Greater NJ AYF Raritan Division
Hillsborough Varsity Gold (Burke) vs. Pope John: Won 41-0
The HJR Varsity Gold team extended its win streak to four this week, taking on the Pope John Lions at home on Saturday. The Raiders showed why they’re ranked second in the state by steam-rolling the conference visitors 41-0.
Hillsborough exploded on offense, scoring on each of their first five possessions to jump out to a 35-0 lead before halftime. The Raiders’s running backs combined for a total 275 yards rushing, averaging 10-yards per carry. Mike Caparaso, Dominic Monsorno, Austin Quandt, Peter Quandt, Nick West and Joe Witcoski all contributed with outstanding runs. Caporaso ran in two touchdown and Witcoski and Peter Quandt both had one each.
In the air, the duo of Mike Miller and Austin Quandt each threw a touchdown pass, Miller to Monsorno for 41 yards, and Quandt to Donoghue for 19 yards. Miller and Quandt each threw a PAT pass for the extra point. Quandt had the game of his career coming off the bench in the second quarter to relieve veteran Miller. Quandt also shined in the backfield, running with the pigskin and breaking tackles throughout the second half.
The play of the game goes to Caporaso who stood up a Pope John running back seven yards in the backfield, and single-handedly stole the ball without breaking stride en route for the endzone. The 29-yard touchdown was however called back due to a penalty on Hillsborough after the heist occurred.
The HJR Varsity Gold team’s next game is again home against non-conference Montclair.
JV Gold (Minetti) vs. Pope John: Lost 24-0
JV Gold hosted a tough Pope John Lions team at Hillsborough High School under the lights Saturday evening. After a soggy week of practice, the weather finally broke and it was perfect weather for an Autumn football game.
The home atmosphere had the Jr. Raiders fired up as they took first possession and were able to move the ball down the field. The drive was sustained by a good push from the offensive line and tough running from running backs Chimmy Ozokpor, who found success up the middle, while Jackson Jankowitz slashed his way with nifty off tackle runs. The Jr. Raiders would march into the red zone area, but the Lions would stiffen and turn the ball over on downs.
On defense, the Jr. Raiders had success slowing down the rushing attack but had no answers for the aerial assault, and would give up another bomb shortly before the half, leaving the score at 16-0 at the intermission.
In the second half, the game was a defensive battle where both offenses had trouble moving the ball and both clubs would exchange turnover on downs several times. The Jr. Raiders had an opportunity to get on the scoreboard but once again they squandered the chance as the drive was stopped at the 22-yard-line.
They were then able to punch it in on a short touchdown run, putting the game out of reach 24-0, and would be the final score.
JV Red will try to get back to their winning ways next week against Montclair.
Greater NJ AYF Delaware Division
Hillsborough Varsity Red (Ruh) vs. Hunterdon Central
After defeating the State Liners last week in a decisive victory, the Red Raiders kept the momentum alive going into this week’s conference game against Hunterdon Central.
The Red Raiders started the game off with a 90-yard screen pass to Chris Smith, and extra point conversion for Dalton Crater.
The Red Raiders moved the ball at will against Central with strong efforts from Logan McGann, Matt Jones, Zack Conklin, Rich Loniewski, Gianni Santonastaso, Yordi Ahumada and Jomar Nebot. Ian McCauley, Nick Santa Barbara, Jake Batts, Tyler Van Cleef and Crater also ran in the sloppy mess mother nature provided us to play on.
On defense, we had our linebacker core of Crater, Van Cleef and Santomastaso chasing the ball down like heat-seeking missiles. Our defensive ends Hudson Ruh and Nick Santa Barbara played aggressively, successfully shutting down any outside running game with multiple tackles.
Chris Smith and Jake Battagliese also had key interceptions while Central was in scoring positions. The “Oompa Loompa” defensive tackle combination of McGann and Jones accounted for multiple tackles for losses and sacks, these guys really stepped up their level of aggressive play. The Red Raiders are scheduled to play a strong Voorhees team this Saturday at Voorhees High School.
Hillsborough JV Red (McLain) vs. Montclair: 13-6
JV Red came out Saturday morning focused and with a goal to get back to their winning ways against a talented Montclair team. The Jr. Raiders elected to begin the game on defense and came out fired up. What would set the tone for the entire game, a ferocious defensive line and key tackles by Kyle Simmonitis and Zach Johnson lead to a quick turnover on downs. Throughout the first half, the defense overwhelmed Montclair’s offensive line, allowing linebackers to run free and make ball hawking tackles.
Montclair was unable to get a first down the entire first half against the Jr. Raiders staunch defense. Montclair would then turn to the pass late in the second quarter, but this was not successful as the quarterback was sacked. The first half ended with the Jr. Raiders leading the game 7-0.
The Jr Raiders offense continued to move the ball for the rest of the second half. Matt Siegelaub stepped in at quarterback and contributed with strong running for tough yards. Jack McLain and Nicky Britanek lined up in the backfield and chipped in with nifty runs up the middle.
