West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s football team has come full circle. The Pirates played Nottingham as underdogs in the first game of the season on September 10 and came away with a surprise 17-7 win. This Saturday, November 19, they play again.##M:[more]##
But this time when the Pirates face off against the Northstars — at home at 1 p.m. — they will have an opportunity to win the Colonial Valley Conference outright and advance to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship game.
The Pirates, who had a combined 5-15 record over the last two years coming into this season, posted a 9-0 record and already won the opening game of the CJ III playoffs on November 12 against Colts Neck, 24-21.
If the Pirates win on Saturday they will move on to play in the sectional championship game against Ocean or Wall townships during the first weekend in December.
It would also be the first 10-win season in the school’s history, and the first time since 1987 that the team would play in CJ III final. That year, they lost the championship game to Franklin.
Anyone who thinks that it’s a lock that the match-up against Nottingham this time around will be a repeat performance of the first might want to take another look. Since losing to South, the Northstars revamped their lineup and have won nine straight games.
But the Pirates have also gotten stronger each week. Going into the season, Todd Smith, South’s new head coach, scrapped the run-and-shoot offense the team had played in recent years and installed a smash-mouth style that made the Pirates the second-ranked rushing offense in the CVC.
In the Colts Neck game, running back Ryan Lupo not only scored the winning touchdown, he also rushed for a career-high 258 yards on 26 carries.
Lupo, a junior, is ranked in the top five in the league in rushing, with 1,”050 yards on 103 carries and 15 touchdowns. Earl Burgess is second with 573 yards and 8 touchdowns, followed by Stuart Adams with 208 yards, 3 TDs, and Brian Morris, 203 yards, 3 TDs.
The hard-nosed offense is matched with an equally tough defensive squad that held opponents pointless four times this season. In the nine games so far this year, the Pirates have allowed only 61 points, and seven touchdowns.
Win or lose this weekend, the Pirates will play a home game against Lawrenceville on Saturday, November 26, at noon. Based on Saturday’s results, the game will either be the Pirates’ last chance to reach 10 wins this year, or an opportunity to keep sharp before the CJ III final the following weekend.
Football
High School North, (1-8). A loss to Steinert, 42-7, on November 5. Passing: Zach Weale, 0-4; Chris Petrone, 2-4, for 12 yards. Rushing: Darren Paret, 7-22, 1 TD; Michael DeGoria, 8-16; Weale, 2-7; Raymon Sanchez, 1-3; Jack Mulhal, 1-3; Jordan Chirombolo, 2-8; John Blassingame, 5-17. Receiving: Paret, 2-12.
A loss to Red Bank, 26-12, on November 12 in a state tournament consolation game. Scoring rushing touchdowns were DeGoria, and Sanchez.
High School South, (9-0). A win over Princeton, 27-0 on November 5. Passing: Colin Dampier, 5-9 for 59 yards, 2 interceptions. Rushing: Earl Burgess, 9-63, 1 TD; Brian Morris, 9-101; Ryan Lupo, 9-117, 2 TD; Stuart Adams, 3-16; Dan Fryer, 4-23. Receiving: Burgess, 1-9; Benny Koenig, 1-13; Adams, 1-18, 1 TD; JB Fitzgerald, 1-8; Steve Odochowski, 1-11.
A win over Colts Neck, 24-21, in the opening round of the NJSIAA Group III Central playoffs on November 12. Passing: Dampier, 3-7, for 58 yards. Rushing: Burgess, 17-77; Lupo, 26-258, 1 TD; Morris, 4-6, 1 TD; Odachowski, 1-3; Adams, 2-10. Receiving: Fitzgerald, 2-23; Adams, 1-35, 1 TD.
Boys’ Soccer
High School South, (13-5-2). A loss to Hillsborough, 2-0, in the NJSIAA Group IV Central Tournament on November 4. Saves: Max Stember-Young, 8.
A loss to Notre Dame, 2-1, in overtime, on November 11. Goal: Zac Howes. Saves: Stember-Young, 5.
Girls’ Soccer
High School North, (13-6-1). A win against Colts Neck, 3-0, in the NJSIAA Group III Central Tournament on November 7. Goals: Jessica Carnevale, 2; Lauren Lentine. Saves: Lilly Pepper, 4.
A loss to Ocean Township, 1-0, in a shootout in the NJSIAA Group III Central Tournament on November 10. The Knights lost the first round of penalty kicks, 4-3. Kicks coverted: Rachel Trink, Kirsten Orloff, Jessica Carnevale. Saves: Pepper, 14.
