Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Mike Rosario

Male Athlete of the Season:
Mike Rosario, St. Anthony’s (Jersey City) Basketball

Rosario had a slew of individual accolades to his credit coming into his senior season. He was already a first team all-state performer, considered one of the top shooting guards in the country, and had already signed on as the biggest recruit in the history of Rutgers University basketball. But what was missing from his resume was what mattered most to him, a Tournament of Champions title. He not only led the team to the title, he also led the Friars to be in the conversation of the best high school teams ever to play in New Jersey or otherwise.

As an independent team not affiliated with any league, St. Anthony’s generally plays one of the country’s most rugged schedules. They travel all over the country to take on the toughest of competition. Rosario did what he has done throughout his career; shoot the lights out against the toughest opponents.

He was virtually unstoppable all season, especially against highly-touted John Carroll of Maryland at the Prime Time Shootout. In that game, he hit 12-16 from the field and nearly outscored the entire John Carroll team with a game-high 32 points in a 71-33 win. His most important performance came against archrival St. Patrick’s (Elizabeth), who had beaten the Friars in each of the last three years in the state tournament, in the Parochial B North final. He was 9-12 from the floor in that game and netted a game-high 19 points, along with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals to lead St. Anthony’s to its 25th Group title.

Rosario led St. Anthony’s in scoring in each of the team’s final three games. After the 19 in the Parochial B final, he added 22 and 21, respectively, in the Tournament of Champions semifinals and final to lead the Friars to their state-leading 10th T of C crown.

Bilal Dixon

Runner-Up:
Bilal Dixon, Queen of Peace Basketball

Dixon’s size (6’9”) and obvious talent were never questioned. The question was, would Dixon grow up and turn into a leader in his senior season? He did just that leading Queen of Peace to its first appearance in the Bergen County Jamboree semifinals in 25 years.

The senior center averaged 18.4 points, 13.8 rebounds, and a staggering 6.2 blocks. His best game came in the Jambo quarterfinals against Teaneck. He notched a triple-double, including a Jambo-record 11 blocks. He also added 22 points and 16 rebounds in leading the Golden Griffins past Teaneck, 69-60.

He will take his talents to the Big East Conference next year, signing with Providence College. Dixon will likely see immediate playing time and will be in a battle to start at the power forward slot.

Honorable Mention:
Tyshawn Taylor, St. Anthony’s Basketball
Dominic Cheek, St. Anthony’s Basketball
Trevor Melde, DePaul Wrestling
David Mofunanya, Englewood Basketball
Jonathan Becker, Bergen Catholic Wrestling
Travon Woodall, St. Anthony’s Basketball
Jordan Theodore, Paterson Catholic Basketball
Dan Rinaldi, Lodi Wrestling
Sean Buckley, St. Peter’s Prep Fencing
Chris Manna, Don Bosco Wrestling
Justin Crosgile, DePaul Basketball
Jio Fontan, St. Anthony’s Basketball
Tymel Jackson, Lincoln Basketball
Kyle Smyth, Don Bosco Basketball
Dave DellaTorre, River Dell Wrestling

Rebecca Lynch

Female Athlete of the Season:
Rebecca Lynch, Pascack Valley Basketball

Lynch had to sit out most of her junior year after tearing her ACL, watching her Pascack Valley team and wondering if she would ever return to the same form she had prior to the injury. Once she was cleared to rehab her knee, Lynch promptly went to work on getting ready for making her senior season a memorable one.

She not only returned to the court this season with a stronger desire to win, she returned with her aggressive style and an even more polished game to match.

Her senior season started off well with a strong showing in the Joe Poli Tournament in leading Pascack Valley to the title, and she never stopped. She helped lead the Indians to a 30th straight NBIL Division 1 title before showing off her all-around game in the Bergen County Tournament. Lynch had at least eight points, eight rebounds, and two steals in all four of Pascack Valley’s tournament games as the Indians won the Bergen County championship for the first time since 2001.

That momentum carried over into the state tournament when Lynch raised her game to an even higher level. She scored 15 points, including two free throws to ice the win over Pascack Hills in the North 1 Group title game. In the Group 2 championship game, she scored a game-high 17 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player as Pascack Valley down Rumson-Fair Haven, 58-52.