The defense as a unit, continued to shut down Montclair and did not allow a first down throughout the second half. Sal Varone, Keanu Whittlesley and Ayden Herrera plugged up the middle while Jeremy Brey and Nicky Britanek had solid tackles at corner back.
A late Montclair touchdown finally put them on the board, but the game would end 13-6. The game was not actually as close as the score would indicate, as JV Red dominated both sides of the ball all day. They will look to continue winning ways next week versus East Orange.
Hillsborough Pee Wee White (Ughetta) vs Phillipsburg
The Jr Raiders 9U White team came away with an impressive 20-6 victory over Phillipsburg this past weekend. On the first drive of the game, the offense controlled the ball for the first 14 minutes. The drive was capped off with a four-yard touchdown run by Logan Jankowicz. A fine extra point pass from Niko Gaeta to Mason Ughetta made the score 7-0. After a long touchdown run by Phillipsburg made the score 7-6, the Jr Raider defense came up big with a forced fumble and recovery by Cole Dockhorn for a touchdown. The Jr. Raiders added another score when Mike Araujo scampered 25 yards into the endzone in the fourth quarter. Gaeta provided the extra point with a nice run, making the score 20-6.
The defense was led by Ashton Goldberg, who was in the Phillipsburg backfield all day. Jeff Progin, Shawn Abline, Justin Amato, Dylan Clerico and Aayan Joshi also provided solid defense. The offensive line, led by Dave Gubitosa, Dante Mayo, Bradley Thomas and Aiden Mckenna, provided the running backs huge holes, which resulted in over 250 yards rushing.
Flag
Hillsborough Flag Chiefs (Lewis) Hillsborough Flag Raiders (Zagari)
The Raiders and Chiefs ran up and down the field on a beautiful Saturday morning. Both teams showed great sportsmanship and an amazing amount of talent and effort. Robert Jankay, at tight end, made a key block for a touchdown. Robert also played well on defense, while getting involved in many plays. Collin Tucker, the quarterback, scrambled for a touchdown to end the first half.
Collin also played fast at defensive end. Aidan Desatnik showed his versatility by blocking well on the offensive line, running hard at running back and making plays as a linebacker. Ryan Zagari, at fullback, got some tough yards up the middle and kept some drives alive. Ryan was also all over the field on defense. Overall, both teams played a great game that was fun to coach and watch.
Hillsborough Flag Chargers (Cebula) vs. SBU Bengals
The Chargers faced a well balanced Somerville team. We employed a spread offense leading to a 70-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Joe Gubitosa to wide receiver Luke Panacek. That touchdown would not have been possible without the awesome blocking of Max Cebula, Jacob Ibrahim, Dylan Sudol, John Milanodiv, Matthew Gubitosa, Jordan Jeffries, Brody Donohue and Aedan Burd.
Hillsborough Chiefs (Lewis) vs. Jets (Abline)
The Chiefs lost 19-0 on Wednesday evening. They could not stop the high powered offense of the Jets. The Chiefs did have some highlights in the defeat. The offense was once again led by James Davis who had two great runs. Alex Wheeler and Bennett Thomas also had solid runs leading to first downs. The defense was led by Bennett Thomas with three flags. Dylan Araujo, Charlie Lewis, Leo Murray and Marley Norin also had flags. The coaching staff was proud of their team as they played hard and showed great sportsmanship throughout the game.
Hillsborough Jets (Abline) vs. Chiefs (Lewis)
The Jets continue to soar above the clouds with their impressive performance Wednesday night under the lights. The defense was world class lead by Rocco Gaeta and his interception return for a touchdown. Dillon Abline, Ryan Barrios and Chris Seamon led the sack exchange with several flag pulls for losses and big run stops. On offense Vincent Lavecchia continued his TD streak which includes all four games. Aithen Britanak scored a touchdown, as did Christopher Seamon. Great job by these Jets in another complete team effort. Every single played carried the ball.
Jr Raiders Field Hockey
Mini Chix (K/1) (Fedo, Doyal, Kay, Skakum)
It was a beautiful field hockey day all-around for the Minis’ clinic. The girls are really starting to understand the sport and we are watching in amazement as they are improving their skills and endurance weekly. With the addition of Coach Jessica to our coaching team, we are even more excited to reinforce the love of the sport to all of our girls.
Little Stix Maroon (2-4) (DiGanci, Geissler, Kelly) vs. Lebanon: 1-2
Little Stix Maroon played Lebanon at Valley View School in Califon. It was great weather after another very wet week with minimal practices. The girls were excited to get on the field and play. It ended in unfortunate defeat with final score being 1-2.
Both teams were playing great defensively in the first quarter. During the second quarter we had two great breakaways by Jane Rodrigues of which one led to our first goal. But shortly afterwards Lebanon tied it up.
Jessica McKelvey played very aggressively at both center and midfielder. Taelyn Fedo had a chance at defense and was determined not to allow ball into her box with great back from Briana Gibson. Cailyn Bugal added a lot of strength to our defensive team paying both midfielder and defense. And our wings, Madeline Angosto, Chloe Delacruz, Sabrina Shields and Zeia Rosenthal, worked hard at keeping the ball up the field. Unfortunately, Lebanon managed one more goal putting them ahead.
