Three of WW-P’s sports teams have found themselves atop Mercer County so far this season. The tally? North: 2; South: 1.
For South, it is the sixth time over the last seven years the tennis team has won the MCT title. But the excitement is special at North this year — the boys’ golf team earned its first ever Mercer County title on May 5. Meanwhile, North boys’ lacrosse has taken the Mercer County title for the second year in a row.
North’s golf team was led by Ryan Ziegler and Charles Cai. The team shot a combined 323 at Mountain View Gold Course to take home the trophy. Siegler shot a 40-36-76 on the par-72 course, while Cai shot a 39-38-77 to finish second and third overall in individual play. Also impressive for the Knights were Simran Charan, who shot a 45-38-83, and 2008’s individual champion Dan Trink, who shot a 44-43-87.
Adding to the momentum was another important victory for the boys: a win against South, 187-199, on May 11. Cai and Siegler came up again as the top finishers, with Cai finishing with a blazing 5-under-par 31 at Mercer Oaks Golf Course. Siegler shot a 36.
North almost had the edge over South in this year’s county tennis tournament but could not repeat last season’s triumph. Last year North put an end to South’s five-year reign at the top of Mercer County. This year, however, South took back the Mercer County crown, squeaking by on a half-point margin.
North put up quite the fight, but in the end, South was crowned the champion on April 30, behind the finals victories of its second and third singles players, Julian Richardson and Daniel Ng, both of whom took home individual titles.
Meanwhile, North, which finished second with a score of 19.5, dominated first and second doubles, with the teams of Abishy Pandita and Kevin Shi and Zach Kurfirst and Kevin Shock taking home individual titles. The win for Kurfirst and Shock was especially rewarding for North because they had fought hard against South’s Thomas Weng and Nikhil Gavai, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, in the finals to earn the second doubles title.
But the crosstown rivalry was not over, and North was able to come back and defeat South, 4-1, on May 10 in the teams’ second regular season meeting.
North got the best of South in boys’ lacrosse action this month as well, as North ousted second-seeded South, 10-7, in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals on May 10, propelling North to the finals to take on Notre Dame. The game was back-and-forth early on, with South answering each of North’s shots. However, North pulled ahead with an 8-3 lead that South could never erase.
Todd Petrone, the team’s leading scorer, contributed the most to the team’s success that night, netting six goals. But it was teamwork that proved successful on May 12 in the team’s 8-4 win against Notre Dame for the title. Andrew Washuta finished with four goals, while Drew Kenavan had three, and Jake Slonaker had one.
Defense was also key for the Knights, and Killian Brakel has also been a key factor in the Knights’ success. In the title game, he had 11 saves. Against South, he had 10.
The North softball team is also in the MCT finals, after having defeated Nottingham, 4-0, on May 11. The Knights (13-5) were expected to face Steinert on Thursday, May 13, after the News’ deadline.
At the Mercer County track championships on May 8, North runner Jim Rosa added to his list of individual titles, winning the 1,600 in a record time of 4:11.62, beating the old record he set last year of 4:13.3. His brother, Joe, took the title in the 3,200, also in record time of 9:11.05 — beating the old record of 9:22.09, set in 1985. Teammate Corey Abernathy also emerged as a champion, taking the title in the shot put, 59-11.50, for the second straight year.
Meanwhile, South’s Alex Prieto took home a gold medal in the triple jump, with a 43-6.50.
