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ABOUT THE COVER
If you want a chance to see two of the best high school swimmers in South Jersey, you’ll have at least one more season to do so. Mainland junior Destin Lasco is one of the best boys swimmers in the entire country, and this winter gave a verbal commitment to the University of California (he’ll be able to officially sign this fall, when he’s a senior), and sophomore Katie McClintock burst onto the scene this year by breaking a school record that had stood since the 1990s while also winning a Meet of Champions title. Both swimmers were first-team all-state, but what really makes them special is they are so team-oriented in a sport that sometimes is individually focused. Lasco helped lead Mainland to it’s fourth straight state title, and McClintock is quickly helping the Mainland girls become on of the top teams in the Cape-Atlantic League and a legitimate contender in the South Jersey Public B section. Check out page 10 of this digital edition to find out more about Glory Days Magazine’s Swimmers of the Year. — Dave O’Sullivan, Staff Writer
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE General contact: 609-788-4294/advertising@acglorydays.com Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher: sully@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDsullysays Giuseppe Ungaro, Managing Editor: gungaro@acglorydays.com On Twitter: @GDgisepu Amy D’Adamo, Graphic Design: advertising@acglorydays.com Bill Lynskey, Director of Advertising: bill@acglorydays.com STORY IDEAS/ADVERTISING: Have a story you’d like to see told in Glory Days Magazine? Want to get your business noticed with a marketing campaign in our digital or specialty print platforms? Call us anytime at 609-788-4294. Volume: 6 Issue: 20 Overall Issue Number: 127. Cover Photography: Dave O’Sullivan. 2019 Glory Days Magazine. All rights reserved.
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MAKING HEADLINES Sully takes a closer look at the athletes, coaches and teams who are generating news and highlights in the Cape-Atlantic League and throughout South Jersey.
u Off to a great start: Tommy Schutta and the Ocean City boys
lacrosse team were firing on all cylinders to start the season, as the Red Raiders scored dominating victories over Cedar Creek and Lower Cape May to jump out to a 2-0 mark. Anthony Inserra and Jake Schneider combined for nine points in the win over Cedar Creek, with Inserra scoring three goals and two assists, and Schneider racking up four assists and a goal. In a 17-3 win over Lower on Friday night, senior Trent Laveson tied a school record with seven assists and finished with a whopping 10 points. Inserra added seven points, including five assists, and through the first two games Billy Kroeger was dominant on faceoffs, winning 29 of 34 attempts. u Spartan strong: Holy Spirit’s girls lacrosse team lost some talented players to graduation and has a new coach, but has also jumped out to a 2-0 start, beating Cedar Creek 10-3 before edging Atlantic City 9-7.
glory days digital Want the best high school sports coverage every day of the week? Visit glorydaysonline.com for game coverage, features and more! You can also like us at facebook.com/acglorydays, and follow Sully on Twitter @GDsullysays. Get the best. Every day.
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BOYS Indoor Track Athlete of the Year SINCERE RHEA/ST. AUGUSTINE PREP
Rhea continued to impress in final indoor season
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Staff report t. Augustine Prep senior hurdler Sincere Rhea already has a track scholarship to Penn State locked up, so he could have just taken it easy this winter and trained for the upcoming spring season, but that’s not the type of competitor he is. Rhea wants to win at everything he does, which is why he couldn’t simply just rest and do a bit of training during the winter months. Rhea, Glory Days Magazine’s Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the year, showed again why he’s one of the best in the state. At the Group Championships, he posted a time of 7.39 seconds to win the Non-Public A 55-meter hurdles title, and also finished fourth in the 55-meter dash. Just four days later, Rhea bested that time, posting a 7.31 to win an Eastern States title. It seemed as though Rhea was just hitting his stride in late February, because on Feb. 24, less than a week after Eastern States, Rhea ran a blistering 7.22 in the 55 hurdles to win a Meet of Champions title, the second time in as many years that he’d taken home gold. He also posted a 7.20 during prelims at Eastern States, a time that ranks No. 5 all-time in New Jersey and was good for second-best in the nation this year. We’ve already seen Rhea do some amazing things during his high school track career, and he still has one more outdoor season to show everybody in South Jersey what he’s capable of.
Glory Days Magazine file photo/Dave O’Sullivan
St. Augustine Prep senior hurdler Sincere Rhea had another impressive indoor season, winning his second straight Meet of Champions title in the 55-meter hurdles while also posting the No. 5 time in New Jersey history during Eastern States.
