Teams win Central Jersey honors
By Mike Mack, Special Writer
Northern Burlington County Regional High School baseball and Florence Township Memorial Regional High School softball have put exclamation points on their incredible seasons.
Florence and NBC took the Central Jersey group one softball tournament and the Central Jersey group three baseball tournament respectively.
Northern Burlington picked up its 22nd win of the season last Friday, May 31, topping Wall in the finals of the player’s tournament — by the score of 4-3. Coach Richard Doppler never felt like the top seed in the tournament entitled them to a win in the contest for the sectional crown.
”The game was tight the whole time so I really only felt confident in the top of the seventh,” Doppler said. “After Kevin Welsh made a stellar play to throw out the runner on the bunt to third base.”
Doppler has a very simple reason as to why his team has had so much success this season.
”The players’ talent and hard work have made our team successful,” Doppler said. “Winning the sectional title for the first time has been very rewarding.”
Northern Burlington continued its quest for a state championship Tuesday against Burlington Township. Unfortunately for Coach Doppler’s squad, they came up short, dropping the game 5-4, bringing their season to an end.
Doppler is confident that his team can carry the momentum and success of this season into next year, and possibly go even deeper into the postseason than this year.
”We will work hard once again in the offseason and have even more young talent work to try and win a job,” Doppler said. “That is our saying, ‘Win a Job! Competition breeds excellence’.”
Florence kept its undefeated season alive on Friday with its 24th win of the year, when the Flashes topped New Egypt 4-1 in the tournament final.
According to Coach George Chwastyk, Florence got off to a slow start in the championship matchup.
”We came out a bit nervous and gave them a few base runners,” Chwastyk said. “I knew if I could get one of my lead-off hitters on, we would score, and we did.”
Chwastyk said that there is something different about this team that makes them so special.
”The fact that they are a team. It wasn’t about any one key player,” Chwastyk said. “When we needed someone to step up with a big play or a big hit, they did. They continued to pick each other up and play together.”
Their undefeated season was snapped on Tuesday however, when they dropped their state tournament game against Haddon Heights. The loss may leave a sour taste in the team’s collective mouth, but it was certainly a very successful season.
”We successfully completed all three of our goals,” Chwastyk said. “The goals being winning the Freedom division, winning the Burlington County Scholastic League Tournament, and winning Central Jersey group one.”
Chwastyk will now begin planning to parlay all of this year’s success into next season.
”The team is very solid,” Chwastyk said. “With the loss of only three seniors, the team should be able to fill the voids and continue to be successful.”
Both teams will certainly be worth keeping an eye on next season and should be in the conversation when discussing some of the top teams in the state.