2006 Spring
Baseball
Third year coach Tom Baylock’s team had an outstanding offense but inconsistent pitching and injuries made stopping the opposition more challenging
They handed the state’s fifth ranked team, Cranford, its first loss of the season and later snapped Westfield’s eight game winning streak, but were defeated in the first round of the county tournament.
At press time, the Raiders were 11-8. The leading pitchers were juniors Jake Parisi, John Mineo Josh Decker and Greg Bayard. Senior Jeff Bell and juniors David Belford, James Dinizio and Adam Perez paced the offense.
Softball
The veteran team exploded out of the starting gate with eleven straight victories to start the season and at publication time held a 15-4 record and had advanced to the Union county Tournament semi finals
Pitcher Elaine Piniat was spectacular all season for Head Coach Kelli Covert, throwing three no hitters and kept the Raiders in every game. The team was strong up the middle with Piniat, Catcher Lauren Mains, Shortstop Melissa Sette, Second Baseman Stephanie Goines and Centerfielder Kelly Kaskiw.
Corner infielders Jillian Lusk and Nicole Colineri and corner outfielders Lauren Benovengo and Allie Brown added strong hitting and defense.
Girls Track and Field
A young, revamped team defended its Union County Relays and Watchung Conference titles in dominating fashion after rolling through their dual meet season with a 5-0 record.
Balance was the key for the team which featured only one senior, Meaghan Kelly.
The weight events were strong with Lauryn Adams, Carlaya Jones and Erin Rossi leading the way. Rossi was also the top pole vaulter and Danielle Vena the leading high jumper.
The long jump and triple events featured Tina Olsson, Amanda Bobyack, Kelly and Natasha Celius. Olsson was the leading sprinter along with Sam Gates. Freshman Brittney Veeck developed into the top distance runner followed by sophomores Bridget Cornwell and Cassy Valdes. Kelly and freshman Kim Shelius were the top hurdlers.
Boys Track and Field
The Raiders have known nothing but success thus far. Their 5-0 dual meet record extended their unbeaten streak to an astounding 23 years. In four of the five meets the track team scored over 100 points. They also breeched the century mark in the Union county Relays which played beautifully to their balance. They scored in 14 of 16 events and there were few if any events that the team did not pose several strong competitors.
The Raiders were just as dominant in the Watchung conference Meet, scoring a record 238 points to almost outscore the other four teams.
The Raiders had one of the top weight event corps in the state paced by sophomore Mike Alleman, who had the state’s second furthest throw in the shot put. John Badala and Anthony Nelson both were also nearing the 50 foot barrier. Other stalwarts included Matt Hazel, Jason Boff and Joe Jacobi. Greg Brand was the top javelin thrower.
Kyle Rowbotham shattered the school record in the triple jump and was also the top hurdler in the county at 110-meter and 400-meters. Nehemiah Burney-Porter, tom Pennella and James Alfano formed an unbeatable relay team and with Rowbotham
frequently swept races.
Max Carow was another superb athlete, the leader in the pole vault and sprints as well as a top long jumper. The mile relay with Rowbotham and twins Rob and Tom Ventura was formidable.
The distances were deep and talented led by Adam Biner, JZ Zinman, Mike Miller, Dan Sapienza, Pat Doliber and freshman Martin Sweeney.
Tennis
The Raiders have battled through a tough schedule with another winning record, qualifying for the state tournament with a 9-8 record. Unquestionably the highlight of the season was the Union County Tournament when sophomore Ryan Krueger became the first Raider in eleven years to capture the first singles title.
Krueger’s performance along with fourth place finishes by the two doubles teams enabled the team to finish fourth in the county tournament.
00
Golf
A veteran team has compiled a 10-4 record but fell short of their goal of dethroning Westfield at either the county or conference tournament. A sophomore Brian Pak, became the teams’ leading player by the end of the year and came up with the team’s only hole in one.
Other leading players include Clayton Balch, Colin Campbell and Jack Davis.
