10/17/2012 - Pope John Soccer Eyes History
There have been plenty of memorable moments at Pope John during the Fall on Saturday afternoons.
Those moments have come courtesy of the powerful football program which put the small Catholic school on the map.
The Lions can add another chapter to their rich tradition this Saturday and it will involve football, but not the American kind.
The Pope John boys and girls soccer teams have the opportunity to make history when the teams host the semifinal round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament with an opportunity for the school’s first trip to the soccer final in either sport.
The Pope John boys (12-3-1), the top seed from Sussex, will host No. 2 Hackettstown (14-1-1) from H/W at 3 p.m. on the upper turf field, while the top-seeded PJ girls (13-2) will face off with No. 2 North Hunterdon (7-8) at 3 p.m. on the football field.
In the other boys semifinal, No. 2 Newton (15-3), winners of 10 straight, will travel to face No. 1 Hunterdon Central (10-4-1) Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Stewart Memorial Field at HC.
On the girls side, No. 2 Sparta (11-4-1) will also make the trek to Flemington and take on the top-seeded Red Devils (10-7) at 2:30 p.m. at Stewart Field.
In field hockey, No. 1 High Point will host No. 2 Hunterdon Central in the semifinals at 3:15 p.m. as the Wildcats look to get back to the tourney final after losing to Warren Hills last year.
When it comes to the girls soccer tourney, Sussex has faired extremely well, winning all three tournaments since its inception. High Point won titles in 2009 and 2011 with Jamie Christensen winning the MVP in both tournaments.
Vernon took home the crown in 2010. Hunterdon Central lost in the first two title games, while Belvidere fell victim to HP in last year’s final in OT.
Here is a breakdown of all the semifinal games in soccer. Check out Mike Weilamann’s Open Mike Blog for an in-depth look at the field hockey tourney
GIRLS
(2) NORTH HUNTERDON AT (1) POPE JOHN---Pope John is playing its best soccer since the Sussex County Interscholastic League disbanded 2009 when the he Lions dominated the conference for its final six seasons.
Veteran coach Ryan Barbulescu has assembled a good mix of veterans and young players who have meshed well and are atop of the American Division with an undefeated record.
PJ’s losses have come to Blair Academy, 3-2, and Randolph 5-1. The Lions (13-2) swept the season series against Sparta with 2-1 and 5-4 wins.
The Lions topped North Warren 2-1 and Phillipsburg 3-2 to advance.
The Lions on the attack look for outstanding freshman Rebecca Frisk, Ally Bolger, Alex McGill and Morgan Hassa. Isabella Marra is outstanding in the midfield, while Melissa Scarpone and Erin Tormey do the job on defense in front of keeper Victoria Stecky.
North Hunterdon (7-8) plays in the very rugged Skyland Conference and plays schools like Pingry, Montgomery, Bridgewater and Hunterdon Central, so their record is deceiving. Coach Garrett Lelko has done a fine job with the program as he led the Lions to the semifinals in 2010 losing in OT to Vernon.
The Lions blanked Vernon 4-0 and nipped Newton 4-2 to reach the semifinals.
North has an outstanding finisher in Katherine Campbell, while Jillian Kennedy, Kim Oldakowski and Kaitlyn Klepper are veteran and talented presences on the pitch. Keeper Kelly Gallagher is the back bone of the defense.
PICK—Pope John 3-2.
(2) SPARTA AT (1) HUNTERDON CENTRAL—The young Spartans (11-4-1) are a very dangerous club and have had no real trouble scoring this season as evident of their 4-3 win over Hackettstown and 5-2 victory over Voorhees in the first two rounds of the tourney.
Sophomore Jamie Delaney was the hero against Hackettstown and is the team’s leading scorer. But the Spartans are not jut a one-trick pony as Taylor Bramley, Taylor Nolan, Joelle Fusco, Danielle Montesano have all shown the ability to score.
Bramley controls the middle while Kristy Levan, Emily Corrice and Claire Schmitzer have been solid on defense in front of keeper Melissa Barry, one of the best around.
