Hillsborough High Winter Sports Awards

One final salute to season’s best

By: Rudy Brandl
   Hillsborough High’s athletes produced another memorable season this past winter. While a few varsity squads didn’t post a winning record, every program created excitement in some form.
   Many individual athletes stepped into the state spotlight at HHS. There weren’t many teams flirting with state championships, but several athletes had a chance to be No. 1 in their sport.
   Senior Taryn O’Connor became the fifth individual state champion in school history when she won the shot put at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in February. Swimmer Pat Kuehne and wrestler Frankie McLaughlin finished second on the final day of action in their sports on the first Sunday in March. Wrestler John Mangini, second in the state last year, was alive in the semifinals but wound up finishing sixth.
   These athletes and many more created a real buzz in Raider land this winter. The teams weren’t too shabby, either.
   The boys’ swim team won its fourth straight Central Public A sectional swim title. The girls’ basketball team earned a share of the Delaware East Division title. The boys’ track and field team won the Somerset County crown and finished second in the State Group 4 Relays. The ice hockey team captured the Van Cott Cup championship and made it all the way to the final eight in the state playoffs. Both basketball teams won holiday tournament titles.
   It certainly wasn’t a dull season. But the winter is over, at least in the world of scholastic sports.
   Don’t let the weather fool you. It’s officially spring. The calendar says so.
   After last week’s Nor’easter, I don’t feel like I’m late in releasing that one final farewell to winter, at least in this sports section, in my Hillsborough High Winter Awards:
   Best Team – Boys’ swimming. The Raiders didn’t post a dazzling record (9-5) but they won when it counted. Head coach Todd Sudol never wavered in his claim that the boys would peak for the state team playoffs and that’s precisely what they did. The Raiders clinched their fourth straight Central Public A crown with a 103-67 victory over their rivals from Montgomery, who had beaten them in a dual meet during the regular season. The team’s quest for its second State Public A title in the last three years was stopped by eventual champ Cherry Hill West in the state semifinals.
   Honorable mention goes to the ice hockey team, which also peaked at the right time. The Raiders went 13 games (10-0-3) without a loss and an unfortunate bounce knocked them out of the NJSIAA playoffs in the quarterfinal round. Not bad for a second-year varsity club.
   Best Athlete — Taryn O’Connor, track and field. You can’t argue with championships — or history. O’Connor has become a master at both. The senior shot putter became the school’s fifth individual state champ (all track and field athletes) ever Feb. 24 when she won the gold medal at the Meet of Champions. O’Connor also won titles at the State Group 4, Skyland Conference and Somerset County championship meets. Her personal record throw of 47 feet, 6 inches is a school and county record and ranked fourth in the nation this year. O’Connor capped her season with a sixth-place medal at the Nike national meet, which earned her All-America status.
   Honorable mention goes to wrestler Frankie McLaughlin and swimmer Pat Kuehne. Both seniors were dominant forces on the local scene who came very close to becoming the first state champs in HHS history in their respective sports. McLaughlin finished second in the state at 152 pounds, while Kuehne placed second in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Meet of Champions.
   Best Coach — Todd Sudol, swimming. The veteran head coach knows how to gear his team to peak at the right time. He stuck to his guns and kept his boys confident throughout the season, not focusing on dual meets but looking at the big picture and shooting for the grand prize at the end. The Raiders were peaking in the playoffs and came within one victory of competing for the state championship after winning their fourth straight sectional crown. Sudol knew it all along.
   Honorable mention goes to first-year ice hockey coach Pat Verney, a 26-year-old who showed experience beyond his years in guiding the Raiders this winter. He didn’t panic and didn’t allow his players to become frustrated after a series of tough early breaks left the team at 4-4. The Raiders got hot in late January and carried an 11-game unbeaten streak into the state playoffs. They won their first two to make it 13 straight without a loss before suffering a tough 3-1 defeat to state finalist Bridgewater-Raritan in the quarterfinals. Verney also deserves much credit for coming in and helping the Raiders win the Van Cott Cup title in their first year in the more competitive White Division.
