Boys, Manderski finished strong
By: Rudy Brandl
We might still get more snow and sleet, but the winter athletic season has long been over at Manville High. The month of March will conclude without a single official athletic event involving any MHS athletes or teams.
When senior heavyweight wrestler Mark Manderski was pinned in the opening round of the Region 5 Tournament Feb. 27, it signaled the end of the winter sports campaign at Manville. Both basketball teams already had been finished for over two weeks at that time.
It’s been an extended layoff, enough time for a long winter’s nap. Last week’s Nor’Easter made me want to crawl under a blanket and sleep for a while. Wake me up when the games start!
Manville High sports fans must be starving for some live action. By the time the baseball and softball teams face Bound Brook in the April 2 season openers, nearly two months will have passed since the last home athletic event.
The first day of spring was this past Tuesday, so it’s high time to say good-bye to winter, no matter what the weather, in my Manville High Winter Athletic Awards:
Best Team Boys’ basketball. After starting the season at 0-8 in a classic example of a hangover effect form a very long and successful football season, the Mustangs roared back and went 8-5 in their last 13 games. If they had played the same way in December and early January, the MHS boys would have been a state playoff team. They certainly had the talent. They defeated a couple of schools that competed in the states. The Mustangs didn’t quit after a slow start that was the most impressive part of the late surge. They also finished with two very satisfying, nail-biting victories including one that avenged a previous defeat to South Hunterdon. Several seniors, including some who came out for the team late, proved that playing for pride can be enough to win even when nothing else is at stake.
Best Athletes Mike Knitowski, boys’ basketball, and Mark Manderski, wrestling. These seniors were teammates on the football field and will join forces again on the track and field squad. During the winter, they were leaders on different teams.
Knitowski capped his fine basketball career falling just short of the 1,000-point mark. He averaged a career-best 16 points this winter and finished with 970 career points. The savvy guard led the Mustangs in scoring in most games. He was a threat from the outside and driving to the basket.
Manderski was the school’s most successful wrestler for the second straight year, fashioning a solid 20-10 record that included a second straight runner-up finish at the District 18 Championships. Although he didn’t manage to win a Region 5 bout, Manderski finished his career with 43 victories. He also became the first MHS wrestler in six years to win 20 matches in a season.
Best Coach Larry Blasi, boys’ basketball. This isn’t just a going away present for the veteran mentor. He earned it by keeping this team focused after an 0-8 start.
Blasi has coached teams of many different levels and worked with a wide range of talent in his six years at Manville. He guided the school’s best team in the last two decades to the Central Jersey Group 1 finals in 2002 and showed the same dedication in keeping this year’s club afloat. Blasi’s patience and experience helped the Mustangs finish strong this year. The MHS boys gave their departing coach a nice sendoff with two thrilling victories in the final week of the season.
Most Improved Athletes Samantha Aichele, basketball and Lukasz Bogdanowicz, wrestling.
Aichele emerged as a dependable scorer for the Lady Mustangs this winter. She showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore but became more consistent this season. Head coach Kyle Rehrig loved the way Aichele never stopped hustling and making things happen all over the court.
Bogdanowicz, in just his second year of wrestling, made a big jump from his rookie year. He won 10 bouts and enjoyed a personal highlight when he finished third at the Robert Dougherty Invitational Tournament at Rutgers Prep in January.
Most Exciting Moments The boys’ basketball team ended the season with two thrilling victories, home vs. South Hunterdon and at Belvidere, to send veteran head coach Larry Blasi into retirement in style; Kyle Sopko’s 3-pointer with two seconds left made the difference in the 62-61 win over South, while Sopko’s buzzer-beating shot produced another dramatic triumph in the 53-51 finale at Belvidere; the girls’ basketball team finally hit the win column with a nail-biting 35-33 triumph over Bound Brook in the holiday tournament in Dunellen; the Lady Mustangs pulled out another close one on the road at Princeton Day School by a 41-37 score in January; and the wrestling team ended its regular season with a 34-33 home victory over East Orange, thanks to seniors Mark Manderski (pin) and Lukasz Bogdanowicz (major decision).
Best Game Performances Junior guard Rhianna Lebedz put on a show with 21 points, five rebounds and six steals to lead the girls to a 40-31 home victory over South Hunterdon; Samantha Aichele erupted for 23 points and seven steals for the Lady Mustangs in their 46-27 home triumph over Sussex Tech; Mike Knitowski fired in a career-high 30 points but the MHS boys lost at South Hunterdon: Knitowski was happier when he scored 22 to lead his team to a huge 61-51 victory over a good Somerset Tech squad; Robert Wood had 19 points and seven rebounds to ignite the boys to a 57-42 win over state playoff team Bernards; and Mark Manderski had mixed results in tournaments this year but finished strong with his second straight appearance in the District 18 heavyweight final, where he came agonizingly close to winning a title again.
Freshman Phenoms Wrestlers David Olmsted and Tyler Britt and basketball players Amy Evanylo and Dana Mortensen.
Sophomore Sensations Basketball players Kim Jones and Amanda Furka Kevin Sellar and Jason Pfoutz.
Junior Jewels Wrestlers Glen Hall, Adam Wolcott. J.J. Artfitch and Chris Kocur, basketball players Rhianna Lebedz, Samantha Aichele, Lisa Daniel, Billy Fisher and Brian Rock.
Senior Stars Basketball players Mike Knitowski, Tommy Rock, Kyle Sopko, Robert Wood, Katie Lukacs, Michelina Aichele and Sharon Blanco and wrestlers Mark Manderski and Lukasz Bogdanowicz.