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GIRLS Indoor Track Athlete of the Year CLAUDINE SMITH/ATLANTIC CITY
Atlantic City’s Smith just keeps getting better
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Glory Days Magazine file photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Atlantic City senior Claudine Smith had another outstanding indoor track season, capturing her third straight Group 4 championship in the 55-meter hurdles, and the first indoor Meet of Champions gold medal of her career.
Staff report wo years ago, this is something you might have heard at area track meets: “hey, keep an eye on that Smith kid from Atlantic City, she’s pretty good. I think she’s a sophomore.” That’s usually how it starts in track, a little bit of buzz about a young athlete who has the potential to become a champion. Well, Claudine Smith is now a senior, and she’s running out of space in her bedroom to hang all these championship medals she keeps accumulating. Glory Days Magazine’s Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year is a Rutgers University commit, and she just keeps getting better as the years pass in her high school career. At the South Jersey Group 4 championships this winter, Smith posted an 8.09 to edge Eastern’s Jailya Ash in the 55-meter hurdles, then she repeated that performance at the group championships, besting Ash’s 8.34 with an 8.13. Smith saved her best for last, as she clocked in at 8.03 to win the 55 hurdles at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, making up for last year when she didn’t win an MOC title (finishing fourth) despite being the favorite. The victory was the first MOC title for Smith, who this season also won her third straight Group 4 championship. Smith, who also competes in the long jump and triple jump, certainly will be an athlete to keep your eye on during spring championship season in May.
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY SWIMMERS of the Year DESTIN LASCO & KATIE McCLINTOCK/MAINLAND
Record-setting duo Mainland’s Lasco, McClintock setting standard in South Jersey swimming By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer uring the regular season, Mainland sophomore Katie McClintock broke a school record in the 200 IM that had stood since the 1990s, and in March she won her first state individual championship, setting a meet record in the Meet of Champions prelims before taking the title in the 200 IM. And yet, she’s still probably the sixth or seventh most well known female athlete at Mainland High. Kylee Watson, Taylor Dalzell, Claudia Mairone, Claire Pedrick, Camryn Dirkes and Alivia Handson have all made names for themselves in sports such as basketball, soccer and track. “Mainland is so talented. There are so many talented athletes here,” McClintock said. “Swimming doesn’t get as recognized as much as basketball or soccer, but the people here deserve to get recognized because they are so talented and those are really hard sports.” “It’s a blessing to have so many athletic kids in one place, like Kylee Watson, Claire Pedrick, Drew DeMorat — these are kids who work so hard every day to put Mainland on such a great athletic level,” added junior Destin Lasco, who also won a title at the Meet of Champions this year. “And the camaraderie with the teachers and the athletes being able to work together, I feel like Mainland is such a great
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school. That’s reflected in our results as athletes and as students in the classroom.” Lasco is a name that just about every high school sports fan in South Jersey knows, as he’s a national caliber swimmer who this winter gave a verbal commitment to the University of California, and has his sights set on someday making the Olympics. But Glory Days Magazine’s Swimmers of the Year bring a lot more to the table than just name recognition. Sure, they both are top swimmers in the state and each has won at least one individual state championship, and Lasco has helped the Mustangs win the team state championship in each of his first three seasons. But they are both outstanding students, and even better people. “Katie is a great athlete and an even better person outside the pool. She takes her academics very seriously, and one part I’m really excited to help her with is her recruiting process with colleges,” said Lasco, a junior. “I can’t wait, because I was in her shoes last year with all these big colleges, just being bombarded on Instagram. They’ll start contacting her and I’m excited to help her with that part, give her a sense of how to talk to coaches, what to look for in programs and who has the best package of academics and athletics.”
Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan
Junior Destin Lasco, top, and sophomore Katie McClintock each had tremendous seasons for Mainland Regional, as each won an individual title at the Meet of Champions, earning them first-team See Duo, page 13 all-state honors.
