Thursday, June 21, 2012

By Richie 'Ballgame' Barton

Male Athlete of the Season:
Jonathan Carcione, Ramapo Tennis

Ramapo's Jonathan Carcione capped his career with a second straight state title and an overall record of 128-2.

Although he was considered one of the top players in the state going into his junior season, Carcione was a mild surprise when he ripped through the season undefeated and won a state singles title. This year, the pressure was on as from Day 1 as most expected both he and Livingston standout Thomas Caputo to reach the state final. They both did just that and put on a show with a match that will be talked about for years to come.

Even facing stiff competition with a variety of different styles through this his senior season, Carcione methodically picked apart his opponents point-by-point, one-by-one. No matter if was at the baseline, at the net, using a backhand slice or a kick-serve, Carcione was as consistent as they come with his all-around game.

After winning a fourth Bergen County singles championship and ripping through the state tournament without a scratch, the showdown with Caputo was set. Both were undefeated, neither had lost a set, and the hype leading up to the match was only surpassed by the level of play and the drama that ensued during over three-and-a-half hours of play with a court change thrown in to make things a little more interesting.

After breaking Carcione’s serve late to take the first set, Caputo stormed back to win the second set and was about to go up a break in the third before play was halted due to rain. After the match was moved indoors, Caputo won the next point to break Carcione’s serve and grab a 5-3 lead. Facing two match points, Carcione never gave in and came back to not only save those points, but break back to get back on serve. The Princeton-bound senior broke again in the 11th game and served out the match to complete back-to-back undefeated seasons and cap one of the best high school careers ever in North Jersey as just the fourth repeat state champion with a career record of 128-2.

Runner-Up:
Rob Kaminsky, St. Joseph Regional Baseball

St. Joseph's Rob Kaminsky allowed just two earned runs in his junior season.

Pitchers shined brightest in North Jersey this year and no one more so than budding superstar Rob Kaminsky. He tore through the opposition with reckless abandon and a variety of pitches to baffle opposing batters.

Some will mention that his two losses came the county and state tournaments when the games mattered most. But a closer look will reveal that he the only run he gave up against Ridgefield Park in the county tournament was unearned and the two earned runs he gave up against Don Bosco Prep in the states were the only earned runs he gave up all year against by far North Jersey’s best lineup.

Numbers don’t lie and Kaminsky’s say it all. The junior left-hander finished with an 8-2 record and an incredible 0.20 ERA. He struckout 103 batters and yielded just 12 hits in 53 innings of work. Without a county or state title to his credit, Kaminsky will work even harder to go out on top not just as a champion, but maybe as the best pitcher in Bergen County ever.

Honorable Mention:
Luis Hidalgo, Ridgefield Baseball
Chris Nugent, Fair Lawn Volleyball
Chris Baldi, Mahwah Baseball
Michael Solimano, Pascack Hills Tennis
Ben Malone, Pascack Valley Track
Justin Avedissian, Wayne Hills Baseball
Tommy Burns, Don Bosco Baseball
Anthony Alex, Wayne Hills Golf
Mike Coss, Pompton Lakes Baseball
Tripp Telesco, Ridgewood Lacrosse
Matt Dacey, Don Bosco Baseball
Joe Fisco, Emerson Baseball
Bob Collins, Mahwah Lacrosse

Female Athlete of the Season:
(Tie) Carly Piccinich, IHA Softball and Lexi Knief, Ramsey Softball

Too close to call: IHA's Carly Piccinich (left) and Ramsey's Lexi Knief share the title for Female Athlete of the Season because Richie B. has no backbone.

From the time she alertly made a hook slide to score the game-tying run as a freshman in the bottom of the seventh inning in a state championship game, IHA head coach Anthony Larezza knew Piccinich was going to be a star. Just how much of a star she became surprised both he and Piccinich, as she was a model of consistency throughout her career.