At the last quarter, Maroon worked hard to turn the score around with attempt at goal by Morghan DiGanci that just missed off the post and Morghan having another nice break to Sabrina Shields who was so close in closing the game with a tie.
We are looking forward to practice this week and our home game on Sunday.
Little Stix Gold (2-4) (Vogt) vs. Lebanon: 0-3
It was a beautiful fall Sunday for field hockey out in the hills of western New Jersey. The 2-4 Gold Raiders took the field vs a quality Lebanon team. The match was played very evenly in the first half.
The Gold Raiders carried their share of the offensive possession and turned in a couple of threatening opportunities in the offensive circle. There were a few offensive corners generated with some good execution, but the ball did not find the back of the net. Bella Ruh played a very responsible middie role as she was able to push the play forward, yet have the drive to get back and disrupt on defense. As coach says, you can’t spell middie without the ‘D’.
The second half started out okay, but soon Lebanon was able to overwhelm our numbers in the circle on a few occasions and pushed out to a 2-0 lead. Lebanon was quicker to react on many loose balls, and that was the deciding factor in the game today.
Lebanon went onto win this game 3-0. The Gold Raiders are 1-1-1 on the season and a +1 in the gold differential. Next week is the first battle of Amwell Road as the Gold Raiders take on the Maroons at Woodfield Park East. It should be a fun day for the organization.
Little Stix White (2-4) (Kiernan) vs. Philipsburg
Finally, a great day for field hockey. Little Sticks White fought hard this week. All of the players did a great job on the field, hustling to every play. Morghan DiGanci scored the sole goal for the game. It was a tough game with the team being down a few players. Thank you to the girls from the Little Maroon and Little Gold teams who traveled to fill these positions. Go Raiders!
Junior Stix Maroon (5/6) (Redziniak) vs. Nazareth 5/6-1: Lost 0-6
Junior Maroon played their first home game of the season on Sunday against Nazareth, which scored within the first few minutes and the game was drawn to its first power down quickly at 0-3. Sophia Bambaci as goalie and Devin Redziniak as defender were working hard together but the ball was consistently on their side of the field.
The team then changed up positions, and moved its center Madelynn Taras and wing Hannah Herterich to the mid position to amp up their defense. Not one ball made it past Madelynn Taras as she kept blocking the ball and driving it to her offensive players. Hannah was hustling on her side of the field to do the same, and Isha Swamanathan was steadfast with blocking and passing to her teammates. The team was able to prevent Nazareth from scoring and began playing more offensively but could not land a goal.
The team will continue to focus on drills to improve speed and endurance, dodging, and position strategies.
Junior Stix Gold (5/6) (Citarella) vs. Palmer: Won 6-2
Team Gold launched into a quick start with two goals in the first quarter, by Hannah Bianchino and Addison Harkin. Addison Harkin banged another goal in at the end of the second quarter to make it 3-1.
Mid-way through the third quarter Kerry Lydon hit an explosive shot as wing to make it 4-1. Hannah Bianchino slammed another goal in to make it 5-1. Palmer scored again midway through the fourth quarter. Junior Gold’s center’s Victoria Byra and Milan Citarella both had a few shots on goal that missed by 1/4 inch, but Milan made perfect contact late in the fourth quarter in the corner of the right side of the goal to make the final score 6-2.
Junior Gold’s record is now 4-0.
Junior Stix White (5/6) (Minakas, DiStasio, Smith) vs. Palmer: Won 3-1
After a rainy week saw two canceled practices, Sunday was a beautiful autumn day for Field Hockey in Hillsborough. For the third week in a row, the Jr. Stix White team continued their excellent play and remain undefeated after a 3-1 win over Palmer.
The Palmer team applied good pressure in the second half and earned a goal to bring the score within two, but the White team remained resilient. Kaylee D’Avanzo and Jianna Seale played back off their forward positions to stack the defensive zone and Lindsay Buisson continued her strong two-way play in the midfield, helping to retain the two-goal lead through end of the game.
Maia Minakas suited up as goalie for the second half and made several big saves to keep Hillsborough ahead.
The White team looks forward to kicking off October next week against one of her sister Hillsborough teams!
Junior Stix Grey (5/6) (Romano, Freeman, Hand) vs. Wilson: Won 3-1
Hillsborough Junior Stix Grey 5/6 field hockey team is on a winning streak, notching a 3-1 victory against Wilson 5/6-1. The Grey girls shook off a bumpy start, thanks to a strong effort from goalkeeper Kaylin Agaman and defenders Christiana Muller and Lily Hand. Forward Alexis Shumaker started the scoring for Hillsborough with her first goal of the season. Paige Romano and Autumn Pina each added a goal to round out the scoring. Sara Thompson, Meghan Radler, and Madisyn Freeman played a strong midfield, while Sydney Russo was tasked with all three positions today. The Grey girls are looking to keep their winning ways going at home next week against the Hillsborough White team. Please come out and support our girls.