Watts, Weber lead balanced assault
By: Rudy Brandl
FLEMINGTON Consistency and balance prevailed for the Hillsborough High gymnastics team in Friday’s Skyland Conference Championships at the Hunterdon Central Fieldhouse.
The Raiders weren’t spectacular and even survived a few glitches en route to their second straight conference title. Despite two falls on the balance beam and a few slips on the floor exercise, the HHS girls still outscored Hunterdon Central by over a point to win the title with an impressive score of 109.875.
"They were focused and they knew what they had to do," Hillsborough head coach Beth Murrin said afterward. "We had a few mistakes but they kept fighting and stayed focused."
Senior Lauren Watts epitomized the team’s balance, scoring over 9.0 on all four events to finish second in the all-around (37.2). Watts posted fine scores on floor (9.2), vault (9.3), bars (9.3) and beam (9.4). She won the Skyland title on beam in her team’s final performance of the day.
Hillsborough had built a 2.5-point lead entering the final rotation. With Central moving to the floor and HHS heading for the beam, that lead wasn’t completely safe. Watts made sure it stood up by nailing her routine.
"I just couldn’t think of all the pressure," Watts said. "I had to do what I always do. I was still a little shaky on my back tuck but I did what I had to do."
The Raiders seized control of the meet when freshman Chrissy Weber delivered a huge routine on the uneven bars during the third rotation. Weber executed her skills and finished with a powerful, crisp dismount. The judges rewarded Weber with a 9.55 score that won the conference title.
"When I go to practice, I try to get my routines down so they’re consistent," Weber said. "I’ve been doing my dismount for three years. It was one of my better ones."
Her teammates enjoyed watching Weber soar high in the air and land cleanly on her feet.
"I was so happy for her," Watts said. "She’s been working on that for a while. It was awesome."
Weber finished fourth in the all-around (36.625). She started her day with a 9.225 on floor and 9.025 on bars and finished with an 8.825 on beam that included a fall. Weber’s winning bars routine highlighted an outstanding performance by the HHS girls on an event that’s becoming a team strength.
All three Hillsborough competitors placed in the top five on bars, yielding a team score of 27.975 in the event. Watts finished second (9.3) and Mary Kate Lynch tied for fifth (9.125).
"We had an advantage on bars, which is a great event for us," Murrin said. "It’s our strength right now."
"Our bars has come a long way since the beginning of the season," Watts added. "We were getting deducted for not having variety. Every single person has different skills, which helps a lot."
Hillsborough scored at least 27 points in all four events and only counted two individual scores under 9.0. Seven different gymnasts competed for the Raiders, including four in the all-around.
Lynch (36.025) and freshman Christina Rhoades (35.3225) participated in all four events. Lynch tied for sixth on floor (9.275) and counted an 8.85 on vault.
Kristen Shaw delivered a clutch beam routine and posted an 8.80 to start the Raiders in their final rotation. Leah Goldberg executed on bars (8.9) and Melissa Arango competed on floor (8.55) and vault (8.625).
The Raiders overcame an unfavorable rotation schedule that started on floor and ended on the mentally draining balance beam. Central, the host school, was hoping for a fantastic finish on floor but even all-around winner Paula Barca’s 9.7 score wasn’t enough to beat the Raiders.
"It doesn’t matter what order we went in, we have to take what we get," Watts said. "We still had to do what we came here to do. As long as the team wins, I’m happy. I hope we can do it again."
The Raiders will return to the same facility for Saturday’s Central Section 2 Championships at noon. They’ll be facing some of the same teams in addition to defending state champion Bishop Ahr. This figures to be a real showdown between two schools that posted the state’s two highest scores ever this season.
Friday’s Skyland triumph gives the Raiders a little boost of confidence going into the sectionals. They know they can still clean up a few things and score higher.
"They gave away a few little tenths here and there, but they knew they weren’t out of it," Murrin said. "They stayed right on track."