After falling short of state titles in both her sophomore and junior seasons, Piccinich was determined to lead her team back to the promised land and did just that. She batted .549 with 23 extra-base hits, 28 RBI, and 44 runs scored. She also played a fantastic second base and stole 21 bases without getting caught.

Her 62 hits set a single-season school record and she also is the school’s leader in career hits and games played. But most of all, the Notre Dame-bound Piccinich along with pitcher Steph Thomas were the centerpieces for North Jersey’s first undefeated team in 21 years as IHA finished the season 32-0 with a state title and a No. 1 ranking in New Jersey to boot.

For a player to get 50 of any statistical offensive category in a single season is quite an accomplish. To do it three times on the button is a season that people will remember for a long time, which is exactly what Knief achieved.

She finished with 50 hits, 50 RBI, and 50 runs scored. Throw in a .562 average, nine homers, 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts, and being the best defensive shortstop in the area and you have a season that rivals some of the best of all-time in Bergen County.

Behind the havoc she wraught both in the batter’s box and on the bases, Knief led Ramsey to a 25-0 start to the season and a 26-2 record overall. She will take her talents next year to play at Penn State.

(A Note From Richie B.: This was by far the toughest of all the awards I had to give out. I could have easily picked either of these two and there were several honorable mention athletes who were also deserving. But in the end I had to make a choice and like a true hard-nosed journalist, I showed absolutely no backbone and took them both.)

Honorable Mention:
Melissa Phelan, Saddle Brook Softball
Steph Thomas, IHA Softball
Shaunteriah Douglas, Garfield Track
Ashley DeYoung, Indian Hills Softball
Gabby McMahon, IHA Lacrosse
Kayla Muniz, North Bergen Softball
Nicole Koptya, Indian Hills Lacrosse
Alexandra Cimino, Westwood Track
Ashley LaGuardia, DePaul Softball
Theresa Picciallo, IHA Track
Kaitlin Concilio, Ridgewood Lacrosse

Boys’ Team of the Season:
Marist Baseball

Marist won all four of their state playoff games by one run and won the Non-Public B state title.

Marist had its share of solid campaigns over the past two decades. But when it came down to winning Hudson County or Non-Public state titles, it always ended short of lifting the trophy. This year was expected to be more of the same until St. Mary’s (Jersey City) closed its doors at the end of 2011 and the best two p layers from that squad, Mark Peralta and Danny Mirabel, joined the Royal Knights and instantly made them a title contender.

They meshed well right from the beginning of the season, but how would they react and who would become the leader when adversity struck? The answer was whoever’s number was called would take his turn at being a hero.

Trailing by five runs after one inning to heavily-favored St. Peter’s Prep in the Hudson County championship game, they roared all the way back to win 7-5 in extra-innings. That win seasoned the Marist players and gave them the confidence that they could succeed no matter how dire the circumstances. They would no more dire than in the Non-Public B state final down by three runs going into their final at-bat.

Three straight singles loaded the bases and a walk brought in a run. But when Steve Tsugranes hit a routine double-play ball to short, it seemed like the joyride was going to end abruptly. Tsugranes busted it out right out of the box and barely beat the throw to first to keep the game alive. He then left early from first and drew a balk, which tied the game before Tim Rodriguez’s RBI single capped the storybook 24-5 season with county and state titles. The Royal Knights won all four of their state tournament games by one run.

Runner-Up:
Fair Lawn Volleyball

Fair Lawn became the first North Jersey boys volleyball team to win back-to-back Tournament of Champions titles.

With the loss of all-staters Dan Nugent, Oren Zyndorf, and setter Brian Toron, Fair Lawn still had the talent to compete on the elite level but was not expected to retain its Tournament of Champions crown. That feeling was somewhat justified when Fair Lawn was swept handily by Southern Regional, the team they beat in the 2011 T of C final, in the regular-season and again in the Super Six before an upset loss to Don Bosco in the Bergen County final.

