RAIDER ROUNDUP
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High boys’ lacrosse team proved it wasn’t a fluke.
Less than a week after defeating local rival Immaculata in a regular season game, the Raiders duplicated that accomplishment in the first Somerset County Tournament game in school history.
The fifth-seeded Raiders hit the road and returned home with an 11-7 triumph, completing their second two-game sweep of the Spartans in the last three years. Hillsborough spotted Immaculata two early goals but stormed back with eight straight scores en route to a commanding 9-3 lead at the half.
"We jumped out and got on a roll," Raider head coach Vince Coviello said. "They picked it up and did a great job. I’m proud of the way we came roaring back."
The Raiders (5-14) were scheduled to face top-seeded tournament favorite Bridgewater-Raritan in yesterday’s county semifinals. Ridge and Pingry remained alive on the other half of the bracket.
Sophomore attackman Ryan Mahlstedt was the big gun in Monday’s triumph. Mahlstedt completed a hat trick but also dished out a season-high five assists for the winners.
Brett Russo led the scoring assault with four goals, while Erich Schramm connected twice. Brian Kelly and Tom Rose each scored once and Steve Hess contributed two assists.
Hess was one of many seniors who stepped up the intensity to fuel the county victory.
"The older guys turned it up today," Coviello said. "Steve Hess controlled the midfield and really got it going for us."
Once the Raiders were able to slow down the Spartans and control the ball, they took command of the contest. Immaculata tried to mount a comeback but Dan Glod turned away eight shots and the Raiders cruised into the SCT semifinals.
The Raiders got off to a fast start and put the defensive clamps on the Spartans in last week’s regular season meeting, and won the annual night game on the HHS football field by a 5-3 score.
Schramm had the biggest game of his career with a hat trick, while Kelly and Steve Mitzak also tallied for the winners. Kelly added an assist and Glod stopped 10 shots in the cage.
Hillsborough surged to a 3-1 lead after one quarter and kept Immaculata’s high-powered offense in check, allowing just one goal in the first, second and fourth quarters.
The Raiders also dropped an 11-5 decision to Ridge last week. Schramm, Kelly, Mahlstedt and Dominic Mazzagatti connected in a losing cause.
Girls ousted from
county tourney
The HHS girls’ lacrosse team was knocked out of the Somerset County Tournament with Monday’s 12-1 loss to Immaculata at Marshall Park in Neshanic.
The Raiders (4-11) trailed 6-1 at the break but couldn’t mount a comeback in the second half. Katelyn Powers scored the team’s only goal of the game.
Alana Burman made nine saves in the first half and Dana Scarantino stopped three shots in the second half, but eight different Immaculata players scored in the rout.
In regular season action, the Lady Raiders split a pair of home games, defeating Montgomery (12-9) after losing to East Brunswick (13-1). Thursday night’s victory came under the lights and the HHS girls celebrated Senior Night in style.
Senior Janet Henry led the assault with four goals, while fellow senior Kelly Chan connected twice. Katie DiGiovanni contributed two goals and two assists, while Cheryl Bauer, Caitlyn Glowacki and Lauren Page each added one goal for the winners.
"The team played together as a unit and really deserved this win," HHS head coach Andrea Tyukody said. "It was their night to shine and they did."
Scarantino made two saves in the first half and Burman stopped eight Montgomery attempts in the more wide-open second half of play. The Lady Raiders fired 19 shots at the visiting cage.
Golfers hang in
Delaware race
The Raider golfers entered the final week of regular season play still mathematically alive for a share of the Delaware Division title.
Hillsborough will need to win all three divisional matches this week to force a do-or-die makeup contest against Bridgewater-Raritan on May 30. That match won’t be necessary unless the Raiders run the table this week.
It won’t be an easy feat, especially with powerful Hunterdon Central and Warren Hills standing in the way. The Raiders (9-5-1), who won three straight regular season matches last week to stay in the hunt, needed to beat Watchung Hills in their final home match to set the stage for yesterday’s battle against Central at Copper Hill. Hillsborough will challenge Warren Hills at Hawke Point today.
