Saturday,
June 25, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Demarest senior Michael Rozenvasser won the state singles championship to cap a perfect season in which he did not drop a single set. |
Male Athlete of the Season:
Michael Rozenvasser, Northern Valley/Demarest Tennis
When Rozenvasser entered his senior season he was considered one of the best players in New Jersey. Being one of the best simply was not good enough for a senior driven to finish out his Demarest career with a bang. The expectations were high coming in, but only Rozenvasser, his family, and his head coach Dave Johnson could have possibly seen what was to come.
After repeating as a Bergen County singles champion, Rozenvasser set his sights on the state individual tournament where he figured to be one of the top two or three seeds. Seeded in the 5-8 range, Rozenvasser took it as a bit of a slight knowing that his road through the tourney would be tougher than expected.
Rozenvasser had a heartbreaking loss in the state tournament his junior year to Holmdel’s Michael Chen after holding a match point. This time around the hard-serving southpaw was not going to be denied, even against a stacked field.
In the semifinals against Pingry’s Jeff Zucker, Rozenvasser came up huge in the big moments. Facing a set point, he came up with an ace then won the next two points to earn a berth in the state final.
Fittingly, in his last match Rozenvasser was at his best. His serve was unstoppable and he controlled play from the baseline to win 6-3, 6-2 over Karib Sarita of West Windsor-Plainsboro South to become just the seventh player ever from Bergen County to win a state title. The Carnegie Mellon commit finished the season with a perfect 24-0 record and did not drop a set.
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Ramapo senior Greg Latushko. |
Runner-Up:
Greg Latushko, Ramapo Baseball
Whether spraying line drives around the ball park, or crushing home runs, no player was more dangerous against hard-throwing arms than Latushko this season. Against North Jersey’s best was when Latushko really locked in.
He was red-hot coming into the state playoffs and helped carry his team right through the North 1, Group 3 section title game. Although the season ended with a loss to eventual Group 3 state champ Northern Highlands, Latushko still made his presence felt. Facing Notre Dame-bound flamethrower Zach Dreznin in the section final, Latushko had a pair of extra-base hits, a run scored and an RBI in his final high school game.
For the season Latushko hit .411 with seven doubles, three triples and eight home runs. He also had 33 RBIs. The senior will head to Coastal Carolina to play football in the fall.
Honorable Mention:
Cooper Telesco, Ridgewood Lacrosse
Devin Ortiz, St. Joe’s Baseball
Daniel Nuhzny, Dwight-Englewood Tennis
Piotr Namiotko, Harrison Volleyball
Joey Castellanos, St. Mary’s Baseball
Jeremy Magno, Bergen Catholic Lacrosse
Nick Cerbone, St. Peter’s Prep Baseball
Edward Emedoh, Hackensack Volleyball
Brian Rodriguez, Weehawken Baseball
Max Felsenstein, Glen Rock Baseball
Jimmy Vega, Harrison Volleyball
James Ciliento, Mahwah Baseball
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A leadoff hitter's job is to score runs and IHA's Reese Guevarra plated 44 of them in 32 games for state champion IHA. |
Female Athlete of the Season:
Reese Guevarra, IHA
No player was more dangerous both at the plate or on the basepaths than Guevarra was in 2016. Facing top-notch pitchers throughout the season, Guevarra, still just a junior committed to UConn, hit .495 with 47 hits in 95 at-bats.
Guevarra had 13 extra-base hits and also drove in 15 runs on the season. Setting the tone at the top of the lineup was where Guevarra was at her best, leading the team with 44 runs scored.
Guevarra’s two-run single broke the game open against Indian Hills to help IHA win a Bergen County title. Her value reached well beyond her plate discipline and aggressive baserunning. The energy she displayed each and every game permeated through her team and she also provided outstanding defense in centerfield.
Maybe her most important, if not most underrated, play of the entire season came in the Non-Public A state final. Clinging to a one-run lead against Donovan Catholic with a runner on first, Guevarra chased down a ball off the fence in the right-center field gap and threw a perfect strike to the cutoff, which forced the runner to be held at third. The Blue Eagles got out of the jam and held on to win the state title.
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Ridgewood senior Katie Bourque |
Runner-Up:
Katie Bourque,
Ridgewood Lacrosse
No matter where she was on the field Bourque was a a handful for both opposing offenses and defenses. In a state full of extremely talented players, none was as versatile as Bourque.
She scored in all but two of her team's games this season with her best coming in the Bergen County championship game against IHA. The Maroons scored four goals in the first four minutes with Bourque netting two of them and assisting on another. She finished with season-highs of four goals and three assists as Ridgewood won its 12th straight BCT crown.
The Dartmouth-bound middle finished the season with 43 goals, 26 assists, and 59 ground balls won.
