Rivalries to be Determined in County Tourneys

Both the Bergen Catholic soccer and River Dell volleyball teams are still alive in their respective County tournaments and will now face familiar faces on Saturday and Sunday.

Soccer

After shutting out Bergenfield, 3-0 in the Bergen County quarterfinals, the Crusaders will now face archrival Don Bosco in the semis this weekend. Erick Alonso netted two goals and Thomas Hogue tacked one another for Bergen's victory. The red and gold were again led by the duo of Alonso and Hogue when the defeated Paramus Catholic, 2-1, on Tuesday. Bergen will take the field against Don Bosco on Sunday, 4pm in Ridgewood.

Nicholas Kim, Ryan Zaccaria and Brett Lubben all had goals in the River Dell 3-0 sweep over Dumont. David Sorkenn finished with 11 saves as the Hawks fell to Mahwah 2-0 on Thursday as the offense struggled to finish.

The Lady Hawks had the momentum heading into their match with Glen Rock in the County quarterfinals following nabbing the Patriot Division League title after their 2-1 victory over Pascack Hills. But by the same score, 2-1, River Dell could not surpass the fourth-seeded Panthers and advance to the semifinals. Brigid Tracy slammed in a corner kick from Frankie Maier for the lone RD goal. A few days later, Maier's hat trick along with deuces by Tracy and Jamie Woods deuce led the Lady Hawks 8-0 over Dumont. Danniella DeBenedetto netted the final tally.

Field Hockey

Meghan Ennis (two goals) led River Dell to a 5-0 victory over Demarest this week with additional tallies made by Cathy Antonelli, Katie Bantoni and Chloe Sneyer. But with their first appearance in the County semifinals for the first time in several years, rival Ramsey's high octane offense was more than the Lady Hawks could handle, falling 3-0. The squad then fell to West Milford 2-1 on Tuesday and were shut out by Ramsey 4-0 in the regular season.

Volleyball

In non-league action, River Dell faced a minor scare by Ridge who won the first match, but the Hawks were able to overcome and win 12-25, 25-21, 25-22 to get back on track. The team then easily advanced in the County Tournament 25-6, 25-11 over Waldwick to set up a date with former BCSL American rival Rutherford. RD’s momentum on the court has only continued to grow with their 25-15, 25-13 victory over Fort Lee and 25-1, 25-6 over Cliffside Park. Mary Maccabee recorded 47 kills and 11 digs, Kalette deMarrais has 74 assists, Jenny Choi had 6 digs and Sarah Recanati came out with 33 digs to finish out the week. River Dell faces Rutherford on Saturday, 6:30pm at Old Tappan.

Football

River Dell got off to a slow start against Pasack Hills last weekend but once the team's momentum picked up there was no stopping the black and gold in their 45-13 victory. Ryan Duran and Anthony Nastasi each ran in two touchdowns and Duran also ran in a 32-yard fumble retun to cap off the win. Ben Shapiro nailed a 24 yard field goal and Chirs Melusi ran for 8 yards.

Bergen Catholic's five turnovers and 17-point deficit proved deadly against the visiting Cocoa High School Tigers, with the Crusaders falling 24-14. The Tigers took a 17-0 lead heading into the third quarter and the red and gold found themselves on the board courtesy of a 13 yard touchdown pass from Jon Germano to Garrett Dickerson. Germano teamed up with Dickerson again in the fourth quarter for the second touchdown of the afternoon. Germano is  now 12 yards shy of become Bergen Catholic's all-time passing yardage leader. He trails initial 1997 record setter Craig Pengitore (4,193 yards) with 4,181 yards. He most likely will earn that record, his second of the season, when Bergen faces Don Bosco next weekend.

Cross Country

River Dell and Bergen Catholic Cross Country will compete on Saturday at the County Championships at Darlington Park. River Dell girls will run at 3:50pm, River Dell boys at 4:25pm and Bergen will run at 4:50pm.

Bergen Catholic will run in the Boys Division A where the Crusaders will face Bergen Tech, Don Bosco, Fair Lawn, Hack­ensack, Northern Highlands, Old Tappan, Paramus, Paramus Catholic, Pascack Valley, Ridge­wood, and Teaneck. Mike Whalen is expected to be a contender this season.

Stefan Schuster should be one of the favorits in the Boys Divsion B against Bergenfield, Cliffside Park, Demarest, Englewood, Fort Lee, Garfield, Indian Hills, Mahwah, Ramapo, Ramsey, and Tenafly.

Last year, Emily Croonquist placed 7th and again should be among the top finishers as she faces Holy Angels, Indian Hills, Ramsey, Tenafly, Mahwah, Cliffside Park and Demarest.

Tennis

The River Dell team earned a 4-1 win over Fort Lee on Tuesday and a similar score over Cliffside Park on Thursday.

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