Even in her final high school game, a loss to Trenton Central, in the first round of the Tournament of Champions, Lynch left it all out on the court despite a huge size disadvantage. She was matched up against 6’2” center Torrie Childs and ate her up on both ends of the floor. Lynch held Childs to just two points, and had game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Lynch averaged 14 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.5 steals this season and will continue her career at St. Peter’s College next year.

Aubrey LaRezza

Runner-Up:
Aubrey LaRezza, Pascack Hills Basketball

LaRezza does not necessarily look like a basketball player. But just watching her play one time, it was obvious to even the non-basketball fan that Larezza was a player worth watching.

Most opposing teams knew what LaRezza was going to do and yet were powerless to stop her deadly outside shot. Even though teams knew she liked to play on the perimeter, LaRezza was more fit than her opponents and used her deceptive speed to create enough space to get her shot off.

Her three best games of the season all came in the Bergen County Tournament. She held high-scoring Hannah Sparkman in check and scored 18 points to lead the Cowgirls past Bergen Tech in the Round of 16. She then followed that up with a 22 point, 6 rebound effort as they upset second-seeded Teaneck in the quarterfinals. Although they would lose to IHA in the semifinals, LaRezza nearly willed them to victory. She scored 18 points and played stern defense throughout as the Cowgirls took IHA to overtime before falling.

Overall, LaRezza averaged nearly 17 points, five rebounds, and three steals per game to pace Pascack Hills to a 22-5 record. Also an all-county competitor in cross-country, LaRezza will run next fall for the Roadrunners of Ramapo College.

Honorable Mention:
Sara Ely, Pascack Valley Basketball
Cassandra Callaway, Bayonne Basketball
Jessica Russo, Wayne Valley Fencing
Shanai Heber, Paterson Kennedy Basketball
Lindsey Lopez, Immaculate Conception Basketball
Samantha Roberts, Northern Highlands Fencing
Tamiel Murray, Teaneck Basketball
Jessica Knapp, Becton Basketball
Amber Allen, Passaic County Tech Track
Ashley Severson, Ramapo Fencing
Aileen Daniels, IHA Basketball
Cristina Centeno, Marist Basketball

Travpn Woodall

Boys Team of the Season:
St. Anthony’s (J.C.) Basketball

There was a certain aura about the senior-laden St. Anthony’s team coming into the season. Rightfully so, because they possessed six seniors that were already committed to Division 1 programs and the state’s top junior. They had a chance to do something special, The Friars practiced hard every day for not just the chance to do something special, but out of fear of becoming the first graduating class in over three decades to not win a Parochial B North title if they were to fall short in the state tournament.

St. Anthony’s had fundamentally sound players all over the court with size and the skill set to match. The Friars could have naturally looked ahead towards the state tournament. But not this team, not this year.

The state’s leader in wins all-time, head coach Bob Hurley Sr. (932 wins), instructed them each game on the small picture of playing hard every single possession in the hopes of winning that particular game.

Even with a schedule riddled with nationally-ranked teams, the Friars breezed through the regular season with relative ease with a backcourt that ranks among New Jersey’s best ever to take the court. Led by the aforemention Rosario, Fordham-bound Jio Fontan, and Tyshawn Taylor, who will play next winter for NCAA champ Kansas, they often pressed teams into submission. But they were not alone in doing so. 6’6” standout junior Dominic Cheek and A.J Rogers rounded out the starting lineup, and did all the dirty work on the boards.

They also showed off their depth with the state’s best sixth man in Pitt-bound Travon Woodall coming off the bench to consistently provide a spark. The 6’1” guard could play either point or shooting guard, but prided himself more on the defensive end. He was joined off the bench by Alberto Estwick, who will join Fontan at Fordham.

They finished with a 32-0 record and a No. 1 ranking in both New Jersey and in the United States as published by USA Today.

Tymel Jackson

Runner-Up:
Lincoln Basketball

After a blowout loss to Union Hill in the HCIAA-Coviello semifinals, Lincoln head coach Troy Smith did not give up his team. He knew they were capable of making a run in the states if they played up to their capability and raised their game and their confidence level with each game. He had high expectations, but could have never expected just how big a run his Lions would go on.

