The Pirates are the teams to beat heading into this weekend’s Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park.
The South girls’ cross country team is ranked No. 1 in the state following commanding victories at the Group IV Central sectional on November 9 and the Group IV state championship on November 16.
The South boys, ranked No. 2 in the state behind the private Christian Brothers Academy, matched the girls’ success with wins at the sectional and group meets.
In the sectional meet at Monroe’s Thompson Park the Pirate girls placed four runners in the top 10 to defeat second-place Hillsborough, 49 to 88. Deirdre Casey was the top finisher for the girls, placing second in 18:44. Christina Rancan followed in third place, and Edlyn Gulama was 10th. Alex Hesterberg and Penny Luan took 14th and 20th, respectively, to round out the scoring.
Despite graduating five of the top seven runners from the 2012 state champion team, the South boys captured their fourth consecutive sectional championship. The Pirates scored 42 points behind a 2-3-4 finish by Tom Vinci, Karn Setya, and Nikhil Pulimood. Tim Bason finished 11th and Nick Maher finished 22nd to complete the top five.
The North boys finished in seventh, led by Bryan Howard, who came in 25th overall in 16:55. Manolya Altan’s time of 19:55 was good for 22nd place and helped the North girls come in ninth.
The South boys’ and girls’ teams advanced to the Group IV championship on November 16 at Holmdel Park and continued their dominance. The girls captured their first-ever state title. Rancan finished third overall, followed by Casey in 11th, Gulama in 14th, Luan in 26th, and Hesterberg in 33rd. Alli Bacher and Alexandra Murray finished in 91st and 113th, respectively. The girls finished with 87 points, 20 ahead of second-place finisher Randolph.
The boys took their second consecutive crown with 80 points, ahead of Westfield with 114. Vinci was the Pirates’ top finisher, coming in fourth place, followed by Pulimood in seventh and Setya in 10th. Bason was 19th and Maher finished in 40th. Zabih Kotecha was 88th, and Zach Crossey came in 100th. It was the boys’ second straight Group IV title.
Both squads will attempt to continue their winning streaks in the Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park on Saturday, November 23.
South Boys. A first-place finish in the Central Jersey Group IV meet on November 9 at Thompson Park. 2. Vinci, 15:44; 3. Setya, 15:53; 4. Pulimood, 15:58; 11. Bason, 16:26; 22. Maher, 16:52; 31. Kotecha, 17:08; 39. Sam Williams, 17:19.
A first-place finished in the Group IV meet on November 16 at Holmedel Park. 4. Vinci, 16:03; 7. Pulimood, 16:22; 10. Setya, 16:25; 19. Bason, 16:36; 40. Maher, 17:06; 88. Kotecha, 17:45; 100. Zach Crossey, 17:59.
North Boys. A seventh-place finish at the Central Jersey Group IV meet on November 9 at Thompson Park. 25. Howard, 16:55; 28. Rohan Doshi, 17:02; 32. Kian Jackson, 17:09; 40. Colin Stern, 17:20; 45. Marcus Trenfield 17:27; 64. Shuming Teoh, 17:51; 89. Nicholas Staltzer, 18:28.
South Girls. A first-place finish in the Central Jersey Group IV meet on November 9 at Thompson Park. 2. Casey, 18:44; 3. Rancan, 18:53; 10. Gulama, 19:24; 14. Hesterberg, 19:40; 20. Luan, 19:44; 36. Bacher, 20:34; 62. Murray, 21:33.
A first-place finish in the Group IV meet on November 16 at Holmdel Park. 3. Rancan, 19:02; 11. Casey, 19:27; 14. Gulama, 19:29; 26. Luan, 20:02; 33. Hesterberg, 20:09; 91. Bacher, 21:28; 113. Murray, 22:10.
North Girls. A ninth-place finish at the Central Jersey Group IV meet on November 9 at Thompson Park. 22. Altan, 19:55; 25. Ilyssa Stark, 19:59; 48. Jessica Nguyen, 21:03; 56. Sahana Natarajan, 21:17; 72. Alisha Daley, 21:57; 93. Jaspriya Malhotra, 22:53; 102. Melan Kiebuzinski, 23:38.
Field Hockey
North (10-11). A 4-1 loss to Montgomery on November 8. Goals: Leigh Calotta, 1. Assists: Olivia Harpel, 1. Saves: Christina Hayduchok, 18. NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 tournament semifinals.
South (12-10). A 6-2 loss to Hunterdon Central on November 8. Goals: Rachael Salerno, Erin Sheets, 1. Assists: Salerno, 1. Saves: Jess Kaganskiy, 22. NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 tournament semifinals.
Boys’ Soccer
North (10-7-1). A 2-1 loss to South Brunswick on November 5. Goals: Nana Owusu-Boahen, 1. Assists: Melvin Sapon, 1. Saves: Tipu Shah, 9. NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 tournament, first round.
Girls’ Volleyball
South (12-9). A 2-0 loss to Tenafly on November 6. Jinae Park: 16 assists, 3 kills, 2 digs, 1 block, 1 service point. Lauren Frullo: 7 service points, 6 digs, 2 aces, 1 kill. Hayley Merrill: 15 kills, 7 digs, 5 service points, 2 aces.
Crew: South Students Part of Winning 8+
The Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Rowing Club men’s high school varsity 8+ crew won the Colletta Family Trophy at the 40th annual Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta on November 10 on Cooper River. Finn Ludwig and Sean Kelly, both students at High School South, participated in the race.