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April 3, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 Duo, from page 10 McClintock said it was a huge thrill for her to be able to win a state championship in just her sophomore year. “It was really exciting to be a state champion, and to break the record of Colleen Callahan, who I’ve known since I was little because she was on my club team,” she said. “In the finals, I knew I was ahead, but regardless I try to go after it at the end. Even though my time wasn’t as fast as it was in prelims, I was still happy because it was a drop from last year.” Lasco came into Mainland three years ago, and before he even got into the pool there was some major buzz about the kid who might one day end up being the best swimmer in school history. He knew there was going to be huge expectations put on his shoulders, but he took it all in stride and sought advice from his older brother on how to handle all the hype. “I don’t let it get to my head too much because at some point we were all a beginner. One thing I really love to do is give back because I was in their shoes at one point, being a beginner. Like the freshmen, I wanted them to experience their first state title. Records come and go, and they’re meant to be broken, but winning a state title — nobody can take that away from you, and I was so glad the freshmen and sophomores got to experience that. It will motivate them next year to train even harder,” he said. “I wasn’t really nervous because I had the guidance of my brother, Glenn, who really helped me stay humble and just have fun with it. It’s awesome because high school swimming is all about the team. When I go to USA Swimming or club, it’s also about the team, but it’s more individual and there is more pressure on yourself. Just being able to swim for a team is a great feeling.” McClintock’s rise to prominence hasn’t been quite as meteoric as Lasco’s, but she’s still well ahead of the pace of most high school swimmers. She’s only halfway through her high school career, and everybody in swimming circles knows all about her talent. “Going into my sophomore year, I kind of just wanted to improve. I wasn’t really looking to break any records — if they happened, they happened. I’m pretty happy with how the season went and I’m excited to see what the next few years hold for me. I don’t really pay attention to records, every year I’m just looking to improve upon what I did last year and do more technical work. After freshman year, I just wanted to work on my mentality because the past few years I felt like I’ve been at a plateau and my mentality wasn’t as great. So, I wanted to boost my confidence a little bit and get more training in. I think that really paid off,” she said. “Freshman year, I learned how to race. This year was a great learning experience because I knew how to put myself in the right mindset to have a positive attitude before meets, and keep working on my technique.”
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Katie McClintock capped off a tremendous sophomore career with an individual state championship in the 200 IM at the Meet of Champions. Both Lasco and McClintock are very high level club swimmers who spend the offseason traveling to big-time tournaments. Lasco currently is in Colorado for a few weeks doing some altitude training. But whenever they are interviewed, all they want to talk about is their respective teams, and how much they enjoy being a part of Mainland swimming. “This team is very strong, we’re very well rounded. There are a lot of girls who have improved this year and we have a lot of great sprint freestylers, which helps for relays, and we’re going to be even better next year, so I’m excited,” McClintock said. “My favorite experiences from high school swimming is just being with my teammates at every meet; watching them improve and reach their goals is really fun for me. Even if they don’t swim year-round, when they reach goals they never thought they could, that’s pretty cool.” Mainland’s boys team has been overwhelmingly dominant the past four years. The Mustangs have won four straight state titles and gone 57-2 during that span. The girls squad has been very good, too, and is getting to the point where it can challenge standout Cape-Atlantic League teams like EHT and Ocean City. “The boys team has a lot of energy and they are very good, and that inspires the girls team to keep going after it. We may not be state champions — yet — but we’re working hard every day, and we want to get better,” McClintock said. “I’ve learned a lot from
Destin. We can relate to each other, and it’s good to have somebody like that, who is at a high level, to relate to. He’s very dedicated.” The future, no doubt, will hold more standout performances from this pair, and more records being broken is a pretty good bet. Lasco already has more than a dozen school and national records combined. But, records, times and trophies aren’t what Lasco and McClintock want to be remembered for once their prep careers are over. “It is nice to please the press and the people, but it’s also nice to know that we are doing the right things in practice and our hard work is showing up in meets,” Lasco said. “Being a positive influence for Mainland and helping the team is the most important thing at the end of the day, being remembered as someone who cared a lot for the team and had great relationships with teachers. That’s the most important thing because records come and go, but people remember how you treated them, and that’s something important that you want to leave behind.” Added McClintock, “You can work really hard in the pool and be one of the fastest swimmers in the country but not be a good teammate, and you won’t leave a good legacy behind by doing that. The most important thing is being proud of your teammates, being supportive, and while trying to achieve your own goals, help others achieve theirs.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GIRLS SWIMMING
Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan
u Alex Antonov, Ocean City: Antonov, a sophomore (pictured above), already is one of the top swimmers in the Cape-Atlantic League and helped lead the Red Raiders to a spot in the South Jersey Public B championship meet. She’s an extremely versatile swimmer and very powerful in the butterfly. During her career she has competed in the 100 backstroke, 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyle events, breaststroke, butterfly and 200 IM. u Andrea Teofanova, Ocean City: A senior captain, Teofanova was the undisputed leader of the Red Raiders and one of the team’s most dependable points scorers. She specialized in distance freestyle, but could also swim the butterfly and was a huge part of Ocean City’s success in relay events throughout her career. u Claudia and Olivia Scherbin, Ocean City: This sister duo was a big contributor to the Red Raiders’ relay teams, including teaming with Teofanova and Antonov to win the 400 free relay at CALs. u Grace Curry, EHT: Curry, a senior, has been a star and leader for the Eagles the past couple of years and led them to consecutive CAL championships, as well as a spot in the South Jersey Public A championship meet this season. u Olivia Evans, Alexandria Cotter and Ava McDonough, EHT: Three of the unsung heroes for the Eagles, they helped EHT win the 200 medley relay at CALs and were a big part of a team that won its second straight league championship. u Megan Fox, Atlantic City: Just a freshman, Fox is already establishing herself as one of the better freestyle and backstroke swimmers in the CAL. She was third-team all-state in the 500 freestyle. u Grace Gallagher, Mainland: She scored a couple of top-5 finishes at the CAL meet and helped the Mustangs keep pace with Ocean City and EHT throughout much of the season. Also helped lead the Stangs’ 200 free relay team to a win at CALs.
