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Buccaneers achieve banner baseball season Belleville HS team wins SEC–Colonial Division title, finishes with sensational 20-7 record
By Joe Ragozzino Sports Editor
The Belleville High School baseball team enjoyed a stellar season this spring.
The Buccaneers, under head coach Joe Sorce, finished with an outstanding 20-7 overall record, including winning the Super Essex Conference–Colonial Division championship with a 13-1 divisional record. It marked their first 20-win season since 2013 when they went 23-4.
After losing in the season opener at Cedar Grove 12-2 on Monday, April 3, the Bucs reeled off 13 straight victories. In that win streak, the Bucs avenged the loss to Cedar Grove on Wednesday, April 19, at home with a 4-1 win.
The Bucs, seeded seventh, lost to 10thseeded Ferris of Jersey City 9-6 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 state tournament on Monday, May 22, at home to end the season.
Prior to the sectional tournament loss, the Bucs went 3-1 in the final week of the regular season, beating East Orange Campus 11-0 on Monday, May 15, at home; Hoboken 6-4 on Tuesday, May 16, on the road; and Shabazz 13-3 on Friday, May
19, at home and losing at West Orange 54 on Saturday, May 20.
The future is bright for the Bucs. They graduate two seniors, Jacob Mauricio and Joe Guancione.
BHS’ Perez and Cely are Essex County Scholar Athlete Award recipients
Belleville High School’s Jericho Perez
Ashley Cely are honored as 2022-2023 Karen Fuccello Essex County Scholar Athletes during a banquet on Tuesday, May 9, in Belleville. Perez lettered in track and field and football, and Cely lettered in volleyball, basketball and softball. The award is named after the late Karen Fuccello, who was the longtime Belleville High School athletic director. This award is given to the top scholar-athletes in the county.
