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ABOUT THE COVER
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ccording to the Bible, Luke 12:48, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” Taj Thweatt, a senior star basketball player at Wildwood Catholic, was blessed with all kinds of athletic ability and talent on the hardwood. But talent isn’t enough to guarantee success, and Thweatt worked harder than anyone Crusaders coach Dave DeWeese has ever had because he knew all eyes would be on No. 32 this season. Wildwood Catholic played one of the toughest schedules in the state this year and certainly had the talent to compete for a Tournament of Champions title had the Coronavirus pandemic not shut the season down in early March. But the Crusaders did win a South Jersey title, and Thweatt wowed fans all year with thunderous dunks, smooth 3-pointers and outstanding leadership for a championship team. Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
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 at glorydaysonline.com? Call us anytime at 609-788-4294. Volume: 7 Issue: 11 Overall Issue Number: 145. Cover Photography: Dave O’Sullivan 2020 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 Holding out hope: The NJSIAA announced on April 1 that it is
willing to do whatever it takes to save the spring sports season, although the chances of any games being played for the spring sports are still unknown at this point. The following day, Paramus Catholic in North Jersey announced that it was cancelling all of its spring sports. “We are not considering canceling the season. We are considering extending the season if that’s what is required to get it in,” said NJSIAA Assistant Director Tony Maselli. Right now, all we can do is wait to see what happens. u Offers keep rolling in: Holy Spirit junior running back Patrick “Cheeks” Smith has been popping up on the radar of a lot of NCAA football programs, as last week he received scholarship offers from the U.S. Naval Academy and Army-West Point, bringing the total number of offers to 12 so far. Smith was instrumental in leading the Spartans to the state championship in December.
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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GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
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KYLEE WATSON
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MAINLAND REGIONAL
Generational talent Mainland’s Watson lived up to the hype, and then some, during her impressive high school basketball career By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer cean City girls basketball coach Paul Baruffi can finally get some good nights of rest now that Kylee Watson’s career at rival Mainland Regional is over. Even though the Red Raiders probably had more success than anyone when facing Watson and the Mustangs the past four years, it was still a challenge every time when facing the now two-time Glory Days Magazine Girls Basketball Player of the Year. “First off, people really need to try to appreciate having somebody that talented in our area, to be able to watch her for four years and see all the things she accomplished. Someone like that doesn’t come around too often,” Baruffi said. “As an opposing coach, I can tell you, there were a lot of long nights and practices trying to prepare to play against her. She does a lot of things very well — I’m glad I don’t have to face her ever again.” So, how does an opposing coach prepare his team to face a University of Oregon recruit, a McDonald’s All-American, the leading scorer in her high school’s history, and the 2019-2020 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year? “You prepare your players the best you can. Sometimes it works better than others. But her game evolved as she went through her four years. She’s now a very good passer and I don’t think people saw that part of her game as much, but you definitely see it when you’re coaching against her. When you double- or triple-teamed her, she had the ability to get the ball to the right people,” Baruffi said. “And defensively, she’s very strong and versatile. There is so much to her. Sometimes you’d try to take one thing away and other things would open up because she recognized what was there — and not everybody can do that. It’s a tremendous thing to have somebody in the area like her. Plus, she’s very humble and a great
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Senior Kylee Watson finished her career with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and was the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. teammate. You can see she really lifted up everyone else around her and she carried herself very well.” Watson — the daughter of Cedar Creek football coach Tim Watson and Mainland girls basketball assistant coach Courtney Watson — may one day be considered the greatest girls basketball player in South Jersey history. She had major NCAA Division I offers before she even entered high school and is now part of one of the most highly touted recruiting classes at Oregon. Early in her prep career she earned a spot on the Team USA U16 team and competed in Brazil. Her list of accolades is long and her trophy shelf is overflowing. “It’s impressive. A 2,000-point scorer, we haven’t seen that anywhere in awhile — I think (Lower Cape May’s) Lauren Holden was the last one,” said Mainland coach Scott Betson. “And 1,000 rebounds is something we’ve never had here, and the Gatorade Player of the Year kind of speaks for itself. I’ve said it a million times, she deserves all the accolades. She’s the hardest working kid out there, and I’m happy for her whenever she gets them.” “The individual accomplishments are great and I thank all my teammates, coaches and everyone who
has been a part of my life for all of that,” Watson said after a state playoff win over Absegami. “To be able to be blessed as the Gatorade Player of the Year is awesome.” Watson led her team to Cape-Atlantic League and state championships during her junior year, and helped the Mustangs make it to four straight sectional finals. This year she averaged nearly 17 points per game, led the league in made free throws and blocked shots, was second in rebounding and third in assists, all while playing multiple positions, including point guard. But what she’ll be remembered most for is her ability to boost not only the play of her teammates, but their confidence as well. “That’s the blessing about Kylee that most people don’t recognize unless you’ve watched her play a lot, is that for all the attention she gets she has no problem passing the ball. And, quite honestly, she has to a lot because she draws so much attention, and she knows that,” Betson said. “She really enjoys that part of the game. She thrives off making plays for other people, and that boosts everybody.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GIRLS BASKETBALL all-stars u Kylee Watson, F, Mainland: Glory Days Magazine Player of the Year. u Madi Hafetz, G, Mainland: The senior nailed 62 threes but, more importantly, supplied steady leadership and consistency for a team that reached the sectional championship game for the fourth straight year. u Nay Nay Clark, G, Oakcrest: The Falcons had a tough year, going 9-17, but Clark was a huge bright spot as she led the Cape-Atlantic League in scoring with more than 24 points per game while also leading the league in steals with nearly 150, 31 more than Bridgeton’s Nijah Tanksley. She was also ninth in the league in assists. u Abbey Fenton, G, Ocean City: The Red Raiders captured their third South Jersey Group 3 title in the past four years thanks in large part to Fenton’s clutch outside shooting. She led the league in 3-pointers with 83, nearly 20 more than Kira Sides of Middle Township, who was second. With Fenton leading the way, Ocean City won 23 games, a share of the CAL National title and a sectional championship. u Marlee Brestle, PG, Ocean City: The junior didn’t score a ton of points, but ran the point and played tenacious defense for the South Jersey Group 3 champion Red Raiders. u Haleigh Schafer, G, Absegami: She was banged up a lot throughout the year but still managed to average about 18 points per game for a team that advanced to the sectional semis. u Gianna Hafner, PG, Absegami: A steady senior, Hafner didn’t light up the scoreboard but played a huge role in facilitating the Braves’ offense, and also was a solid defender at the point. u Marianna Papazoglou, G, Wildwood Catholic: Averaged more than 17 points per game and was fifth in the league in rebounds for a team that won 22 games and captured a share of the CAL United title. u Gabby Turco, F, Wildwood Catholic: Not only one of the toughest players in the league, but also one of the most versatile. She can play all five positions on the court, averaged nearly 16 points per game, was second in the league in field-goal percentage, made 48 threes and led the league in free-throw percentage.
