Most of my pre-rankings whining is over on the Boys Rankings post, but I have some special whining to do about this one.
We've got two teams here that each have a very compelling argument for the #1 ranking.Toms River North's is simple: they have the best season-long numbers (187 GA) and they won the Tournament of Champions, beating Warren Hills head-to-head. Warren Hills's argument is a) the numbers are a lot closer if you consider conditions - their GA goes up three pins just by removing three trips to their toughest location, b) Warren Hills' postseason numbers are better, and by a significant amount, and c) TRN and WH were in the same event three times: Streaks by 113, Mariners by 5 (WH won the Baker final), and Streaks by 115. TRN won a fairly close Baker final to take TOC, but does that outweigh 2 clear victories?
I've gone back and forth more than once here. Head-to-head, Warren Hills has clearly been the better team. But the season is a marathon and TRN has probably proven that it just has slightly better bowlers, in total. This is a tie. And that's the only thing I would ever use TOC playoff results for, to break a tie.
THE TOP TWENTY GIRLS BOWLING TEAMS IN NEW JERSEY FOR 2017-18
1. TOMS RIVER NORTH
Shore South A South Group IV Champs State Group IV Champs
GA: 187.2 Postseason: 189.8
There's not much left to be said about the State TOC Champs. They've got two of the best bowlers around in Kamerin (211) and Paige (200) Peters, and a horde of really good players around them. Livia Spalluto (181), MacKenzie Dudas (180) and Cassidy Syrdale (178) completed the dynamite tournament lineup, and Gianna Daniele (172) and Kennedy Pfeiffer (171) made regular season contributions. The sum total was a dominant force: the best GA in the state by over five pins, tournament titles at Mustang, Brick and Shore Conference events, as well as top qualifier at Snowball and RWTI. This is the only girls team in the state that broke 3000 - a whopping 3111 at Brick. Finally, they dug deep and delivered when it mattered most, holding off Brick Memorial at team states and then firing seven consecutive Baker games at 199+ in the TOC. They're running away from the pack, and it's hard to imagine anyone catching them for a couple of years.
2. WARREN HILLS
Skyland North Group III Champs State Group III Champs
GA: 180.2 Postseason: 194.0
They weren't supposed to be this good again. But two freshmen came in and really delivered, Sam Irwin (172) who was 5th at sectionals, and Olivia Ostrander (183) who made an unbelievable run to 4th in the individual TOC. And Kelcie Mannon was one of the best, most consistent tournament performers in the state (203 avg). And Katie Winch took her game to another level (195 overall, 199 tournaments) as well as being the team's emotional leader. And senior Jackie Nesbeth, after waiting three and a half seasons, jumped into the tournament lineup in mid-January and matched her team's intensity, firing three tournament 500s. The Blue Streaks won everything they entered, the FDU Team Challenge, the CJWC, Snowball, Skyland, Sectionals and Group III states - most of them by large margins - and led the state in postseason average. Came up just short of winning TOC again, but still a very special season.
3. LACEY TOWNSHIP
Shore South B South Group II Champs State Group II Champs
GA: 176.8 Postseason: 184.0
A huge year for the Lions, tying for the Shore-South-B championship, winning their second straight sectional championship and their first ever state title - and with the second highest score in the building. Earlier, they had a bunch of good tournament results - 2nd at RWTI, 3rd at Brick, 4th at Snowball and 4th at Shore Conference. Superb depth was their superpower - one of only three teams in NJ with 4 averages over 180: Liz Schreier (192), Autumn Laird (181), Claudia Schreier (183) and Julia Muro (181), plus a very good season from Samantha Trembley (167). Three seniors might mean the end of an era at Lacey, but they go out with a boatload of accomplishments and a #3 ranking.
4. BRICK MEMORIAL
Shore South A South Group IV Runnerup State Group IV Runnerup
GA: 181.7 Postseason: 185.0
You don't graduate the magnitude of talent that has come through Brick Memorial the last few years without losing a bit of dominance, but the Mustangs were still a really fantastic team and accomplished an awful lot. They won the RWTI, finished second at Brick, 3rd at CJWC and 4th at Mustang. They shot a huge 2856 at sectionals and carried the #2 GA and #3 Postseason Average. Most importantly, they defeated the #1 team in the regular season, winning the impossibly difficult Shore-South-A league title. Amanda Shelters (210) is obviously one of the best anywhere, but Veronica Lewis (192) and Rachel Katz (185) had very strong seasons, and Maggie Neafsey, Jordan Konopada and Erica Cuccurullo each were able to contribute important sets throughout the season.