   Most Improved Athletes — Wrestlers Luke Dawson and Chris Ambrose, track and field athletes Melissa Arango and Brandon Lane.
   Dawson came within two points of making it all the way to the NJSIAA Championships in Atlantic City in his first year as a starter. The junior 171-pounder, who also won his first District 18 title, accomplished all this despite giving up at least 10 pounds to most of his opponents. Dawson finished third on the team with a 26-10 record.
   Ambrose won only nine bouts as a junior but posted a 24-9 record that included a 14-bout win streak entering the post-season. He qualified for the Region 5 Tournament for the first time in his career.
   Arango has quietly amassed 11 varsity letters and will pick up her 12th this spring, but she made a little more noise this winter. She set a school record for fastest automatic time in the 55 hurdles, won the Somerset County title in that event and led the shuttle hurdles team to a solid season. Arango also set a county indoor record in the triple jump.
   Lane emerged as one of the most versatile athletes on the boys’ indoor squad. He was the only member of the team to score in multiple events at the State Group 4 Relays, helping the Raiders place in the high jump and shuttle hurdles. Lane and his mates earned All-America status with a national medal in March.
   Most Exciting Moments — Shot putter Taryn O’Connor and her coaches were sweating it out, especially with rival DeAnne Hahn of Brick Township hot on her heels, but they were finally able to celebrate a state title at the Meet of Champions in February; O’Connor put her name on the national performance list with two throws over 47 feet, including the 47-6 mark that ranked fourth in the nation this winter; the boys’ basketball team started off the season in the best way imaginable, with an epic overtime victory on the road at perennial county and conference kingpin Bridgewater-Raritan; the girls’ basketball team posted one of the biggest and best victories in veteran head coach Jim Reese’s 13 years at the helm in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals, when the Lady Raiders erased a 12-point deficit to win a 74-72 thriller in overtime; the HHS girls showed some real guts in ending a brief skid with a 56-48 comeback win over Franklin that helped secure half of the division title; high jumpers Miles Petrock, Dave Eilbacher and Brandon Lane swept the event to ignite Hillsborough’s comeback win over Franklin in the Somerset County Indoor Track and Field Championships; the boys’ swim team started to roll from the very first event and never lost momentum in its 103-67 victory over Montgomery in the Central Public A final; senior Frankie McLaughlin reached the state finals with a 9-5 victory over Pennsville’s Dustin Deckard in the semifinal round at Boardwalk Hall; the ice hockey team started early and kept piling on the goals in a 7-0 romp over Montclair Kimberly Academy in the Van Cott Cup finals; the Raiders skated to an impressive 4-1 victory over Jefferson in the state’s round of 16 to reach the elite eight; the HHS girls opened the state team swim playoffs with a victory over East Brunswick; and senior Ariel Newman maintained the Hillsborough girls’ streak of winners in the county 100 breaststroke when she captured the title this year.
   Best Game Performances — Steve Westphal’s career-high 24-point performance in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals lifted the boys’ basketball team to a sweet 60-50 triumph over Watchung Hills; Kelsey Kutch and Ebony Jones combined for all 29 points during the furious fourth quarter flurry that helped the Lady Raiders force overtime and eventually beat Rancocas Valley in the state playoffs; Kutch scored 24 points, including a late free throw for the 1,000th of her career, when the HHS girls came back to beat Westfield; sophomore distance star Jason Walton pulled off a huge double with wins in the 800 and 1,600 to help the boys erase a 30-point deficit to win the Somerset County indoor track and field championship; Matt Janos, who wasn’t even sure he could play because of injury, put on his skates and scored three goals to lead the Raiders to a 4-1 victory over Jefferson in the third round of the NJSIAA playoffs; hockey goaltender Eric Visnovsky had many impressive games, but three of his better efforts were a 36-save performance in a 4-1 win over Montclair Kimberly Academy, a 31-save effort in a 4-1 win over Watchung Hills in the Van Cott semifinals and a 27-save shutout of MKA in the Cup finals; Kelsey Hurley won two individual events and helped two relays prevail when the HHS girls defeated East Brunswick in the state playoffs; and Pat Kuehne won two Skyland Conference swim titles, taking first place in the 50 free and 100 breast.
