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The 2017-18 Season in Review

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Thursday, February 2, 2017

Sectional Preview - Girls North Jersey

GIRLS NORTH JERSEY
Saturday, February 4 at Bowler City, Hackensack

New for 2017

Bloomfield, Hoboken and Hudson Catholic entered after not doing so in 2016. Indian Hills dropped from G3 to G2. Hackensack dropped from G4 to G3. Mt. St. Dominic and Cliffside Park chose not to enter after doing so last year.

Ranked Teams Participating:
#2 Warren Hills (G3), #7 Holy Angels (G2), #12 Wayne Valley (G3), #13 Teaneck (G3), #20 Paramus Catholic (G3), "Next 10" Ramsey (G1), "Next 10" Demarest (G2), "Next 10" Hackensack (G3), "Next 10" Westwood (G1)

GROUP I
defending champ: Westwood
This is essentially a two-team breakaway.  I won't pretend to know which team will take first, but Ramsey & Westwood have a significant statistical lead on the field.  Ramsey is probably the favorite - they lead in GA (153.8) and T5 (751), they beat Westwood in 5v5 at the Bergen County tournament (though Westwood came back to finish higher after the Baker round). The Rams won't throw huge individual numbers, but what's more important, and this will probably come up about a thousand more times before these previews are done, the Big North teams have to adapt to the 5-bowler game, and Ramsey looks to have better depth, especially for Group I.  Samantha Conklin, Lindsay Pepper, Grace Buysse and Angela DiNallo (who leads the team at 168) have been a strong, consistent 4 all season.

Westwood is in the midst of a very successful run that's included multiple sectional titles and the 2015 Group I State Championship, but they lost two starters to graduation and this year's Cardinals squad has had to battle a little more (last year's team went 123-10 in conference play), but they arrive at sectionals right near the top again, with seniors Kristen Benavente, who was a semifinalist at North Jersey singles and averages 177, and Gabriella Stellacci (168) leading the way. Rebecca Cirillo tossed her high series just last week; if they can continue like that, this will be a fight.

The good news for DePaul Catholic is that they have six bowlers with regular season experience ready to go, and they had a solid 3rd place finish at the Passaic County tournament. I just don't see the Spartans making up a 20 pin GA deficit against two strong favorites.  Mother Seton is in very much the same situation.  These two schools will probably battle for 3rd.

Hoboken had a good year, winning the HCIAA at 62-22, and Hudson Catholic had a successful season in the HCIAL, finishing second with a 64-20 record, but those are not particularly strong leagues, and I don't believe those two have enough firepower to stay with the stronger teams.

Pascack Hills, McNair, and Marist complete the entries.

GROUP II
defending champ: Holy Angels
In Group II, there's the #7 Academy of the Holy Angels, and there's everybody else.  It's not unusual for a Big North team to have a highly ranked GA (169.3), but developing the depth necessary to have the #8 T5 in the state is especially impressive. They're 14-0 / 88-10 against a tough schedule, and they have an excellent core: Tiffany Sucero has been tremendous her senior year, averaging 188.  Alexa Hernandez (176), Ciara Motley (161) and Amelia Brunda (165) have been strong contributors all season. The Angels have several options for #5, with Shiho Numakura having the inside track. This is a team than ran away with the Bergen tournament and may be able to hang with the best in the state at Group II.

That leaves two likely contenders for the second spot in the TOC, and Demarest is the favorite. Frankly, the Norsemen had a bad day at the Bergen County, but I believe in their depth, with four starters averaging over 148, led by Claudia Mattes (158) and Julia Pangburn (156) and the fifth just a bit below that, Demarest carries a solid 745 T5, which is easily higher than the other teams (aside from AHA).

Paramus has four experienced seniors and have been really good at (4-bowler) conference play, coming in at 62-15 with only 1 match loss (to Holy Angels). Jenai Becote is their top bowler, averaging 167 and with a 600 to her credit this season.  Jessie Joy has been good as well, averaging 152.  But no 5th bowler has emerged for the Spartans; those 4 seniors have bowled every conference game.  Paramus can absolutely beat Demarest, but those seniors are going to have to have a good day.

If there's a darkhorse, it's Mahwah.  Why? Again, it's depth.  They have a true 5-bowler rotation with no huge dropoff, led by Justina Kender and her 154 average.  This is the kind of team where everybody gets a hot and at the end of the day, there's a big score nobody expected.

Lakeland and Indian Hills are just a bit behind the talent level of the contenders, but each squad has enough to make a run at 4th or maybe even 3rd with a little luck (and the right mix of bowlers).  Lakeland's Kellie Affinito could do some damage in the individuals.

Ridgefield Park's Danielle Quitola leads the Big North with a 193 average and is certainly one to watch in the individual race, but her team's a step below the top competitors.  River Dell, Snyder and Tenafly round out the field.

