Author: Jimmy Allinder
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Rams confident they will contend for titles despite graduations
By Jimmy Allinder South River High School won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey, Group I and Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division baseball championships last spring, but repeating is going to be a challenge. Five from that championship team have graduated, four of which are playing in college. While five…
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Spotswood’s Raba enjoying her time on softball diamond
By Jimmy Allinder There is not a softball player around more dedicated to the game than Julie Raba, but that doesn’t mean she’s all work and no play. Raba, originally from Milltown and now residing in Helmetta, is a fourth-year starting shortstop for Spotswood High School and recalls a light-hearted moment two years ago during…
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Farr looks to remain effective on mound for St. Joe’s in senior year
By Jimmy Allinder St. Joseph Baseball is a team game, and there isn’t a better illustration of that than when Mike Farr is on the pitching mound. Farr, a Metuchen native, returns for his senior year at Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen after recording an 8-5 win-loss mark his previous two varsity seasons. On…
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Area wrestlers stand on podium at state championships
By Jimmy Allinder Mitch Polito could have easily packed it in. The previously undefeated 113-pound East Brunswick High School wrestler lost a 3-1 sudden death decision to eventual champion Anthony Mininno of Gateway Regional High School in the state championship quarterfinals. Polito, however, gathered himself and defeated Richie Koehler of Christian Brothers Academy, 10-6, in…
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South River girls surpass expectations on the hardwood
By Jimmy Allinder Before this season began, no one expected the South River High School girls’ basketball team to win like it had in recent seasons. Yet, playing a more difficult schedule in their inaugural season as members of the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division, the Rams won the title. “I am incredibly proud…
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Newsom in right frame of mind in return to competition from surgery
By Jimmy Allinder The expression “no gain without pain” has a special meaning for Edison High School softball and basketball player Bianca Newsom. The Edison High School senior had tried to battle through pain due to a genetic condition called developmental hip dysplasia that also affected her range of motion. “I tried to play as…
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3 Bears take gold at Region 5 wrestling tournament
By Jimmy Allinder East Brunswick High School’s three NJSIAA Region 5 wrestling champions should be dubbed murderers’ row of 1927 New York Yankee baseball lore. Mitchell Polito, Mark Schleifer and Alec Gleason, the Bears’ 113-, 120- and 126- pounders, respectively, captured gold medals in successive matches against competitors from the same school: Hunterdon Central Regional…
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East Brunswick, Monroe pick up titles on the lanes
By Jimmy Allinder After the results of the NJSIAA state tournament, the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) can lay claim for being where the best bowling teams in the state reside. East Brunswick High School captured the NJSIAA Group IV title and went on to win the ultimate prize: the Tournament of Champions (TOC). Monroe Township…
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Area teams vying for state sectional basketball championships
By Jimmy Allinder The NJSIAA boys’ and girls’ basketball tournaments kicked off with first-round games Feb. 27 and 28, hosted by higher-seeded teams. Boys’ basketball Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen (25-1) — fresh off its seventh Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament championship in eight years — was seeded second in Non-Public A South. That…