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BOYS SWIMMING u T.J. Given, Holy Spirit: Given has been one of the best sprinters in South Jersey throughout his career, and this year he took home the individual state title in the 50 free at the Meet of Champions. u Brandon Bell, EHT: Bell (pictured below) was a key member of an Eagles team that made it all the way to the sectional final. He helped EHT take second at CALs in the medley relay, and also finished third in the 100 fly. u Joey Tepper, EHT: Perhaps the Eagles’ best swimmer, Tepper had a tremendous season and helped the Eagles hand Mainland one of its only two losses in the last four years. He finished third in the 500 free at the Meet of Champions. u Zach Evans, EHT: A tremendous competitor and an outstanding sprinter, he finished fourth in the 50 free at the CAL Championships u Erik Truong, Mainland: The heart and soul of Mainland, Truong finished his career with four state championships and was one of the Mustangs’ most consisten swimmers. He was also one of the best breaststrokers in all of South Jersey. He was third in that event at the MOC. u Liam Garbutt, Mainland: One of the most overlooked swimmers in South Jersey, Garbutt was a huge reason the Stangs won another state title. He anchored two relays that finished second in the state. u Will Carpenter, St. Augustine Prep: He scored a top-5 finish at the MOC in the 50 free, and helped the Hermits end Mainland’s 51-meet winning streak. u Dominick Sheppard, St. Augustine Prep: Scored a pair of top-10 finishes at the MOC and led the Hermits to their first CAL title since 2015. u Nate Hays, Ocean City: Finished up a tremendous career this year and helped lead the Red Raiders to their first sectional championship meet since the 1960s. u Stephen Barnard, Absegami: A Braves team captain and one of the all-around “good guys” in South Jersey swimming, he finished fifth at the league championships in the 200 IM. u Michael Sooy and Andres Carpio: Two of the top swimmers for the Pirates, helped lead Cedar Creek into the sectional championship meet.
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BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR ANGELO BARRON/MAINLAND; JOEY SACCO/OC; JACOB VALEUS/PLEASANTVILLE
Angelo Barron School: Mainland Position: Forward Grade: Senior Team record: 22-8
Joey Sacco School: Ocean City Position: Point Guard Grade: Senior Team record: 20-5
Jacob Valeus School: Pleasantville Position: Forward Grade: Senior Team record: 20-9
Mainland got off to a decent start this past season, going 6-4 in its first 10 games. Dan Williams and his staff kept telling senior forward Angelo Barron he needed to be more aggressive on the offensive end, and Barron responded to the challenge. After a loss to Ocean City on Jan. 8, the Mustangs ripped off 11 straight wins. They eventually fell one game short of winning the Cape-Atlantic League’s National Conference, and got bounced in the first round of the CAL Tournament, but Barron and his teammates got re-energized in the state tournament, as the Mustangs took down Camden Tech, Toms River East and Seneca to reach the South Jersey Group 3 championship game, where they lost to top-seeded Moorestown. During that playoff run, Barron scored 44 points in four games, including consecutive 16-point efforts in the quarterfinals and semifinals. More importantly, Barron has helped establish Mainland as a team that needs to be reckoned with in the South Jersey Group 3 playoffs every year.
Ocean City senior point guard Joey Sacco looks as though he needs an IV after every game he plays. Either that or about 10 hours of sleep, because this kid leaves it all out on the floor every time he plays. One of the most underrated players in the CAL throughout his career, Sacco showed this year why he gave opposing coaches fits when trying to figure out how to defend Ocean City. A tireless defender, Sacco consistenly created offense from defense and loved to get out and run in transition. He was so versatile during his career that he could at times score 20-plus points, or score five and dish out 10-to-12 assists. He also was one of the best rebounding guards in the league, and his hustle in that department led to numerous second-chance points every game for the Red Raiders. This season, he helped lead Ocean City to the CAL National title and berths in the CAL and state tournaments. He also led the Raiders to just their second 20-win season under coach John Bruno. When was the other? Last year, of course.