5. BRICK TOWNSHIP
Shore South A South Group III Champs State Group III 4th place
GA: 180.0 Postseason: 175.8
A relatively quiet day at states was very much the exception: big scores were the rule all season, with second place finishes at Mustang, Bayshore, CJWC, Woodbridge and Shore Conference events, 2nd place in SSA (ahead of TRN) and the #4 GA in the state. Caylin Ryan (199) and Julianna Forbes (198) did everything you could ask for as a dynamite top two, and Cristy Sharkey (183) and Christina Gonzalez (180) slipped seamlessly into the starting lineup and produced well. Only Forbes graduates, so the (arguably) most successful program in NJ over the last decade or so should continue to roll on.
6. MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP
Shore South B South Group II Runnerup State Group II 3rd place
GA: 176.1 Postseason: 170.7
Among the top teams statistically all year, the Hawks came up just short in their quest to regain the State Group II title they held for a decade, but they still put together a remarkable season. Tying Lacey at 40-5 in SSA, they actually went 14-1 in matches, taking 2 of 3 from their top rivals. Manchester bowls in nothing but very tough tournaments, so a string of high finishes, including 3rd at Mustang, 5th at CJWC and 3rd at the Shore (deeper than Group II states, to be sure) are all very impressive. Always, they had depth, probably the best in the state: Theresa Bedaro (188) is a star and an all-state contender, and she was joined by Victoria Shaw (179) and a trio of seniors that concluded amazingly successful careers: Kim Wolf (179), Vicki Smith (180), and Mackenzie Weber (177).
7. FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP
Shore Central B Central Group III Champs State Group III 3rd place
GA: 166.3 Postseason: 180.7
Nobody improved more, from December to February, than Freehold. After a fairly slow start, the Patriots came back to win the SCB at 41-4 and went from a team averaging around 2400 to one that could shoot 2772 and threaten anyone in a tournament. Their 2754-2667 postseason ranked 6th in the state. Sophomore Sarah Orensky shook off her own slow league start to put together a huge run in the second half of the season, raising her overall average all the way to 193 (all the more impressive based at Howell) and shoot 668-678 at sectionals and team states. She was far from alone, of course, as Kristen Pagliaro (158) and Victoria Parinello (159) got better and better and Jaden Schaefer (166) was one of 2018's breakout freshmen. Next year could be really special.
8. TOMS RIVER SOUTH
Shore South A South Group III runnerup State Group III runnerup
GA: 170.0 Postseason: 177.4
You always want your team to peak at the right time, and putting up a season-high 2748 to finish 2nd at the state TOC sounds like the Indians played this perfectly. Hannah Dalton (181) was brilliant and the two seniors, Ciani Sanchez (175) and Natalie Swindell (192) went out as well as they could hope for, with season-high sets. Jessica Ramirez (157) and Ashley Ferrara (158) also had solid seasons for TRS, who competed in a zillion tournaments and finished well in all of them, highlighted by 3rd at Bayshore, 4th at Brick and RWTI, 5th at Snowball and 6th at CJWC.
9. COLTS NECK
Shore Central B Central Group II Champs State Group II runnerup
GA: 158.8 Postseason: 181.1
SCB Postseason success story #17 or so. I had this team out of the rankings altogether in mid-January. They went out and made me look stupid for the next month, and good for them. All things considered, these Cougars may have had the most impressive postseason of anyone. Their averages say they should be shooting 2300s, but they closed the season shooting 2758 at the Monmouth, 2685 at sectionals and 2748 to finish 2nd at the TOC. Juliana Galano and Victoria hulse are firing 100 pins over average, Gianna Bamonte is shooting 600s on her 162. The whole group has just been fantastic. The constants all season were Erica Dugan, who averaged 175 overall, and Morgan Gitlitz, whose spectacular sophomore season ended with a 195 average and an individual sectional title.
