Conference, county, sectional titles at stake
By: Rudy Brandl
Hillsborough High sports fans will have plenty to do this Halloween weekend. While there may be some tricks, the Raiders are hoping for plenty of treats with conference, county and sectional titles on the line.
The action kicks off with Central Jersey’s hottest football game of the season Friday night at Hillsborough’s new stadium turf field when fellow unbeaten Phillipsburg comes to town for a game that will determine the winner of the Delaware A Division. That huge contest also carries major power point implications and will affect the state playoffs.
Saturday’s docket includes the Skyland Conference Gymnastics Championships, which will be held at Hillsborough for the first time, and the Central Jersey Group 4 Cross Country Championships at Holmdel Park. Individual and team titles will be at stake in those events.
Those who haven’t had enough may want to make the trip to Ridge High’s athletic complex for Sunday’s Somerset County Tournament soccer championship doubleheader. The HHS girls, fresh off a pair of riveting 1-0 victories in county play, will battle Pingry for the title at 5 p.m.
Here’s a closer look at how the Raiders stack up on this pivotal weekend of athletic competition:
FOOTBALL The Raiders (6-0) will be underdogs against Phillipsburg (7-0), but that’s just fine with this hard-nosed bunch of players. HHS will be playing on its home turf, probably in front of the biggest crowd of the year, with so many things at stake.
"It’s going to be real exciting," said senior running back Dominic Mazzagatti, who leads the Raiders with eight touchdowns. "We need to do all the little things right. Everyone has to do their job. It helps a lot that we’re going to be home."
Forget about the fact that this game will decide the division championship or that the winner will likely accumulate 15 power points. The Raiders are out to avenge an embarrassing 50-3 defeat they suffered at P’burg last October.
"We certainly remember that," HHS head coach Rick Mantz said. "We weren’t ready to play football and P’burg is like sharks smelling blood. They have athletes and they’re very aggressive. They’re a pain."
"We went up there last year and got tossed around, so we have some unfinished business this year," Mazzagatti added. "I hope everyone realizes the opportunity we have."
The Raiders will have their hands full on both sides of the ball. Phillipsburg quarterback Scott Kish can hurt a defense with his throwing and running ability. Justin Gaymon is a tough runner who leads the team with 12 touchdowns.
While the division title is up for grabs Friday, both teams will also be playing big games in November. A victory in this game will almost guarantee a top seed in the state playoffs.
"This is the mother lode for power points," Mantz said. "Whoever wins this game has the front row in the state playoffs."
"This is our biggest game," senior Matt Donahue added. "It’s for the conference championship. We obviously have to step up and play our best game."
GYMNASTICS Junior Lauren Watts and the Raiders hope to defend their individual and team titles in the friendly confines of the Hillsborough gymnasium when the Skyland Conference Championships begin at 11 a.m.
Watts has started to peak in recent weeks and scored a season-high 37.575 to win the all-around in a very competitive dual meet vs. Washington Township last week. She’ll get some competition from her own team with freshman Mary Kate Lynch also capable of producing big scores.
The Raiders have the deepest team in the conference with Robin Friedman, Krystina DeLuca, Leah Goldberg and Kristen Shaw all making regular contributions to the impressive scores posted this season. Hillsborough has broken the school record twice in the last month and is shooting for the 110 mark.
Hunterdon Central presents the biggest threat to Hillsborough’s team title defense. Individual gymnasts to watch include Central’s Paula Barca, North Hunterdon’s Rachel Kulick, Montgomery’s Erin Simon, Bridgewater’s Maddie Zwiebel, Watchung Hills’ Sarah Wasser and Somerville’s Nicole Timko.
CROSS COUNTRY Hillsborough’s runners briefly shift into Holmdel Park mode for the start of the state championship meet season. Runners who place in the top 10 and teams finishing in the top five will return for the State Group 4 Championships two weeks later on Nov. 13. In a strange scheduling quirk, the Skyland Conference Championships at Deer Path Park are sandwiched in between on Nov. 5.
The HHS boys, fresh off their Somerset County team championship win, hope to qualify as a team. Junior standout Brian Dennis certainly expects to run a few more races at Holmdel, where he’s closing in on Mike Klueber’s school record.
"I’m getting focused to run at Holmdel," Dennis said while catching his breath after finishing second in the county meet. "I’m definitely planning on breaking that record the next race. I wanted to do it at Shore Coaches."
Fellow junior Kelda Nelson has emerged as the dominant top runner on the girls’ team and figures to advance to the next Holmdel stage. Nelson may have to go without her teammates, unless they can run in a tighter pack and find a way to place in the top five in a competitive section.
GIRLS’ SOCCER Don’t bet against the Lady Raiders after they won a pair of thrilling 1-0 games, including an upset in the semifinals against a Ridge team that came in with a 36-game winning streak. Sometimes, that’s a sign of destiny.
"It’s awesome," said senior forward Stacey Dzvileski, who has scored both winning goals in county play. "We haven’t been to the finals since I’ve been in high school. It’s great to get this far."
The HHS girls will challenge Pingry, which advanced to the finals with a 6-2 victory over a Bridgewater-Raritan squad they know very well. Hillsborough split with B-R this year, winning last week’s rematch by a 4-2 margin.
Pingry eliminated Hillsborough in the SCT semifinals two years ago, but head coach LeeAnn Wyble believes this could be her strongest team.
"Every year, I feel that we really don’t start playing until the second half of the season," Wyble said. "This year, we’ve been rolling since the beginning and we’ve gotten even better."
The Lady Raiders will need to be at their best to win their second county title in school history. Goalkeeper Ashley Coheleach and the stingy defensive line of Noelle Neall, Shari Kleiman, Nikki Smartt and Caitlyn Glowacki will be tested by Pingry’s talented forwards.