Saturday, March 9, 2013
Bergen Catholic dominated during the Region 2 tournament while River Dell struggled in the later rounds
As River Dell's DJ Tirelli and nine Bergen Catholic Crusaders battle the best of the state in Atlantic City today for a state individual title, Patch takes a look at how they got there from the Region 2 tournament. Tirelli won his first match of the tournament when he pinned Michael Foca of Hackensack in under 30 seconds during the quarterfinals but later ran into trouble in the semifinals when facing Don Bosco's Sam Cali. Tirelli trailed early and was ultimately unable to make up enough points to move into the finals as he fell 9-1. Facing Matt Murphy (Northern Highlands) in the third place consolation, Tirelli came out fast and hard, pinning Murphy in 2:23 for a third place finish and his spot in Atlantic City. The Hawks got off to a …
Friday, March 8, 2013
DJ Tirelli is the lone Golden Hawk to take the mat this weekend while Bergen Catholic sends nine
For the second year in a row, DJ Tirelli, Johnny Sebastian, Christian Jenco, Tyler Casamenti and Carmine Goldsack will all return to Atlantic City this weekend with their eyes on a state individual wrestling title. Tirelli who finished third in the Region 2 tournament is the lone Golden Hawk to compete in Atlantic City this year and will look to redeem himself in the 120-pound bracket after falling in the third round last year. As an unseeded wrestler, he will face Peter Ottaviano of Colts Neck on Friday night and a win sets him up against top-seeded Brenden Calas of Seton Hall Prep. Bergen Catholic's Sebastian, who has moved up from his former 160 weight class to 182, earned the top-seed for this weekend after claiming his second Region 2…
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Crusaders gridiron trio of AJ Gallagher, John Feaster and Dom Mattia will all continue playing together in college
Next fall, Muhlenberg College will welcome a trifecta of Bergen Catholic Crusaders as AJ Gallagher, John Feaster and Dom Mattia have all chosen to compete for the D-3 Mules football team. All three athletes have been a starting member of the Crusaders for the past few years with Gallagher (Wyckoff) serving as tightend, Feaster (Washington Township) as a wide receiver, defensive back and kick-off returner, and Mattia (Cedar Grove) as an offensive lineman. Feaster, who played three-ways for Bergen has racked up over 900 receiving yards, 12 touchdown's and 60 receptions on offense along with 44 tackles on defense. As part of the Crusaders' special teams, Feaster run over 400 kick-off return yards. Gallagher picked up 381 career receiving …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
All hockey and basketball teams have been ousted from the state tournament, while the girls 4x800 relay set a new record
River Dell and Bergen Catholic claimed a total of 14 district titles on the mat last week and are now currently battling out in the Region 2 tournament and the right to compete in Atlantic City. In District 8, the Golden Hawks finished second as a team behind St. Joseph Regional, while Nick Baranello and DJ Tirelli won their third and second career district titles. Drew Nirchio, Cenzo Cariddi, Brendan Campbell and John Arancio all placed second and Tyler Kallansee finished third. The Crusaders once again claimed the District 7 title and placed 12 wrestlers in the finals. Bergen began its historic run with 10 wrestlers earning a first round bye. This year's District 7 champions were Nick Suriano (106), Tyler Casamenti (113), Matthew Rose (…
Saturday, February 23, 2013
For the first time since 2008, the Golden Hawks will compete in the Public A tournament
For the first time in several years, the River Dell ice hockey program has hit numerous milestones in a short period of time and among them is their first appearance in the state tournament since 2008. The Hawks' 11-10-2 record also gives the team their highest season wins since 2006-07 and their first Big North Gold Cup playoff win in five years. River Dell defeated Clifton, 6-3 to finish out their regular season and then a day later defeated the Mustangs in the Gold Cup quarterfinals as sophomore Brett Connon unleashed his fury in the 4-2 victory. Connon, who netted the final shot, capped off the early lead provided Greg Rassam, Jacob Buchner and Richard Myers. River Dell later fell to Paramus Catholic, 6-1, in the semifinals as Connon …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Earlier this month the Bergen Catholic Jazz Ensemble performed at Trumpets in Montclair
The Bergen Catholic Jazz Ensemble braved an early February snowstorm to take the stage at the jazz club Trumpets in Montclair. The ensemble, which is comprised of 20 young men split into four instrumental sections of saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section (guitar, bass, piano and drums) performed classics such as “Funk-O-Matic, “Boogie Stop Shuffle” and “In A Sentimental Mood.”
