Despite the soggy start to the spring sports season, teams at both North and South have been off to a great start, with half a dozen of them remaining undefeated more than mid-way through April.##M:[more]##
And while the crosstown rivals have not had all their showdowns yet this season, the boys’ golf teams have, and North has emerged as victorious in its 198-216 win over an Anthony Aloi-less South. (Aloi is now golfing for the Furman University varsity.)
North, 2-0, has returned Simran Charan, Dan Trink, and Andrew Chismar, who led the team in the victory. Charan posted a 35, while Trink posted a 38, and Chismar a 41. Trink and Charan, both juniors, have been turning heads since their freshman year. Trink already has a Mercer County championship under his belt.
But South was not far behind, with Steve Oh posting a 40, Rich Wehringer and Jake Donahue each posting 43, and Mike Casarona finishing with a 44.
South baseball started out on a high note, despite falling on April 13 to Nottingham in a no-hitter, but maintaining a record of 5-1. The team had a strong showing in Florida. Against St. Ann’s and Fox Lane, both of New York, the team won 10-1 and 15-1. South had the chance to test its pitching roster, with Alex Campbell striking out seven; Alex Chanson striking out six, Max Merkovitz striking out five, and Evan Smith pitching a five-hitter with nine strikeouts.
At North (4-1), pitcher Dave Bachner, who will be heading to Seton Hall next year, has turned up a expected stellar performance so far, with 33 strikeouts — 15 of which came against Hamilton on April 13 — three walks, eight hits, and two runs. The team defeated Allentown, 7-2 in its season opener behind Eric Rosenbaum, who finished 3-for-3. In that game, Bachner and Kyle Reed also had good performances at the plate.
South’s softball team remains undefeated at 4-0 after the team’s win against Nottingham, 3-1, on April 13. Led by seniors Alyssa Kelman and Liz Huttner, the team is a force in the CVC this year. During the game, Huttner, who will head to Lafayette College next year, had her 100th career hit in the form of a single. North’s softball team is also doing well, with a 6-5 win over Hamilton on April 13 and a 5-1 record so far.
Three of the four WW-P lacrosse teams remain undefeated, with the South boys standing at 3-0, and the North and South girls at 3-0 and 4-0, respectively. The North boys are not far behind, with only one loss so far this season. The Knights pounded Allentown, 13-5, behind Andrew Washuta’s six goals and six assists and Todd Petrone’s three goals and three assists and followed that up with a routing of Hopewell Valley, 16-5.
Kimmy Collins, who is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 128 points, Jackie Kercheval, and Jacquie Mihalyi, have returned for the North girls’ lacrosse team to propel the team to three impressive wins, including a 17-5 win against Pennington. The team defeated Robbinsville, 14-8, on April 15, with Collins scoring seven goals and Jackie Kercheval scoring three. Mihalyi scored one goal and had three assists.
For the South girls, Megan Odachowski has netted 21 goals in just four contests (she has 97 in her career), helping to carry the Pirates past Montgomery in a 10-9 game, while also leading the romp of Ewing and Blair, both of which ended in a 14-3 Pirates victory. She was also the high scorer in the 18-5 defeat of Lawrence on April 15.
For the South boys lacrosse, which returned key players like Dave Twamley, Jack Dennehy, Connor Farrell, and Eric Valero, all of whom have powered the Pirates to victories over New Egypt, AL Johnson, and Rancocas Valley with scores of 16-5, 10-7, and 15-1.
Not surprisingly, the boys’ tennis teams, known for consistently finishing among the best in the county and state each year, have not done their reputations any disservice. None of North’s opponents this season so far have been able to even scratch the surface, as all contests, against Hamilton, Robbinsville, and South Brunswick have ended in a 5-0 North victories. Tim Wu returns to the Knights this year, filling the first singles slot, and Brandon Frank returns at second singles. Evan Samet has taken the reins at third singles. Sean Lee and Zach Zurfist at first doubles, and Jun Yoshitake and Abishy Pandita at second doubles should also prove to be strong for the Knights this season.
While South has only had two matches because of a rainy start, the Pirates also did not disappoint in their victory over Hightstown, 5-0, despite playing without four of its top players. During the game, Armaan Saxena, a doubles player, notched a victory at second singles, 6-1, 6-3. Despite losing Leland Richardson, his brother, Julian and the rest of South’s team is looking steady as the season progresses, with Demetri Vhranos taking over the top singles spot. The team also defeated Steinert, 5-0, on April 13.