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Middle Township senior guard Kira Sides finished the year as the second-leading scorer in the Cape-Atlantic League, and also was second in made 3-pointers. u Jaiden Harris, F, OLMA: Harris led the league in rebounds, was fifth in blocked shots and averaged better than 11 points per game for a surprising Villagers squad that went 19-9. u Kate Herlihy, G, Middle Township: Still just a junior, Herlihy has been one of the most consistent and productive players in the league throughout her career. This year she averaged 14.2 points per game, nailed 36 threes and was fourth in the league in assists. u Kira Sides, G, Middle Township: One day she’ll be remembered as one of the best allaround athletes ever to come out of Cape May County. This year she finished second in the league in scoring, 3-pointers and free-throw percentage and was ninth in rebounds. u Ciani Redd-Howard, F, Atlantic City: The senior was a force in the post, both offensively and defensively, and was named the MVP of the CAL Tournament as the Vikings took down Mainland Regional in the championship game.
u Madison Brestle, PG, Atlantic City: The feisty 5-footer was one of the top defensive guards in the league, finishing third in steals, and also was in the top 10 in assists with 82 for a team that won 20 games and the CAL American title. u Quanirah Cherry-Montague, F, Atlantic City: She still has a ways to go offensively, but this freshman was a force on the defensive end all year. She finished second in the league to Kylee Watson in blocked shots and was sixth in the league in rebounds with more than 200. u Grace Speer, F, ACIT: Still just a sophomore, Speer finished in the top 10 in the league in scoring for a team that won 17 games and challenged for a conference title. u Cea’anai Jackson, F, ACIT: A matchup problem for most teams, Jackson helped the RedHawks to a 17-10 record by averaging 14.5 points per game while also finishing third in the league in rebounding.
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY Wildwood Catholic senior forward Taj Thweatt averaged better than 17 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds a game and was named first-team All-State after leading the Crusaders to 24 wins, a league title and a sectional championship. Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
a man among boys By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer aj Thweatt is a high school senior who has committed to West Virginia University, but by looking at him you’d think he was already a junior in college. He’s 6-foot-7 and nearly 200 pounds — a man among boys. And that’s exactly how the Glory Days Magazine Boys Basketball Player of the Year treated the rest of the Cape-Atlantic League. Like they were a bunch of JV teams. Nearly every time Wildwood Catholic played a game there was an opportunity to add another highlight-reel dunk to Thweatt’s Hudl account, but there was so much more to Thweatt’s game that just his ability to soar above the rim and throw down jams. During his time in the cramped gymnasium at Wildwood Catholic High, under the watchful eye of Crusaders coach Dave DeWeese and his staff, Thweatt transformed from a rangy freshman with a lot of raw ability to a seasoned senior who could indentify small flaws in his game, fix them, and be even better the next time.
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Glory Days Boys Basketball Player of the Year TAJ THWEATT WILDWOOD CATHOLIC
Thweatt was seventh in the Cape-Atlantic League in scoring at 17.9 points per game, third in fieldgoal percentage, fifth in made free throws, third in blocked shots and second in rebounding. But anyone who saw him play this past winter knows he could have lead the league in just about any category he wanted. The fact that he didn’t lead the league in any offensive statistical category shows not a deficiency in his game, but rather just how good his teammates
were. Jahlil White was 12th in the league in scoring, Martin Anguelov and Jacob Hopping were both in the top eight in 3-pointers made, and White led the league in steals while DaSean Lopez was fourth. Really, the only thing that could stop Thweatt and the Crusaders was the Coronavirus pandemic, which shut down the NJSIAA state playoffs after Wildwood Catholic won the South Jersey Non-Public B championship. Despite an ending nobody saw coming, the Crusaders still captivated South Jersey basketball fans all winter long with big game after big game, and more often than not Thweatt rose to the occasion and gave fans exactly what they were paying for. He also showed a lot of leadership, never shying away from a post-game interview whether the Crusaders had won or lost. “It’s crazy how it ended. Nobody expected it to end the way it did, but I’m glad we got the win in the South Jersey championship,” Thweatt said. “It was fun playing in that environment, that’s what I signed
See Thweatt, page 11
April 3, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 11 Thweatt, from page 10 up for when I knew I was coming to Catholic. It was fun playing up to that level. You just have to play hard. (Being the center of attention) didn’t really bother me, I like giving interviews, so that part of it was fun.” “I think the most impressive thing about Taj was how much he improved each year, and how he continued to improve. He came into our program as a raw athlete and he’s leaving our program as a high level Division I player who I think is only going to continue to get better in the future at West Virginia University,” DeWeese said. “His work ethic, his determination to meet the goals he set for himself — which was to play at a high Division I level and to be one of the best players in the state of New Jersey — he worked very hard to achieve those goals, and he did it. He’s probably the best player I’ve ever coached. He’s very special, and I give him a ton of credit because it’s all related to how much work he put in.” What’s scary is that Thweatt is continuing to evolve as a basketball player.