However, the Cutters’ confidence was never shaken and they used those painful losses to band together and ensure that their season would end on their terms. To do that, they would have to get past Southern in the Tournament of Champions final.

After winning the first game, Fair Lawn got pounded in the second to set up one game for all the marbles. Southern had the talent, the experience, and all the momentum. But this was not the same Fair Lawn team they met a month ago. The Cutters regained control at the net as Nugent dominated on his way to a match-high 22 kills and fellow junior Nick Amos had five blocks in the third game as Fair Lawn (37-4) became the first North Jersey school to win consecutive T of C titles with a 25-23, 13-25, 25-22 victory.

Honorable Mention:
Mahwah Baseball
Don Bosco Lacrosse
Pascack Hills Tennis
Don Bosco Baseball
Pompton Lakes Baseball
Ridgefield Baseball
Saddle River Day Golf
Ramapo Tennis
Ridgewood Baseball
West Milford Baseball

Girls’ Team of the Season:
IHA Softball

IHA played 32 softball games this season and won them all.

The talk started early not only if IHA could win county and state titles, but if the Blue Eagles could go undefeated. With the challenging schedule they play, that was a daunting task but not one they ran away from. They took that as they took every other challenge they faced throughout the season, IHA took it head-on.

Steph Thomas was dominant in the circle and the defense made the routine plays early on as IHA had seven straight shutouts to start the season. After wins over quality out-of-area teams like Middletown South, Pennsbury (PA), and Notre Dame, the Blue Eagles felt an undefeated was a possibility.

While IHA blew out the majority of its opponents, it was not without its share of close games. Wins in their last at-bat, over St. Mary’s of Rutherford, Immaculate Conception in the regular season kept the winning streak alive. Another win in the last at-bat against Ramapo in the Round of 16 did the same en route to a Bergen County title.

The state tournament was also not without its share of drama against DePaul in the Non-Public A North section final. DePaul rallied with back-to-back homers with two outs in the top of the seventh to tie the game and took the lead in the tenth. But the Blue Eagles had come too far to let their dream of perfection die so hard.

Rachel Pollard squeezed home the game-winning run in the bottom of the tenth to help IHA pull out a 4-3 victory and get a shot at revenge in the Non-Public A state final against St. John Vianney, who beat them 10-2 the previous year in the state final. This time, it was IHA’s turn to celebrate as Thomas scattered a six-hitter and had an RBI single as the Blue Eagles capped a perfect season with a 3-0 triumph and a No. 1 ranking in New Jersey.

Runner-Up:
Ramsey Softball

Ramsey won 26 of its 28 games this season and won a league title.

Ramsey took Bergen County by storm this season not by winning games, but by how they won them. The Rams were predicted be a solid team returning most of the starters that lost in the North 1 Group 2 final to Pequannock in 2011, but they opened eyes by pounding teams into submission all year long.

They scored at least ten runs in each of their first ten games, outscoring their opponents by a whopping 120-14 margin. With Knief at the top of the order and dangerous sluggers up and down the lineup, the Rams were just slugging their way through the opposition.

Ramsey and IHA looked to be on a collision course in the first-ever Bergen County final between two unbeaten teams until Paramus scored a 10-inning upset over the Rams in the Bergen County semifinals. In the North 1 Group 3 semifinals, Rae Kleinbard slugged a walk-off three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-3 win and another shot at Pequannock in the section final.

Unfortunately, it was not to be as Pequannock’s all-state pitcher Dana Nielsen did the unthinkable and threw a one-hit shutout to put an end to the Rams’ season. While they fell short of county and section titles, a 26-2 record far exceeded the expectations even the Rams and their head coach Chris Caserta put on themselves before the season began.

Honorable Mention:
DePaul Softball
Ridgewood Lacrosse
Immaculate Conception Softball
Lakeland Softball
Paramus Softball
Rutherford Softball
IHA Lacrosse
Saddle Brook Softball

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