Golfers off to fast start

RAIDER ROUNDUP

By: Rudy Brandl
   The Hillsborough High golf team won two more matches to finish the opening week with a 3-0 record.
   Hillsborough showcased its depth and balance to defeat Phillipsburg at Harkers Hollow and to beat North Hunterdon at Hillsborough Country Club. Different players led the team and made up the top five scoring list.
   Logan Cecchine fired the low round of the week (37) in Thursday’s 203-214 triumph over North. Andrew Borsuk finished two strokes back with a 39, while Nick Grappone (41), Craig Durant (42) and Steve Cannon (44) also counted scores.
   Aaron Schiffman was low man in Hillsborough’s 206-223 victory at Phillipsburg. Schiffman (39) edged teammates Borsuk (40) and Grappone (40) by one stroke, while Cannon shot 43 and Cecchine hit 44.
   The Raiders were scheduled to host Hunterdon Central and play at Watchung Hills this week in final match tune-ups for Monday’s Somerset County Championships at Neshanic Valley.
Baseball team
starts new streak
   
The HHS baseball team saw its two-year, 11-game win streak end in last week’s home opener vs. Phillipsburg. Two days later, the Raiders started what they hope is another long win streak with a 4-1 triumph at North Hunterdon.
   Tim Fedroff continued his torrid hitting with a 3-for-4 day that included two triples and a run scored. Matt Zygmund added a triple and a single for the winners, who took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Marc Zamarin hit a long sacrifice fly.
   Rob Kumbatovic (2-0) picked up his second win of the season for the Raiders.
   Fedroff’s three-run home in the seventh pulled the Raiders within 7-6 but they couldn’t complete the rally against Phillipsburg. Fedroff had a shaky start on the mound and the Stateliners opened a 6-0 lead after two innings.
   The Raiders fought back thanks to a three-run home run by Corey Swickle in the third and Fedroff’s blast in the seventh. Those shots weren’t enough to offset a sloppy defensive performance that featured seven errors.
   Hillsborough was scheduled to host Hunterdon Central Tuesday and play at Watchung Hills Thursday in a rematch of last year’s State Group 4 championship game.
Boys win second
volleyball match
   
The HHS boys’ volleyball team finished the first week of its second season with a 2-2 record. Thursday’s 25-19, 25-16 victory over Watchung Hills gave the Raiders a split of four matches in the week.
   Kyle Downey did his job as the team’s setter, leading the way with 11 assists, one kill and one block. Middle blocker Jake Lefevre smacked five kills and three aces, while Mike Argueta had five digs and four kills.
   Hillsborough dropped a 25-18, 25-19 home match to West Windsor Plainsboro South despite four kills and four aces from Argueta and three kills and five digs from Sean Kelly.
   The Raiders were scheduled to play at West Windsor Plainsboro North and host Marlboro this week.
Tough start
for netmen
   
The Raider boys’ tennis team may have faced its two toughest rivals right off the bat, but consecutive 5-0 losses to Montgomery and Bridgewater-Raritan were still somewhat unexpected.
   Two of the five matches vs. Montgomery went three sets and another included a tie-break, so the Raiders have to feel they can do better the next time the schools meet May 11.
   John Wu dropped his first match as the team’s No. 1 player by a 6-0, 7-6 score to Jeremy Eckhardt. Chris Plaskon started well but couldn’t finish his second singles match vs. Matt Pierson, who rallied for an 0-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Dan D’Agostino capped the Cougar singles sweep with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Mark Apostolos at the third position.
   The first doubles match also went three sets, with Montgomery’s Ryan Dennis and Vince Chang holding off Ross Friedman and Tom Gross in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 thriller. Hillsborough’s Jesse Goldstein and Neil Shah dropped a 6-2, 6-2 decision to Winston Wang and Jason Huan at second doubles.
   Things weren’t getting much easier on the schedule as Hillsborough was slated to play at Ridge and Watchung Hills this week.
Track teams split
dual meet openers
   
The HHS girls continued their dual meet dominance while the boys absorbed an early defeat when the track and field teams battled Phillipsburg last week.
   Colleen Maloney was the only double winner for the Raider girls, who rolled to a 103-36 victory. Maloney prevailed in the discus (103-5) and javelin (96-5).
   Nine of her teammates won individual events — Jess Pfeiffer in the 800 (2:36), Nicole Rocha in the 1,600 (5:50), Allison Marcsisin in the 3,200 (11:36), Ebony Jones in the 100 hurdles (17.3), Ebony Young in the 400 hurdles (1:10.6), Ali Hydzik in the high jump (4-8), Lauren Watts in the triple jump (33-6¼), Jaclyn Marangella in the pole vault (11-6) and Angela Davia in the shot put (32-8).
   The 4×400 relay team of Stephanie Ogrodnik, Erin Suozzo, Young and Anna Spaniol ended the meet with a victory in a time of 4:28.
   Hillsborough couldn’t match up with Phillipsburg’s firepower on the track in the boys’ meet and lost by a 78-62 score. Tyler Szwarc was the only HHS athlete to win an event on the track when he took first in the 110 high hurdles (15.4).
   Other HHS boys taking first place included Miles Petrock in the triple jump (40-8½), Steve Theroux in the pole vault (12-0), Mike Kelderman in the shot put (41-3), Andy Julian in the discus (131-4) and the 4×400 relay team (3:34.5) of Warner Jones, Jason Walton, Alex Szela and Mike Bitten.