July
1, 2007
Male
Athlete of the Year:
Damian DiIorio, Passaic Valley
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Damian
DiIorio |
DiIorio was one of the main cogs on three teams that had one of its best seasons in school history. It started with football where the 6-4, 230-pounder was a force at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he lined up as a tight end and led the team in both catches (33) and yards (500+).
On the defensive side of the ball, he lined up both at linebacker and as a defensive end. The senior caused havoc wherever he lined up, almost single-handedly shutting off one side of the field. DiIorio was named first-team all-Northern Hills Skyline Division in helping Passaic Valley reach the semifinals of the North 1, Group 3 state tournament and finish with a 7-3 record.
On the basketball court, DiIorio knew his role was not one of a scorer. As a starter for the second consecutive season, his job was to rebound, defend, and be an immovable force in the paint. His job was a quiet one, but extremely important as Passaic Valley made a run for the ages.
After an average regular season, the Hornets got hot during the state tournament and DiIorio went along for the ride. His best games of the postseason came in the section quarters and semis. His six points and nine rebounds helped spring an upset of Sparta, the No. 2 seed. He followed that up by scoring a career-high 22 points as the Hornets bested Parsippany Hills to advance to the section final.
While his presence was important on both the football field and the hardwood, it was behind the plate on the baseball diamond where his presence was the most commanding. After years of being the starting designated hitter and waiting behind more experienced catchers, DiIorio got his chance as a senior and made the most of it.
He showed off his power at the plate and his surprising speed on the bases. He closed out the year with a .415 batting average, five homeruns, 27 RBI’s, and 30 steals, which was the second highest total in Passaic County. While those stats are impressive, even more impressive were his stats behind the dish. He used his accurate and extremely strong right arm to nail an eye-popping 13 of 15 would-be base stealers for the best percentage of runners caught in the state.
The Hornets capped their best baseball season in school history with a 28-3 record and a Passaic County championship. The bottom line is that teams when Damian DiIorio was on the field or on the court, he made his team better and they won as a result of his hard work.
Runner-Up:
Charlie Rigoglioso, Wayne Valley
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Charlie
Rigoglioso |
Whether it was football, basketball, or baseball, when Wayne Valley was in a big game and the game was on the line, everyone knew who the Indians would turn to. Senior Charlie Rigoglioso was the starting quarterback, the leading scorer for the basketball team, and also a solid second baseman for the Indians, who made the state tournament in all three sports.
Rigoglioso showed flashes of brilliance throughout the football season, with his best performance coming against a West Milford team that had owned the Indians in recent years. He had 292 yards of total offense, threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as he accounted for all of the scoring in leading the Indians to their first victory over the Highlanders this decade, 35-21.
On the year, he threw for over 1,300 yards and had 12 touchdowns against six interceptions for Wayne Valley, which finished with an 8-2 record.
His best sport was basketball where he proved himself to be not just a prolific scorer, but also a player with a basketball IQ wise beyond his years. The 6-2 guard was also at his best when the lights shined the brightest.
In the Passaic County quarterfinals, he scored 26 points, had 11 rebounds, and dished out seven assists in a win over Clifton. In the North 1, Group 3 state tournament, he also had the hot hand and the Indians rode him to two straight upsets. He scored 24 as they shocked top-seeded Teaneck on its home floor, and then followed with that up with 32 as they did the same to fourth-seeded Garfield.
Although the Indians lost in both the Passaic County and in the North 1, Group 3 finals, Rigoglioso had big games to try to keep his team in it. In the county final loss to DePaul, he had 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He also led the team in scoring with 18 points in Wayne Valley’s loss to Passaic Valley in the section final.
On the year, he hit 69 three-pointers and averaged 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2.8 steals for Wayne Valley (21-9). The senior guard also topped the 1,000-point plateau and finished with 1,198 for his career.
Even on the baseball diamond, Rigoglioso was a threat to take over a big game. In the first round of the state tournament, he had two hits, two RBI’s, and two stolen bases to lead the Indians to victory over Mt. Olive.
Rigoglioso will continue his athletic career on the basketball court as a walk-on at Rutgers University.
Honorable
Mention:
Da’Mon
Merkerson, St. Mary’s (Ruth.)
Blake Adams, Glen Rock
Bryan Gambuzza, DePaul
Evan Rodriguez, North Bergen
Orion Woodward, Pompton Lakes
Jimmy Lynch, Bogota
Joe Wassel, Passaic Valley
Anthony LiSanti, Westwood
Tyler Hespe, Park Ridge
Greg Gillespie, DePaul
Rashad White, Teaneck
Sharif Webb, Don Bosco
Will Walsh, New Milford
Greg Stripe, Mahwah
Tony Salvatore, Wayne Valley
Female
Athlete of the Year:
Samantha Depken, Ramapo
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Samantha
Depken |
Depken has been a centerpiece of top-notch Ramapo teams ever since she burst onto the scholastic scene as a freshman. Since then, she notched the maximum 12 varsity letters and capped her senior year with appearances in the Bergen County final in all three sports she played.
