Wednesday, April 14, 2021
The Observer | www.theobserver.com
Sports & Recreation WITH
Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com
Belleville wrestlers bounce back strong The Belleville High School wrestling team started off the truncated and abbreviated season with a dismal five straight losses. That might drive most teams to the brink of despair, especially in a shortened season. But the Buccaneers have rebounded nicely from their rugged start and have won their last four matches in a row, including convincing wins over Union City and Newark East Side in consecutive days last week on Friday and Saturday. Also through the dual meets, the Belleville girls’ grappling gang, spearheaded by sisters Alisa and Soraya Safforld, advanced all the way to the finals of their respective region tournaments on Saturday in Union High School. Alisa Safforld, a senior, advanced to the title bout in the 107-pound weight class, while younger sister Soraya, the sixth seed in the 114-pound bracket, also advanced to the finals. Both sisters will take silver medals to the state championships that were held over the weekend at Phillipsburg High School. Alisa Safforld took home second in the entire state at the state championships, which is quite an accom-
plishment. “Alisa is our most decorated wrestler,” said Belleville head coach Joe Pizzi. “She was fourth in the state last year and third in the state in 2020. She hopes to top her previous accolades in this year’s state tournament.” And that she did with the second place finish,. Soraya Safforld, a junior, has shown Pizzi a lot. “She’s really grown this year and proved that by placing third in the recent Bergen County Girls’ Tournament,” Pizzi said. “She has been wrestling flawless and looks as though she’s on a mission.” Ilana Williams is a 100-pound freshman and the third sister of the Safforld-Williams clan. “Ilana is new to the sport, but she is very strong willed and very resilient,” Pizzi said. “We are looking forward to her future with us here.” A look at the Buccaneers’ lineup is as follows: Freshman Jakob Ferrer is a 106-pounder. “Jakob is a tough and extremely aggressive wrestler who also excels in the classroom,” Pizzi said. “We are very excited about this young man and his work See VIEW, Page 10
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Kardinals look to Serrano to lead the way By Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com For all intents and purposes, the 2020 high school baseball season was supposed to be the breakout campaign for the Kardinals of Kearny High School. Everything was in place – good pitching, timely hitting, perfect defense. It was going to be the year of the Kardinal, that after a few years of struggling, Kearny was poised to make a comeback. Then, the unthinkable took place. The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic swallowed the world and eliminated all high school athletics for the spring 2020 season. “It was very heartbreaking,” said Kearny head baseball coach Dave Smart. “We had a solid guy at every position. It was especially heartbreaking for the seniors, who didn’t get the chance to play their senior year of high school.” Now, a year later, and the talk, the thought of a Kearny contender have dissipated. “We have a very young team,” Smart said. “It’s back to basics. We have a very hard working young team with a lot of sophomores. In some respect, they’re almost freshmen, because they didn’t play last year. It’s just tough all around any way you look at it. But these kids are hard working and they’re hungry.” One of the hungriest of the Kardinals is senior ace pitcher/shortstop Chris Serrano, who was a starter during his freshman and sophomore seasons and brings that experience and enthusiasm to the Kearny diamonds this spring, before he heads off to play at Rowan University in the fall. “Chris is everything,” Smart said. “He’s the backbone of this team. The kids all look up to him. He’s almost like having a player/coach. He
Photo by Jim Hague
The Kearny High School baseball team will lean predominately on their three seniors. From left are Chris Serrano, Connor MacConchie, head coach Dave Smart and Jack Cullen.
grabs the younger players and works with them. He will stop what he’s doing every day to work with a couple of kids, rolling grounders with them. He’s really like the fourth coach on the staff. He knows what to expect from us and what I expect from him. He looks around and sees what we have and offers advice. His experience is everything to us.” Another key returnee is senior first baseman/pitcher Jack Cullen, who has undergone a lot over his career, including the untimely passing of his father last year. Cullen will be the mainstay at first base and will be an excellent complement to Serrano and the Kardinal pitching staff. “Jack is a big presence on the hill,” Smart said. “He throws hard and gets people out.” The other key senior is catcher Connor MacConchie, who was also a starter two years ago and returns for his final season. “Although Connor is very athletic and solid at other positions, I think he’s one of the better catchers we’ve ever produced,” Smart said. “He has a strong arm and fields his position extremely well.”
The Kardinals have another talented catcher who will have to wait his turn. Freshman Victor Hanson is waiting in the wings, but with MacConchie behind the dish, Hanson will observe and learn. “Connor has taken Victor under his wing,” Smart said. “The two are working well together.” Another talented hurler is junior right-hander Ryan Gil. The tall, lanky Gil, who made his mark during the basketball season, is developing into a fine pitcher and shortstop when Serrano is pitching. “Ryan is really getting used to his body,” Smart said. “He has the size and the makeup to be a good pitcher. We’re working on his mechanics, but he’s going to be on the hill a lot for us this year.” Another pitcher is freshman left-hander William McChesney¸ who has a lot of potential. “We’re going to have to throw him in there and see how he does right away,” Smart said. “He’s going to get his shot.” The first base duties are currently being shared by Cullen and McChesney. See KARDINALS, Page 10
