St. Josephs wins state crown
By Fred Siegle
SOUTH BRUNSWICK - When the game, match, and state title were on the line and senior John Moll was in the back row, Drew Colon wanted to be the hitter.
"I hurt my finger pointing it into my chest, saying "give me the ball,''' said Colon, who had the final three kills for his team in St. Josephs' 29-27 third-game victory over Bridgewater in the NJSIAA Final on Friday night. "We go with who's hot, and it seemed like down the stretch, that was me and John.''
The first of the three kills gave his team a 27-26 lead. After a kill by Chris Allen tied the game, the second came from the left side on serve receive to make it 28-27 in favor of the Falcons (30-4). The third came out of middle with Moll also in the front row, so Colon had a single block after Keith MacDonald hand-passed a free-ball to give setter Matt Scott his choice in who to set. The Falcons used lessons they learned during the course of the season to carry them to the title.
"I think I play better when there's more pressure,'' Colon said. "Mr. Cabrita (the St. Joes coach) told us to keep swinging. In our loss to East Brunswick in the GMC's (Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament) we got near the end and played tentatively. We weren't going to do that again.''Moll and Colon each had 13 kills to lead the Falcons. Moll said his team was ready for the pressure of the back-and-fourth third game because they had played Bishop Hendrickson, the defending Rhode Island state champions, to a 30-28 victory in the finals of a tournament in that state in April.
"This was the same type of game,'' Moll said. "That one went to 30 points. We've been in this situation before, when you get to the end you have to keep siding out. We knew what we had to do.''The Falcons had won the first game 25-16, but Bridgewater-Raritan, which has won six overall state titles, roared back in the second to win 25-17. Senior star Chris Allen had 8 of his 22 kills in that game, while junior Chris Metzger contributed 5 of his 13. Allen finished with over 1000 kills for his career.
"I didn't think Chris could take over like that,'' Moll said. "But that team (Bridgewater) played great. Their defense was getting everything up.''
Bridgewater-Raritan came into the match with a 17-9 record and had battled its way to the NJSIAA North section title as the No. 7 seed. But St. Joes' players and coaches knew not to take the Panthers lightly."They played the kind of match you expect to see out of Bridgewater in the state final,'' Cabrita said. "(Bridgewater coach) Corey's (Romanak) team is always a legit team.''"After the first game, we just wanted to start the match over,'' Allen said. "We just went into the second game saying "Ok, we need to win two games. That second game was just completely different. We played with confidence, like we did in the semifinals (the win over Clifton in the North final), and we just tried to keep it going. In the third game, we just messed up on a couple of plays, and St. Joes played a great match.''By the second and third game, Bridgewater had eased into its strategy of getting the ball to Allen and Metzger. It seemed setter Andrew Conkin - or whoever set, since he made some of the digs, and some others weren't always controlled - could always find one of the go-to hitters after every defensive play.
"They were really scrappy,'' Colon said. "And it seemed like there was a magnet on the ball or something, they always got the ball to those guys.''
Bridgewater led the third game by as many as four points (14-10 after a block by Metzger), but two kills by Dan Deverin and a Bridgewater error left the score tied at 17. Bridgewater was two sideouts away from winning after a kill by Allen made it 23-21, but a Bridgewater player went under the net and Moll registered a kill to tie the game. Allen had a kill on a 10-ball, but another 10-ball hit was out by about a foot to tie the game at 24. St. Joes took the advantage on a Bridgewater error on the next play, then the teams traded sideouts until Colon's final two kills."We had some rough patches,'' Cabrita said. "But we held strong both mentally and physically and got the job done.''"This feels great,'' Moll said. "I remember as a freshman seeing our team lose in the final, and I didn't want to be in that same situation. And we did it against a great team, a team that's used to winning in this spot.''
"Coming off a state championship (in 2005), to make it back here after all the injuries we had this year, I couldn't be more proud of our team,'' Romanak said. "We kept our composure tonight, we not only made it to the final as an underdog, but we pushed a real good team to three games. That third game was a great final, it was back and forth the whole way. I couldn't ask more of my kids.''Senior libero Kurt Backlund had 19 digs for the Falcons - many off big hits from Allen and Metzger - while Deverin, a senior left side, contributed 7 kills and 8 digs. Setter Matt Scott had 42 assists and 8 digs, and MacDonald, a junior right side, had 7 kills and 11 digs. Senior Alan Zastrow (right side and left side), sophomore Paul Konopacki (middle) and junior Aidan Nemergut (serving specialist) also made some key plays in the victory."We've said all year we're a team,'' Cabrita said. "I'm really happy with the way my guys hung in there with all the pressure on them.''