HC has been the bridesmaids twice and the Red Devils are looking for their first crown under veteran coach Jeannine Calhoun. HC (10-7) plays in the Skyland Conference like North Hunterdon and has suffered losses to Pingry and Montgomery.
The Red Devils topped Lenape Valley 4-0 and High Point 3-0 to advance.
HC looks to Allison DeLuca, Christine Tack, Jo Moore, Sarah London, Riley Coppersmith and Amanda Powell on the attack. Yota Sfondouris and Emily Pizzuto control the midfield. Veteran keeper Paige Dillard is back and is one of the top goalies in West Jersey.
PICK---Hunterdon Central 4-3
BOYS
(2) HACKETTSTOWN AT (1) POPE JOHN----Two of the top teams from the Sussex/Warren area will go at it in what should prove a dandy of a showdown.
Pope John under veteran coach Brad Cameron is enjoying one of its best seasons at 12-3-1 and the Lions are also in the thick of the American Division race with several other teams.
PJ’s setbacks have come to state-power Freehold and division rivals Morris Hills and Montville. The Lions knocked off Sparta 3-0 and Voorhees 2-1 to advance.
Cameron has carved a reputation as a big-game coach with the Lions posting several upsets over the years in the state and H/W/S tourneys.
But the Lions are no longer the underdog and will host their very first semifinal. The Lions strength is their depth and balance with 14 seniors.
The Lions do a great job of moving the ball and any one of several Lions can beat you on the attack. Davis Stoner is a great athlete and can beat you in the air or with his feet.
Rob McKinley, Gabe El-Ghandour and Garrett Abbey are also very capable while Brandon Schultz can score and controls the midfield. Anthony Calella, Nick and Anthony Grant, Danny Beard, Brian McNamara and Brian Hopkins are all top-notch players while Steve Golembioski is solid in goal.
Hackettstown is enjoying a marvelous season under its Hall-of Fame coach Gary Thomas who owns over 300 wins and a state title in 2001. The Tigers are 14-1-1 with their loss coming to Newton 2-1 in OT and their tie a 2-2 deadlock with Kittatinny.
Andy Nitzl and Cole Leckburg have been terrific all season, while Edin and Dean Hadzovic have added some punch as well. Keeper Justin Nicholls anchors the defense.
The Tigers topped defending tourney champ Delaware Valley 2-1 and Sussex Tech 5-1 to advance.
PICK---POPE JOHN 3-1.
(2) NEWTON AT (1) HUNTERDON CENTRAL---This is a payback game for Hunterdon Central which fell to Newton 2-1 in OT last year in the semifinals at the Abbey in Andover.
The Red Devils (10-4-1) are led by their veteran coach Anson Smith and play in the Skyland Conference which houses state-powers Pingry and Hillsborough.
HC won the tourney two years ago with a win over North Hunterdon. The Red Devils look to Mitch Rozansky, Matt Zampetti, Nick Provenzano, Jeremy Levine, Brendan Jaeger, Jake Schenk and Anthony DeOre. Trevor Fuller has been great in goal all season.
HC topped Hopatcong 6-0 and Vernon 5-0 to gain a berth in the semifinals.
Newton (15-3) is having another super season for its outstanding coach Pat Brennan. The Braves are in first place of the Freedom Division and are looking to reach the final for the second straight year and third time in four years.
The small Group 2 school will have its hands full with the behemoth Group 4 Red Devils, but the scrappy Braves will be ready to play and will give as good as they get.
Andy Weber, an All-State candidate, makes the Braves go and will the key to the Braves’ success. Bret Conrads is his partner in the middle and he has been outstanding.
The Braves’ attack received a lift last week when hard-charging Leo Recalde returned from injury and he joins Ryan Cronin as a serous scoring threat.
Ryan Brewster, TJ Chrustic, Brady Castle and Chris Guth are all having good years as is veteran keeper Kyle Morel.
Newton bumped off North Warren 2-1 and North Hunterdon 3-2 to reach the semifinals.
PICK---NEWTON 2-1 IN OT
So who will win it all? In a previous blog I picked Pope John and let’s see if the Lions come through.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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