski, English, Leahy, and Thompson teamed up on 200 Medley Relay

Wrestling

The Raiders battled through a difficult schedule and numerous injuries to finish with a 4-12-1 record. Sophomore Heavyweight Anthony Tufaro placed second in the District 11 Tournament losing by one point. Tufaro shook off the loss by winning his bout in the Region 3 Tournament, but lost in the second round. Junior Mike Steinfeld, and freshman Matt Ridge and Dom Natale also qualified for the regions. Tufaro and Steinfield (140) took third place at the 36th annual Union County Tournament in January. Scotch Plains finished 10th of 14 teams with 42 points..



Bowling

The Bowling team had another strong season.Senior Mike Tufaro and sophomore Andrew Citera were the team leaders.Senior Greg Budis, and juniors Mike Mannino and Nick Stawicki added depth along with junior Tom Cusmano and sophomore Ryan Sawchuck.


Boys Indoor Track

Seniors Alex Parker (3200) and Sebastian Valdes (Shot put) both qualified for the state finals and finished 10th and 12th respectively.


Girls Indoor Track

The girls were also led by a senior shot putter, Osazenoriuwa Ebose, who captured her first Union County individual title and also won the Group 3 section crown. She combined with sophomores Samantha Renfree and Terri Clarke to capture first place in the Girls' Shotput at the Union County Relay Championship, the second straight year that Scotch Plains-Fanwood won the event. Junior Erin Pierce and senior Kathleen Leeper provided the team with outstanding distance running.


Ice Hockey

In their fifth season as a varsity team, the Raiders continued to make forward strides, finishing 9-13-1 against a challenging schedule. Andrew Skoog, Ed Logie and Jonathan Tomasulo were the team’s top offensive threats.

Fall 2010 PTA summary

Girls Soccer


The Girls soccer team won their fifth Union County title in six years when they completed a three game sweep of Westfield with a 2-0 victory on October 31 at Kean University. Sophomore defender Christine Miklas and junior midfielder Julie Glover both scored and senior keeper Paige Della Badia recorded her 11th shutout of the season. The Raiders wound up the season with a 14-2-4 record, were unbeaten Watchung Conference winners and advanced to the semi final round of the State Sectionals. In veteran coach Kevin Ewing’s system there are no rebuilding seasons as a seemingly endless supply of talented girls fills in for the previous years’ graduates.

Della Badia was the backbone of the county’s toughest defense, with a 0.42 goals-against-average and 11 shutouts. Avika Shah led the team in scoring with 11 goals and five assists while senior midfielder Emily Nagourney contributed eight goals and two assists. Nagourney was second team all state and first team all county. She was joined on the county team by Shah and senior defender Claudia Falconeri.

Junior forward Sarah Van Buskirk was a continual scoring threat and scored nine goals. Senior Gabby Vacca was another solid scoring threat. Junior Erin Pierce was another valuable midfielder. Pierce, Van Buskirk, Miklas,Glover and Christine Monroy will form the nucleus of another strong team. Sophomore Taylor Sebalao has also shared time at goalie and should continue another Raider tradition of great goalkeeping.

Boys Soccer

An entirely rebuilt boys soccer team took its lumps early this season struggling to a 2-6-5 record and enduring a four game losing streak, the first in Coach Tom Breznitsky’s esteemed 35 year career. But the young Raiders caught fire and wound up 10-8-7. Scotch Plains took Westfield into overtime in the county finals before losing 2-1. The Raiders won three straight road games in the state tournament before falling to top five rated Chatham in the finals. Breznitsky wound up the season with 596 career wins and was named county coach of the year.