Friday, June 16, 2006
2006 FINAL TOP 10
2006 FINAL TOP 10
By Fred Siegle
Final Top ten is based on entire season
1. St. Josephs. Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Week Three: 1. Week Four: 1. Week Five: 1. Week Six: 2. The Falcons capped their awesome season by winning the state title with a three-set (29-27 in the third game) victory over Bridgewater. They beat East Brunswick for the NJSIAA South/Central title, gaining a split (2-2) in the four games between the two top teams. The Falcons finished with a 30-4 record after playing the toughest schedule in the state, with victories over the top five teams in the final rankings.
2. East Brunswick. Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Week Three: 2. Week Four: 3. Week Five: 4. Week Six: 1. The Bears ascended to the top spot by beating St. Joes for the Greater Middlesex title in mid-May, but were eliminated in the South/Central title game by the Falcons. They finished the season with a 27-3 record and three wins and one loss against Old Bridge. Their victory over Old Bridge in the South/Central semis was probably the best match of the season.
3. Old Bridge. Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Week Three: 5. Week Four: 2. Week Five: 3. Week Six: 3. The Knights became a state power behind a solid core of veterans who were playing together for the third year. They beat Southern, East Brunswick once, and Fair Lawn, which for most of the season was the top team in North Jersey, and finished with a 24-7 record.
4. Southern. Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Week Three: 6. Week Four: 6. Week Five: 2. Week Six: Four. The reasoning is simple: The Rams beat Bridgewater during the season. They both lost to the same team (St. Josephs) in the state tournament. They finished 27-6, with all the losses coming against the top three teams.
5. Bridgewater. Preseason rank: 10. Week One: 7. Week Two: 7. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: Not ranked. Week Six: Not ranked. The Panthers turned their season around in the second half, rebounding from a 6-9 start to finish 17-10. They emerged with the NJSIAA’s North Tournament title and almost took their seventh overall state crown, losing to St. Josephs, 16-25, 25-17, 27-29. As the No. 7 seed, they cruised through the North playoffs, beating No. 2 Lakeland, No. 3 St. Peters, and No. 5 Clifton to capture the title.
6. Lakeland. Preseason rank: not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: not ranked. Week Two: Not ranked. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: 8. Week Six: 7. The Lancers lost to the same team – Bridgewater – as Clifton in the state tournament. They won the Passaic County crown, beating Wayne Valley, which knocked Clifton out of that tournament. After losing two of their first three matches, the Lancers went on a 19-match winning streak that was ended by Bridgewater in the North quarterfinals and finished 20-3.
7. Clifton. Preseason rank: not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: Not ranked. Week Two: Not ranked. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: Not ranked. Week Six: Not ranked. After an unspectacular regular season, the Mustangs made a strong run in the state playoffs, beating No. 4 seed Wayne Valley and No. 1 Fair Lawn on their way to the title game, where they lost to Bridgewater. Clifton lost to Passaic, Don Bosco, East Brunswick, Fair Lawn and Wayne Valley during the regular season, but had victories over Eastern, Don Bosco, Passaic, and Bridgwater, which helped it earn the No. 5 seed in the North playoffs.
8. Fair Lawn. Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Week Three: 3. Week Four: 4. Week Five: 5. Week Six: Five. The Cutters were the undisputed top seed in the North playoffs after dominating play in that area (Their only losses prior to the start of the tournament were to St. Joes, Old Bridge and Southern, three of the four top south teams). Were eliminated from the North by Clifton, which they had beaten during the regular season.
9. Eastern. Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Week Three: 4. Week Four: 5. Week Five: 9. Week Six: 8. The Vikings were the top team in the Olympic Conference, but they never seemed to find their rhythm during the season. The best team they beat was St. Peters, and that was in the first week of the season. They were seeded No. 5 in the South/Central playoffs and were eliminated by No. 4 Southern.
10. St. Peters Prep. Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two: 9. Week Three: 8. Week Four: 8. Week Five: 10. Week Six: 9. The Marauders were cruising along through the season but hit a rough spot at the end, losing to Bayonne in the Hudson County Tournament final, and Bridgewater in the state semifinals.Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>
By Fred Siegle
Final Top ten is based on entire season
- St. Josephs.
