10 minute read
Sports
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 accomplishment.
“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
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 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.
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.
KARDINALS
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The second base role is being handled by junior Sharif Wilkinson.
“He really can play anywhere,” Smart said. “I really can put him at all nine positions, but he’s a second baseman for us.”
Shortstop will be shared by Serrano and Gil. Don’t let Gil’s 6-foot-5 frame fool you as a middle infielder.
“He’s pretty athletic and can field it well,” Smart said of Gil at short.
Junior John Hernandez will be the Kards’ third baseman.
“He’s a first-year varsity player,” Smart said. “He has a good bat. He swings the bat very well and has some power.”
Sophomore Joseph Rocco, the wrestler, has joined the baseball program and will be in left field.
“He runs pretty well out there,” Smart said.
Another promising sophomore is Bryan Diaz, who will be in centerfield.
“I think he needs to put on a little size and strength,” Smart said of Diaz. “But he’s going to be our leadoff hitter. He can run very well and he can go and get the ball in center. He’s the hardest working kid we have in the outfield.”
The promising freshman Hanson will be in the regular lineup and will play right field for now.
“I’m pretty impressed with the way he has handled himself,” Smart said of Hanson. “He just shows up to play every day.”
The schedule makers were not particularly kind to the Kardinals. They open the season at Bayonne next Monday, then play at home against St. Peter’s Prep on Wednesday. Those two teams played for the Hudson County Tournament championship in 2019 and look to be among the teams to beat in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League this spring.
“We know we have a very young team,” Smart said. “But we’re going to be able to do a lot.” That’s whenever the ball is in talented Serrano’s right hand. The kid is one of the best players in Kearny history and deserves his final moment in the sun. If Serrano performs like expected, then he can help to keep the Kardinals in contention.
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ethic. He is a great teammate and a soldier on the mat. He is extremely exciting to watch and exhibits traits and attributes of an old school wrestler.”
Junior Lorenzo Tafuri is the Bucs’ 113-pounder.
“Lorenzo is probably our most improved wrestler from last season,” Pizzi said. “He works extremely hard on and off the mat and even battles through injuries. He is another wrestler with outstanding academics and has been one of our leaders that the younger kids look up to.”
Freshman Leo Tinakee is also a mainstay at 113 pounds.
“A tremendous wrestler with a focused attitude and desire to win, Leo came up through our recreation program and wrestles with intensity and technique. I am looking forward to his future with us.”
Rocco Negron is the team’s 120-pounder.
“Rocco is another ex-
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Photo by Jim Hague The Belleville High School wrestling team has made a dramatic turnaround, winning four straight after losing the first five. From left are seniors Alisa Saffold, Matt Amante, head coach Joe Pizzi and Tobias Lopez. Safforld finished second in the girls’ state championships in the 107-pound bracket over the weekend at Phillipsburg High School.
tremely talented freshman who came through our recreation program,” Pizzi said. “He is a very technical wrestler and has beaten some top senior wrestlers in our county so far this season. He takes pride in his presence as a wrestler and represents our team in a big way showing toughness and a fearless attitude.”
Senior Tobias Lopez is the Belleville 126-pounder.
“Tobias is one of our few seniors after graduating 15 seniors last seaso”n,” Pizzi said. “He is a young man who has sacrificed a lot through his years with us and pays in blood sweat and tears. He’s an extremely tough young man who leads by example and backs down to no one.”
Franco Russomanno is the team’s 138-pounder. Russomanno is also a freshman.
“This is a young man who is truly coachable and wrestles with a chip on his shoulder,” Pizzi said of Russomanno. “His toughness and willingness to learn each day makes him a truly likeable young man among the staff. He gets better with each match and we are already seeing major growth from him in the short few weeks we’ve had together.”
Matias Lopez is the team’s 145-pounder and younger brother of Tobias.
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