Her most dominant season came on the soccer field as the last line of defense. In between the pipes, there was no better in the state and she completely controlled the penalty area. As she has over her four years, her best play came during the state tournament. While she was steady as they come during regulation, it was in penalty kicks where she showed she was far and away the most clutch player on the field in those situations.
In the North 1, Group 3 semifinals against Wayne Valley, she had to make a save on the final round of penalty kicks just to keep Ramapo’s season afloat. She made the save in a game the Green Raiders eventually went onto win. Two days later against NBIL rival Wayne Hills, the game went to penalty kicks and Depken shined once again. The 5-9 senior made three saves out of the five kicks as Ramapo retained its North 1, Group 3 title.
She allowed just two goals in 380 minutes of play during the state tournament as Ramapo (20-3-1) closed out the year as Group 3 co-champs with Freehold Boro. Overall, she finished with 16 shutouts and allowed just more than one goal in a game just once all year.
Depken, a four-year starter, averaged double-digits in scoring on the basketball court and helped Ramapo make an upset-laden run to the Bergen County final. After missing some time during the season with numerous ailments, Depken rejoined the squad and the cohesiveness of the five senior starters was back in place. They notched upsets over Rutherford, Ridgefield Park, and IHA before falling to Holy Angels in the final. She was named to the first team in NBIL Division 1 and received a third-team all-Bergen County.
Depken then turned her efforts to the softball field where she moved from behind the plate to shortstop for her senior season. Depken had a cannon for an arm and showed tremendous range defensively. At the plate, she showed a good eye by only striking out seven times all year while playing against some of the state’s top competition.
As she has her entire career in all sports, Depken thrived in county and state tournament play. In the Bergen County final against Indian Hills, she had a pair of hits and scored two runs as Ramapo captured its second straight county title. In the Group 3 semifinals, she broke open a scoreless game in the fifth with an RBI single to help lead her team to victory.
Depken will finally concentrate on one sport when she heads off to Richmond University, where she will challenge immediately to be the starting goalkeeper on the soccer field.
Runner-Up:
Cory Roesing, Secaucus
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Cory
Roesing |
In a girls sports program rich in tradition, Roesing is simply the most decorated athlete ever to come out of Secaucus. The Patriots have won the most state titles in New Jersey history and Roesing made sure they would add another one to their impressive resume.
She dominated the volleyball net in every match she was in as the Patriots ripped off a record 28 consecutive victories to start the season. Roesing led Secaucus in kills in every match this season, including 13 in the Group 1 final and 17 in the first round of the Tournament of Champions in leading her team to the T of C semifinals before falling to the eventual champion, Northern Valley/Demarest.
With over 300 kills and 100 blocks on the season, the 5-8 Roesing was named first team all-state for the second consecutive year. She also finished as the school’s all-time leader in kills.
On the basketball court, Roesing was undersized for her position just as she was in volleyball. However, she made up for it with her mixture of athleticism, strength, and leaping ability.
As a center, she led the team in points and rebounds and helped the Patriots win the league title for the fourth consecutive year. While she dominated the competition in league play, it was in a season-ending loss where Roesing finally earned the state-wide respect that she deserved.
Against eventual Tournament of Champions winner University (Newark), Roesing did everything in her power to keep the game close before University broke it open midway through the fourth quarter. In that game, she finished with game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
For her career, she finished with over 1,700 points, which shattered a 28-year old record, and over 1,000 rebounds.
Roesing continued to show of her strength on the diamond as one of the area’s most feared sluggers. She broke the school’s career homerun record with a game-winning grand slam against Holy Family Academy.
After breaking the record, she went on a late-season tear to lift Secaucus to its second straight BCSL-National title and its first-ever appearance in a section final. Down by two runs in the sixth to Hoboken, Roesing clouted her 28th and final homerun of her career to tie the game.
She batted over .500 on the season with six homers and will continue to play softball next year at Caldwell College.
Honorable
Mention:
Amanda
Bartels, Saddle Brook
Amber Doran, Ridgefield Park
Alyssa May, River Dell
Jessica Knapp, Becton
Chelsea Ott, Pompton Lakes
Jaci Rahey, DePaul
Cristina Law, Ridgewood
Jenna Totaro, Secaucus
Christina Esposito, Saddle Brook
Julia Schneider, Dwight-Englewood
Jamie Rattacasa, Saddle Brook
Megan Glass, Glen Rock
Deanna Giordano, Clifton
Kathleen Maggi, New Milford
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