Tuesday, June 21, 2011

By Richie 'Ballgame' Barton

Male Athlete of the Season:
Kevin Walker, St. Peter's Prep

Kevin Walker

Being a point guard means getting everyone involved, which is something St. Peter's Prep four-year starter Kevin Walker has always done well. But it is when turmoil arises on the court it is the point guard's job is to calm his team down and get it through the rough patches that happen throughout the course of a game. With the team's leading scorer from his junior season, Myles Davis, having transferred and being without 6-foot-9 center Keith Lumpkin for the first half of the season, it was Walker's job to lead an all-of-a-sudden inexperienced squad through one of the state's tougher schedules.

After back-to-back early losses to St. Mary's (Jersey City) and Scotch Plains, many wondered if this was the year the Marauders would fall back to the pack. The unflappable Walker simply refused to let that happen and like, any good general, his team followed his lead.

Walker, who usually filled up a stat sheet in all aspects, shined brightest during the Hudson County Tournament. He had 21 points, 16 assists (against just three turnovers), 14 rebounds, and nine steals in the county semifinals and the final to record the most important stat of all, leading his team to a fourth consecutive Hudson County championship. Walker will continue his college career next fall at Division 2 Caldwell College.

Runner-Up:
Myles Mack, St. Anthony's Basketball

Myles Mack in his old Paterson Catholic uniform.

Mack had about as much pressure on him to perform as any player in New Jersey. As both the quarterback for the St. Anthony's offense and being the man up top in the Friars' vaunted pressure defense, he was involved in every play for a team, coach (the legendary Bob Hurley Sr.) and a fan base that accepted nothing less than perfection. Pretty heady stuff for a kid who had just transferred from now-defunct Paterson Catholic with junior standout Kyle Anderson. Not only did Mack live up to the task, the senior point guard exceeded the lofty expectations bestowed upon him.

The 5-foot-9, 155-pound senior played much bigger than his frame by using his supreme quickness and his knack for anticipating plays before they happened to stay at least one step ahead of his opponents. The bigger the game, the better Mack played. He saved his best for the state tournament where he was required to shoulder more of the scoring load.

He finished with a game-high 19 points, including a fantastic fourth quarter, to lead St. Anthony to a 62-45 win over St. Patrick's (Elizabeth) in a game that was the Non-Public B state final and a matchup between the nation's top two teams. Mack then closed out his career in style with game-highs of 17 points and five assists in the Friars' T of C final win over Plainfield that capped a perfect season. The Rutgers-bound star averaged 15 points, 3.6 assists, and 3 steals per game, and was the only St. Anthony's player to start all 33 games.

Honorable Mention:
Kyle Anderson, St. Anthony's Basketball
James Fox, St. Peter's Prep Wrestling
Luis Gonzalez, North Bergen Wrestling
Chris Orozco, Tenafly Basketball
David Burgos, Paterson Eastside Basketball
Leo Lim, Tenafly Swimming
Joe Orecchio, Don Bosco Prep Wrestling
Jose Veras, Dickinson Track
Dawan Lighty, Paterson Kennedy Basketball
R.J. Burns, Don Bosco Prep Hockey
Nick Alpher, Paramus Wrestling
Shane McLaughlin, Northern Valley/Old Tappan Basketball
Charles Copti, Ramapo Fencing

Boys' Team of the Season:
St. Anthony's Basketball

St. Anthony finished a perfect 33-0.

With all eyes on Paterson Catholic transfers Myles Mack and Kyle Anderson this season, the Friars were expected to be unstoppable with one exception. The only thing standing in the way of a perfect season was supposed to be archrival St. Patrick's and their national player of the year, Kentucky-bound Michael Gilchrist. As fate would have it, the two undefeated teams ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation squared off for the Non-Public B state title in front of an overflowed crowd at Rutgers University in one of the most hyped high school basketball games ever.

St. Pat's led virtually the entire way through the first three quarters, but the Friars stayed within striking distance until it was time to pounce. They did that and thensome in a flawless fourth quarter that turned a one-point deficit into a 62-45 victory that eventually led them to finishing with a 33-0 record and as the No. 1 ranked team in America.

Runner-Up:
Teaneck Basketball

Teaneck won the Bergen County title and a North 1, Group 3 state sectional championship.

With longtime head coach Curtis March stepping down and Jerome Smart having big shoes to fill as the new head coach, at best a moderate dropoff was expected and it might have even been understandable for the Highwaymen to struggle a little bit, especially after dropping their first two games of the season. But the adjustment period did not last long. Behind the backcourt of Shakir Lindsey and Joel Hernandez and with Chris Jones on the wing, Teaneck proved throughout the season that it was a force to be reckoned with.

In an eight-day stretch, the Highwaymen beat Passaic Valley, Paterson Kennedy, Hudson Catholic, Seton Hall Prep, and St. Joe's (Montvale) by an average margin of victory of nearly 17 points. In all, the Highwaymen ripped off 28 straight victories that included an overtime win over Don Bosco in the Bergen County Jamboree final and a sectional title with win over Passaic Valley before falling to eventual Tournament of Champions finalist Plainfield in the Group 3 semifinals to close the season with a 28-3 record.