When Jacob Valeus was a sophomore at Pleasantville, he was a skinny kid who would come off the bench, shoot a couple of threes, basically spell one of the starting guards. Talk about maturing. As a senior, Valeus, who is now about 6-foot-5, built on a very good junior year and became one of the best players in the CAL. He still had the ability to shoot like a guard, but now, taller and stronger, Valeus also could muscle his way inside and score a lot of points around the rim. There were high expectations for Pleasantville this year with Valeus and fellow seniors Sahmir Jones and Jalen Freeman, and the Greyhounds lived up to them. They finished second to powerful Wildwood Catholic in the CAL United Conference, made the CAL semifinals for the second straight year, and also made a run to the semifinals in the South Jersey Group 2 state playoffs. In perhaps his best game of the season, a 77-75 win over Atlantic City, Valeus scored 33 points and had more than 20 rebounds. His hard work has been rewarded with a full scholarship to Claflin University.
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BOYS BASKETBALL u Charles Solomon, F, St. Augustine Prep: The Hermits went 12-0 in the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference, winning the title, and the play of Solomon was a big reason why. An athletic guard/forward hybrid, Solomon was a force getting to the rim but could also knock down outside shots with regularity. u Jordan Sweeney, C, EHT: Sweeney was certainly an undersized center, but he was relentless on the boards and found ways to score in side and also get to the free-throw line a lot. He helped lead the Eagles to 11 wins and was the MVP of the CAL All-Star game. u Tommy Zanaras, F, Mainland: Known as “Tommy Z”, Zanaras was a huge factor in helping the Mustangs finish second in the CAL National and make a run to the South Jersey Group 3 championship game. u Joe Massari, PG, Mainland: One of the toughest little guys in South Jersey, Massari battled through an early season ankle injury to lead the Stangs to one of their best seasons ever. He was relentless on defense and was a very good rebounder for a point guard. u Luke Varallo, G, Ocean City: Varallo was one of the most deadly three-point shooters in the league, and when he got hot, watch out. But he wasn’t just a three-point shooter, he also was a very good defender and one of the best wing passers in the league. u Donovan Graham, F, Ocean City: Graham is another one of those guard/forward hybrids and has one of the prettiest shots in South Jersey. His signature move was driving the baseline before pulling up and hitting a soft 10-foot jumper that rarely caught any rim. u Santino Georgio, G, Holy Spirit: Perhaps the most overlooked guard in the CAL, Georgio had a fantastic season and could light up the scoreboard on any given night. In a 68-48 win over Gloucester Catholic in the state playoffs, he racked up 25 points. u Zion Teague, F, Atlantic City: This was a bit of a rebuilding year for the Vikings, but Teague was tough for any opponent to stop and he helped A.C. gain some momentum in the second half of the season. u Najee Coursey, G, Cedar Creek: A scoring machine for the Pirates, Coursey averaged better than 20 points per game.
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
u Sahmir Jones, PG, and Jalen Freeman, G, Pleasantville: This dynamic duo (pictured above) helped make the Greyhounds contenders for conference, league and sectional titles. Pleasantville came up short of winning a championship, but made the semifinals in both the league and sectional tournaments, and Jones and Freeman both reached 1,000 career points in the same game, in a win over Holy Spirit. u Marcellus Ross, G, St. Joseph: Ross has been one of the most prolific scorers in the CAL throughout his career, and this year was no different. He helped lead the Wildcats to 21 victories, and finished his career with more than 2,000 points. u Jake Lamonaca, F, Holy Spirit: The Spartans were a scrappy team all year long, led by Lamonaca, one of the top scorers and defenders on the team. He helped lead Spirit to 14 wins and a third-place finish in the very tough CAL National Conference.