Guards who didn’t have to worry about having him in their face a year ago suddenly had to contend with a 6-7, muscular defender out by the three-point line, as Thweatt began to develop a perimeter game, both offensively and defensively. “Even defensively, as a freshman and sophomore he played in the post for us and we worked with him on post defense primarily, because he wasn’t really out on the perimeter guarding somebody. But his junior and senior year he worked very hard to become a very good perimeter defender. With his athleticism and quickness, his length, he was able to utilize that to become a very good perimeter defender. I think you saw this year that he was out there — we did a lot of switching, and when we switched, he could guard anybody, whether it was a point guard, a twoguard, whoever. He could switch onto anybody and guard them, and that’s an aspect of his game that has really evolved over the last four years. Next year he’ll have to take on guards on the perimeter, and I think he’s gotten to the point where he has confidence he’ll be able to do that,” DeWeese said. “When
he’s on the floor, he’s a difference maker. It doesn’t matter whether he’s scoring or rebounding, just his presence on the floor changed things for us. His versatility, his ability to do pretty much anything on the floor took our team to a different level.” The book on Thweatt used to be that if you got up into his face, got physical with him and forced him to hang around on the outside he became much less effective as an offensive force. Coach DeWeese even told him as much, that teams were going to test his mental and physical fortitude, and that if he wanted to be any kind of factor at West Virginia he better learn to not only be more physical, but more versatile. “We continually identified for him the areas we thought he needed to improve. If we identified an area, he worked on it. Ball handling was one of the things he really worked on. In the middle of the season, we played Elizabeth, and we didn’t play very well. I told Taj that the Elizabeth coach told me after the game, ‘I love that kid, he’s a great player, but we identified two ways to exploit him. One was
to be physical with him, and two, he couldn’t take our guy off the dribble. He couldn’t catch the ball on the perimeter and go by somebody.’ I conveyed that to Taj,” DeWeese said. “I said, ‘look, this guy identified it so that means other guys are going to identify it. You better get yourself to the point where somebody being physical with you isn’t going to impact your game, and to where you have to the ability to catch the ball on the perimeter, shotfake and be prepared to go by somebody to the basket.’ And, to his credit, he worked on it. As the season went on, those types of things became nonissues for him.” “I think I improved being able to shoot better from the outside, and just working on handling the ball and things like that. Those are things I need to get ready for at the next level. I’ll never forget coach DeWeese. He pushed me hard but I know he was just trying to make me the best player I could be,” Thweatt added. “When I came in freshman year, I just wanted to come in
See Thweatt, page 13
April 3, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 Thweatt, from page 11 and play hard, give it my all. I didn’t know it would turn out like this. A couple teams tried to (push me around) throughout the years but I just had to get used to that. That kind of stuff just gets me ready for the next level, so I just had to adjust to it.” “He’s special. He got better every year, and that’s a tribute to Dave and Taj. With the work he’s put in, I think he’s going to be very successful at West Virginia,” said Atlantic City coach Gene Allen, a longtime Crusaders rival. “What I was most impressed with was his perimeter game. The dunks came and you kind of expected those, but for him to shoot the 3-pointer the way he did, I was really impressed with his ability. “It was virtually impossible (for a high school kid) to guard him because he’s so big, so strong and so athletic.” While the Crusaders went 24-7 and won a South Jersey championship, the season wasn’t all rainbows and roses, DeWeese said. Catholic lost a pair of games early on, to Archbishop Wood (Pa.) and Elizabeth, then stumbled in early February, at one point losing 5-of-8 games. But, following a 63-54 loss to Camden on Feb. 16, the Crusaders got things right and won the final eight games of the season, including three on their way to the CAL Tournament title (third straight) and four in the state playoffs. “It was a rocky road this season. It wasn’t all highs, there were a lot of lows, and we had to fight through a lot of those lows. Throughout the season we dealt with a number of issues as a team, but I think you saw the team evolve into what I thought was the best team in the state. But that took a lot of work. The kids really came together as a group,” DeWeese said. “There were points during the season when I felt like we were fractured a little bit. We had pieces, but the pieces weren’t all together, but to their credit they came together and they all were concerned about one thing, which was just winning games. In the last three of four weeks, I think everybody saw that. They really changed the way they were playing, they became more unselfish, they became better friends. Things seemed to turn around. Team chemis-