GROUP III
defending champ: Warren Hills
This sectional grouping is just loaded: 4 top 20 teams, including 3 of the top 13 teams in the state, but only two get to move on. It's hard not to just concede a spot to #2 Warren Hills, who, even after losing sectional individual champ Abby Laws to graduation, is having a dream season: 9-0 / 63-0 in Skyland.  Tournament wins at the CJWC (2917 set), the conference event (3021), 2nd at Snowball after leading qualifying (3952 4-game).  The top five averages in the conference. Jenna Henderson, Katie Winch and Kelcie Mannon have each shot 650 (or 850 4-game) in tournaments. Twice.  Elizabeth Hudock averaged 185 in conference and has a 600 to her name.  Jessica Yerance is the team's most consistent threat, shooting mid 500s under any conditions she finds.  By the numbers, the Blue Streaks are nearly 20 pins in GA and well over 100 in T5 clear of the field.  But it's not a gimme, because there are 3 very strong teams taking aim.

#12 Wayne Valley was at least a little bit of a question mark coming into the season, after graduating Kristine Verbeke, along with her 201 average and amazing ability to peak at tournaments.   The Indians were able to reload with Freshman Marissa Cosentini, who's 2nd in the Big North in average (189) and one of the top five freshmen in New Jersey.  Claudine Rosca (180), Hayley D'Alessandro (166) and Melody Morris (154) complete a very strong top 4.  That's led to a 9-1 / 66-4 season, with the only loss a 4-3 battle with Holy Angels.  Going from 4 to 5, as nearly always, will be the challenge here.

I've been writing about #13 Teaneck all season, and they remain a great story, rising from the ashes of a team that wasn't competitive outside their division and lost 2 of 4 starters to graduation.  The 2017 Highwaywomen have had just a brilliant season: 14-0 / 94-4, with the #7 Game Average in NJ. They have a talented and consistent top four: Gail Kelly (175 avg), Gianni Caldazilla (163) and a pair of Freshmen: Margaux Lesser (179) and Mia Aish (175).  Teaneck and Wayne Valley have gone head to head in a 5-bowler tournament just once, and Teaneck scored higher at the Crusader. I'd just call this a tossup and walk away, but there's another contender.

#20 Paramus Catholic earned a spot in the rankings with an exceptional performance by Senior Kristen Kane (299-760) in the county tournament (where they defeated Teaneck).  Victoria Vucak and Alisha Khan complete a strong top 3 for the Paladins, which gives them enough talent to have a shot at the upset, but PC is 0-3 against Wayne Valley and Teneck in dual meets, and their season numbers are a click below, so they have to be considered underdogs.

Hackensack has a handful of solid bowlers, led by Arielle Wallace (176 average), and Nutley dominated their conference, I have them at 12-0 / 72-12, but neither team looks to have the firepower to compete on this level.

Ridgewood, Immaculate Heart, Wayne Hills and Belleville would have to be considered longshots to contend.


GROUP IV
defending champ: Bergen Tech
This might be the toughest call of any sectional in the state, as it'll likely come down to three teams from three different conferences in three different counties who have never bowled in the same event. We'll start with Bergen Tech. The defending champs won the Big North Liberty division and come in with a Game Average of 141.  The Knight have a strong #1 in Senior Olivia Wank, who's been excellent the second half, firing a pair of 600s and bringing her average up to 176. Samantha Comes is a solid bowler as well, sitting at 150.  Beyond that, there are at least four reasonable choices to fill out the lineup, so BT will easily avoid the usual pitfall.

Kearny was as dominant in their league as any team this side of Warren Hills, finishing 84-0 with five of the top seven averages in the HCIAL. Nicole Fonseca is the Kardinals top gun, finishing the season at 157, with Alexandra Gutierrez close behind at 148.  The numbers, the structure, and the depth are all very similar to Bergen Tech.

The final contender is Montclair.  I've got no real detail on the Mounties, but their submitted results show them at 10-3 in matches, and the very limited scoring reports put them at a 138 GA, which is close enough to BT and Kearny that they warrant a mention.  I wish I knew more.

A couple of dark horses come from Bergen Tech's own division. Clifton's team results and depth may be questionable, but the Mustangs have two things going for them: seven bowlers with varsity experience, and Gabby Pangaro, one of the Big North's very best, who won the North Jersey singles and carries a 187 average into sectionals. Passaic Tech is pretty solid one-through-five, with Maryann Ramirez and her 168 average leading the way.

I have even less info on Bloomfield than I do on Montclair, but the little I have makes a run here seem unlikely. North Bergen, Dickinson, Bayonne and Passaic are also entered.


INDIVIDUALS
Lots and lots of individuals are entered in this sectional, due to the huge number of co-ed teams in North Jersey.  I think I've got them all right, but somebody please tell me if I'm wrong.

Emily Mamunes, Northern Highlands
*Michelle Dekowski, Linden
*Madison Perry, Hawthorne
*Lauren Potechin, Millburn
Jaime Golden, Sparta
*Rhianna Smith, Hopatcong (5th at Individual TOC in 2016)
Lauren Marks, Parsippany
Justina Janzen, Wallkill Valley
DorrieAnne Rizzo, Wallkill Valley
Alize Stevenson, St. Mary's
Kendra Chaiken, Dumont
Naomi Ramos, Lyndhurst
*Tyla D'Andrea, Lyndhurst
Gabrielle Capalad, Leonia
*Kiara Powell, Union
Gabby Salamone, Sussex Tech
Emma Thies, Jefferson

*Qualified for 2016 Individual TOC

Every single one of these entrants is a legitimate threat to make the top 18 and advance to the TOC. Very impressive group.

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