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GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR KYLEE WATSON/MAINLAND
Watson’s dominance led to magical season By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer ylee Watson came in as one of the most heralded freshman in Cape-Atlantic League history when she began her high school basketball career in 2016. She had scored more than 1,000 points in just two seasons of middle school hoops at Belhaven, and was expected to instantly make Mainland Regional a state championship contender. But for two straight years, the Mustangs were thwarted in the South Jersey Group 3 championship game by arch nemesis Ocean City. Watson was figuring out that nothing comes easily in the postseason, so this past offseason she got to work on everything from her jumpshot to free-throw shooting to confidence and leadership. She wanted to live up to the hype as the best player in the league, and one of the best in the state, and that would mean putting some championship banners up in the gymnasium. “I know I needed to work on my shot, and I needed to be more versatile and expand my game. All fall, that’s pretty much what I worked on. In the past, I was able to shoot, it was just having the confidence to take those shots. Staying confident really paid off throughout the year,” said the 6-foot-4 junior, and one of the top college recruits in the nation. “A big progression in my game and my personality from last year is how much more confident I’ve become, and how much more versatile. Being able to play so free and knowing the girls around me weren’t going to get mad at each other, that we could make mistakes. So, I think just being able to play confident and free helped me out this year.” Everything came together in a magical season for Mainland. The four new starters around Watson stepped up to the challenge and had tremendous seasons, including seniors Taylor Dalzell and Claudia Mairone, and head coach Scott Betson continuously got key contributions from his bench, including from a pair of seniors who didn’t see a lot of playing time — Jillian Gatley and Lauren Toner — but made bigtime contributions in the state playoffs when they did get on the floor. Mainland went 28-4, took down Ocean City in the sectional final, and went on to win the first state championship in program history. Watson, Glory Days Magazine’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year, had another outstanding season and carried the team through the state playoffs after returning from a concussion. She suffered the injury in the CAL Tournament, and after a loss to Middle
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Junior forward Kylee Watson was dominant this season, earning second-team all-state honors while leading Mainland to 28 wins and the school’s first girls basketball state championship. Township in the semis without her, Watson’s teammates had to step up and beat Camden Tech in the opening round of states on their own. They did just that, and Watson returned in the next round against Absegami, and the rest is history. The Stangs beat Chatham for the Group 3 title, their season finally coming to an end with a loss to Manchester in the Tournament of Champions. “I had no doubt in my mind that they would go out there and play with a lot of belief and a lot of heart, and that’s exactly what they did. It goes to show how important everyone on the team — everyone on the floor, everyone on the bench — can be going into a game,” Watson said of her teammates’ performance when she was injured. “That’s what helped us get to the state championship game, and win, was our ability to make huge plays down the stretch and show everyone that this wasn’t just a one-person team, that it was a complete team effort the entire season. That played a huge role in it, how everyone else around me played, and how we were consistently able to find the right shot.” Watson said that even with four new starters, the Mustangs were brimming with confidence coming into this season. She knew they had the talent to compete for a state championship. “We had a lot of confidence coming into the season
even though we came into the season with four new starters. We reloaded with a bunch of new girls, and a lot of them had varsity playing time, not only in basketball but in other sports, like soccer. I think that really played a factor, and the chemistry that we’ve talked about all year made a huge impact on everything,” she said. “It was really exciting and there isn’t a better group of girls I could share it with. Every single game we didn’t want it to be our last, and that was the motivating factor. We didn’t want it to be the last time stepping onto the court together, or the last time enjoying all this. We wanted to make it to the state championship game. It’s something we’ll remember years from now — not only the wins and losses, but the experiences in between.” Still, thinking you can win a state title and actually doing it are two very different things. Watson said it took some time to sink in after the win over Chatham that Mainland had finally won a state championship. “Even on the bus it didn’t feel real, but then (later) we got to pick out our rings, and I think that’s when it really hit us,” Watson said. “Like, ‘wow, we’re the first team to ever do this in school history.’ It’s a priceless experience.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GIRLS BASKETBALL u Taylor Dalzell, G, Mainland: Dalzell was one of the top defensive guards in the Cape-Atlantic League throughout her career, and probably the best rebounding guard in the league. She often passed up shooting opportunities to get the ball inside to Kylee Watson, or find Claudia Mairone or Madi Hafetz on the perimeter. u Claudia Mairone, G, Mainland: Another senior, Mairone was deadly from the outside, setting school single game, single-season and career marks for 3-pointers made while helping Mainland win its first state title. u Camryn Dirkes, PG, Mainland: The freshman’s ability to drive, score, get to the line and defend was a huge reason why Mainland won its first sectional title since 1989 and the first state championship in program history. u Kayla Sykes, PG, ACIT: She finished as the school’s all-time scoring leader for a reason. Sykes could score in a variety of ways, and also was a very good defender during her career. u Madison Brestle, PG, Atlantic City: The ultimate distributor, Brestle racked up a bunch of assists and steals this year and was one of the best defenders in the league at the point. u Ciani Redd-Howard, F, Atlantic City: The junior takes a lot of punishment on the low blocks, but she consistently puts up solid scoring and rebounding numbers. u Danielle Donoghue, PG, Ocean City: A rare point-forward, Donoghue could distribute from the top of the key while also using her height advantage to post-up smaller guards and score on the low blocks. She helped lead the Red Raiders to the sectional championship game. u Lauren Mirsky and Emma Finnegan, F, Ocean City: Mirsky really came on strong in the second half of the season and helped take pressure off Emma Finnegan on the inside. Finnegan found ways to impact games through defense and rebounding even when she wasn’t scoring. u Kiki Hinton, G, Oakcrest: The senior helped lead Oakcrest to an 18win season and berths in the CAL and state tournaments. u Ionyonia Alves, C, Oakcrest: One of the few true centers in the league, Alves was a double-double machine.
