LaMastro likes sub-varsity feature of new league
by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
Manville High is hoping its sophomore season in the Skyland Conference is a smashing success.
Many Manville teams took their fair share of lumps during the 2006-2007 school year. Facing bigger schools and better competition in a new league proved to be quite a challenge for the Mustangs.
Although several MHS teams struggled in their Skyland debuts, athletic director Pat LaMastro believes the change was good for his school. LaMastro, a veteran teacher, coach and administrator who enjoyed the competition in the Mountain Valley Conference, saw many positives from Manville’s move to the Skyland.
”I like the conference,” LaMastro said. “We have to improve a little bit in certain sports, but it’s good for the kids. The new conference is helping us.”
The move to the Skyland has increased the numbers in the MHS athletic program since there are more opportunities for athletes to compete on the sub-varsity level. Many of the smaller Mountain Valley schools did not field jayvee teams, leaving Manville’s sub-varsity players to compete in just a handful of games. With nearly every Skyland team offering jayvee competition, the sub-varsity slates are full.
”The conference has a big impact on the numbers,” LaMastro said. “We’re selling our sub-varsity programs to the younger athletes. They’re part of the athletic program right away. They can come out as freshmen and sophomores and play right away instead of waiting until they’re juniors and seniors.”
One of the best examples of sub-varsity growth came in the 2007 baseball season. Longtime head coach Steve Venuto never liked the fact that his jayvee team played just a handful of games each spring. His younger, less experienced players weren’t getting enough at-bats or innings in the field. Last spring, the team’s first in the Skyland, the jayvees more than tripled their previous year’s total with an increase from five to 16 games.
”We were losing a lot of kids because they weren’t playing games at the jayvee level,” LaMastro said. “I like the fact that a lot more kids are getting the opportunity to play a few years before varsity. You want to play. You don’t just want to practice every day.”
More game experience will help players improve and become better by the time they reach the varsity level. Ultimately, this will strengthen the entire league. The MHS teams will start catching up as they play more games.
”We’re playing tougher competition, but that’s good for us,” LaMastro said. “We’re going to war against better teams.”
Manville’s fall teams have started official preseason practices. The football team, under third-year head coach Brett Stibitz, began Aug. 13 and was set to play its first scrimmage this past Tuesday at Morristown Beard. The Mustangs also travel to Keansburg (Aug. 24) and host Metuchen (Aug. 31) in preparation of their Sept. 7 opener at home vs. Newark Central.
First-year boys’ soccer head coach Tim Moore got things going Monday, while second-year girls’ soccer head coach Erin Delaney kicked off her preseason last Saturday. The boys’ soccer team has a road scrimmage set for Sept. 1 at Gill St. Bernards, while the MHS girls will scrimmage Gill (Aug. 29) and Rutgers Prep (Sept. 1). Veteran cross country coach Jim O’Connor also started official workouts this week.

