CENTRAL JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Local high school sports news from The Times of Trenton

• Receivers rise to the top

• RIEMANN AND DENNEHY BY T HE NUMBERS
Jeff Riemann, Sr., WR As a junior grabbed 19 catches for 639 yards and 11 touchdowns.

• ALL-AREA
FIRST TEAM

• ALL-CVC
FIRST TEAM

• ALL-PREP
FIRST TEAM

• AMANDA STANTON/MALLORY WANG
School: WW-P South

• AMMU MANDALAP
School: WW-P South

• Norris a rock of consistency
Lesley Norris wasn't even aware she was the only Colonial Valley Conference player to finish with an undefeated season. The junior was well aware, however, that she hadn't lost a match in the past two years playing third singles for the West Windsor-Plainsboro South tennis team and put a little pressure on herself to keep that streak going.

• SAHANA JAYARAMAN
School: WW-P South

• WW-P North seniors went out with class

• Heartbreak for WW-PN boys

• JOY AND SORROW IN T HE STATE SOCCER SEM IFINALS
TOMS RIVER -- Gavy Kaplan wasn't blessed in the height department, standing 5-foot-1, but the Robbinsville High School stu dent is gifted in many other ways, particularly in soccer.

• 12TH MAN TOUCHDOW N CLUB

• CVC's history Shore is telling
So we find ourselves here yet again, with the first round of the NJSIAA playoffs in the books, and just one team, coach Todd Smith's West Windsor-Plainsboro South squad, remaining as the Colonial Valley Conference's lone hope to secure the conference's first sectional title in nearly 20 years.

• Hopewell falls to Wall in consolation
HOPEWELL -- Quarterback Bobby Coleman completed 10 of 20 passes for 110 yards as Hopewell Valley suffered a 27-0 setback to Wall in an NJSIAA football conso lation game yesterday.

• No brotherly help for WW-PN

• Robbinsville aims to extend season
They're hoping that the journey that began the week of July 7 will continue for a little while longer.

• GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
HOLMDEL -- Just when fans of Mercer County girls cross country thought it couldn't get any better following a weekend of success at the sectionals, the NJSIAA Group Championships provided the area with another batch of stunning performances.

• Hermits sack ND playoff run
LAWRENCE -- Notre Dame High football head coach Chappy Moore has had a rough week.

• WW-PS all business

• Lawrence frustrated

• Nottingham falls short of big upset
FREEHOLD BOROUGH -- The Nottingham High football team came close to scoring a big one for the Colonial Valley Conference.

• WW-PN blows away competition
HOLMDEL -- On a day not conducive to running fast, West Windsor-Plainsboro North did so anyway, blitzing the Holmdel Park course with the most impressive performance at yesterday's NJSIAA Group Championships.

• WW-P North wins in rout
SCHOOLS

• Alston leads Robbinsville rout
HS FOOTBALL

• Football rained out
Due to questionable field condi tions from overnight rain, the threat of storms that never materialized or most of central and southern New Jersey being under a tor nado watch, several Colonial Valley Conference squads had their NJSIAA football games postponed yesterday.

• Hunterdon Central falls in Group IV title match
WAYNE -- Southern Regional, the No. 10 team in the Dorf Feature Service Top 20, was trying to win its first state title by knocking off two-time defending champion Hunterdon Central, the No. 6 team in the Dorf poll.

• A DOUBLE DOSE OF SECTIONAL TITLES
PLAINSBORO -- Winning a sectional title as a first seed might have been tougher than doing it as a 12th, but the payoff is nicer as the West Windsor-Plainsboro North boys soccer team discovered yesterday.

• Cross country, football postponed
SCHOOLS

• Robbinsville rolls
ROBBINSVILLE -- A year ago, Laura Greb and her teammates walked off the soccer field in the NJSIAA Group I Central title game in tears. One year later, the Ravens turned the tables and left the Rob binsville turf with an easy 4-0 win over David Brearley, earning the Ravens their first girls soccer sectional title.

• Bound Brook denies Florence
BOUND BROOK -- Florence High football head coach Joe Frappolli must have flashed back to the Holy Cross-Tom Madiera days.