try determines how good or how bad you’re going to be, and if you’re able to have a group that comes together, works together, and they aren’t concerned about their own statistics but rather the team’s success, you’re able to have success. But, it’s not easy to get there. “It’s hard for 17- or 18-year-old kids to not start to look ahead, and look beyond what their current circumstances are. That can be a distraction, but it’s something that’s hard to resist, to put the high school season behind them and start thinking about what they are going to do next year,” he added. “But to their credit, none of our kids did that. As opposed to losing focus, they refocused and had their sights set on winning the whole thing.” Thweatt saved his best for last, pouring in 28 points and adding 16 rebounds in a sectional championship win over Rutgers Prep, and his career ended with 1,773 points and 1,028 rebounds. That’s the kind of production and talent he’ll be taking to Morgantown. “(My teammates) are my guys. I’ll never forget playing together with them. Our chemistry was great, we’ve all been playing together since I’ve been playing basketball. It’s going to hurt to leave, but it’s time for the next level. Wildwood Catholic means a lot to me. I’m happy I came here and that we were able to make coach DeWeese happy. We just wanted to win, and we did that a lot,” Thweatt said. “I’m so excited (About West Virginia). I was just talking to coach (Bob) Huggins the other day, I’m so ready to get there. I’m ready to put the work in this summer. I know I have to improve my defense.” “He’s hungry. He’s always been hungry, he’s always worked and he’s never been afraid to work,” DeWeese added. “In his mind, he wants to be the best, and that drives him to do the things he does. To his credit, he’s very receptive to criticism and suggestions as to how he can improve. I’m tough, and I was tough on him for four years. Even his senior year, I had people saying, ‘man, you’re all over him and he’s the best player.’ And I said, ‘that’s right, that’s driving him to be better.’ He accepted that and used it to get better.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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boys BASKETBALL all-stars u Taj Thweatt, F, Wildwood Catholic: Glory Days Magazine Player of the Year. u Jahlil White, F, Wildwood Catholic: A dynamic player who has committed to Temple, White was one of the most dominant players in the Cape-Atlantic League, along with Thweatt. He averaged better than 16 points per game and led the league in steals with 74 for a team that went 24-7 and won the league title. u Jacob Hopping, G, Wildwood Catholic: Hopping was much more than just a prolific 3-point shooter, as he played outstanding defense while leading the league with 121 assists. u Martin Anguelov, G, Wildwood Catholic: A smooth shooter from the perimeter, he was third in the league in threes, led the league in 3-point percentage, and finished this season with more than 1,000 career points. u Carlos Lopez, G, Egg Harbor Township: A sophomore transfer from Williamstown, Lopez showed a glimpse of what he’s capable of by averaging 15 ppg and leading the Eagles to the sectional championship game. He also made 71 threes, second in the league. u Yamere Diggs, G, Vineland: Diggs is one of the toughest guards in the league to contain, as evidenced by his 17 ppg average for the Fighting Clan. u James Waugh and Nurridin Abdul-Rahmann, G, ACIT: This dynamic duo led a RedHawks team that set a program record with 21 wins, and each finished with more than 1,000 career points. Abdul-Rahmann was the thirdleading scorer in the league, averaging more than 20 ppg. u Gannon Brady, G, Ocean City: Brady is known more for his talents on the baseball field, but he proved he’s one heck of a basketball player, too, leading the CAL in scoring at 21.9 ppg and helping the Red Raiders to 17 wins. u Elijah Jones, F, Pleasantville: Jones really came of age this year and was much more confident in the paint. He was second in the league in scoring at 20.5 ppg. u Marquise McLoughlin, G, Pleasantville: McLoughlin was an outstanding outside shooter who averaged 14 ppg, but the senior brought much more to the table, including
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Nurridin Abdul-Rahmann was one of the leading scorers in the Cape-Atlantic League this season and led ACIT to a program-record 21 wins. consistent rebounding and defense. u Marcus Pierce, G, St. Joseph: Pierce poured in 20 points per game for a Wildcats team that went 22-6 and finished just a game behind Wildwood Catholic in the CAL United Conference. u Daniel Skillings, G, St. Joseph: Skillings was another talented scorer for the Wildcats, as he averaged better than 18 ppg and also was in the top 10 in the league in threes and rebounds. u Stephen Byard, F, Atlantic City: After a solid junior year, Byard really shined this winter as the Vikings’ leader on the court. He was third in the league in rebounding while averaging 16 ppg, and led the Vikings to a South Jersey Group 4 championship. u Najee Coursey, G, Cedar Creek: Coursey could go for 20+ points on any given night, and often did, as he averaged 19.5 ppg for a Pirates team that won 14 games. u Jake Cook, F, Mainland Regional: He emerged as a Division I football recruit this past fall and followed that up with an outstanding winter, averaging better than 17 ppg before his season was cut short with a knee injury just before the state playoffs.
u Luke Mazur, G, Mainland Regional: The senior was the top sharp shooter in the league, finishing with 82 threes while averaging nearly 15 ppg and leading Mainland into the sectional semifinals. u Elmarko Jackson, G, St. Augustine Prep: Jackson no doubt will vie for Player of the Year status next year. Just a sophomore, he averaged better than 13 ppg for a Prep team that went 24-5. u Matt Delaney, F, St. Augustine Prep: He has an abundance of skills for a big man and might be the best post passer in the league, as he finished with 90 assists while also averaging better than 14 ppg for the Hermits, who made it to the CAL Tournament championship game. u Christian Kalinowski, G, Holy Spirit: The Spartans’ most consistent scorer, Kalinowski averaged nearly 12 ppg and led Holy Spirit to a 17-10 record. u Joe Glenn, F, Holy Spirit: Glenn came a long way since his freshman year, and as a senior was one of the most reliable big men in the league. He was second in the league in blocked shots with 55 and third in the league in free-throw percentage.