Honorable Mention:
St. Peter's Prep Basketball
Paterson Eastside Basketball
Pascack Hills Basketball
Bergen Catholic Wrestling
Don Bosco Prep Hockey
St. Peter's Prep Wrestling
Wood-Ridge Basketball
Bayonne Bowling

Girls' Team of the Season:
IHA Basketball

IHA won the Bergen County Tournament.

With plenty of talent returning, the IHA players bought into head coach Steve Silver's concept of doing all the little things necessary to be successful more as a team and not just as individuals. It started seeing success right out of the gate and carried the philosophy of outworking their opponents in every aspect throughout the season.

Raquel Scott was more of a rebounder and a defender in her first two seasons, but became a much more polished offensive player in this her junior year. The 5-foot-11 center was as aggressive as any player in North Jersey and imposed her will on anyone brave enough to try and stand in her way. With the help or Samantha Wilkes and Colleen O'Connell in the front court, along with Tara Wilk and lightning-quick point guard Izzy McMahon in the backcourt, the Blue Eagles got off to a quick start and steamrolled their opponents for most of the season.

To show how dominant they were, of the 27 wins they had in a row to start the season, 23 of them were by double-digits with the only four 'blemishes' coming twice each from Ramapo and archrival Holy Angels. IHA's closest game came in the Bergen County semifinals. The Blue Eagles got 12 points each from McMahon and Wilk as they rallied from a five-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 40-31 victory over Ramapo. The county final was all Raquel Scott as she had a double-double in a 58-33 win over Holy Angels. Although their season came to an end in the section final against Holy Angels, in their fifth meeting of the season with IHA winning the other four, a tough 32 minutes could not take away from a team that was best in North Jersey from start to finish.

Runner-Up:
Teaneck Basketball

Teaneck won the North 1, Group 3 state sectional title.

Speaking of dominance, the only team that could rival the dominance IHA had was how well Teaneck played throughout the season. They full-court pressed team into submission time and time again and used that to kickstart their high-octane offense. The biggest beneficiary of that was sharpshooter Jakelle King-Gilchrist, who averaged over 24 points per game.

The Highwaywomen suffered an upset loss in overtime of the Bergen County semis to Holy Angels, but made up for it in the North 1 Group 3 state tournament. They won all four of their tournament games by at least 18 points, including a 63-42 win over Ramapo in the section final. They followed that up with a 66-46 drubbing of West Morris Central in the Group 3 semis before falling to nationally-ranked Neptune, for the second time this season, in the Group 3 final. The Highwaywomen finished with a record of 26-3 and will be poised to finally get over the hump for a county title with King-Gilchrist among a host of others returning.

Honorable Mention:
Northern Highlands Fencing
Holy Angels Basketball
Paterson Kennedy Basketball
IHA Swimming
Bayonne Basketball
Ramapo Basketball
IHA Bowling
DePaul Basketball
River Dell Basketball
Ridgewood Bowling

Female Athlete of the Season:
Sarah Halejian, Ramapo Basketball

Sarah Halejian was a four-time all-county selection.

Over her four years, no player in North Jersey has been as consistent as she has been electrifying as Sarah Halejian. From a devastating handle, to her ability to knife through any defense, to drawing an opposing defense to create open shots for teammates, etc. Halejian could simply do it all, no matter what level of competition was out there designed to stop her, the 5-foot-7 point guard has always been a big-game player and she still lit up a score book no matter what the circumstances.

Although her season did not end up with a county or a state sectional title like both her sophomore and junior years did, Halejian was the best all-around player in North Jersey. She netted a game-high 25 points in both the Bergen County quarterfinals (a six-point win over Pascack Hills) and the semifinals (a three-point loss to Teaneck). In the state tournament, she was equally as dangerous scoring a game-high 28 points in a win over Northern Valley/Old Tappan and then coming up with a big basket in an overtime win over High Point to reach the section final, where the Raiders eventually lost to Teaneck.

On the season, Halejian had solid numbers across the board averaging 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, five steals, and three blocks per game. She finished with 1,843 career points will take her talents to the Ivy League next year and play for Yale University, where she will immediately be competing for a starting spot in the backcourt.

Runner-Up: Myasia Jacobs,
Paramus Catholic Track

PC's Myasia Jacobs holds numerous state records.

Jacobs is well on her way to being considered the greatest sprinter in New Jersey history with this being by far her best winter season. Although she ran sparingly, Jacobs ramped it up for the big races and that strategy proved to be effective.

In the 55-meter dash, she won at both the state Meet of Champions and the Eastern Invitational race. She also ran a 6.82 in the event during the season, which was No. 1 in the nation this year and No. 3 in state history.

Her virtuoso performance came at the New Balance National meet where she won the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.34, which is yet another state record and capped an undefeated season.

Honorable Mention:
Brianne Traub, Eastern Christian Basketball
Danielle Romain, IHA Swimming
Jakelle King-Gilchrist Teaneck Basketball
Natali Ruzich, Pascack Regional Gymnastics
Theresa Picciallo, IHA Track
Francesca Russo, Wayne Valley Fencing
Missy Arena, Passaic Valley Gymnastics
Raquel Scott, IHA Basketball
Allison Lee, Northern Highlands Fencing

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