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Hawks, Crusaders matmen battle to respective wrestling finals
Heading into their North 1 Public A quarterfinals appearance, the Lady Hawks drew one of the toughest opponents in the state, top-seeded Westfield. And while the Lady Hawks fell 129-41 to the Blue Devils, River Dell finished the season on a high note, topping neighboring Paramus 112-58. The Lady Hawks were led by Gabi Denicola (200 Free, 100 Fly), Maddy Toohey (50 Free, 100 Free), Lienne Barrise (100 Back), Emily Reynolds (100 Breast stroke) and the relay teams of Laurel Passaretti, Barrise, Denicola, and Toohey in the 200 Free relay and the 400 Free Relay squad of Maddy Pizzuto, Denicola, Reynolds and Toohey. River Dell just survived their semifinal meeting with West Essex for a 33-30 victory as Tyler Kallensee (5:02 tech. fall), Nick …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Former Don Bosco coach Mark DeMenna was named to lead the Bergen Catholic baseball program this spring
Former Don Bosco head coach Mark DeMenna will be donning Bergen red this spring as the Waldwick native was named as Jim Burt Jr.'s successor to lead the Crusaders. DeMenna spent one-year guiding the Ironmen (25-1) to the 2011 Bergen County Championship as well as the 2011 Big North United Division Title before falling to the Crusaders in the state playoffs. He was later fired by Don Bosco with the school claiming it was 'seeking a new direction'. “It’s an absolute honor to be chosen and I know there were some pretty good candidates out there, but it’s very refreshing to know that I have a lot of supporters, and to be chosen for this position is very humbling," DeMenna said in a press release. "Bergen Catholic is synonymous with chasing …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Wrestling and swimming prepare for state tournaments
Twenty points stood between the River Dell Lady Hawks and Bergen Catholic Crusaders from moving forward in their respective County Basketball tournaments. The Lady Hawks fell to Holy Angels, 45-26 while the Crusaders came up short against Hackensack, 88-66. But the good news for both teams is they rebounded quickly picking up two consecutive wins this past week. River Dell's Kayla McGovern netted 11 points in the 45-18 victory over Fort Lee and Kayleen Melvin chipped in 15 during a 60-33 win over Cliffside Park. Nadi Beciri (18) and PJ Reed (17) led the way in the Crusaders 68-64 win over Ramapo and then Liam Fowler pitched in 15 points including five treys to defeat Fair Lawn, 62-58. The Golden Hawks dropped two in a row this week as they…
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
17 Bergen Catholic seniors will take their talents to the NCAA as freshman from the Division-3 level up to Division-1 schools
From Rhode Island and Maryland to Arizona and Illinois and back to New Jersey, 17 Bergen Catholic Crusaders officially inked their NCAA Letters of Intent during a Wednesday morning ceremony. The 17 seniors represented seven varsity teams from football, tennis, baseball, lacrosse, track and field, soccer and golf. Of the athletes, 11 have committed to a Division-1 program with two to Division-2 schools and three competing on the Division-3 level. "We are honoring everyone who has committed to be an NCAA athlete next year," Bergen Catholic Sports Information Director Dan Long said. "These 17 athletes represent seven Crusader sports. This is a very special year for Bergen with the most sports represented here in school history." The 2013 …
Orlando Fontanez
7:53 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Congratulations, guys! You all will do great!! more ›