Tuesday, June 19, 2012

By Richie 'Ballgame' Barton

Male Athlete of the Season:
Darius Hamilton, Don Bosco Prep Football

Darius Hamilton had 74 tackles and 17 sacks in his senior year at state champion Don Bosco.

Even against some of the best competition both the state and the country had to offer, Hamilton was simply a man amongst boys. Despite constantly being double and triple-teamed, Hamilton consistently reeked havoc at the line of scrimmage with both his size and his speed.

It seemed unlikely that the 6-foot-6, 245-pound defensive lineman could improve on a junior season where he broke out as a premier pass rusher to anchor the state’s best defense on his way to earning first-team all-state honors, but he did just that. Even though he received twice as much attention from opposing offensive coordinators, Hamilton showed he was even more dangerous and now even more versatile by being able to stop the run and yet still be a dominant force in getting to the quarterback.

As great of a season as Hamilton had, he saved his best game of his high school career for last. In a showdown with rival Bergen Catholic between the top two high school teams in the state in the Non-Public Group 4 state title game, Hamilton notched a career-high four sacks en route to helping Bosco to yet another undefeated season capped with a state title.

Hamilton had 74 tackles, 17 sacks and one interception on the season. This coming fall he will play for Rutgers and is a candidate to slide right into the starting lineup.

Runner-Up:
Mikey Taranto, Ramapo Soccer

Mikey Taranto hit one of the Goals of the Year in the section final against rival No. Highlands.

To say Mikey Taranto has big shoes to fill is understatement coming from a program as rich in tradition as the Ramapo boys soccer program. But he doesn’t even have to leave his house to feel that same pressure. His older brother Jimmy is one of the best soccer players ever to come out of Ramapo and his older sister Kaitlin was the starting centerfielder for the Ramapo softball team that finished No. 1 in the state back in 2006. But the youngest of the Taranto clan made a mark of his own this season showing his leadership skills and his will to win throughout a whirlwind season.

He was a playmaker whether it was up front of in the middle of the field and created problems for opposing defenses with his long throw-ins. The junior also showed he could find of the back of the net when given enough space, which he did in crucial moments in spectacular fashion. His legendary left-footed blast from 30 yards out midway through the first overtime gave Ramapo the North 1, Group 3 title with a 2-1 victory over Northern Highlands.

His season came to a screeching halt when he tore his ACL just three minutes into the Group 3 semifinal match against Scotch Plains-Fanwood. But Taranto somehow pressed on and still became a factor with his long throw-ins when he was subbed in. One of those throw-ins led to the only goal of the game as Ramapo won that game and eventually won in the final to win the Group 3 state title.

Honorable Mention:
Devin Fuller, Northern Valley/Old Tappan Football
Tyler Samra, Don Bosco Football
Ben Malone, Pascack Valley Cross-Country
Jabrill Peppers, Don Bosco Football
Dan Crimmins, Northern Valley/Demarest Football
John Tsimis, Bergen Catholic Football
Aboubacar Diawara, Bayonne Soccer
Nick Golz, DePaul Football
Damian Corredor, Weehawken Football
Jon Germano, Bergen Catholic Football
Ryan Walsh, Northern Valley/Old Tappan Soccer
Mark Cieslak, St. Joseph’s Regional Football
Elijah Shumate, Don Bosco Football

Female Athlete of the Season:
Rachel Cole, Dwight-Englewood Soccer

Rachel Cole helped take Dwight Englewood girls soccer from doormat to the verge of a state title.

Before Cole burst onto the scene as freshman, Dwight-Englewood was consistently at the bottom of its league standings and was never talked about as being any kind of threat to even qualify for county or state tournaments. That all changed with her arrival and as the attention grew from opposing teams, so did the expectation for her to carry the Bulldogs to new heights.

It was a season of firsts for the Dwight-Englewood program with Cole leading the way. She scored with 27 seconds left in the regulation to tie the game, then netted the game-winner in overtime to earn the program’s first-ever victory over Emerson, 3-2. Just two weeks later, Cole found the back of the net five times in the school’s first-ever win over Cresskill.

Cole continued her torrid play in the state tournament. She scored twice in a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Kent Place and netted all three goals including the game-winner with just over eight minutes left in a wild 3-2 victory over Montclair Kimberley Academy to lift the Bulldogs into the Non-Public B North section final. She scored in the first half to give them a 1-0 lead, but they eventually lost in overtime to eventual Non-Public B state champ Oak Knoll.

That loss could not deter Cole’s accomplishments or her impact on the history of the Dwight-Englewood program. She led the state with 50 goals this season and finished with 135 for her career. Like Hamilton, the Make Athlete of the Season, Cole will head to Rutgers this fall where she will immediately challenge for a spot in the starting lineup.

Runner-Up:
Kate Brock, River Dell Volleyball

Kate Brock entered high school as a basketball player and left with a volleyball scholarship.

Brock came into high school as a gangly freshman who simply played volleyball because she was tall and she thought it might help her vertical leap for the basketball court. She left as one of the best players ever to put on a uniform for River Dell, a program rich in tradition.

The 6-foot senior did not just dominate at the net, she showed off her all-around game by being able to play the back row and also set up teammates if need be. While Brock had a solid career even before her senior season, she was missing one thing on her resume; a state title.

Brock would be instrumental in the Hawks’ first state crown in 13 years. In the Group 2 state final, she nine kills, three blocks, three digs, and two assists in an easy sweep over Sterling. She took it step further by putting down 15 kills in the Hawks’ first-ever Tournament of Champions win in a three-game thriller against Bogota.