April 3, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 15 Junior Guard Gannon Brady led Ocean City to 17 wins this season and also was the Cape-Atlantic League’s leading scorer, averaging 21.9 points per game. Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
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wrestling WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
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MIKE MISITA
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ST. AUGUSTINE PREP
Keeping everything in perspective Getting better every day is the No. 1 goal for Hermits star By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer or some elite high school wrestlers, winning a state championship becomes a singular focus. They base the entire success or failure of their high school careers on whether or not they are able to see their hand raised on the final day of the NJSIAA Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. But St. Augustine Prep junior Mike Misita — Glory Days Magazine’s Wrestler of the Year — takes a more macro approach when it comes to his career. Yes, of course, he is driven to win a state title. But if he doesn’t, he’s not about to give up on his wrestling career. He has bigger, better things planned. Like one day becoming an NCAA champion, and possibly even a world champ. “I expected a lot out of myself. There was a lot of focus. I just focused on getting better and really just improving my wrestling. Overall, the main goal isn’t to win a title — even though it is — but the main focus is to just be a better wrestler in general and eventually get to college and be the best wrestler in college, and then eventually the world,” said Misita, a Williamstown resident. “The process is different for different people. Obviously, I want to win states, I want to win as many matches as I can, but as long as I’m bettering myself I’m happy with what I did. As long as I learn from my mistakes.” You see, Misita doesn’t judge success or failure based on his win-loss record. To him, success means taking everything you learn every day and becoming better at your craft. If you’re able to do that consistently, there’s bound to be more wins than losses along the way. And there have been plenty of wins so far in Misita’s career. He picked up career victory No. 100 at this year’s state championships, after a win over Tommy Goodwin of Pequannock in the 195-pound quarterfinals, and made it to within one win of wrestling for a state championship before wrestling back to take third in the state, a year after placing eighth as a sophomore.
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In the state semifinals, he fell, 6-5, to Martin Cosgrove of Camden Catholic, a wrestler he had beaten during the Beast of the East tournament back in December. Misita said the grind of winning district and regional titles, and then several rounds at states, took a toll on his legs and he had a feeling he wasn’t at 100 percent going into the state semis. “Going into that match, when I was warming up on the side, I knew my feet were going to be slow in that match. I could just feel it,” he said. “I went out there and my feet were not moving, I felt a little slower (than normal) and lost, 6-5. It is what it is and I had to continue to wrestle. A lot of that credit goes to my coaches, they helped calm me down and cool me off. I was ready to explode (after that loss). I knew I needed to get back into it, but I needed help getting back into it, and my coaches helped me with that. I won (the wrestleback) and had another chance at Chakonis, and won that.” Despite the loss, Misita wrestled back to the thirdplace bout, where he beat Delbarton’s Luke Chakonis, an opponent who had beaten him twice during the season. “At that point, I feel like it’s all mental. The skill is all there — anyone can wrestle with anyone else on any given day. It’s about who is more mentally prepared before the match and who is ready to go. You can’t really have any doubts. You have to have a game plan and know what you want to do,” Misita
said. “But the mental part is the hardest part. Going into the tournament I didn’t have to rely on the mental part too much. I wrestled everyone and beat them as bad as I could. The semifinals is where it evens out a lot more, so that’s when the mental part becomes a big hurdle.” Misita said coming into this season there were things he knew he needed to work on, but he defers to his coaches when it comes to setting up the best possible game plan to make sure he is wrestling his best when it counts, in March in Atlantic City. Finishing third this year certainly will motivate him to finish his senior year on top of the podium, and Misita said he’s eager to getting back to competing once the Coronavirus pandemic has subsided. “I leave a lot of that to my coaches, they help me focus on what I need to be doing every day and what I need to get better at. There was somewhat of a checklist (for this year). It wasn’t really drawn out, dateby-date, but I had an idea of what I wanted to get better at and what I had to do to make myself better,” he said. “I plan on doing a lot of freestyle wrestling when this pandemic is over, like I did last year. Hopefully I can come back next year and win a state title. I just want to make myself a better wrestler, hopefully get to college and become an NCAA champion, and hopefully a world champion.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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WRESTLING all-stars u Mike Misita, 195, St. Augustine Prep: Glory Days Magazine Wrestler of the Year. u D’Amani Almodovar, 106, St. Augustine Prep: The sophomore finished with more than 30 wins, beating Oakcrest’s Hogan Horsey 4-0 to take third at Region 8. He advanced to states, where he went 2-2. u Hogan Horsey, 106, Oakcrest: One of three Horsey brothers, Hogan went 34-11, finished fourth at regions and advanced to states. u Hunter Horsey, 113, Oakcrest: Hogan’s twin brother, the sophomore won 37 bouts and advanced to states. u Sean Cowan, 113, Absegami: This freshman had an outstanding rookie year, notching 31 wins and taking fourth at Region 8. u Hayden Horsey, 120, Oakcrest: The oldest of the Horsey boys, Hayden’s senior season ended at regions but he still put up a 32-11 record. u Brock Zurawski, 132, St. Augustine Prep: Zurawski (pictured) lost to Oakcrest’s Frank Gabriel in the second round of regions, but fought all the way back to take third and punch his ticket to the state championships, where he went 2-2. u Frank Gabriel, 132, Oakcrest: Although his season ended in the wrestlebacks at regions, Gabriel finished his career as a district champion and with a 37-7 record as a senior. u Charlie Cossaboone, 132, Ocean City: The sophomore made it to the Region 8 semis and finished with 36 victories.
