Week 4 Top 10 Rankings

Powerzonevb.com Week 4 Top 10 Rankings

1. St. Josephs.
2. Old Bridge.
3. East Brunswick.
4. Fair Lawn.
5. Eastern.
6. Southern
7. Williamstown
8. St. Peter’s Prep .
9. CBA.
10. Don Bosco

1. St. Josephs (13-1). Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Last week: 1. The Falcons continue to roll, having captured the title at the Rhody Invitational on April 22. They host the Super Six Tournament on Saturday, and will play Cherry Hill East, Bridgewater-Raritan, No. 6 Southern, and No. 4 Fair Lawn there.

2. Old Bridge (8-2). Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Last week: 5. The fastest rising team in the state. First, the Knights gave a scare to No. 1 St. Josephs on April 18, then they went three games before losing to East Brunswick in the final of the Bears Invitational on April 22. The Knights proved they are a legit contender on Wednesday with a three-game victory over East Brunswick. The Knights will try to solidify their spot at the Super Six on Saturday.

3. East Brunswick (8-2). Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Last week: 2. The Bears slip a spot after losing to Old Bridge. They rebounded with a victory over Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday. The play at the Eastern quad on Saturday.

4. Fair Lawn (10-0). Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Last week: 3. Vlad Livshits had 10 kills as the Cutters beat Livingston on Thursday to move closer to clinching the North Jersey Boys Volleyball League Division 1 title. Will face three other top 10 teams - Old Bridge, Southern and St. Joes – along with Cherry Hill East today at the Super Six.

5. Eastern (10-0). Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Last week: 4. The Vikings rolled past Cherry Hill West on Wednesday and won their South Jersey showdown with Williamstown on Monday, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20. They’ll host a quad match that will include East Brunswick, Clifton and Livingston today.

6. Southern (13-2). Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Last week: 6. The Rams made the semifinals at the Bears Invitational before losing to East Brunswick. They’ll compete at the Super Six on Saturday.

7. Williamstown (10-2). Preseason rank: Not ranked. Week One: 8. Week Two: 8. Last week: 7. Braves beat Cherry Hill East on Monday and remain second behind Eastern in the Olympic Conference American Division.

8. St. Peter’s Prep (11-2). Preseason rank: Not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two 9. Last week: 8. The Marauders took 9th at the Rhody Invitational in Rhode Island, capturing the Silver Division title.

9. CBA (8-4). Preseason rank: 9. Week One: 10. Week Two: 10. Last week: 9. The Colts lost to St. Joes on Tuesday, but beat Marlboro on Wednesday. Middle Steve Santangelo suffered a sprained ankle at practice on Monday but should return this week.

10. Don Bosco Prep (10-0). Preseason rank: unranked. Week One: unranked. Week Two: unranked: Last week: 10. Chris Anderson had 10 kills as the Ironmen won their Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League showdown with Passaic on Thursday. The win completed the first half of the team’s schedule.

Teams to watch: Collingswood (9-1, with only loss to Southern); Cherry Hill West (beat Washington Twp. and Cherry Hill East this week); Lakeland (on a 6-match winning streak); J.P. Stevens (won rematch with South Brunswick this week); Hackensack (beat Montclair on Wednesday).

NOTES
Strong signal: Don Bosco setter Matt Oczkowski calls out plays loud enough for everyone to hear during the Ironmen’s games, but he’s not worried about teams knowing what he’s calling for. “I use nicknames and what the set will be,’’ the senior said. “We can’t tell you what they mean, because then our opponents will know.’’
Oczkowski likes to spread the ball around while setting from the 5-1 alignment. “We tried a 6-2 in the preseason, but it didn’t work out,’’ he said. “With the 5-1, we just have so many options, including 10 balls and back sets.’’ When his team found itself in a little trouble in the first game against Passaic on Thursday, Oczkowski just sped up the offense. By the end of the second game, the Bosco hitters weren’t facing much of a block at all. “They were reading us well in the first game,’’ Oczkowski said. “So we just went with more trick plays and quick sets.’’
Halftime: The Ironmen have virtually clinched a spot in the state tournament after having finished the first half of their regular-season schedule unbeaten. But coach Mark Mako doesn’t want his team thinking about the post-season yet. “We’re just trying to take it game-by-game,’’ Mako said. “We’re playing well, and we just want to keep that going.’’
“This is the halfway point and we’ve beaten everyone,’’ senior Chris Anderson said. “The main thing is to keep playing like a team like we’ve been doing.’’

College try: CBA middle Steve Santangelo and Don Bosco’s Chris Anderson are both being recruited by Ramapo College. Anderson visited Ramapo on Friday.
Bergen County Tournament: As of now, the event won’t be held, but Mako said Ramapo college coach Don Vanderbeck has offered the school’s facility if it can be revived. Bosco won the county tournament last year, when it was brought back after a year without one.
“I would love to have it if we can set it up,’’ Mako said. “Don offered the school's gym, we could have it over one or two days, whatever is needed. We just have to find the day(s) when everyone is available.’’
Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>