High School South, (13-4-1). A loss to Middletown North, 3-1, in the NJSIAA Group IV Central Tournament on November 7. Goal: Maura McLaughlin. Saves: Lauren Fucetola, 9.
Boys’ Cross Country
High School North. A ninth-place finish (186 points) in the NJSIAA Group III Central Sectional race on November 5 in Holmdel. Top finishes: Will Munoz, 5th, 17:12; Sean McNulty, 28th, 17:55; John LiPuma, 38th, 18:13; Colin Chudzik, 57th, 18:47; Steve Au-Yeung, 58th, 18:49.
High School South. A second-place finish (102 points) in the NJSIAA Group IV Central Sectional race on November 5 in Holmdel. Top finishes: Brian Leung, 6th, 16:52; Joe Ennis, 7th, 16:54; Chris Reale, 21st, 17:36; Josh Kezele, 24th, 17:46; Kiron Roy, 44th, 18:15.
A sixth-place finish (175 points) in the state Group IV championship race on November 12. Top finishes: Leung, 8th, 16:28; Ennins, 15th, 16:39; Kezele, 39th, 17:11; Reale, 48th, 17:20; Roy, 78th, 17:54.
Girls’ Cross Country
High School North. A 14th-place finish (371 points) in the NJSIAA Group III Central Sectional race on November 5 in Holmdel. Top finishes: Julia Xu, 41st, 22:16; Kailtlyn McNulty, 61st, 24:16; Lara Shearer, 83rd, 25:36; Preshita Gadkari, 92nd, 27:01; Lily Fu, 94th, 27:11.
High School South. A fourth-place finish (104 points) in the NJSIAA Group IV Central Sectional race on November 5 in Holmdel. Top finishes: Katie Kellner, 2nd, 19:19; Kelsie O’Connor, 20th, 20:39; Koren Kwag, 21st, 20:42; Ashley Erickson, 29th, 20:50; Gabi Feibel, 32nd, 21:03.
A sixth-place finish (186 points) in the state Group IV championship race on November 12. Top finishes: Kellner, 7th, 19:19; Erickson, 40th, 20:41; Kwag, 42nd, 20:42; Feibel, 51st, 20:54; and O’Connor, 64th, 21:15.
U-14 Girls’ Soccer
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Fusion defeated the Bridegwater Freedom 2-0 on November 13. The Fusion’s two goals were scored by Alex Thumm off of a nice lead pass from Stacey Coyle and by Becky Korodan after a crossing free kick by Amanda Colonna.
Goalies Julie Rekant and Chelsea Corell recorded the shutout for the Fusion behind strong defensive play from Sammy Simon, Jenna Zhang, Cristina Richardson, Ali Sisco and Becky Korodan. The Fusion also received aggressive midfield and forward play from Marissa Davila, Lexie Forsell, Cara Milione, Allie Pungello, Jamie Scoff and Brooke Townsend.
Marathon Man
Deepak Budaguppe of West Windsor ran the New York Marathon on November 6. It took five hours and 30 minutes for him to complete the 26.2 miles.
A graduate of Mysore University in India with a bachelors of engineering in computer science, he received his master’s degree in transportation engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is working on his second master’s degree in management at NJIT and works for Friendly Consultants, a software consulting firm in West Windsor.
College Report
Gregg Laskow of Plainsboro, a sophomore at Frostburg State University, was one of five players from the school’s men’s soccer team placed on the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Soccer Team.
Gregg, a 2004 graduate of WW-P High School North, was named an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection. He finished tied for third on the team with eight points coming from three goals and two assists. Gregg also had two game-winning goals against Gettysburg and Penn State Altoona. In the AMCC Tournament, Frostburg State advanced to the semifinals but lost 0-1 in double overtime to AMCC Champion Medaille College.
Gregg is majoring in History with a minor in Psychology. His parents, Joe and Doreen, live in Plainsboro.
Rowing
The Mercer Junior Rowing Club concluded its fall season with two first-place finishes in 1,”500 meter races at the Braxton Memorial Regatta 2005 on the Schuylkill River in Philadephia on November 13.
The Girls Varsity Eight boat finished first with a time of 5:21.74 in the Women’s Junior Eight Event. The crew included WW-P South rowers Erin Conlon, Rachel LaBella, Katie Hyer, and Phoebe Getzow.
The Boys JV Eight boat finshed first in the Men’s HS JV Eight Event with a time of 5:23.16. The boat crew was Rinku Bandyopadhay, Jordan Berman, Brad Dewey, Christian Honore, Mike Iacouzzi, Theo Kandaurov, Steven Karasik, Paul Kuhlman, and Adam Bachrach.
