The Year in HPHS Sports

Danny Breslauer
H.P. Mirror Staff

As borough residents recover from the early June heat wave, it’s a perfect time to finally kick back a bit and enjoy the weather. Summer favorites include a baseball catch in the backyard, a bike ride through Johnson Park, swimming laps at a local pool and Frisbee down at Donaldson.

During this relaxing time of the year, we take the opportunity to look back at the year that was in Highland Park High School athletics.

The fall of 2007 was a watershed season for the HPHS Owls football team. The squad finished 8-3, reaching the Central Jersey Group I semifinals and picking up the first playoff victory in nine years. HP also placed two players on all-state teams, in linebacker Nate Smith and running back Bryant Fitzgerald. The high-point of the team’s playoff run was a quarterfinal road victory over four-time defending bracket champion Florence High School.

Boys’ soccer started out strong its second year in the Blue Division, picking up a string of divisional victories. The squad missed states due to a couple of year-end losses, but shows promise heading into next season [visit hpmirror.com for a closer look at the spring traveling season – Ed.]. Junior goalkeeper Chris Marshall is a sure watch for the All-County Preseason, but the Owls will have to shake off some key losses at starting spots in graduates Derek Padgett, Nelson Villeda, Colin Millet, and Jeff Shaw among others.

On the girls side success was plentiful, as a cutoff-day win sent the Owls into the fall postseason. Senior Erin Sanchez led a skilled attack, sophomore Leah Salkin anchored the midfield and junior goalie Abby Petkov continued her stellar play between the pipes as the 6-seed Owls faced Middlesex. A scoreless game after regulation and two overtimes, Highland Park lost a heartbreaker in a shootout, ending a solid season 9-8-1 for coach Chris Ruckdeschel and company.

Bob Kertes continues his development of a powerhouse girls tennis program with another appearance in the Central Jersey Group I semis. Kertes, the incumbent Star-Ledger Coach of the Year, did not disappoint as HP garnered double digits in victories. Sophomore Alina Buevich took hold of the first singles spot for the Owls, showing that youth can still win.

Cross country and track and field continued to develop as a program under some new leadership. With a specialized coaching staff that includes Eric Davis, Mary Denny, Keith Roig and Scott Ruddy, the Owls were able to receive more one-on-one teaching throughout the season to refine their skills. Roig talked to the Mirror early in the 2008 calendar year about how the staff was able to help the team.

“That’s actually a luxury for us,” Roig said. “We all help each other and if you have four coaches, you can specialize due to the sheer amount of events in track. By allowing each of us to work with different runners and throwers, we can compete with the bigger schools in that way. The new coaches have experience in their events and that will add to the expertise they bring in their instruction.”

HPHS boys’ basketball struggled in the win column but displayed a versatile lineup night in and out. Seniors LaQuan Benbow and James Boyd brought the lion’s share of the offense, while guards Justin Brown and Jahlil Evans joined frontcourt man Javon Harrison to round out the five. Head coach Derek Nobles preached patience all season as he looks to build back up a program only two years removed from the sectional quarterfinals.

Much like his father, Glen Kertes just knows how to win—as evidenced by the Owls girls’ basketball program’s return to the Central Jersey Group I championship game. The Mirror was on hand in Plainsboro for the Owls’ whisker-close fall to New Providence as HP took home a 16-9 season as consolation. Senior Justine Boyd and freshman Jocelyn Summers were instant points for HP, who have logged 34 wins in the last two seasons.

Owls wrestling, led by Craig Girvan and Scott Gerba, landed a big-time win over South River on Jan. 29 to highlight a season that saw the Owls push double digits in wins. Individually, the HPHS wrestlers had winning records across the board including standout William Randall-Goodman’s 17-5 record at 189 lbs. following the victory over the Rams.

“We’re ready to move kids through the system and instill success,” Girvan said. “That’s a big goal of the program.”

Highland Park baseball and softball are both in rebuilding mode but constantly positive about the future of Rich McGlynn and Lori Szentgyorgyi’s respective teams. On the baseball side, senior Tony Olarra clubbed five home runs and was on the front-end of the pitching rotation. For the softball team, sophomore Samantha Mundy finished as an All-Division performer, showing that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Owls boys’ tennis and head coach Tom Sclafani finished a successful season with a loss to South River in the Central Jersey Group I semifinals and by holding strong in the top two of the Blue Division. Senior Mike Rong was seeded 11 out of 32 in the county tournament and the Owls found a way to make it over .500 once again.

All in all, it was a successful 2007-2008 school year for HPHS athletics. With the imminent installation of new field surfaces behind the school (workers were on site at press time), one can only imagine even more improvement heading into next year. Until the fall of 2008!