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.
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.
posted by David Lazarus at 8:04 AM
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