Sophomore Andrew Leischner, the third member of his family to play at SPF blossomed into a star and clutch player who scored the decisive shot in two penalty kick shootouts and was named all county.
Junior Travis Cortes, one of the few Raiders from last year’s senior dominated 19-3-2 squad, was the most consistent player distributing the ball from his center midfield position and scoring in a variety of ways. He was named second team all county. Seniors Rory Szeto and Sean Reilly lent stability to a team primarily comprised of underclassmen. Freshman forward Christian Zazzali is a future star and scored three times. Junior Alex Markovits, sophomore Morgan Ellman and junior Zach Lenoff have paced the defense. Other top juniors included Dan McMillan, Billy Babis and Mike Daly. Sophomore Colin Stripling is another player to watch.

Sophomore goalkeeper Vin Bianco caught fire late in the season and won two penalty kick shootouts and had seven shutouts. Sophomore Seth Schlisserman shared time in goal and had three shutouts.
Football

A young team has endured a perfect storm of misfortune and wound up 1-9, beating Millburn in its final game to avoid a winless season.

Running back Quentin Blackwell and junior quarterback Steve Alleman paced the improving offense in the second half of the season. On the receiving end of Alleman’s passes have been senior wide receivers Mousse Channaoui and Sean Coloney as well as Blackwell.

The young defense stepped up its effectiveness in the final weeks
Standouts have been junior tackle Dan Lynch, junior outside linebacker Andrew Miller, senior cornerback Connor Thompson, linebacker Brett Kovacs, senior end Matt Manns, senior linebacker Neville Hall, senior outside linebacker Kyle Berwick and senior safety Sean Coloney


Volleyball
Coach Adrienne Stack’s team has taken a step back this season but recently scored its top win of the year when they defeated highly touted Union. The Raiders finished 9-11 and lost in the quarterfinals of the counties.
Senior Rebecca Kreyer is one of the county’s top setters and is also a fine server. Many of her passes connect with senior outside hitter Aysia Peterson who uses her height and leaping ability to dominate. Senior middle hitter Erin Brown is also a force at the net and sophomore Tara Sweeney is a future star. Peterson was named second team all county.
Gymnastics

The Scotch Plains Fanwood Gymnastics team has rebuilt and is on the upswing as the season heads towards the homestretch. Sophomore Alexandra Peluso and freshman Kacie Bumiller give the team bright future.

Tennis

The team went through a difficult schedule and wound up with a creditable 8-11 record. After a slow start the team came on during the second half the season and showed continual improvement under fourth year coach Gary Wasserman. The team's lineup included senior Christina Reiman at first singles, senior Isabel Lopez at second singles and sophomore Alex Sullivan at third singles. Sophomore Alyssa Leyden and senior Betsey Appel played first doubles and sophomores Lindsay Wilkinson and Gabirelle Mendez have played second doubles. Reiman was named third team all Union County.


Boys Cross Country

Veteran coach Jeff Koegel’s team finished with a 5-2 dual meet record losing to state number 3 Westfield and Summit. Senior Alex Parker has been the team leader all season. Junior Jon Kerby and senior Kyle Mahoney have been solid 2-3 runners. Sophomore Jon Miksis has shown rapid improvement. The boys were sixth in the Union County meet with Parker finishing fourth. They also qualified for the state finals by finishing fifth in the sections.

Girls Cross Country


The senior dominated team also finished 5-2 and like the boys has also dropped meets to Summit and Westfield. Senior Kathleen Leeper as been one of the county’s top runners. Seniors Laura Bruce and Lauren Williams have usually been the next two Raiders and sophomore Carly Redfield has been crowding the lead pack.

Leeper was third in the counties and also placed in the top ten in sections and state finals, qualifying for the Meet of Champions.

Spring 2010

Baseball

Seventh year coach Tom Baylock’s team has ridden the strong right arm of senior pitcher Gary Binkiewicz to a tremendous season. The Raiders were an offensive juggernaut as they qualified for their eight straight state tournament and advanced to the Union County semi finals where they were ousted by Cranford. At publication time their record was 18-5, which included a streak of 11 straight games scoring in double digits.