Third year coach Tom Baylock’s team had an outstanding offense but inconsistent pitching and injuries made stopping the opposition more challenging
They handed the state’s fifth ranked team, Cranford, its first loss of the season and later snapped Westfield’s eight game winning streak, but were defeated in the first round of the county tournament.
At press time, the Raiders were 11-8. The leading pitchers were juniors Jake Parisi, John Mineo Josh Decker and Greg Bayard. Senior Jeff Bell and juniors David Belford, James Dinizio and Adam Perez paced the offense.
Softball
The veteran team exploded out of the starting gate with eleven straight victories to start the season and at publication time held a 15-4 record and had advanced to the Union county Tournament semi finals
Pitcher Elaine Piniat was spectacular all season for Head Coach Kelli Covert, throwing three no hitters and kept the Raiders in every game. The team was strong up the middle with Piniat, Catcher Lauren Mains, Shortstop Melissa Sette, Second Baseman Stephanie Goines and Centerfielder Kelly Kaskiw.
Corner infielders Jillian Lusk and Nicole Colineri and corner outfielders Lauren Benovengo and Allie Brown added strong hitting and defense.
Girls Track and Field
A young, revamped team defended its Union County Relays and Watchung Conference titles in dominating fashion after rolling through their dual meet season with a 5-0 record.
Balance was the key for the team which featured only one senior, Meaghan Kelly.
The weight events were strong with Lauryn Adams, Carlaya Jones and Erin Rossi leading the way. Rossi was also the top pole vaulter and Danielle Vena the leading high jumper.
The long jump and triple events featured Tina Olsson, Amanda Bobyack, Kelly and Natasha Celius. Olsson was the leading sprinter along with Sam Gates. Freshman Brittney Veeck developed into the top distance runner followed by sophomores Bridget Cornwell and Cassy Valdes. Kelly and freshman Kim Shelius were the top hurdlers.
Boys Track and Field
The Raiders have known nothing but success thus far. Their 5-0 dual meet record extended their unbeaten streak to an astounding 23 years. In four of the five meets the track team scored over 100 points. They also breeched the century mark in the Union county Relays which played beautifully to their balance. They scored in 14 of 16 events and there were few if any events that the team did not pose several strong competitors.
The Raiders were just as dominant in the Watchung conference Meet, scoring a record 238 points to almost outscore the other four teams.
The Raiders had one of the top weight event corps in the state paced by sophomore Mike Alleman, who had the state’s second furthest throw in the shot put. John Badala and Anthony Nelson both were also nearing the 50 foot barrier. Other stalwarts included Matt Hazel, Jason Boff and Joe Jacobi. Greg Brand was the top javelin thrower.
Kyle Rowbotham shattered the school record in the triple jump and was also the top hurdler in the county at 110-meter and 400-meters. Nehemiah Burney-Porter, tom Pennella and James Alfano formed an unbeatable relay team and with Rowbotham
frequently swept races.
Max Carow was another superb athlete, the leader in the pole vault and sprints as well as a top long jumper. The mile relay with Rowbotham and twins Rob and Tom Ventura was formidable.
The distances were deep and talented led by Adam Biner, JZ Zinman, Mike Miller, Dan Sapienza, Pat Doliber and freshman Martin Sweeney.
Tennis
The Raiders have battled through a tough schedule with another winning record, qualifying for the state tournament with a 9-8 record. Unquestionably the highlight of the season was the Union County Tournament when sophomore Ryan Krueger became the first Raider in eleven years to capture the first singles title.
Krueger’s performance along with fourth place finishes by the two doubles teams enabled the team to finish fourth in the county tournament.
00
Golf
A veteran team has compiled a 10-4 record but fell short of their goal of dethroning Westfield at either the county or conference tournament. A sophomore Brian Pak, became the teams’ leading player by the end of the year and came up with the team’s only hole in one.
Other leading players include Clayton Balch, Colin Campbell and Jack Davis.
posted by David Lazarus at 11:06 AM
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