10. TEANECK
Big North National North Group III runnerup State Group III 6th place
GA: 168.0 Postseason: 163.2
The Highwaywomen's postseason numbers slipped just a tiny bit, but they're still the dominant force in the Big North conference and they still have top ten numbers. Teaneck took second at the Irwin and was easily the top qualifier at the Bergen County tournament to go along with their 93-5 conference record, as well as taking second at sectionals. Excellent young depth in sophomores Mia Aish (174) and Margaux Lesser (189) as well as freshman Shayna Jimenez (168), mean Teaneck should still be a power for years to come, but they'll miss the steady performance of Gianni Calzadilla (164).
(tie) 11. EAST BRUNSWICK
GMC Central Group IV 3rd place
GA: 161.4 Postseason: 164.0
(tie) 11. MONROE
GMC Central Group IV champs State Group IV 3rd place
GA: 161.2 Postseason: 164.6
(tie) 11. SOUTH BRUNSWICK
GMC Central Group IV runnerup State Group IV 4th place
GA: 159.9 Postseason: 163.1
I decided to let the postseason results determine the rankings of the GMC triplets here, but they flat-out refused to cooperate, so I'm calling it a three-way tie and moving on. East Brunswick has the best in-season tournament record, besting the other two at James, Baker, CJWC and winning the GMC team event. But East Brunswick also finished 3rd behind the other two at sectionals. Monroe had the highest finish at both sectionals and states, but lost to South Brunswick at Baker and in the GMC semis. South Brunswick had the best match record and added a win at the Woodbridge but had by far the lowest top set. Look at their postseason scores: 2460-2464-2428-2462-2476. Does it matter whose is whose? If they're not going to separate themselves, I'm not going to pretend to know who's better.
They all have damn fine bowlers. East Brunswick's substantial depth was powered by Rebecca Reitano (151), Sydney Ramos (150) and Alicia McLaughlin (167) and the Bears have a true senior star in James champion and individual TOC qualifier Madison Steinbeck. Monroe obviously has one of the top four or five 1-2 punches in the state with Victoria Stasicky (194) and Bridget Bolan (194) as well solid contributions from Nina Carey and Shannon Glynn (155). South Brunswick was the most balanced, with Rachel Guida (170), Jillian Kwock (170) and Kirsten Thorne (166) each as likely as the others to lead the team on any given day, as well as good depth from Katelyn Schwab (148) and Sanjana Senthil (149). All told, it was a really good year in the GMC, but I don't know if anything was really decided.
14. MAHWAH
Big North Patriot North Group II runnerup State Group II 4th place
GA: 159.7 Postseason: 161.8
It didn't take long for Mahwah, who I left out of preseason rankings, to pop up on the radar - their win at the Irwin announced their presence with plenty of authority. The 92-6 conference record confirmed it, and their incredibly gutsy performance at the FDU Team Challenge chiseled it into stone. The T-Birds sure made it stick in the postseason, breaking 2400 twice to finish 4th in the state in a very strong Group II. Freshman Michaella Raab (179) led the way, but excellent seasons by Julia Colucci (152), Allie Adamski (165) and lone senior Justina Kender (156) put them on the road to contention.
15. WOODBRIDGE
GMC Central Group III 3rd place
GA: 160.9 Postseason: 159.5
More evenly matched GMC teams, when will it end? Woodbridge could easily be listed with the three above, compiling the #12 GA in the state and showing up very well at the James (3rd), Baker (2nd), CJWC (9th) and the GMC (semifinalists). The Barrons might have even had the best depth of the bunch, with a solid starting five in Sarah Fail (140), Leah Gautier (157), Breanna Tolocka (160), Megan Raimondo (163) and Eliza Abreu (174). With zero seniors on that list, this may be the GMC team to beat in 2019.
16. COLONIA
GMC Central Group II 2nd place State Group II 5th place
GA: 159.2 Postseason: 163.0
Oh my, there's another one. The Patriots may have been a tiny bit short on tournament resume compared to the others - though they did finish 4th at James and 3rd at Woodbridge - but that didn't show in the postseason scores, which were very solid and left them with a 5th place finish at states. Colonia got good years from Brittany Langevin (143) and Jennifer Weber (144), a breakout year from Rebecca Hoff (189 in tournaments) and a total star turn from senior Laryssa Fiore, who averaged 192.