"We have to win all three to have a shot," HHS head coach Paul Parker said. "If we don’t beat Central and Warren Hills, we’re done and we won’t need to play Bridgewater."
The Raiders finished tied for fifth in last Thursday’s Skyland Conference Championships at Fiddlers Elbow with a team score of 347. Central put together the match of its life with an amazing team round of 311, an average of better than 78 per man.
John Cannon led Hillsborough with a solid round of 80, which was good for eighth place and a medal. Brad Schulte (88), Ryan McCormick (89) and Joe Lucarelli (90) rounded out the team total.
"We were close to second but Central was just too good," Parker said. "They shot the lights out."
Hillsborough swept past Somerville, Phillipsburg and North Hunterdon last week to win its first three matches since falling short of the sectional team playoffs. Cannon and Schulte represented the team in the tournament as individuals.
Schulte put himself in contention for advancement to the states with a 37 on the front nine. He continued to play well until the final two holes, where double bogeys moved his score to 80.
"If he pars those two holes, he shoots 76 and goes to the Tournament of Champions," Parker said. "He wouldn’t have won it, but he would have gone to the states"
Cannon overcame a bad front nine (48) with a solid back side (41) to break 90 by a stroke in his first appearance at the event, which was moved to Bunker Hill after being rained out early in the week.
Netmen dominate
Warren Hills
The HHS boys improved their team tennis record to 11-3 with their most dominant performance of the season. Five HHS positions yielded a cumulative total of only two games in a 5-0 rout of Warren Hills.
Second singles player Mohan Anand dropped two games to Scott Glowinski in the first set but blanked his opponent the rest of the way. Singles teammates Thomas Kinrade and Dan Chou and the Mike Howard-P.J. Zitel and Steve Ubry-Kevin Cooper doubles tandems each won 12 straight games to end their matches quickly.
The Raiders were scheduled to complete their season this week with matches against Pingry, Somerville and Montgomery.
Pfeiffer, Melendez
triples ignite girls
The Hillsborough girls completed their fifth straight undefeated track and field dual meet season by sweeping Watchung Hills and Warren Hills last week.
Senior Jaci Pfeiffer and sophomore Jenizah Melendez won three events each to lead the Raiders to the Delaware Division title. Pfeiffer captured the 100 (12.7), 200 (25.9) and 100 hurdles (14.9), while Melendez prevailed in the long jump (17-2), shot put (33-3) and javelin (97-7).
Erin Crawford posted a double with wins in the 400 (60.9) and 800 (2:31.5). Other HHS winners included Ashley Uniszkiewicz in the 1,600 (5:47.5), Ingrid Mellor in the 3,200 (12:40), Lauren Kloss in the 400 hurdles (69.6), Ebony Foster in the high jump (5-0), Eileen Cafferty in the pole vault (8-6) and the 4×400 team (4:14.9) of Kloss, Caitlin Kosec, Yaneisha Warrick and Crawford.
Flores wins four
golds for boys
Junior Tony Flores continued his late season charge on the track and in the field, leading the Raider boys to a sweep of Watchung Hills and Warren Hills in the dual meet finale. The Raiders finished in second place in the Delaware Division behind Franklin with a 6-1 record.
Flores took first in the 200 (23.2), 110 high hurdles (15.3), 400 intermediates (56.6) and long jump (19-10) in an impressive performance. Joe Schroeder contributed a throwing double with victories in the discus (135-11) and javelin (153-3).
Other Raider winners included Bryan Fox in the 100 (11.7), Matt Lunemann in the 800 (2:07), Mike Klueber in the 1,600, Erik Szabocsik in the 3,200 (10:51), Jake Novak and Jim Morley in the high jump (5-8), Nick Confuorto in the pole vault and Hector Tirado in the shot put (48-1).