Column: Nuse Sense
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Settling on a field of 32 athletes for the Montgomery High’s Greatest Athlete contest was hard enough. Good luck to the voters as we narrow that field down to one.
With the help of Montgomery coaches and administrators, as well as former coaches and administrators, the initial list of those under consideration for a spot in the field of 32 was 96 athletes. So, before the voting even started, the seeding committee needed to eliminate two-thirds of those under consideration.
It got so tough for the final few spots that we’re leaving the last one up to the voters, who have their choice of four athletes for the final spot in the field of 32.
Montgomery High has not been around that long, but the school already has a rich tradition of excellence in athletics.
The school’s first graduating class was in 1971 and for 20 years Montgomery was a small Group I school that played in a number of different conferences. In the beginning, the sports offered were minimal — soccer, cross country, basketball, baseball, softball and track. Most athletes competed in three sports and were part of the athletic landscape all year round.
As the school began to grow in the 1990s and into this decade, it has now become a Group IV school that has made its mark at the state level in several sports. With the growth came the addition of sports. Football, field hockey, wrestling, ice hockey, lacrosse, swimming, fencing, winter track, gymnastics — Montgomery now offers what other schools around the state offer.
With the new sports has come specialization. There are not nearly the number of three-sport athletes now as there were in the 1970s and 1980s. But there are still athletes who compete with the best of the state.
It was not easy to arrive at the final field of 32 for the contest. Through online voting that is now underway, the field of 32 will be eventually become a field of two in the finals. Each Monday and Thursday, two new head to head voting matchups will be posted on our sports blog, NJGameOn. You can reach it through the sports link of our website, www.centraljersey.com.
The contest begins with two head-to-head matchups. In one, former football and baseball star Nick Umar will face Kevin East, an all-state goalkeeper in soccer who helped the Cougars to a sectional title. In the other, former three-sport star Kristina Adams will take on Barry Engelman, a three-sport star from the early years of Montgomery High.
The other 27 former Montgomery athletes in the field are: Maurice Bahr, Kelly Benke, Nancy Cianfrocca, Ellen Coates (Ruhlman), Mike D’Allegro, Nicole DeLarato, Doug Drake, Gary Drake, Brian Harshman, Sean Hover, Chris Kondorossy, Debbie Nichol, Travis Rickards, Lisa Robbins, Johnny Rooney, Suzanne Rooney, Andy Ryba, Mark Schoenfeld, Tori Sensi, Brett Slepokura, Derek Spencer, Steve Tucker, Mark Walsh, Kevin Watson, Kenny Whitney, Chris Witwer and David Wolf.
The last spot will be decided with an online vote. To vote for the 32nd athlete or either first round matchup, click here.