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
u Haleigh Schafer, G, Absegami: Schafer (pictured above), still just a sophomore, established herself as one of the top players in the CAL this year. She helped lead the Braves to a 13-11 mark that included a victory in the first round of the South Jersey Group 3 playoffs. u Zhyana Young, Holy Spirit, F, Holy Spirit: The Spartans didn’t have a great record, but Young was a dominant force on the inside all season long. In late January, she scored 15 points to help Spirit beat Cedar Creek, 40-39, one of the team’s best wins. u Paige Sofield, G, Holy Spirit: Sofield is a fierce competitor and was one of the best distributing point guard in the league. She was also one of the team’s leading scorers. u Trina Deveney, F, Cedar Creek: She was one of the biggest matchup nightmares throughout her career for opposing teams. u Lauren Baxter, G, EHT: The sophomore is a talented playmaker, and helped the Eagles to 11 wins.
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WRESTLER OF THE YEAR MIKE MISITA/ST. AUGUSTINE PREP
Misita embraces every challenge By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer osses in wrestling are different than in just about any other sport. It’s just you out there on the mat, and when you lose, everybody in attendance knows it. And when you’re talking about the NJSIAA Championships at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, sometimes 10,000 people know it. That can be tough to deal with for any teenage athlete. But St. Augustine Prep sophomore Mike Misita, Glory Days Magazine’s Wrestler of the Year, has an interesting way of looking at losses. He doesn’t even call them losses. That’s why he was able to bounce back from a loss to eventual 182-pound state champion Chris Foca (47-1) of Bergen Catholic
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“I enjoyed wrestling Chris. I wrestled him twice, and both times I learned a lot. Losses, to me — and this is an inside joke with one of my coaches — I call them a learn, not a loss.”
Mike Misita, St. Augustine Prep sophomore (on wrestling state champion Chris Foca of Bergen Catholic)
in the third round of the state tournament and place eighth — the only Cape-Atlantic League wrestler to earn a spot on the podium this year. “I enjoyed wrestling Chris. I wrestled him twice, and both times I learned a lot. Losses, to me — and this is an inside joke with one of my coaches — I call them a learn, not a loss. So, I learn a lot, I watch videos to see what
happens and do my best to learn each match,” Misita said recently on his way to nationals in Virginia Beach, Va. “I just have an intense regimen going on and I plan on relying on that regimen, and getting better one day at a time and eventually getting to the spot where I need to be.” Misita, a Williamstown resident who made the state tournament as a freshman, had a tremendous season this year, posting a 36-11 record individually while also helping the Hermits go 16-5 as a team, including a Non-Public A South championship. Misita said that once the postseason began, he knew
he could reach the podium at Atlantic City. And he wrestled like it, ripping through districts while barely breaking a sweat, then dominating the Region 8 Championships with a 7-0 decision over Tommy Watson of Clayton-Glassboro and consecutive pins over Pinelands senior Evan Burton and Delsea senior Curtis Thomas. “I definitely had the confidence to place there. I knew from my training and last year at states — as soon as states ended my freshman year I was training to become better, and it worked. I lost in the round before the blood round freshman year and I think that really motivated me, because I really wanted to place. When I didn’t, it kind of lit a fire for me and I became really hungry. And I’m still really hungry. I want more,” Misita said. “I leave a lot of it to God, he has a plan for me. Last year (at nationals) I dislocated my
See Misita, page 23
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Mike Misita, a sophomore 182-pounder from St. Augustine Prep, posted 36 wins this year and placed eighth in the state.
