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.
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.
posted by David Lazarus at 8:23 AM
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