On the season, Brock finished with 229 kills and averaged over four digs and two blocks per match. While she entered high school hoping to eventually earn a Division 1 basketball scholarship, it was volleyball that is now her number one sport, as she will play next year for Division 1 Stony Brook University.

Honorable Mention:
Nickolette Driesse, Wayne Hills
Nia Reed, IHA Volleyball
Carly O’Sullivan, Bogota Volleyball
Madison Holleran, Northern Highlands Soccer
Michelle Cruz, IHA Volleyball
Rachel Egyed, Clifton Soccer
Haley Hirsch, Northern Valley/Demarest Volleyball
Kristen Traub, Eastern Christian Cross-Country
Valerie Skhlover, Fair Lawn Tennis
Jen Andresen, Ramapo Soccer
Ryann Powell, Holy Angels Volleyball
Ariana North, Northern Highlands Cross-Country
Lisa Rovatsos, Bayonne Soccer
Deborah Wolfe, West Milford Field Hockey
Kelsey Morgan, Northern Valley/Old Tappan Volleyball

Boys Team of the Season:
Don Bosco Football

For the third straight year, Bosco is the Team of the Fall season.

Despite possessing an offense that scored more than 33 points in all but one of their 12 games and allowing eight or less points seven times, the Ironmen faced a little adversity early in the season before gaining steam at the right time en route to another undefeated season and No. 1 ranking in New Jersey.

They had to hold off a stern challenge on the road against national powerhouse Manatee (Fla.) and then rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit in a regular-season tilt against Bergen Catholic.

But from there on it was smooth sailing as they clicked on all cylinders beating their final seven opponents by an average of 40 points on their way to a sixth straight state title and their second No. 1 ranking in most national polls in the past three years with another 12-0 season.

This is the third straight season that Bosco has been named as the Team of the Fall Season on NorthJerseySports.com so we are pretty much out of adjectives for the Ironmen, who have changed high school football in New Jersey for better or for worse.

Runner-Up:
Ramapo Soccer

Ramapo celebrating the Group 3 state title.

Ramapo was simply the best soccer team in North Jersey this season and that was largely due to its balance in each third of the field. Players like the aforementioned Taranto, Sean Etherdge, Chris Nash, and James Bounavita helped make the offense dangerous on a number of levels. But it was the midfield and defense that quietly and methodically became one of the best in New Jersey.

Brandon Alvarado and Matt Deziel led a physical group that backed the solid play of Will Shiel in net. On the season, Ramapo gave up just 10 goals in 23 games on their way to a 22-1 season and the school’s first Group 3 state title since 2009.

If the academies don't get in the way, the Raiders will have all but two of their starters back and a deep bench ready to go to make another run in 2012.

Honorable Mention:
St. Joseph’s Regional Football
Wayne Hills Football
Bergen Catholic Football
Northern Valley/Old Tappan Soccer
Don Bosco Prep Cross-Country
Waldwick Soccer
Kearny Soccer
Ridgewood Cross-Country
Northern Highlands Soccer

Girls’ Team of the Season:
Northern Highlands Soccer

Unbeatean and untied, Highlands was the best team in the state during the 2011 girls soccer season.

The rivalry between Northern Highlands and Ramapo over the past decade has become one of if not the fiercest rivalries in the state. But over that span when everything was on the line, it was Ramapo who almost always was celebrating at the Highlanders’ expense. That was until this season when this group of Highlanders finally had enough and refused to give into the past history of this rivalry, no matter how dire the circumstances appeared on the surface.

The Highlanders remarkably got the best of Ramapo in all four of their meetings this season, including one for the ages in the North 1, Group 3 final. Down by two goals with just over seven minutes remaining, the Highlanders scored three times for an incredible 5-4 triumph to keep their undefeated season alive. That season ended in style and with more drama as the Highlanders needed a point-blank save by goalie Brooke Holle to keep the game scoreless, then scored twice in the final eight minutes as they capped off an undefeated season and a No. 1 ranking in New Jersey with a 2-0 win over Moorestown in the Group 3 title game.

Runner-Up:
IHA Volleyball

IHA dropped only three games against New Jersey competition on the way to its fourth T of C title in the last five years.

Even in a county that is jam-packed with talented teams, Immaculate Heart Academy has maintained being head-and-shoulders above the competition. Even when 6-foot-2 standout Nia Reed went down with an injury, the Blue Eagles banded together and did not use her absence as an excuse not to succeed.

With Reed out, IHA setter Mandy Garbarino had to diversify the offensive attack more and all-state libero Michelle Cruz was relied on more to pick up the slack defensively in the back row. So by the time Reed returned to the lineup, the Blue Eagles unbeaten mark against in-state foes was still intact and they were even more confident heading into the state tournament.

The Blue Eagles’ only loss came in three games to national power Pennfield (NY) and from there, they proceeded to take the frustration of that loss out on New Jersey foes. In their 32 wins, they dropped just three games all year and none in the state tournament as the dynasty continues with their fourth T of C title in the past five years.

Honorable Mention:
Ramsey Soccer
Northern Valley/Demarest Volleyball
Ramapo Soccer
River Dell Volleyball
Bogota Volleyball
IHA Soccer
Glen Rock Soccer
West Milford Field Hockey
Ramapo Gymnastics
Mahwah Volleyball

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