June
18, 2007
Male
Athlete of the Season
Dave Ogden, Wayne Hills Football
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| Wayne Hills' Dave Ogden led New Jersey in sacks as a junior in 2005, and this year he is Barton's Best Male Athlete for the Fall 2006 season. |
Ogden was just a man among boys, no matter who the opponent was. The bigger the game, the more Ogden dominated both the offensive and ,especially, the defensive line. He was both an effective run-stopper and a pass-rusher. No matter where he lined up, he created match-up problems for the opposition.
On the offensive line, he helped the Patriots to compile nearly 3,000 rushing yards as a team., even playing without all-state running back Ray Van Peenen for most of the season.
After leading the state in sacks as a junior, Ogden was constantly double and sometimes triple-teamed as a senior, but little could be done to stop him from getting to the quarterback or the ball carrier. This was no more evident than in the Patriots’ most important game of the year against Parsippany Hills in the North 1, Group 3 final. Ogden recorded a first-quarter safety to open the scoring and added a sack late to seal Wayne Hills’ second straight sectional championship.
He finished the game with seven tackles and 3 ½ sacks, to close out the season with 88 tackles and 15 sacks, which were among the leaders in the state among defensive linemen.
Runner-Up:
Justin Trattou, Don Bosco Prep
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| Bosco's Justin Trattou had nibe tackles and four sacks in the state final against St. Peter's Prep. |
Trattou was a menacing defensive end that could dominate not only the line of scrimmage, but also one entire side of the field just by his presence alone. Opposing offenses tried to run away from him, but there was no escaping the 6-5, 260-pound end.
His most impressive performance came in the Parochial Group 4 state final where the Ironmen were matched up against undefeated St. Peter’s Prep in the state’s most anticipated game in years. He completely controlled the line of scrimmage all game long, recording nine tackles and four sacks as he helped Don Bosco pitch a shutout in a 41-0 romp. Trattou will play this fall for defending national champion Florida, where he has a chance to see some playing time as a freshman.
Honorable
Mention:
Will
Hill, St. Peter’s Prep Football
Chaz Cervino, DePaul Catholic Football
Tony Dominguez, Harrison Soccer
Damian Bates, Hoboken Football
Rashad White, Teaneck Football
Sam Petrone, Glen Rock Soccer
Colin McEvoy, Pascack Valley Football
Matt Simms, Don Bosco Football
Jake Weinberg, Paramus Soccer
Loukas Tasigianis, Dwight-Englewood Soccer
Girls’
Athlete of the Season:
Brittney Steinbruch, Ramapo Soccer
 |
| Brittney Steinbruch was the most dangerous offensive weapon in New Jersey as a senior for Ramapo. |
Even with defenses designed specifically to stop her, Brittney Steinbruch came up big time and time again. Sometimes is with her playmaking in the midfield. But more often than not, it was with her blazing speed up top that gave opposing defenses fits.
Like most great players, Steinbruch shined when the lights were the brightest. Facing a one-goal deficit against River Dell in the Bergen County semifinals, she recorded a hat trick in the second half to lead Ramapo to victory. She kept their season going by scoring the game’s only goal in beating Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the Group 3 semifinals.
Although it didn’t result in a goal, her most impressive play of the entire season came in the Group 3 state final against Freehold Boro. She took the ball through five defenders on a dazzling 70-yard run and her shot stopped on a diving save. That one play clearly showed how dangerous she is as a scoring threat from anywhere on the field. Steinbruch, who finished with 20 goals and eight assists, will continue her career next year at the University of Miami.
Runner-Up:
Chelsea Steinberg, Ridgewood Gymnastics
The 4-11 Steinberg, may be diminutive in stature, but not in her desire to win. She has excelled in all events from the time she stepped into Ridgewood High School as a freshman. Four years later, she leaves as the most decorated scholastic gymnast in New Jersey history.
She captured her third consecutive all-around state title this fall by more than seven-tenths of a point, which is a relatively large margin. The senior placed in the top three in the state in all four of events, including winning the vault with a state record 9.85. She will take her talents to nationally ranked University of New Hampshire this fall and should immediately jump into starting lineup.