Seniors Joe D'Annunzio, John Maxwell, Ricky Shevlin and Mike Ridge led a multi faceted offense that could score with power or speed. Senior catcher Louis Mazzella was a dangerous hitter as well as a fine defender. Sophomores Sean Reilly and Jordan Bayroff provided solid backup pitching support.


Softball

First year coach Jess Hulnik’s young team went through a difficult season and was 8-11 at publication time. The highlight of the season up to now was a comeback victory over Elizabeth in the Union County Tournament with the winning runs coming on a grand slam by slugging first baseman Aysia Peterson.

Amanda White was the team’s top pitcher. Seniors Andrea Barone and Jen Kickenweitz
and freshmen Taylor Sebalao and Christine Monroy were some of the Raiders’ top hitters. Junior catcher Courtney Zyla also had a solid season behind the plate and Peterson excelled at first base.

Girl’s Track and Field

The team boasted dominant field event and distance event strength that carried the Raiders to their third straight Watchung Conference title. Senior jumper and hurdler Sarah Canfield completed an outstanding four year career and graduates as one of the most talented jumpers in school history. Ably assisting her and making the Raiders tough in relays were juniors Camille Handy and Emily Nagourney. The Raiders, as usual were solid in the weight events, led by senior Kim Wenson and juniors Danielle Schweizer and Erin Brown.

Sophomore Erin Pierce was the clear leader in the distance events, with junior Kathleen Leeper adding a solid second runner and junior Becka Kreyer a third talent. Sophomore Isabel Crystal became the team’s top 400 runner and also ran well on the relays,
Boy’s Track and Field

The team lacked its usual depth and suffered injuries to several key performers. Senior javelin thrower Frank Mellana blossomed into the team’s top weight throw. Junior Alex Parker and senior Brandon Wheeler were also solid distance runners. Junior Zack Carow continued a family tradition by leading the pole vault.

Tennis


A young team struggled early but improved markedly under third year coach Gary Wasserman. Playing numerous top twenty teams, the Raiders were 6-9 at press time and with just two seniors in the lineup the future appears bright. The Raiders were fifth in the county tournament.

Senior Dan Nizri, battled injuries and tough competition at first singles and was 6-11. Senior Steve Bello moved up to second singles and was 6-8. Junior Ezra Klemow took over third singles and was 7-9. Juniors Evan Shlissel and Eric Leyden were 4-9 at first doubles. Juniors Michael Riesenberg and Kyle Douglas finished 7-7 on second doubles.

Golf

Veteran coach Steve Ciccotelli’s team was 8-7. Freshman Steve Pederson was the team’s top player followed by junior John Foti and sophomores Dave Pak and Alan Woodsfield,

. Lacrosse

Dan Nizolak, Kevin Yeager. Simon Johnston and Jason Mazowsky became the first Raiders to ever score goals in the county tournament. The team struggled in its second year but the advent of youth programs and the popularity of the sport in town should lead to a bright future.

Winter 2010

Boys Basketball


Ravaged by graduation losses and playing in one of the toughest conferences in the state, the basketball team struggled to a 7-17 finish. Dan Doherty returned as coach after a one year hiatus and had to rebuild a team that had lost all five starters from the previous year.
The highlight of an otherwise forgettable season was a February victory over Westfield.

Fortunately, Doherty had Seton Hall transfer Charles Oliver, who was the team’s most consistent player and provided the team with much needed leadership. Oliver, a junior, led the team in scoring and teamed with fellow junior Patrick Dougher, the younger brother of 2008 all state guard Bryan Dougher to give the Raiders two dangerous three point scoring threats. Sophomore Matt Jegede and junior Matt Manns provided rebounding and interior defense. Junior guard Tim Bonacum also showed potential and should be a big factor next year.

Girls Basketball


Like the boys, the girls’ team began the season with a totally inexperienced and new lineup. First year coach Jennifer Ryan’s team finished 6-17 and often played three freshmen. Junior guards Rebecca Kreyer and Evie Klotz and freshmen Tara Sweeney, Renee Oliver and Taylor Sebalao paced the team.