   Dynamic Duos — Wrestlers Frankie McLaughlin and John Mangini capped their outstanding careers with three more major titles apiece. Both Raider stars swept the Somerset County, District 18 and Region 5 tourneys without much difficulty. McLaughlin, the gritty 152-pounder, went 37-2 and finished second in the state to complete his scholastic days with a 104-25 record. Mangini, the talented 160-pounder, posted a 28-3 mark and finished sixth in the state to graduate with a 112-11 lifetime mark.
   Basketball players Kelsey Kutch and Ebony Jones took the Lady Raiders as far as they could go. Kutch, a four-year varsity standout, surpassed the 1,000-point mark in January and finished her career with 1,291 points. She led the team in scoring, rebounding and steals this season. Jones, who made the move to point guard this season, ranked second on the squad in scoring and rebounding and led in assists. Jones was also the team’s primary defensive stopper.
   Fab Fours — Swim team captains Pat Kuehne, Tim Rauch, Bobby Gendimenico and Robert Webb never lost a Central Public A meet in four years of competition. They helped the Raiders go 12-0 and win four titles during their scholastic days. Head coach Todd Sudol counted on this foursome for leadership and the boys certainly delivered.
   The shuttle hurdles relay team of Dan Reiss, Dan Millemann, Brandon Lane and Tyler Szwarc proved to be special this winter. This group won the title at the State Group 4 Relays, set the school record (30.3) at the Lavino Relays and earned All-America status with a fourth-place medal at the Nike national meet.
   Freshman Phenoms — Wrestlers Matt Millemann, Issac Muck and Jared Leon; swimmers Ashley Smolinka and Meredith Trabilsy; hockey player Chris Korenczuk; and track and field athletes Eric Reiss and Nicole Rittman.
   Sophomore Sensations — Swimmers Kerri Hamersky, Stephanie Silleck, Brian Giacopelli, Tanner Horst, George Marks, Robert Parker, Eric VanBiervliet and David Wilson; track and field athletes Jason Walton, Jordan Magath, Ebony Young, Allison Moran and Ashley Redelico; hockey players Chris MacPhee, Dan Curry and John Cohn; and wrestlers Will Goddiess, George Goddiess and Max Borisenko.
   Junior Jewels — Ice hockey goaltender Eric Visnovsky and teammates Trevor Bierwirth, Corey DeFranco, Joe Kubrak and Matt Daugherty; wrestlers Luke Dawson and Kevin Campanale; basketball players Rob Champouillon, Steve Westphal and Kaitlin Capriccio; track and field athletes Alex Brown, Matt Carnes, Robert Marley, Rocco Mazzagatti, Alex Szela, Angela Davia, Stephanie Ogrodnik, Nicole Rocha and Anna Spaniol; and swimmers Kelsey Hurley, Lauren Marchese, Carolyn Mehrtens, Jessica Parker, Greg Johnson and Kyle Smith.
   Senior Stars — Track and field athletes Taryn O’Connor, Melissa Arango, Ali Leifer, Joe Bernardo, Mike Bitten, Dave Eilbacher, Warner Jones, Brandon Lane, Dan Millemann, Dan Reiss, Justin Risso and Tyler Szwarc; swimmers Pat Kuehne, Bobby Gendimenico, Tim Rauch, Robert Webb, Lauren Horowitz, Sara Miller and Ariel Newman; basketball players Kelsey Kutch, Ebony Jones, Heather Neumann, Lisa Cannellos, Tom Molarz, Tom Pappalardo, Pat Fedroff, Bryan Humphrey, Eric Udowychenko, Chris Livelli and Brett Bisconti; wrestlers Frankie McLaughlin, John Mangini and Chris Ambrose; and ice hockey players Matt Janos, Sean Burke, Eric Psihoules, Alex Merry and James Nobilio.