17. HOLY ANGELS
Big North United North Group II champs State Group II 6th place
GA: 158.3 Postseason: 161.6
What a resilient program. Last year they won their first state title, but graduated three starters. That's gonna result in a down year in most places, but AHA got consistent seasons from Alexa Hernandez (165) and Rebecca Sicat (156), got a nice rookie year from freshman Isabelle Egan (152) and saw Amelia Brunda make a serious jump forward to a 177 overall average. The results were another great regular season (12-2), another Bergen County championship, and another sectional championship, shooting 2562 at Bowler City.
18. WAYNE VALLEY
Big North Independence North Group III 3rd place
GA: 158.5 Postseason: 159.3
The final Big North heavyweight in the top 20 - these last three are nearly as close as all those GMC teams. Anyway, the Indians went 88-10 in the regular season and won the Passaic County tournament behind high-quality senior seasons from Melody Morris (160) and Hayley D'Alessandro (170 after a huge individual TOC run) and a superb Big North season from Marissa Cosentini, who at 208 put up the highest conference average in... I don't know. Many years. Valley didn't bowl badly at sectionals, but having to beat two top ten teams to advance is a tall order.
19. EASTERN
Olympic South Group IV 3rd place
GA: 150.2 Postseason: 160.5
One of the bigger surprises in the state, at least to me. Eastern graduated two incredibly successful seniors in 2017, Kristin Scimone and Anna Hileman, and a rebuilding year seemed likely. No. Ryann Werner (150) and Hailey Dadi (160) had consistently effective seasons, and Cloe Lowell stepped up to an entirely new level, improving 25 pins to a 182 mark. The Vikings finished 2nd at Olympic and had a huge, eye-opening day at CJWC, taking 7th in the year's strongest field. 2407 at states is nothing to be unhappy about; it's 150 pins over average, just not enough to advance past two of the state's top five teams.
20. EDISON
GMC Central Group III 4th place
GA: 157.4 Postseason: 159.5
GMC... sextuplets? Septuplets, really, since Carteret is right in the same narrow range but just missed the top 20. Anyway: Edison. Another resilient program. After graduating two players with storied careers in Touri Holmes and Samantha Salzone, the Eagles got huge improvements from Tori Johnson (186), Samantha Osiadacz (168) and Faby Jean-Denis (173), all moving up by 15-25 pins. The team stats are right in line with the rest of the GMC teams, including an 11-2-1 league mark and a 2392 mark at sectionals, one pin behind Woodbridge. The Eagles did have some issues with consistency, especially in tournaments, but put up 2nd place at James.
and the next ten:
21. MATAWAN
Shore North A Central Group I champs State Group I champs
GA: 144.7 Postseason: 157.5
22. CARTERET
GMC Central Group I runnerup State Group I runnerup
GA: 154.6 Postseason: 154.3
23. EWING
Olympic Central Group II 3rd place
GA: 149.8 Postseason: 160.9
24. HACKENSACK
Big North Freedom North Group IV 3rd place
GA: 153.3 Postseason: 153.7
25. NORTH BRUNSWICK
GMC Central Group III runnerup State Group III 5th place
GA: 143.4 Postseason: 164.9
26. PARAMUS CATHOLIC
Big North United North Group III 4th place
GA: 149.0 Postseason: 154.2
27. BERGEN TECH
Big North Liberty North Group IV runnerup State Group IV 5th place
GA: 147.7 Postseason: 158.3
28. SOUTH PLAINFIELD
GMC Central Group II 4th place
GA: 149.6 Postseason: 154.1
29. PEMBERTON
BCSL South Group II 3rd place
GA: 140.7 Postseason: 156.3
30. RAMSEY
Big North Patriot North Group II 4th place
GA: 153.1 Postseason: 145.5
aaand the next thirty:
31. Howell
32. Ocean Township
33. Ridgewood (North Group IV champs, 6th in state)
34. Central
35. Washington Township
36. Sayreville
37. Kingsway
38. South Hunterdon
39. JP Stevens
40. Southern
41. Hunterdon Central
42. Phillipsburg
43. Manasquan
44. Demarest
45. Passaic Tech
46. Maple Shade (South Group I champs, 3rd in state)
47. Kearny
48. Wall Township
49. Barnegat
50. Indian Hills
51. Old Bridge
52. South River
53. Gloucester Tech
54. Westwood
55. West Deptford
56. Jackson Liberty
57. Bishop Eustace
58. New Egypt
59. Fair Lawn
60. Collingswood
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