Led by one of North Jersey’s top 1-2 scoring punches in Tymel Jackson and Daquan Pettiford, Lincoln got red-hot just at the right time. They each averaged nearly 20 points per game in leading them past defending Group 2 champ Chatham and then past Orange, 61-58 in the North 2 Group 2 final.

They kept their hot play going with a torrid first-half in a big win over Englewood in the Group 2 semifinals. They took over in the second half to best Collingswood and become the first Jersey City public school since Snyder in 1990 to win a Group title and take home the school’s first state crown.

Honorable Mention:
Paterson Catholic Basketball
Don Bosco Prep Basketball
Paterson Eastside Basketball
Hackensack Basketball
Don Bosco Prep Wrestling
Northern Highlands Swimming
River Dell Wrestling
Queen of Peace Basketball
Bergen Catholic Wrestling
Ridgewood Swimming
West Milford Basketball

Pascack Valley girls basketball

Girls Team of the Season:
Pascack Valley Basketball

Every season, Pascack Valley has a good reason to be optimistic going in. This is largely in part due to the system put in place by legendary head coach Jeff Jasper that stresses defense, controlling the clock, and an ‘old school’ style of basketball. It also helps that the Indians had two of the state’s top players in the starting lineup, Sara Ely and Rebecca Lynch. Lynch was a rebounding machine this season that can play any position on the floor. Ely, who will play at the University of Pennsylvania next year, is a dead-eye shooter that could single-handedly bust a 2-3 zone.

But the beauty of Jasper’s system is that he uses his entire bench and that depth often becomes a huge advantage. Sara’s sisters, Maggie and Terry, came into their own this season as consistent scoring options. Role players like Mary Beierle and Alli Lombardi came through in the clutch time and time again.
They are the gold standard in the NBIL, which is one of the toughest leagues top to bottom in North Jersey. It is their national-record 29th straight league title.

In the Bergen County Tournament, the Indians used their smothering defense to fuel late first-half runs in each of their four games. They never trailed for a second in any of those games in cruising to their first county championship in seven years.

Jasper and his senior-dominated lineup used the same blueprint for success in the state tournament. They built leads in the first half and then used their strength of making smart decisions with the ball to maintain those leads. Despite two nailbiting endings, the Indians also did not trail in their first five state tournament games during the second half.

The last of those wins being in the Group 2 state final over Rumson-Fair Haven, which also gave Jasper his 800th career victory, most among girls’ basketball coaches in New Jersey history. It also cemented the legacy of Sara Ely and Lynch as two of the best players to put on a Pascack Valley uniform; and also this Pascack Valley team as one of the school’s best, and that’s saying a lot.

Marist girls basketball

Runner-Up:
Marist Basketball

Marist has been a consistently successful team over the past two-plus decades under the tutelage of fiery head coach Bill DeFazio. However, those seasons have often ended in disappointment in both the HCIAA-Coviello and state tournaments. With four seniors that have started since they were freshmen, DeFazio felt confident that the experience mixed with the desire of winning a championship could equal a tremendous season and it did just that.

5’11” Ebony Thomas and Siena-bound Cristina Centeno gave the Royal Knights a lethal inside-outside combination. Bernice Benitz stretched opposing defenses as a three-point threat from the corners. Lynea Blue was not as consistent as DeFazio would have liked, but showed flashes of brilliance and had possibly the most raw talent of any player in North Jersey. Rounding out the starting five was sophomore Desiree Denmark, who provided a big offensive spark for Marist, especially late in the season.

In the HCIAA-Coviello title game, crosstown rival Bayonne focused on limiting Centeno and Thomas from getting into a rhythm. Blue stepped up to win MVP honors with 16 points and seven rebounds as Marist won its first title with a surprisingly easy 52-34 triumph. The Royal Knights had a much tougher test in the Parochial B North title game against Gill St. Bernard’s, but came out victorious. All five starters scored in double-figures as Marist won both county and section titles for the first time since 2001.

Honorable Mention:
IHA Swimming
Paterson Kennedy Basketball
IHA Basketball
Teaneck Basketball
Northern Valley/Old Tappan Basketball
Pascack Hills Basketball
Northern Highlands Swimming
Rutherford Basketball
Bayonne Basketball
Passaic County Tech Basketball
Cresskill Basketball