Following their pattern of emulating the boys, the girl’s season highlight was also an upset win over Westfield and like their male counterparts will have almost everyone returning next year. Junior forward Aysia Peterson, went down with a knee injury in early January
After leading the victory over Westfield and was sorely missed.

Bowling

The bowling team improved to 12-2 and finished second in the Union County Tournament. The team qualified for the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. The three top individuals were Peter Citera, Mike Tufaro and Katarina Nier, the first girl in Raider history to qualify for the tournament of champions. The individual highlight of the season was a perfect

Girls Swimming

The Raiders were once again one of the top teams in the state, but were continually thwarted by neighbor Westfield, one of the state’s top teams. The Raiders were second in the county tournament to Westfield and lost a dual meet to the Blue Devils. The Raiders made it to the sectional finals but were edged by Chatham.

Senior Ana Bogdanovski emerged as an individual star in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. Senior Kelsey Rossi had another outstanding season in the freestyle and breaststroke. Junior Hannah Markey, senior Steph Baliko, Becca Dunn, Jodie Thompson and Caitlyn English were also consistent stars for the team.

Boys Swimming



The Raiders won their first section title since 2003 when they crushed Summit. Other season highlights included the first victory over Westfield in twenty years, a close second place finish in the county meet and a season long ranking among the state’s top ten teams. The Raiders fell one point short of making the state finals in a loss against Mountain Lakes. Coach Jess Hulnik’s team was almost completely comprised of underclassmen.

Junior twins Mike and Dan Napolitano and sophomore Greg Baliko all won county championships and combined with Joe Dunn and Mike Henkels to form strong relays. Other key contributors included Mike Rizzo Ryan Gajdzisz and Andrew Van Haasteren.

Wrestling

Senior Tristan Bundy highlighted the season when he won the district title at 125 pounds and then qualified for the stare finals with a second place finish in the regions. Bundy wound up 31-3 after losing in the preliminary round of the state finals.

Sophomore Mike Steinfeld and junior Andrew Jacobs were the only other qualifiers for the regions. The team finished its dual meet season with a 7-16 mark.

Injuries to key wrestlers all year held the Raiders back as a difficult schedule left them with a 7-19 record. The Raiders fell to fourth in the District 11 tournament and were fourth in the Watchung Conference. Senior Mike Ferrara was the teams’ only district champion winning at (152). Ferrara also won his 100th career match during the District 11 finals, finishing his career 101-42 and becoming the fifth Raider Wrestler to record over 100 wins. Senior Wes Morrison (130) placed second in the District 11 Tournament. Junior Mike Ridge took the county title at (145) and placed third in the Districts. Junior Tristan Bundy (119) placed third in the County Tournament and third in the District Tournament. Freshman Sean Cannon placed second in the District Tournament.


Boys Indoor Track

Lamar Parkes was one of the county’s top hurdlers. Alex Parker led the distance runners and Matt Alfano excelled in the middle distances.

Girls Indoor Track

Senor Kim Wenson often placed high in the shot put and senior Sarah Canfield was one of the area’s top all around talents.

Ice Hockey

The nascent program continued to have growing pains in its fourth year struggling to a 1-17-1 record but Coach Matt Gualteri predicts better times are ahead.

Some of the leading players included Captain Terence White, Adam Terry, Andrew Skoog and Ed Logier.

2009 Spring

Baseball

Sixth year coach Tom Baylock’s team has ridden the strong right arm of junior pitcher Gary Binkiewicz to a tremendous season. The Raiders were an offensive juggernaut as they qualified for their seventh straight state tournament and were slated to play Westfield for the Union County championship. At publication time their record was a gaudy 13-3.Sophomore Marcus Rivera and senior Jon Kosenick provided solid backup pitching support for Binkiewicz and combined to win the county semi final over Elizabeth. Binkewicz, the starting quarterback on the football team, was 5-0.

