RAIDER ROUNDUP
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High boys’ lacrosse team took out the frustrations of a pair of one-goal losses by rolling over Mount Olive last Thursday. The Raiders posted a 12-0 shutout for their first victory.
Hillsborough (1-3), which lost by a 10-7 margin vs. Ridge Saturday, has outscored the opposition by seven goals through its first four games. Thursday’s lopsided win over Mount Olive improved the team’s mood after narrow defeats at the hands of Montgomery and Watchung Hills.
The Raiders did all their offensive damage in the first half, scoring five times in the first quarter and seven more in the second. The scoring was balanced, with eight different players getting into the act.
Sophomores Eric Psihoules and Jason Benson, junior Sean Dusseau and senior Dale Nunn scored two goals apiece to lead the way. Five different players registered assists and both goalkeepers saw action in the shutout.
The Raiders fell behind 4-2 after one quarter and 6-3 at the half and tried to rally in Saturday’s home loss to Ridge. Senior midfielder Jared Briggs fired in a hat trick and added an assist to lead the offense. Brandon Wilk had a goal and two assists and Alex Crow made 11 saves in the cage.
HHS was scheduled to play road games at Peddie and St. Joseph’s sandwiched around a mid-week home game vs. Somerville this week.
Golfers extend
winning streak
The Raider golf team posted two more victories to complete a perfect week and run its season record to 3-1.
HHS traveled to Beaver Brook in Clinton and came away with a 208-223 victory over North Hunterdon. Andrew Borsuk shot a team-low round of 39. Other scores were carded by Steve Cannon (40), Logan Cecchine (42), Matt Simonik (43) and Craig Durrant (44).
Depth was the difference as the Raiders packed in their guys within five strokes, while North had three golfers shoot 46 or higher.
Cannon shot a sizzling 37 at Hillsborough Country Club when the Raiders posted a 202-225 win over Phillipsburg. Cecchine (38), Borsuk (41) and Simonik (41) also defeated P’burg’s top golfer. Aaron Schiffman (45) rounded out the scoring.
The Raiders play at Hunterdon Central and South Brunswick and host Watchung Hills this week. The Somerset County Championships are scheduled for next Monday.
Softballers win
two on the road
Sandwiched around Thursday’s tough 7-6 loss to Hunterdon Central in extra innings, the HHS softball team won two games on the road last week.
The first one at North Hunterdon was particularly satisfying since it came against nemesis pitcher Lara Kestenbaum. Candy Palumbo scored both runs for the Raiders, once after a single in the first inning and later on a solo home run in the third.
North rallied with a run in the bottom of the seventh but winning pitcher Chrissy Yard worked out of the jam to finish off a superb three-hitter with 12 strikeouts.
Yard scattered four hits and no walks with six strikeouts in Saturday’s 5-1 win at Hopewell Valley. Palumbo went 3-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple in the second inning when the Raiders scored all their runs. Palumbo also smacked a double to continue her early offensive surge.
Kim Arbonies also went 3-for-4 for the winners, who pounded out nine hits in the game.
Hillsborough was scheduled to begin Delaware East Division play with a road game vs. Watchung Hills and home game vs. Franklin this week.
Netmen respond
with shutout
The HHS boys’ tennis team split a pair of competitive matches against Somerset County rivals last week. After suffering a 4-1 loss at Bridgewater-Raritan, the Raiders blanked Montgomery Thursday afternoon.
First singles player Thomas Kinrade started slowly but came back to win the final two sets against Montgomery’s Jeremy Eckhardt in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory. Kinrade had lost a tough match to B-R’s Billy Jiang in straight sets earlier in the week.
Second singles player John Wu also responded with a three-set victory after a loss when he posted a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 win over Montgomery’s Ryan Denny. Wu also went three sets in his loss to B-R’s Chris Wu.
Dan Cohen completed the HHS singles sweep over the Cougars with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Dan D’Agostino. Dave Lai dispatched Cohen in straight sets in the B-R match.
Will Daly and Piotr Mankowski dropped only one game in the Montgomery match after suffering a tough 6-4, 7-5 loss to B-R’s Adam Miller and Scott Van Dorn. The HHS second doubles team of Mark Apostolos and Chris Plaskon remained undefeated in the early going with two straight set victories last week. Apostolos and Plaskon accounted for the team’s only win against the Panthers.
Hillsborough was scheduled to play at East Brunswick before returning home to face Hunterdon Central and Ridge this week. The Raiders will be traveling to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for a weekend tournament.