Honorable
Mention:
Cory
Roesing, Secaucus Volleyball
Stefanee Pace, Kearny Soccer
Marissa DeMais, Pascack Valley Volleyball
Samantha Depken, Ramapo Soccer
Dani Raske, Pascack Valley Soccer
Cassandra Valentin, Lakeland Soccer
Courtney Snyder, River Dell Soccer
Chelsea Goldschrafe, Ramapo Gymnastics
Daniela Gomez, Paramus Volleyball
Cristina Law, Ridgewood Soccer
Michelle Powers, Wayne Valley Volleyball
Alyssa May, River Dell Volleyball
Boys’
Team of the Season:
Don Bosco Prep Football
 |
| Guy Germinario and Don Bosco Prep fought off competion all season long as the Ironmen were the top team in the state of New Jersey. |
Playing against some of the toughest out-of-sate competition there is among its stacked schedule, the Don Bosco players took each game as a test and passed all of them. Not all of them were with ease early on. As the season grew longer, the Ironmen only got stronger.
Led by Justin Trattou and Ike Garrow defensively, Matt Simms and Guy Germinario offensively, and all-stater Brian Hanly on special teams with his booming leg, there will little anyone could do to stop the machine that was the Ironmen this season.
They were at their best when it counted the most, in the Parochial Group 4 state playoffs. They outscored their three quality opponents (Camden Catholic, Paramus Catholic, and St. Peter’s Prep) by a combined score of 167-23. That is an eye-popping scoring average of 55-4. They finished the year unbeaten and virtually untested en route to finishing as the state’s top-ranked team.
Runner-up:
Wayne Hills Football
 |
| Wayne Hills allowed just 19 points in the three state tournament wins and posted a second straight undefeated season. |
In a scrimmage against the aforementioned Don Bosco early in the season, all-state tailback Ray Van Peenen suffered a serious knee injury and spent the first half of the season on the sidelines. The question became, could the Patriots gone on without him?
The answer was an empathic no and they proved it once a week. Dan DeCicco stepped right in behind the most cohesive offensive line in North Jersey. Led by all-staters Matt Johnson, Scott Schultz, and Dave Ogden, the Patriots rushed for 2,791 yards and 42 touchdowns in just 12 games. That is an average of 232 yards and 3 ½ touchdowns a game, on the ground alone.
Their defense was equally as dominating as they crushed their opponents by an average of over 34 points per game. The Patriots allowed just 19 points in their three state tournament victories to finish as undefeated North 1 Group 3 champs for a second straight year and run their current winning streak to 28 games.
Honorable
Mention:
Harrison
Soccer
St. Peter’s Prep Football
Ramapo Soccer
St. Mary’s (Rutherford) Football
Bogota Football
Westwood Football
Clifton Football
Wayne Valley Soccer
River Dell Soccer
Girls’
Team of the Season:
Northern Valley/Demarest Volleyball
 |
| Kristin Noetzel helped Demarest to a perfect season against New Jersey competition. |
The Norsewomen have developed somewhat of a dynasty in New Jersey volleyball, knowing that they have a bulls’ eye on their back each time they step on the court. Kristin Noetzel and Dara Schwam saw that first hand throughout their four years on the court together. To reach the mountain top this season, they would have to not only improve their individual game, but become leaders on and off the court.
The two, along with junior Chelsea Hayes, did just that as the Norsewomen clawed its way through the toughest county tournament in the state to retain its Bergen County crown. They then set their eyes on the state tournament, where Demarest has thrived over the past five years.
They then set their sights to be the best team in the state and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were. The Norsewomen did not lose a match to an in-state opponent all season and ripped their way to the Group 2 state title and then the Tournament of Champions title, dropping just one game in state tournament play to finish as New Jersey's No. 1 team.
Runner-Up:
Secaucus Volleyball
 |
| Cory Roesing helped Secaucus rip through the Group 1 state tournament and to a 28 win season. |
Although several key players returned this season, including all-stater Cory Roesing, a repeat run to the Tournament of Champions was not a foregone conclusion by a longshot. Having to replace its setter and best defender in Nicole Degenhardt was no easy task, but Jenna Totaro filled right in and the Patriots were on their way.
Roesing was virtually unblockable at the net and players like Kristen Bronowich and Elise Lennon picked up the slack defensively. They did not drop a game remaining as champs in both the BCSL-National Division and in Group 1. They were the only team to take a game from Northern Valley/Demarest in the state tournament and fell to the eventual T of C champ for the second year in a row, finishing with the most wins in school history for a single season and a 28-1 mark.
Honorable
Mention:
Ramapo
Soccer
IHA Tennis
River Dell Soccer
Ramapo Tennis
Kearny Soccer
Bergen Tech Tennis
Wayne Valley Soccer
Pascack Hills Tennis
Eastern Christian Soccer
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