Seniors Nick Bonadies and Kevin Maroney and juniors Joe D'Annunzio, John Maxwell and Mike Ridge led a multi faceted offense that could score with power or speed. Louis Mazzella and Ricky Shevlin were also dangerous hitters.

With an unbeaten junior varsity and many talented underclassmen, the future could not be brighter for the Raiders.

Softball

Coach Kelli Covert’s young team went through an uneven season and was 8-9 at press time. Amanda White and Bianca Root were the top pitchers. Seniors Danielle Sette, Kelly Cianciotta and Nikki Mineo were steadying influences and possessed offensive punch and defensive skills. Cassi Zito and Kristina Kalkstein also were top performers.

Junior catcher Courtney Zyla also had a solid season behind the plate and sophomore basketball star Aysia Peterson excelled at first base.

Girl’s Track and Field

A young team had another solid season, going 2-0-1 in dual meets and recapturing the Watchung Conference title with a 131-89 rout of Union.

In the Watchung Conference Championships senior Brittney Veeck repeated as 1600 champion (5:21.21) and freshman Erin Pierce (5:24.25) was second. Veeck, who was also third in the 800, graduates as the school’s finest female distance runner. Pierce also led a 1-2 finish in the 3200 with sophomore Kathleen Leeper second. The duo, as well as sophomore Laura Bruce will form a strong distance group for the future.

Once again the top all around performer was junior Sarah Canfield, who won the conference high jump and was second in the triple jump to senior Whitney Adams. Canfield also finished second in the long jump in a school-record 17-5 ¼. Adams also excelled in numerous events including the high jump, triple jump and long jump as well as running on the 4 by 400 relay. Sophomore Ali Pearl transitioned to the 400 hurdles and also ran the relay.

Junior Kim Wenson anchored the throws with a victory in the javelin (106-9) and third places in the discus (100-4) and shot put (35-8). Sophomore Erin Brown notched third in the javelin and Jessica Feldman was fourth in the shot put.

Boy’s Track and Field

The boys won all three of their dual meets, including a revenge victory over arch rival Westfield and won a thrilling duel against Plainfield to win the Watchung Conference title.

Senior Martin Sweeney developed into an outstanding distance runner. At the conference meet he came up with a personal best when he won the 1,600 in 4:24.44 and also captured the 3200 in 9:37.Sophomore Alex Parker and junior Brandon Wheeler were also solid distance runners. Parker ran 9:59 for fourth in the 3200 and 4:34.70 for fourth in the 1600.

In his first track season senior Marcus Green, made his javelin debut a memorable one, when he won the conference title. Frank Mellana, the top returning javelin thrower was second and senior Ryan Brown also placed. As usual the Raiders had a strong weight group led by Matt McQuoid, who placed in most major meets.

Senior Louvan Powell became a top high jumper and long jumper as well as a fine hurdler. Bedridden with pneumonia two weeks before the conference meet, he bounced back to win the high jump (5-10) and was second in the triple jump in a personal-best 42-9.75.

Alex Carow continued a family tradition by leading the pole vault. At the conference meet he clinched the victory with a second-place showing clearing 12-0. Senior John Domanski and sophomore Zack Carow also placed in the event.


Tennis


An inexperienced team of just two returning starters struggled early but improved markedly under second year coach Gary Wasserman. After a 1-7 start, which included four top twenty teams, the Raiders improved to 5-8 at press time and with just two seniors in the lineup the future appears bright. The team was curtailed by a staggering seven rainouts.

Junior Dan Nizri, one of two returning starters, moved up to first singles and finished eighth in the county. Junior Steve Bello moved up to second singles and finished fifth in the counties. Sophomore Ezra Klemow took over third singles and was sixth in the county. Seniors Eric Heinz and Erick Walker, the team co-captains, played first doubles and also were sixth in counties Sophomores Eric Leyden and Evan Shlissel rounded out the team at second doubles also were sixth in the county.

