Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

1/3/2010 - Top Teams Of The Decade

It is that time of the year again. That time when everyone looks back on the past 12 months and people like me tell you what the top 5, 10 or whatever stories were for the past year.

Picking the top stories is extremely subjective, but some are a slam dunks. Like last year, the No. 1 story in the Mugs Media area was realignment and the death of the Sussex County Interscholastic League.

But after that, you can pick numerous stories depending on what sports you follow. The point being is that lists serve no other purpose than to provoke thought, which is a good thing. There is no right or wrong, it is whatever you feel is important.

So with the end of the decade upon us, I thought I would join the “List Parade” and name the top 5 teams of the last 10 years in my humble opinion.

I used no scientific formula, just my subjective observations. Some teams may surprise you, some won’t. But now that the decade is over, these are the top teams of 2000s.

1. HIGH POINT WRESTLING 2008-The Wildcats garner the No. 1 ranking for their history-making run two seasons ago which culminated with their first-ever Group 3 state title.

The area has seen some amazing wrestling teams over the years with Kittatinny’s incredible run of seven state championships in the 2000s leading the way. But the Cougars could never reach the pinnacle of the sport. Kittatinny came tantalizing close a couple of times, but the Cougars never finished the consensus No. 1 team in the state.

In fact no area team had done the trick (Blair Academy is not a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association) since the great Jefferson teams of the early 1990s.

But High Point finally got its state-title monkey off its back in 2008 by steamrolling its way to a 30-1 season with a dominating 63-3 win over Sayreville in the Group 3 final. The Wildcats only loss was to Blair as the Wildcats beat everyone else in New Jersey with ease.

The core of that team is still wrestling for the Wildcats. The “Fab Freshmen” of Nick Francavilla, Ethan Orr, Drew Wagonhoffer, Joey Gaccione and Billy Smith bolstered an already solid lineup that included Joe Donahue, Tyler Forbeck, Gavin Tarsa, Vin Gallo, Billy Gould, Tom Diviantonio, Billy Hotalen and senior leader Brad Thomas.

The fact that the Wildcats lost two starters to injuries—Kyle Donadio and Griffin Panicucci—before the state tournament makes what they did even more impressive.

The Wildcats unfortunately could not defend their title in 2009 due to their disqualification for not wrestling enough matches against teams from New Jersey, but 2010 promises to be another magical year in Wantage.

2. SPARTA GIRLS BASKETBALL 2001—The Spartans ushered in the decade as not only one of the best teams in the area, but in the state.

The Spartans had already won state crowns in 1985 and 1990 and reached the final three more times before finally claiming their third banner in 2001 with a resounding win over Toms River South.

Girls basketball in the early 2000s was as good as it gets in the area with Sparta, North Warren and Newton all reaching the final game at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth. But only the Spartans took home the big prize.

The Spartans went 27-2 and only lost to Jefferson in the SCIL Festival final before falling to Group 4 champ Columbia in the Tournament of Champions.

The 2001 team was a perfect blend of basketball players who knew their roles and executed them perfectly. Coach Fred Geffken knew he had a special bunch and they did not let him down.

The squad featured four Division I athletes and tremendous depth. Jessica Trainor, who couldn’t score a lick, was the top point guard in the area and was possibly the best defensive player in the state.

What she did to Kelley Suminski of Mendham in the state semifinals is the stuff legends are made of. Trainor, who went onto an outstanding career for the University of Virginia’s soccer team, locked up Suminski one-on-one despite giving up eight inches to the All-State performer and future Stanford University star.

Mendham was a big favorite coming in to win the Group 3 crown and the TOC, but thanks to Trainor the Spartans advanced.

Melissa Yeagley, who went on to play at Iona, was the MVP of the final game, but Meghan Jent, who played at Robert Morris, was a force all game and was the team’s high scorer. Diana Dilworth, Olivia Keil and Brittany Keil, who was a freshman and would eventually play at Holy Cross, rounded out the best girls hoops team of the decade.