Honorable Mention:
Olivia Sprofera, IHA Softball
Kaitlin Salisbury, Hawthorne Track
Hannah Cermack, Ridgewood Lacrosse
Sarah Gunderson, Northern Highlands Softball
Lexi Del Gizzo, Tenafly Track
Veronica Corcoran, Demarest Softball
Victoria Corcoran, Demarest Softball
Kelly Sim, Holy Angels Golf
Jen Sweeney, Dumont Softball
Zoe Bender, Glen Rock Softball
Dani McMahon, Saddle River Day Lacrosse
Taryn DiGiacomo, Saddle Brook Softball
Julia Bradbury, Northern Highlands Lacrosse
Emilie Cieslak, IHA Softball
Michaela McMahon, Saddle River Day Lacrosse
Makenzie McGrath, Demarest Softball
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St. Joseph Regional celebrating its Bergen County championship. |
Boys’ Team of the Season:
St. Joe’s Baseball
After the retirement of longtime head coach Frank Salvano, Mark Cieslak assumed the reigns of a program with high aspirations and the talent to match. Virginia commit Devin Ortiz and Florida-bound Austin Bodrato and at the top of the rotation the Green Knights had a 1-2 power punch both on the mound and in the lineup.
The Green Knights had arguably the toughest schedule in New Jersey this season and did quite well under pressure. They won nine games by three runs or less and made a nice run to the Bergen County championship.
Beating the aforementioned Dreznin from Northern Highlands in the semifinals, the Green Knights got a great performance from Ortiz and a big break on the game’s final play to outlast Bergen Catholic and win the BCT crown.
They then went on to post consecutive 8-5 victories over Don Bosco Prep and Delbarton in the Non-Public North A state sectional tournament. The Green Knights pounded out 22 hits in those wins with homers from Connor Kolich, Justyn Henry-Malloy, and Matthew Alaimo. Their season ended with a tough 6-2 loss to eventual state champ and the state’s No. 1 ranked team Seton Hall Prep and a final record of 25-4.
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Highlands won the program's first state championship since 1985. |
Runner-Up:
Northern Highlands Baseball
After suffering a hard-fought loss to St. Joe’s in the Bergen County semifinals, the Highlanders realized that they could not only play with any team in the state but they felt like they were capable of being a championship team.
Re-committed to pitching and defense, the Highlanders used the St. Joe’s loss as motivation toembark on a run that each member of that team will remember forever.
The Highlanders gave up just 12 runs in six state tournament games, with Noah Abdalla and Zach Dreznin throwing gems in the Group 3 semifinals and finals, respectively. The Highlands won the program's first Group 3 state title since 1985 with a 7-2 win over Ocean City.
Honorable Mention:
Harrison Volleyball
Dwight-Englewood Tennis
Wayne Valley Volleyball
Ridgewood Lacrosse
Bergen Catholic Baseball
Northern Highlands Lacrosse
Fair Lawn Volleyball
Saddle River Day Tennis
Bergen Catholic Lacrosse
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IHA head coach getting the Gatorade bucket treatment after winning the Bergen County Tournament. |
Girls’ Team of the Season:
IHA Softball
Dealing with the sudden passing of head coach Anthony Larezza in February, the Blue Eagles faced more adversity than any other team in New Jersey this season. New head coach Diana Fasano and assistant/pitching coach Ali Bryan, took over a program that was going to ride a roller coaster of emotions all season. Playing for LaRezza, enjoying the game for him, and winning championships in his honor is what drove IHA become a champion once again.
With Reese Guevarra at the top of the lineup, senior run-producers Emilie Cieslak and Taylor Gallagher in the middle of the lineup, rock solid defense led by shortstop Taylor Kenerson and a dominant pitcher, Olivia Sprofera, in the circle, along with a solid supporting cast the Blue Eagles had all the pieces in place for a memorable season.
The beginning was admittedly rough with one-run wins over Paramus Catholic and Passaic Tech sandwiched around a one-run loss to DePaul, but once the Blue Eagles regained their focus, they got on a roll and never stopped.
IHA allowed just five runs in their final 14 games and finished the season with a triple of crown:. League, county, and state titles. the Blue Eagles (31-1) finished as the No. 1 team in the state.
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Ridgewood won its 12th straight Bergen County title and made it all the way to the Tournament of Champions final. |
Runner-Up:
Ridgewood Lacrosse
After back-to-back losses to Wantagh (NY) and Summit, the Maroons’ season was at a crossroad. With plenty of top teams in the state coming up on the schedule, they had to get back on track and quickly. Led by Katie Bourque, Alex Absey and Hannah Cermack, Ridgewood earned one statement win after another.
After back-to-back wins over Moorestown and Oak Knoll (both state champions last year), Ridgewood ran roughshod through the Bergen County Tournament. They outscored their three opponents by a whopping 54-6 margin, including an 18-1 romp over IHA in the final.
With the emergence of Chelsea Trattner and Lillie Kloak up front along with defenders Hailey Ricciardi, Riley Riccardi, and Quinn Daly in front of goalie Casey Cole, the Maroons were clicking on all cylinders right through to the Tournament of Champions final.
Unfortunately, the Maroons suffered a heartbreaking loss for the second straight year to Summit, 11-10 in double overtime. Despite that defeat, this will go down as one of the best lacrosse teams ever to come out of Bergen County.
Honorable Mention:
Northern Valley/Demarest Softball
Indian Hills Softball
Immaculate Conception Softball
Saddle River Day Lacrosse
Saddle Brook Softball
Northern Highlands Lacrosse
IHA Lacrosse
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