Building a Dynasty ––––––––––– Story by Jordan Schwartz –––––––––––
The original Charmers Softball Team in 1989 included players from Clifton Central and Clifton Western Little League. From left in the first row, Danielle Fischer, Randi Meyers, Wendy Paulicek, Tracey McDonald, Cara Kling, Dana Jeannetti, Lori Costanza, Sharon Wilkos and Dawn Finer. From left in the second row, Dawn Smith, Vivian Kwasnik, Jodi Lampman, Kelly Felton, Yvonne Mendyk and Jen Lampman.
Rich LaDuke had seen this before. When Toms River East loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth of a scoreless Group 4 Championship Game on June 9, LaDuke knew Clifton would get out of the jam. After all, he had taught them how to do it. Well, maybe he didn’t teach the girls on the 2007 version of the Lady Mustangs softball team. But as the architect of the dynasty he was about to witness Clifton reclaim, LaDuke was as responsible for the escape as anyone wearing Maroon and Gray on the field that day. 16,000 MAGAZINES are distributed to hundreds of Clifton Merchants the first Friday of Every Month. SUBSCRIBE PAGE 51 $15/year in Clifton $25/year out of town CALL 973-253-4400 entire contents copyright 2007 © tomahawk promotions 6
July 2007 • Clifton Merchant
“The kids found the way to play defense and they didn’t make the big error,” he said. “That’s the way Juli and Cara were.” Juli and Cara are Juliann Magliarditi and Cara Boseski — two women who played for LaDuke before taking over the head coaching reigns following his move to the athletic director’s office in 2001. Magliarditi was on LaDuke’s team until she graduated CHS in 1989. Boseski was a senior on the Lady Mustangs squad that captured the Group 4 championship in 1997. EDITOR & PUBLISHER Tom Hawrylko BUSINESS MANAGER Cheryl Hawrylko GRAPHIC ARTIST John Feasenmyer
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WRITERS: Jack DeVries, Cheryl Hawrylko, Joe Torelli, John Bendel, Joe Hawrylko, Jordan Schwartz