u K.J. Sherman, 138, Holy Spirit: Sherman scored a pair of thrilling victories in region wrestlebacks to finish third and make it to states, where the sophomore picked up the first Boardwalk Hall victory of his career. u Alex Marshall, 160, St. Augustine Prep: Marshall is just a sophomore but showing plenty of potential. This year he took third at Region 8, advanced to states and won 36 matches. u Quinn McLaughlin, 160, Absegami: Known more for his exploits on the football field, McLaughlin proved to be a pretty good wrestler. He finished his senior season with 30 wins and finished fifth at Region 8. u Braydon Castillo, 160, Lower Cape May: Castillo came on strong late in the season, taking second at regions and advancing to the state championships. u Alexi Giordano, 170, St. Joseph: The junior took third at regions and then, after losing his
first bout at states, ripped off three wins during wrestlebacks before his season came to an end. He finished with 37 wins. u George Rhodes, 170, Absegami: Not many freshmen come in at 170 pounds, but Rhodes more than held his own, making it all the way to the region championship before finishing second and earning a win in the opening round at states. u Nick Marshall, 182, St. Augustine Prep: Marshall lost in the quarterfinals at regions but stormed back to take third to advance to Boardwalk Hall. u Marcus Hebron, 195, Lower Cape May: Hebron made it to the Region 8 championship before falling to Misita and finished with 24 wins, three of which came at states. u Mikal Taylor, 195, Absegami: Taylor, a junior, made it to region semis, fought his way back to take third, and earned a pair of wins at states before falling to Hebron in wrestlebacks. u Tony Thompson, 220, Buena Regional: A junior, Thompson took third at Region 8, advanced to states and finished with 34 wins. u Kurt Driscoll, 285, Holy Spirit: Driscoll followed up a state championship in football with an outstanding senior wrestling season, as he made it to the region semis. He placed fifth at regions and finished with 33 wins. u Nick Sannino, 285, Ocean City: Ranked in the top eight in his weight class in the state most of the year, Sannino made it to the region semis before finishing fourth.
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BOYS SWIMMING SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
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JOEY TEPPER
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EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP
Future is bright for one of EHT’s best Multi-talented Tepper has laid a foundation for post-grad success By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer t’s not often that a high school sports coach has to compete with the director of the school play for the attention of a star player. But when it comes to Egg Harbor Township senior Joey Tepper, his talents and interests extend well beyond the pool deck. Glory Days Magazine’s Boys Swimmer of the Year might be one of the best freestyle swimmers in the state, but he’s also a huge part of the EHT school community through theater and various other clubs and activities. That, on top of being a very accomplished club swimmer, means Eagles swim coach Mark Jamieson had to be thankful for whatever time Tepper was able to commit to the EHT swimming program the past four years. “He does it all. He’s in the school plays, the school musicals, he’s part of the band ensemble playing trumpet, he’s done stuff with the Boy Scouts, academically he’s a standout. He’s a well-rounded individual. He brings something to the table every day. He could have very easily blown off the high school swimming season but he stuck it out and worked for his team. He’s a person who definitely fills a room,” Jamieson said. “He’ll do mornings with us because of his academic load, but between myself and his club coach, we sit down and talk to him about balancing everything. His junior year, he put himself into a little bit of a hole because he tried to do everything,
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Senior Joey Tepper helped lead Egg Harbor Township into the sectional championship meet against Cherry Hill East this season, and individually was named second-team All-State. so this year we talked more about prioritizing a couple things and making sure the balance was there so he could stay healthy. It’s very easy to say yes to everybody who wants you to be there. As the swim coach, I wanted him to be at all of our meets, his club coach wants him to be at every practice, the school people want him at every play practice. It’s hard to say no when you’re passionate about everything, so we sat down with him and let him kind of create his path. He had much more of a balanced approach this year.” “I try to do the best time management I can and get plenty of sleep. But what helps is I really enjoy everything I do,” Tepper said. “The big things are
the play and the musical because they take about three hours after school each day, and about eight hours on Saturdays. I’m also involved in smaller clubs and I’m still involved in Boy Scouts. I usually don’t have a lot going on Sundays, so I can take that day and catch my breath and recuperate.” As accomplished as he is out of the pool, Tepper is just as dynamic when he puts on his goggles and swim cap. Tepper was named second team AllState by nj.com after finishing third at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in the 500 freestyle, and he also dominated the Cape-Atlantic League while helping his Eagles make a trip to the sectional championship meet.
