Snowstorm puts HHS track, swim teams on hold

Skyland Conference meets rescheduled

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   Four Hillsborough High athletic teams were denied the opportunity to win a title when Skyland Conference championship events were postponed due to last Friday’s snowstorm.
   Both indoor track units and swimming teams were looking forward to their respective conference meets but Mother Nature interfered by blanketing the area with eight inches of snow.
   "You can’t control the weather," HHS head track coach Rich Refi said. "We would have liked to run today, but it doesn’t really matter."
   Refi’s runners, jumpers and throwers will have to wait until Saturday, Feb. 22, when the Skyland teams will try again at Lehigh University. The Raiders swimmers, on the other hand, won’t have to wait nearly as long to get a crack at their conference foes. That meet had been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon but was then moved up to Feb. 12.
   The HHS boys had been hoping to avenge their recent second place finish at the Somerset County Swimming Championships. The Raiders had beaten perennial nemesis Bridgewater-Raritan in a December dual meet, an accomplishment that made them slight favorites heading into the county meet. Bridgewater maintained its recent dominance at the event, outscoring Hillsborough to take home the title.
   Some would call the Skyland Conference meet the rubber match between the two schools. Many of the other opponents will change, but the top two finishers should remain the same.
   HHS head coach Todd Sudol, a former B-R star, would love to knock off his old alma mater in a championship meet. He’d also like his undefeated boys’ team (11-0) to win a major title this winter. They’ll have another chance when the state team playoffs begin next week, but a Skyland title certainly would be sweet.
   Senior Nick Giacopelli and junior Mark Green lead the way for the Raiders, while Scott Prow, Sean Downey, Frank Ippolito, Bryan Zeiher and Peter Cole will also make contributions.
   The Hillsborough girls figured to make much more noise in the Skyland meet than they did while finishing fourth in the county. Sudol expected his regulars to be back in action after a few key swimmers were out of action at the county meet.
   County champ Mount St. Mary’s Academy and powerful Bernards don’t compete in the Skyland, so that leaves only Hunterdon Central and Bridgewater for the HHS girls (11-1) to chase down. The Central girls are responsible for the program’s only dual meet setback this season, so the Raiders would love to settle that score in Skyland competition.
   Senior Devon Trabilsy leads a solid cast of swimmers that includes Kristen Mendez, Missy McCormick, Alyssa Barberio, Kristi Patane, Jessica Stever, Ashley Padvelskis, Colleen DeLucia and Shannon Mitch. All these girls will need to provide points to chip away at favored Hunterdon Central.
   The Raider track athletes will have to shift their focus away from the Skyland meet for another week or so. Refi insisted it’s no big deal, since his team is always ready for battle. HHS will face tougher competition in two meets prior to the conference event — the Varsity Classic at the New York City Armory and this Sunday’s NJSIAA Meet of Champions at Jadwin Gym in Princeton.
   Hillsborough had 46 athletes in action at Monday night’s meet in the Big Apple. A handful of those Raiders will compete for state titles at Jadwin Gym this weekend.
   The Raider boys were all set to defend their Skyland title streak, determined to make it six in a row since officially joining the winter indoor circuit. The HHS girls also entered the conference meet as defending champs, but they were seeking their third crown indoors.
   Franklin and Hunterdon Central figured to provide stiff resistance in both meets. Hillsborough’s elite athletes now will see some of their conference foes at the Meet of Champs before engaging in more of a head-to-head battle at Lehigh later this month.
   HHS senior star Erin Crawford was likely to compete in the 800 at last Friday’s conference meet, which could have helped her sort out her options for Sunday’s big show. She qualified in the 400, 800, hurdles and relay and will have some decisions to make before this weekend. Crawford and teammate Lauren Kloss certainly would have participated in the maximum number of events last Friday, but that’s hardly possible at the Meet of Champs.
   The proud group of senior boys, led by Nick Vaccaro, Mike Klueber, Hector Tirado and Tony Flores, was eager to complete their perfect scholastic indoor record. Now, they’ll have to stop in New York City and Princeton before getting on that bus to Bethlehem, Pa.
   "We’ll just take them as they come," said Refi, whose teams also competed in the Meet of Champs before the Skyland Conference meet last winter. "There’s nothing you can do. You’re at the mercy of the weather and the availability of the facility."