- East Brunswick
- Old Bridge
- Southern
- Bridgewater
- Lakeland
- Clifton
- Fair Lawn
- Eastern
- Peter’s Prep
1. St. Josephs. Preseason rank: 2. Week One: 1. Week Two: 1. Week Three: 1. Week Four: 1. Week Five: 1. Week Six: 2. The Falcons capped their awesome season by winning the state title with a three-set (29-27 in the third game) victory over Bridgewater. They beat East Brunswick for the NJSIAA South/Central title, gaining a split (2-2) in the four games between the two top teams. The Falcons finished with a 30-4 record after playing the toughest schedule in the state, with victories over the top five teams in the final rankings.
2. East Brunswick. Preseason rank: 3. Week One: 2. Week Two: 2. Week Three: 2. Week Four: 3. Week Five: 4. Week Six: 1. The Bears ascended to the top spot by beating St. Joes for the Greater Middlesex title in mid-May, but were eliminated in the South/Central title game by the Falcons. They finished the season with a 27-3 record and three wins and one loss against Old Bridge. Their victory over Old Bridge in the South/Central semis was probably the best match of the season.
3. Old Bridge. Preseason rank: 6. Week One: 5. Week Two: 5. Week Three: 5. Week Four: 2. Week Five: 3. Week Six: 3. The Knights became a state power behind a solid core of veterans who were playing together for the third year. They beat Southern, East Brunswick once, and Fair Lawn, which for most of the season was the top team in North Jersey, and finished with a 24-7 record.
4. Southern. Preseason rank: 1. Week One: 6. Week Two: 6. Week Three: 6. Week Four: 6. Week Five: 2. Week Six: Four. The reasoning is simple: The Rams beat Bridgewater during the season. They both lost to the same team (St. Josephs) in the state tournament. They finished 27-6, with all the losses coming against the top three teams.
5. Bridgewater. Preseason rank: 10. Week One: 7. Week Two: 7. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: Not ranked. Week Six: Not ranked. The Panthers turned their season around in the second half, rebounding from a 6-9 start to finish 17-10. They emerged with the NJSIAA’s North Tournament title and almost took their seventh overall state crown, losing to St. Josephs, 16-25, 25-17, 27-29. As the No. 7 seed, they cruised through the North playoffs, beating No. 2 Lakeland, No. 3 St. Peters, and No. 5 Clifton to capture the title.
6. Lakeland. Preseason rank: not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: not ranked. Week Two: Not ranked. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: 8. Week Six: 7. The Lancers lost to the same team – Bridgewater – as Clifton in the state tournament. They won the Passaic County crown, beating Wayne Valley, which knocked Clifton out of that tournament. After losing two of their first three matches, the Lancers went on a 19-match winning streak that was ended by Bridgewater in the North quarterfinals and finished 20-3.
7. Clifton. Preseason rank: not ranked (teams to watch). Week One: Not ranked. Week Two: Not ranked. Week Three: Not ranked. Week Four: Not ranked. Week Five: Not ranked. Week Six: Not ranked. After an unspectacular regular season, the Mustangs made a strong run in the state playoffs, beating No. 4 seed Wayne Valley and No. 1 Fair Lawn on their way to the title game, where they lost to Bridgewater. Clifton lost to Passaic, Don Bosco, East Brunswick, Fair Lawn and Wayne Valley during the regular season, but had victories over Eastern, Don Bosco, Passaic, and Bridgwater, which helped it earn the No. 5 seed in the North playoffs.
8. Fair Lawn. Preseason rank: 5. Week One: 3. Week Two: 3. Week Three: 3. Week Four: 4. Week Five: 5. Week Six: Five. The Cutters were the undisputed top seed in the North playoffs after dominating play in that area (Their only losses prior to the start of the tournament were to St. Joes, Old Bridge and Southern, three of the four top south teams). Were eliminated from the North by Clifton, which they had beaten during the regular season.
9. Eastern. Preseason rank: 7. Week One: 4. Week Two: 4. Week Three: 4. Week Four: 5. Week Five: 9. Week Six: 8. The Vikings were the top team in the Olympic Conference, but they never seemed to find their rhythm during the season. The best team they beat was St. Peters, and that was in the first week of the season. They were seeded No. 5 in the South/Central playoffs and were eliminated by No. 4 Southern.
10. St. Peters Prep. Preseason rank: unranked (teams to watch). Week One: 9. Week Two: 9. Week Three: 8. Week Four: 8. Week Five: 10. Week Six: 9. The Marauders were cruising along through the season but hit a rough spot at the end, losing to Bayonne in the Hudson County Tournament final, and Bridgewater in the state semifinals.Fred Siegle is the communications editor and reporter for powerzonevb.com. <fsiegle@powerzonevb.com>