3. SPARTA FOOTBALL 2003-- Sparta football returned to glory in the early part of the decade and coach Pat Shea capped his first stint with the Spartans by guiding the Spartans to the first and only 12-0 season in Sussex County history.

Yes, I know there were some other great teams in the decade like Pope John and Hopatcong, but no other team can lay claim to being perfect.

The Spartans won the SCIL behind its talented and well-balanced offensive attack led by one of the best field generals, in my opinion in county history, Eric Reese. Reese possessed tremendous ability, but his leadership and game management were second to none.

Reese went onto a fine baseball career at Fordham University.

Adam LaValley was one of the most versatile players the Spartans have ever had. He could run the ball, catch and kick. He also played great defense. Chris Mullen, Tom Zanetich, Ryan Lindsley, Tom Lindsley and Ryan Skorupka were fantastic skill players, while Doug Alpers, Tim Yeagley and Kevin Taylor were superb on the line.

The Spartans knocked off a very game Montville squad 14-10 before blanking Dover 16-0 at Giants Stadium in the best farewell gift Pat Shea could ever receive. The thing I remember about the final was that it was snowed out and played later in the week, but nothing could throw off that Sparta club.

There may have been Sparta teams with more talent during the decade, but like the 1972 Miami Dolphins, no one can say they were perfect for 12 games.

4. JEFFERSON SOFTBALL 2003- Jefferson’s legendary coach Ed Levens had guided the Falcons to the state final five times in his illustrious career, but the Falcons could never win the “Big One.”

Well, that was until Dawn Gilchrist hit her version of the “Shot Heard Around the World” or at least Oak Ridge. The Falcons (23-3) were facing a mighty Hamilton West team, whose coach told everyone before the game that if it scored one run it would win.

Well, someone forgot to the tell the Falcons and behind the outstanding pitching of freshman Brittany Gerritsen the Falcons finally won one for “Lev” as Gilchrist sent everyone home with a dramatic walk-off bomb in extra innings in one of the most exciting conclusions to a sporting event I have ever covered.

This championship game, too, was postponed first due to bad weather. The teams had gathered on Saturday morning in Toms River to play but only got three innings in before the field was unplayable.

All it did was delay the inevitable as the Falcons capped a season in which it shared the SCIL with Sparta, won the Morris County tourney and the North 2, Group 3 section crown.

The section crown was most memorable as well as six senior starters opted not play the game against Cranford to attend the Senior Prom. But a little-known freshman who would become one of the top hoops players in Jefferson history stepped up and etched her name in Jefferson lore.

Dedra Pritchard had already handed in her uniform for the season before Levens asked her to play during the school day, and Pritchard delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh to send the Falcons to an unlikely 3-2 victory.

The Falcons would drop down to Group 2 in 2004 and win another state title behind outstanding pitcher Carolyn McCrea. But that 2003 group of Gilchrist, Gerritsen, Amanda Gates, Amy Tasker, Maria Grill, McCrea, Lauren Cirule and catcher Steph Wyman will always hold a special spot in Levens’ heart.

5. NORTH WARREN BOYS SOCCER 2002-Throughout the 2000s, Sparta’s boys soccer team dominated the area, but North Warren became the only area soccer team, boys or girls, to win a state crown.

The Pats in fact won the Group 1 crown in 2002 and 2003 and lost in the 2004 final, facing the same opponent all three times, South Jersey power Schalick High School.

North Warren has one of the most rich soccer traditions in the state, dating back to Blairstown High School and Fred T. Ehrgood, and then the legend, Jack Sweet, who put tiny Blairstown in Warren County on the soccer map.

But the Pats could never win an elusive state title despite sporting some of the top players in state history, like the Rhodes and Sweet brothers. That changed in 2002 when the Pats hit the road and won the title with a 4-3 win.

The Pats had no trouble scoring and they came out you in waves. Chris O’Donoghue was an incredible scorer while future St. John’s star Rory Quinn was magical with the ball at his feet.

Dan Snyder’s crew, which also featured Greg Sassaman, Dirk Swaneveld and Sean Meehan, gave the North Warren faithful a ride they will never forget.

That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.

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Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

1/3/2010 - Top Teams Of The Decade