April 3, 2019 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 23 Misita, from page 22 elbow and that set me back a couple of months, but, like I said, He has a plan for me and the plan was for me to do that, and that’s how it was. It’s just a lot of training and a lot of hard work that went into this. I was on a mission. I was ready to go out there and do whatever it took to win.” Many times, at the NJSIAA Championships, a loss is so crushing that wrestlers have a difficult time getting amped up to wrestle again to try to weave their way through the wrestlebacks. But Misita said that’s when you need to be strong mentally so that your season doesn’t come crashing down around you. That’s why he was able to bounce back quickly after getting pinned by Foca. “It is tough, but it’s all mental. I know my body is ready to do it because I’ve done it a thousand times at practice. I’ve wrestled hours upon hours of live goes at practice, so I know my body is ready for it, it’s just the mental game. I’ve trained a lot for that, too — the mental aspect, which is probably 90 percent of wrestling,” he said. “I took every match one match at a time, and I said this at districts — I take every
Misita helped the Hermits post a 16-5 team record, and St. Augustine Prep won the Non-Public A South title this past winter. Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
match the same, I warm up the same. So, I wasn’t really looking ahead too much, I was just focused on who I had first and take on whoever I had to step out against.” Misita said wrestling at Boardwalk Hall was a bit overwhelming last year as a freshman, but now he has two years of experience there, with two more years of high school wrestling left to go. “There was quite a bit to learn, but the biggest
thing was the environment and how to handle yourself inside that environment,” Misita said. “And your warmup, that was challenging for me because I didn’t realize how fast I was going to be up, stuff like that, but from last year I learned how the tournament flows and this year I was a little better prepared in how to warm up for my matches.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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WRESTLING u Conner Kraus, St. Augustine Prep/Sr./152: Kraus scored a huge upset over top-seeded Nick Bennett of Delsea in the Region 8 semis, finished second at regions and won three matches at states, falling just one win short of a spot on the podium. u Ryan DeFoney, St. Augustine Prep/Soph./106: DeFoney scored a Region 8 championship with a win over Clearview’s Ty Whalen and advanced to states. u Keevon Berry, Oakcrest/Sr./195: Berry was 34-1 heading into the region final, where he lost a heartbreaker, 10-9 in overtime, to Zane Coles of Pitman in one of the most epic matches of the season. He was a state qualifer for the second straight season. u Kal-El Corbitt, Oakcrest/Sr./182: Corbitt made it to the region semifinals before losing to Delsea’s Curtis Thomas, but he bounced back to Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan finish third and punch his ticket to Atlantic City. Senior 170-pounder Justin Bishop had an outstanding season at u Justin Bishop, Mainland/Sr./170: Bishop lost to eventual Region 8 Mainland, taking second in districts before finishing fourth at Re- champion John Stout of Southern in the semis, but still finished fourth to earn a trip to the state championships. gion 8 to punch his ticket to Atlantic City. u K.J. Sherman, Holy Spirit/Fr./138: Freshman usually make their impact at the lower weights, but Sherman showed he’ll be a forced to be reckoned with at 138 and above throughout his career with a great rookie campaign. He earned a berth in the Region 8 final, and also made his first trip to Atlantic City. u Ray Weed, Absegami/Fr./160: Weed, Absegami’s quarterback in football, had a tremendous rookie season, coming within seconds of winning a region title while earning his first trip to A.C. u Nick Sannino, Ocean City/Jr./285: Sannino made it to the Region 8 final, and finished his junior year with more than 30 victories. u D’Amani Almodovar, Trey McLeer, Michael Albergo, St. Augustine Prep: All three finished 4th at regions to earn a trip to states.
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Conner Kraus of St. Augustine Prep scored one of the biggest upsets of the year in the Region 8 semis, then finished just one win away from placing at the NJSIAA Championships in Atlantic City.
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Q&A PAUL BARUFFI / OCEAN CITY GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH Glory Days Magazine Staff Writer James Clark recently spoke with longtime Ocean City girls basketball coach Paul Baruffi, who this past season picked up career win No. 400 and led the Red Raiders to another Cape-Atlantic League Tournament championship. Clark: Coach, you’ve just completed your 18th season and secured your 400th career win. On top of that, the Red Raiders won the Cape-Atlantic League tournament. How do you sustain this success? Baruffi: I started running a basketball camp in Upper Township in 2001. A lot of the girls who have come through my program were third-graders at the time. Now, a lot of my players have become counselors at the camp. Clark: What makes the Ocean City girls’ program so special? Your team is always athletic. Baruffi: I’ve always had multi-sport athletes whose second sport is basketball. I like that. You need to get out of your comfort zone. I think when you play just one sport, you play
a lot of meaningless games. That can take a toll. Clark: Coach, I know you’re an assistant with the football team. Is there any difference between coaching boys and girls? Baruffi: I think (girls) are a little more attentive to what you want them to do, sometimes to a fault. Boys may take a chance sometimes and go outside of the box. But girls sports has come so far, especially with the athleticism. I’m not coaching girls basketball now ... I’m just coaching basketball. Clark: Why has the athleticism increased so much at the high school level? Baruffi: You’re seeing an evolution of the athlete. You can go to YouTube and look up any sort of video that can improve your performance. Clark: Your teams always compete with intensity. How do you maintain that as a coach? Baruffi: When our team goes out there, the only things I require of them is to give an effort and play hard. The rest takes care of itself.
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
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