The fall sports season has arrived in WW-P, and most teams have already begun to play, including boys’ and girls’ soccer, field hockey, girls’ tennis, and girls’ volleyball. Football and cross country are set to open their seasons in the coming week.
South had an uncharacteristic losing season in football last year after two winning seasons. Head coach Skip Edwards will be returning for his second season with the team and believes that this year’s team is better and more prepared. Additionally, the Pirates’ chances will be boosted by having been placed in West Jersey Football League Valley Division, a new division in which none of the teams had a winning record last season. Returning players include Parkhar Yadav, Connor Holleran, Scott Robinson, Connor McKay, and Andrew Schroepfer.
Though the North football team has had three consecutive losing seasons, the team picked up momentum with three wins toward the end of the 2013 season. The Knights have a new head coach, Jeff Reilly, who hopes to turn around the team’s losing streak. The team is also scheduled to face fewer tough opponents than last season. The team’s offense will be led by returning quarterback Kevin Murphy. Other returning players include Robert Peterson, Malik Thompson, Greg Olson, Logan Brodsky, and C.J. Markisz.
North’s first football game of the season will be Saturday, September 13, at 1 p.m. at Steinert, and South’s first game will be Friday, September, 12 at 7 p.m. at Hightstown. The two teams are scheduled to play each other under the lights on Friday, September 26, at 7 p.m. at High School North.
Both girls’ soccer teams had disappointing seasons in 2013 with a 7-16 record for North and a 5-16-1 record for South. The cross-town rivals faced off for their first game this season, with the Knights edging the Pirates, 3-2, on September 5.
In boys’ soccer, the Knights, who had a winning record of 9-6-1 last year, started their season by tying with Hopewell Valley. The Pirates, who had a 3-13-1 record last season, began this year on a positive note with a victory over Middletown South. The North-South game scheduled for September 5 was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday, September 27, at 1 p.m. at South.
In 2013 the North field hockey team had a 7-10 record and South had an 8-8 record. This year North is off to a 1-1 start, while South is off to a slow start at 0-2. The two teams are scheduled to play each other on Tuesday, September 23, at 6 p.m. at High School South.
Both girls’ tennis teams are coming off successful 2013 seasons. The Pirates had a record of 22-1, ultimately losing in the Group IV semifinals. Several experienced doubles players return this year including Angela Li, Sanjana Ravi, and Margaret MacArthur.
The Knights had a 16-4 record last year and the team’s entire singles lineup — seniors Nyambe Tuchscherer and Arielle Bosworth, in first and second singles respectively, and junior Audrey Chen, in third singles — have returned for the 2014 season.
So far both teams seem to be replicating last year’s accomplishments. North has beaten Hopewell Valley and Allentown and South has defeated Trenton, Nottingham, and Hopewell Valley. The schools have two matches scheduled this season: Monday, October 14, at 4 p.m. at High School South and Friday, October 17, at 4 p.m. at High School North.
Both schools started off the season strong in girls’ volleyball with North coming off a 4-10 season and South coming off a winning season at 9-7. South defeated North, 2-1, when the two faced off on September 5. Both teams have won all their other games so far. The two teams will meet again on Tuesday, October 7, at 7 p.m. at High School South.
In 2013 all four WW-P cross country teams achieved top 10 finishes at the Group IV state championship meet. The North boys and girls took seventh and ninth places, respectively, while both teams at High School South took home state titles. The Pirates also did well at the statewide Meet of Champions, with the boys placing third and the girls placing fourth.
The Pirates are poised to excel again this season, with many returning members of last year’s championship teams. Returning members of the boys’ team include Nikhil Pulimood, Tim Bason, Nick Maher, and Sam Williams, and returning members of the girls’ team include Christina Rancan, Deirdre Casey, Edlyn Gulama, Alexandra Hesterberg, and Alli Bacher.