“You can’t coach tall. He came in at 6-foot-5, and I don’t think he’s done growing. Wherever he winds up at the next level, I think he’ll still continue to drop time and perform,” Jamieson said. “Originally, we knew he was going to be a good middle distance freestyler for us and we were hoping he’d develop into sprints, and he did. Leaving this year, he has the team record in the 200 free, the 200 IM, the 500 free, the 100 free, and he’s on all three of our relays, so he’s been a big part of everything. Having a lot of depth and talent around him helped, too. As we
See Tepper, page 19
April 3, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 19 Tepper, from page 18 got to those bigger meets it all kind of came together, they helped push him. His meet against St. Augustine Prep was phenomenal and he had another great meet against Cherry Hill East. And then sticking it out after not having a great first day at the Meet of Champions, he had a great day the second day. Overall he had a lot of success this year and I’m thrilled to have a kid like him on my team.” Jamieson said he’s continually impressed with how Tepper handles everything he has going on in his life. He’s there before school getting a workout in for the Eagles, then a full day of school followed by afterschool activities and club swimming. And that’s not to mention the heavy academic work load he carries as a high honor student. “Obviously, we knew early on that we had a talent coming with him and were just hoping he stayed at EHT. Fortunately he did. He’s a standout kid who you want on your team. He’s involved in the school, involved in all kinds of activities outside of swimming. Just did anything we required him to do. He swam all over the place for us in different meets even though he’s most at home in the 500 freestyle,” Jamieson said. “He was selected to go the (U.S. Lifesaving Association) U19 World Team and won a couple races in South Africa. It’s been a special year for him. My heart goes out to all the spring athletes because be-
ing able to see seniors like Tepper fulfill their high school careers and end on a high note was great for a kid who has worked so hard. A lot of kids, in a sport like swimming, they might be talented and can sprint a 50 free really fast, but swimming his event load and what he does outside of the high school season with his club team, and for open water, his yardage is so high. He’s in the pool every morning and does so many things that people don’t see to work on his craft. He’s been very committed, and it’s been a testament to all that hard work with how successful he is.” “I really wanted to focus on making my sprints better because in high school swimming the relays are super important, and the longest relay is the 400 free, which is only 100 meters for each person. So, I really wanted to get better at the 100 and 50 free events,” Tepper said of his goals coming into his final season. As good as Tepper was, the Eagles had plenty of other talent throughout the lineup and that helped
“I try to do the best time management I can and get plenty of sleep. But what helps is I really enjoy everything I do.” Joey Tepper EHT senior
Tepper feel like he didn’t have to go out there and conquer the world every meet. “If anything, this season was better than I thought it would be. Overall, our team did very well this year. We beat some teams we hadn’t beaten in a while, and I was happy to say I didn’t lose any of my individual events until states, so that was really exciting. And it was really exciting to see this team do so well overall,” he said. “There’s nothing worse than feeling like you have to carry your team, or that you hold back your team, and I can honestly say neither of those happened for anybody on our team this year. We were just a really balanced, great group of kids.” As for the future, Tepper said he’s still pondering his college choice but said he definitely wants to swim in college, and beyond. The Longport lifeguard said he hopes to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in open water swimming. “I definitely want to swim in college, and I’m going to try to make the open water Olympics in 2024. Depending on how that goes, that will determine what happens after that,” Tepper said. Added Jamieson, “With that being an evolving sport worldwide — and that being a sport that doesn’t necessarily have the same timeline as pool swimming — I’d hope to see him continue his passion for open water and push for his dream to represent his country on the national team.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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BOYS SWIMMING all-stars u Joey Tepper, Egg Harbor Township: Glory Days Magazine Boys Swimmer of the Year. u Brandon Bell, Egg Harbor Township: Bell might have been overshadowed a bit by Tepper, but he had a tremendous season as well. He took fourth in the 100 backstroke at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions and also was the Cape-Atlantic League champ in that event while also finishing second in the 100 butterfly. u A.J. Mallari, Egg Harbor Township: He won a league title in the 100 breaststroke and took third in that event at the coaches meet while leading the Eagles to one of their best seasons ever. u Winchester Ployratana, Egg Harbor Township: Teamed up with Tepper, Bell and Mallari to form one of the top 200 medley relay teams in South Jersey, setting a school record in the event, and also took 16th in the state in the 100 freestyle. u Jack Levari, St. Augustine Prep: An MOC qualifier in the 200 freestyle, he took 16th in the state and also won all four races he entered in the Hermits’s state championship meet loss to CBA. u Shane Washart, St. Augustine Prep: Scored a pair of top-10 finishes at the MOC, taking eighth in the 500 free and 10th in the 200 free. He also took second in the 200 IM at the coaches meet. u Will Carpenter, St. Augustine Prep: A league champion in the 50 free, he also finished ninth in the state in that event.
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Senior Liam Garbutt capped off his career with another outstanding season that culminated with Mainland winning its sixth straight sectional championship. u Cole Garbutt, Mainland Regional: A junior, Garbutt took 11th in the state in the 200 IM and also won the CAL 100 butterfly title and was second in the 200 IM. He helped lead Mainland to its sixth consecutive sectional championship. u Liam Garbutt, Mainland Regional: Liam, a senior, won the league title in the 100 free and
was second in the 50 free, and also scored top15 finishes in both events at the MOC. u Dolan Grisbaum, Ocean City: Helped lead the Red Raiders to the sectional championship meet for the second straight year while also scoring top-15 finishes in the state in the 500 free and 200 IM.