Golf

Veteran coach Steve Ciccotelli’s team was 7-6-1. Austin Pfundheller was usually low scorer and John Foti, Ryan Laguna Steve Pak and Colin Grimm added balance.


Lacrosse

Lacrosse debuted this season as the Raiders played boys and girls lacrosse on a junior varsity level. Although the boys were 2-8 and the girls were 1-7-1, the advent of youth programs and the popularity of the sport in town should lead to a bright future.

2009 Winter

Boys Basketball

The Boys Basketball team came within one quarter of repeating as sectional champions but relinquished a nine point lead and lost 55-48 to Shabazz in the sectional championship game. Entering the state tournament with a losing record, the Raiders caught fire and won 50-31 at Summit, 53-48 at top seed West Morris Mendham and 55-47 at Fort Lee. First year coach Ben Martinez had a challenging task with only one starter, Kevin Maroney returning from last season’s Group 3 champions. After starting slow, the team had numerous signature wins in the tough Watchung Conference, including victories over top twenty teams like Shabazz and Elizabeth/

The Raiders had a strong inside/outside attack led by senior point guard Reggie Solomon, who used his quickness to penetrate and dish to 6-6 center Ishmael Raymond and Maroney.

Senior football star Marcus Green gave the team consistently strong defense and Melvin Hanciles also provided tough defense and rebounding. Senior Brandon Boyd had some outstanding scoring games early in the season and sophomore Patrick Dougher, whose older brother Bryan was an all state player last year came on late in the season to help in the backcourt.


Girls Basketball

A senior dominated team ran off a nine game winning streak bridging January into February but Coach Bruce Davis’ team fell short of their goals when they lost their semi final game in the Union County Tournament to Roselle Catholic in double overtime. The Raiders were knocked out in the first round of the state tournament by West Morris and finished second in the Watchung Conference to undefeated Shabazz.

Senior center Kaylin Jaichon led the team in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots. She was selected Player of the Week by both The Courier News and The Star Ledger and was selected to the Union County Basketball Coaches Association Top Fifteen list.

Senior forward Jackie Law was once again a leader on the floor with her hustle and
timely play. Although she played more outside she did many things that don't show up in the stats. Senior forward Laura Degnan emerged as the teams’ most consistent outside shooting threat. Senior point guard Kathryn DeCataldo, the third member f her family to play for the Raiders handled the ball against pressure and set up the offense. Senior Saxony Nielsen was fine all around player and was fearless in getting to loose balls.

Sophomores Evie Klotz and Asjia Peterson contributed off the bench and will be the leaders of a young team next year.
Bowling

The bowling team finished 9-5 in the Conference, 12-7 overall. The highlights were wins over Westfield, Union, Linden, and Elizabeth They also finished forth in the Union County Tournament and competed in the State Sectionals. Pacing the team was the duo of Mike Tufaro and James Mason, who led the team in average and 200+ games. The other starters were Peter Citera, Nick Stawicki and Greg Budis with Katarina Nier as top reserve. In the victory over Westfield Tufaro rolled a 220 in the first game and finished with a 575 series, followed by James Mason with a 530.



Girls Swimming

The Raiders were once again one of the top teams in the state, but were continually thwarted by neighbor Westfield, one of the state’s top teams. The Raiders were second in the county tournament to Westfield and lost a dual meet to the Blue Devils. Playing a spate of top teams left the Raiders with a final 5-5 record and second in the Watchung Conference. The Raiders also lost twice to top ten team Bridgewater, including a season ending defeat in the state tournament.

Junior Kelsey Rossi was the team’s top all around swimmer and placed in the meet of champions. Juniors Becca Dunn and Steph Baliko were top performers as was sophomore Hannah Markey and senior Kim Rizzo.

