Hopewell Valley Central High School spring season wrap-up
By: Jim Green
The Hopewell Valley Central High School girls track team ran away with the spring season.
The Lady Bulldogs completed the rare sweep of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Group II titles for the school year, adding the outdoor championship to crowns already won in cross country, winter track and the winter track relays. Led by seniors Jessie Pall, Kate Willever and Sarah Seiler, this group of track stars earned a permanent place in Hopewell Valley athletic history.
The girls also won the Central Jersey Group II sectional title and finished second at the Mercer County Tournament. Pall took the county title in the 800-meter run and won sectional championships in the 100, 200 and 400. Willever captured the county and Group II crowns in the 1,600, while sophomore Annie Carney won sectional and group championships in the 3,200.
The Lady Bulldogs will sorely miss Pall, Willever and Seiler, but Carney, sophomore Natalie Mapp and freshmen Jackie Barrett, Emily Sherrard and Central Jersey Group II pole-vault champion Kristen Volpe should help keep HoVal competitive.
The Hopewell Valley boys team had a solid regular season, going 4-2. But the performances of javelin-thrower David Rout in championship meets were the team’s highlights.
Rout captured county titles in the discus and javelin and won the Central Jersey Group II sectional crown in the javelin. He placed second in the javelin at the Group II meet and finished third at the Meet of Champions.
The senior-dominated team will be led by distance-runners Derek Jablonski and Andrew Freeman next year.
The Hopewell Valley baseball squad did not face high expectations when the season started, since it was coming off a 7-17 2002 campaign. But first-year coach Jim Reed led the Bulldogs to a tremendous turnaround, starting 8-4 and advancing to the second round of the Central Jersey Group II sectional tournament.
Senior pitcher Matt Barrett (66 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings) and senior first baseman Donnie Giovacchini (12 RBIs) will be missed, but there is plenty of young talent returning for 2004. Outfielders Chris Zsenak (.439 average, 11 extra-base hits, 21 runs, 17 RBIs) and Rob Salyga (.361, two home runs, 17 RBIs) will lead the Bulldogs, with a solid supporting cast of shortstop Mark Yuhas, second baseman Rob Serratelli and pitchers Dan Hogan, Brett Hansen and Chris Morgan coming back.
The Hopewell Valley softball team struggled all year to play consistently, winning back-to-back games three times and winning three in a row only once. Still, the Lady Bulldogs posted a winning record (12-10-1) and advanced to the second round of the Central Jersey Group II sectional tournament.
And the majority of the team will be back next season. The most significant losses will be catcher Kim Hart (six RBIs) and outfielders Marie Goyden and Heidi Rarich (five extra-base hits, seven RBIs). But right-hander Stephanie Miller (12-10, 119 strikeouts), shortstop Lindsey Sorg (five extra-base hits, 14 RBIs) and first baseman Becca Rhebergen (eight extra-base hits, 13 RBIs) will be back. Second baseman Megan Lanouette (eight RBIs) and first baseman Jill Castiglione (six RBIs) also will be back for the Lady Bulldogs, who should again challenge for second place in the Colonial Valley Conference Valley Division.
The Hopewell Valley golf team had an outstanding season, going 19-2 and finishing second in the Valley Division and at the Mercer County Tournament. Junior Greg Carver (40.2 average) led the way, shooting a team-best 81 at the county tournament and finishing third in the South-Central Jersey Group II tournament with a 75.
Seniors Matt Castagna (41.1), Brandon Rust (42.5) and Andrew Vahrley (40.3) will be missed next season. But with Carver back in the fold, Hopewell again should be a force in the CVC and in Mercer County.
The Hopewell Valley boys tennis team overcame a 2-3 start to finish 8-6 and reach the quarterfinals of Central Jersey Group II. The Bulldogs were led by their strong singles lineup of senior Adam Friedland (11-6 at first singles), freshman Matt McGranaghan (12-6 at second singles) and junior David Rose (9-6 at third singles).
Coach Tony Suozzo searched all season for the right combination at doubles, eventually settling on a first doubles pairing of senior Marc-Andre Basile and junior Eric Spencer and a second doubles squad of junior Will Fassbender and sophomore Pete Murr. While Friedland who reached the second round of the Mercer County Tournament and qualified for the state singles tournament will be a huge loss, the Bulldogs should be strong again next year with McGranaghan, Rose, Spencer, Fassbender, Murr and experienced doubles player Rohit Singh returning.
The Hopewell Valley girls lacrosse team had the ultimate up-and-down season. The Lady Bulldogs dropped their first three against stiff competition. They then won five of eight before dropping their last four. The result was a 5-10 record a sizeable drop-off from the squad’s 15-3 mark from a year ago.
Making matters worse, the Lady Bulldogs will lose their top three scorers Allison Moriarty (34 goals, 22 assists), Caitlin Lane (34 goals, seven assists) and Alissa Molinelli (23 goals, 11 assists) to graduation. But the bulk of this year’s team was young. Returning players will include attacks Katie Lincoln, Beth Hagerty, Chrissy Fairbanks and Nichole Stevens and midfielders Amy Palin, Mary Kate Mannix, Lucy Weise, Molly Ryan, Maggie Rarich and Becky Hill. Goalie Izzy Huston and defenders Sarah Spencer, Mo Gallagher and Katie Maybury also will be back.
The Hopewell Valley boys lacrosse team started strong, winning its first three before ending with an 11-game losing streak. But there will be plenty of returning talent next season. Scott Kuppe (12 goals, six assists), Tyler Brewster (10 goals, five assists), Peter Carroll (eight goals, nine assists), Greg Reading (eight goals, four assists) and Jeff Mills (eight goals, four assists) and goalies John Arhontoulis and Eren Akyar will return.