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GIRLS SWIMMING SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
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KATIE McCLINTOCK
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MAINLAND REGIONAL
Stangs’ McClintock keeps getting better Junior won a pair of state titles, named New Jersey’s best swimmer by nj.com By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer f you were standing on the pool deck at Mainland Regional High School, you’d have a hard time picking out the state’s best swimmer. She’s not 5-foot-10 with broad shoulders. In fact, she looks just like any other swimmer on the Mustangs’ roster. Junior Katie McClintock might not display an imposing presence, but once she gets in the water it’s tough for anybody to keep up with her. She was named Swimmer of the Year for the entire state by nj.com, won a pair of Meet of Champions titles — breaking her own 200-yard IM record on both days of the event — and she set two national public school records at the Cape-Atlantic League Championships. Glory Days Magazine’s Girls Swimmer of the Year also helped lead the Mustangs to one of their best seasons ever, a 13-1 record that included their first trip to the sectional finals in seven years. “She works incredibly hard and certainly has earned what she’s accomplished, and we’re all pretty fired up for her because of that. She’s just so committed to the sport in so many different ways. She works as hard as she can in and out of the water to continue to grow and improve, which is really her No. 1 goal. To see state championships as well as school, state, CAL, Hackney and South Jersey records fall is really neat. Right now we’re kind of witnessing a oncein-a-lifetime athlete in front of us,” said Mainland coach Mike Schiavo. “We knew she was talented, we knew she was committed, the question was just how fast could she get? I don’t know if I could ever have imagined the success that she’s had already in three years.” Schiavo said that sometimes high school girls swimmers see their best times early in their careers and then begin to fade as they get older, but for McClintock it’s been the exact opposite. She just keeps getting better. “I’ve been around long enough to know that a lot of times, especially girls, will plateau in high school, and early in high school, unfortunately. Some of the best female swimmers, sadly — and it’s kind of a
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Katie McClintock, a junior at Mainland, won a pair of individual state championships this season and has given a verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin. tough high school reality — they just get frustrated because they’re not dropping time. Sometimes, size does have something to do with it in a lot of different ways. But on the other side of that, I’ve seen some really fast girls who are Katie’s stature. They don’t always have to be 5-foot-10. It’s a sport where height helps, but success comes in all shapes and sizes. I remember seeing a girl who was barely 5-feet and she was the fastest sprinter in the state, won the 50 and 100 free her freshman year back in the early 90s,” Schiavo said. “I’m excited that she’s been able to continue to grow, and it’s not just because of her work ethic and attitude, but what she’s been doing all these years prior to high school. The coaches out at EHT Seahawks — and her mom is one of them — they’ve had a really nice, long-term plan for her. Instead of trying to get too much out of her too soon, they brought her along nicely. She’s still growing and they are still adding things, and because of that she’s still getting faster. That puts a smile on her face, which is the No. 1 thing.” That long-term plan includes collegiate swimming, and in February McClintock announced she has given
a verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin. “My two top choices were UNC-Chapel Hill and Wisconsin. When I visited Wisconsin, I really liked the city, and the coaches were awesome. The team was all really nice and it seemed like the best fit for me. It was a tough decision. It really came down to the fact that I felt like I had a really good connection to the Wisconsin coaches and the team. Right when I walked on campus, I pretty much knew it was a good fit for me,” McClintock said. “It’s really nice. I still have to keep my grades up, keep swimming fast and keep doing what I do, but it’s nice to have that extra stress out of the way and just have fun. The recruiting process started in June — I was obviously doing research before that — but in mid-June is when they started calling me and showing interest. I only took two recruiting trips, one to UNC in September and then in mid-October I went to Wisconsin. It was a short process, but definitely time consuming. I’m definitely happy. I totally saw myself there as soon as I walked on campus. I’m really excited.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GIRLS SWIMMING all-stars u Katie McClintock, Mainland: Glory Days Magazine Girls Swimmer of the Year. u Grace Gallagher, Mainland (pictured below): Took on a captain’s role this year for the Mustangs and didn’t disappoint, leading Mainland to a 13-1 record and a spot in the sectional championship meet for the first time in seven years. She also took fifth in the 400 freestyle at the MOC, her first time qualifying. u Maddie Falk, Mainland: Another talented and versatile swimmer in the Mustangs’ lineup, she was part of a medley relay team that took third at the MOC. u Megan Fox, Atlantic City: It’s hard to believe that Fox is still just a sophomore given the success she’s already had in her high school career. This year, she finished sixth at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in the 500 freestyle and also took eighth in the 200 free. She won the 200 and the 400 freestyle races at the Hackney meet as well as the CAL Championships. u Alexandria Cotter, Egg Harbor Township: The Eagles have become one of the best teams in the Cape-Atlantic League and South Jersey Group 4 the past couple of years, and Cotter is a big reason why. She took third in the 100 butterfly at the MOC, was the CAL butterfly champion with a time of 1:03.66, and took home four gold medals at Hackneys. u Ava McDonough, Egg Harbor Township: The junior is another lynchpin in EHT’s recent success. She scored a top-20 finish in the state in the 100 breaststroke and was part of the Eagles’ 200 medley relay team that took seventh overall. She also was the CAL and Hackney champion in the 100 breaststroke. u Olivia Evans, Egg Harbor Townshhip: Just a sophomore, Evans finished 11th in the state in the 50 free and anchored the medley relay team that set a record at Hackneys. u Alex Antonov, Ocean City: A 100 freestyle CAL champion, Antonov also anchored Ocean City’s dominating 200 freestyle relay team. She scored a pair of top-20 individual finishes at MOC. u Olivia and Claudia Scherbin, Ocean City: These sisters are a big reason why Ocean City has been able to sustain its success the past couple of years. Olivia, a sophomore, took ninth in the 100 free at the MOC while Claudia, a senior, won the league title in the 50 free and led off the 200 free relay team that took second in the state.
snapshots Egg Harbor Township sophomore guard Carlos Lopez calls out a play during the Eagles’ double-overtime loss to Cherry Hill East in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals. Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
Brayden Castillo had an outstanding sophomore season for the Lower Cape May wrestling team, taking second at 160 pounds at the Region 8 Championships and advancing to the NJSIAA State Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.