At the country tournament the medley relay team won the county title as the foursome of Markey, Rossi, Rizzo and Dunn stunned Westfield. Another highlight was when Rossi defended her 100 yard breaststroke title in a school record performance that also was a county record. Rossi, Baliko, and Markey went 1-2-3 in the 100 yard breaststroke, only the second event sweep in girls meet county history

The captains were Annie O'Halloran, Rizzo, and Amanda Gianni. Other outstanding swimmers included Jillian Leahy, Nicole DePaola, Mary Poillion and Alison Koransky.

Boys Swimming


Like the girls, the boys lived in the mighty shadow of state champion and number one ranked Westfield but were a top five team in the state in their own right. The Raiders were second in the Watchung Conference and the Union County Championships where they had numerous outstanding performances.

Senior Zach Peart had an outstanding season and won the county title in the 200 individual medley breaking the school record. He barely edged out freshman standout Greg Baliko, who became one of the team’s best and had several outstanding events.
Peart was also a standout in the 100 yard backstroke where he was edged out by state’s best Matt Meserole of Westfield. Peart broke three individual school records this year in the 200 IM, 100 butterfly, and 100 backstroke. He also teamed up with Baliko and Mike and Dan Napolitano to break the school record in the 200 Medley relay.

Baliko was also one of the state’s best in the 100 yard breastroke and was a powerful force on the Raiders’ tough relay teams. The Napolitano twins Mike and Dan transferred from St. Joseph’s Metuchen and provided a huge lift to the team. Mike took the country title in the 500 yard freestyle and consistently broke the five minute barrier.

Juniors Mike Henkels and Zack Koch, seniors Jon Kosenick and Erick Walker and freshman Joe Dunn were also consistent performers. Kosenick, Peart and Ryan Brown were team captains.

Wrestling

Injuries to key wrestlers all year held the Raiders back as a difficult schedule left them with a 7-19 record. The Raiders fell to fourth in the District 11 tournament and were fourth in the Watchung Conference. Senior Mike Ferrara was the teams’ only district champion winning at (152). Ferrara also won his 100th career match during the District 11 finals, finishing his career 101-42 and becoming the fifth Raider Wrestler to record over 100 wins. Senior Wes Morrison (130) placed second in the District 11 Tournament. Junior Mike Ridge took the county title at (145) and placed third in the Districts. Junior Tristan Bundy (119) placed third in the County Tournament and third in the District Tournament. Freshman Sean Cannon placed second in the District Tournament.


Boys Indoor Track

Senior Matt McQuoid continued the Raiders’ recent dominance in the shot put when he won the county title, the fifth straight year a Raider has won. Senior distance runner Martin Sweeney picked up from a solid cross country season to have an outstanding season, placing fourth in Group 3 and twelfth at the Meet of Champions in the 3200m. Senior Louvan Powell finished second in the group 3 high jump with a leap of 6-2 and placed eighth in both the long jump and high jump at the Easterns States Championshipsin 21’8.5 and 6-4, respectively.

Girls Indoor Track

Junior Kim Wenson and sophomore Malonia Miles gave the team depth in the shot put, as both girls qualified for the Group 3 championships. A strong distance trio of freshman Erin Pierce (1600m), sophomore Laura Bruce (800m) and senior Brittney Veeck (800m) also qualified for Groups. Along with Wenson, junior high/long jumper Sarah Canfield and sophomore long jumper Emily Nagourney competed in the prestigious Easterns States Championships. Sophomore Kathleen Leeper also showed tremendous promise in the 3200.

Ice Hockey
In their third season as a varsity team the Raiders finished 4-19-3. “Our record wasn't indicative of the progress we made this year,” said second year coach Matt Gualteri. The Raiders competed for the first time in the unforgiving, Union County Ice Hockey League.
The team finished strong scoring late season victories over Westfield, Cranford, and Governor Livingston. Goalie Chris Bauer was a season long bright spot for the team and made second team all Union County Goaltender.

“We're looking forward to continuing the progress we achieved towards the end of our season with our younger players,” said Gualteri.