• HoVal falls hard in Freehold
FREEHOLD BOROUGH -- Meghan Spoth knew she and her Hopewell Valley High girls soccer teammates were in for a tough battle.

• Hunterdon Central routs Watchung H.
FLEMINGTON -- Despite winning back-to-back sectional titles, and entering this year's NJSIAA Group IV North II playoffs as the No. 2 seed, Hunterdon Central head football coach Matt Perotti doesn't expect a spot at Rutgers Stadium to be simply awaiting the Red Devils come the first week of December.

• New Egypt suffers OT defeat in semi
ROUNDUP

• Trenton falls in NJSIAA consolation
ROUNDUP

• NJSIAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South football team knew the 2008 regular season was just a matter of practicality.

• FOOTBALL LEADERS
Statistics through Thursday COLONIAL VALLEY CONFERENCE Rushing Name, SchoolAttYdsTD

• Hunterdon Central volleyball team rolls
ROUNDUP

• KEVIN MALONEY'S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS
NJSIAA Playoffs Tonight Group I Central (6) Florence (6-2) at (3) Bound Brook (8-0) This is not your older brother's, your father's, your grandfather's, or even your great-grandfather's Flashes. Coach Joe Frappolli's squad is very young and inexperienced, but getting at least one playoff game under its belt can only help as the Flashes look to reload for next season. Florence has not opened the playoffs on the road since it switched from South Jersey Group I to Central Jersey Group I prior to the 2003 season. Undefeated Bound Brook has played in just two close games, a 20-13 win over Roselle to open the season and a 20-14 overtime win over Bernard's back on Oct. 10. It's the fourth time the Crusaders have reached the NJSIAA playoffs, the last of which came as the No. 7 seed last season.

• Relaxed, ready to play
Patti Nicholson and her New Egypt High field hockey team prac ticed Wednesday at a turf facility and then had dinner together.

• Four teams vying for titles

• GROUP III CENTRAL NEPTUNE (5) AT LAWRENCE ( 4)
NEPTUNE SCARLET FLIERS (6-2) Head coach -- John Fiore.

• GROUP III CENTRAL NOTTINGHAM (8) AT FREEHOL D BORO (1)
FREEHOLD BORO COLONIALS (8-0) Head coach -- Mark Cicco telli.

• GROUP IV CENTRAL MIDDLETOWN N. (7) AT WW-P S (2)
MIDDLETOWN NORTH LIONS (5-3) Head coach -- Joe Trezza.

• NON-PUBLIC GROUP IV: ST. A UGUSTINE PREP (5) AT NOTR E DAME (4)
ST. AUGUSTINE PREP HERMITS (8-0) Head coach -- Dennis Scu deri Sr.

• Bearden an overlooked star
Ewing High boys cross country coach Adrienne Curto doesn't own a crystal ball, but she knew a few years ago that a special runner would be coming into the program soon in the form of Matthew Bearden.

• Experienced WW-PN meets Wall in the CJ Group III final
PLAINSBORO -- A year ago, the West Windsor-Plainsboro North's soccer team started the season with a so-so 2-2 start, caught fire and nearly ended up in the state Group III finals, being edged, 2-1, on penalty kicks by Ocean City in the semifinals.

• FIELD HOCKEY SPOTLIG HT
PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP -- The absence from the top of the field hockey hill has only been a brief one for the New Egypt High team.

• HoVal eyes fourth Group title
Around the Hopewell Valley girls cross country program, three is a magic number.

• Robbinsville, Montgomery, and Hopewell still in the hunt
Some teams are No. 1 for a reason.

• STATE CROSS COUNTRY
Nov. 15 Holmdel State Park (Start times) 10 a.m.-- Non-Public B Boys

• Hightstown falls to Freehold...again
FREEHOLD BOROUGH -- There was nothing charming about the third time the senior-dominated Hightstown High girls soccer team played Freehold Boro in the state tournament.

• Montgomery wins it in OT

• Appreciating the moment

• BOYS SOCCER LEADERS

• HoVal answers in clutch vs. Wall
GROUP III CENTRAL

• ND moves game to accommodate St. Augustine
NJSIAA FOOTBALL

• R'ville back in sectional final
ROBBINSVILLE -- Nicole Sandusky keeps telling herself it will be better next time.

• VOLLEYBALL
RARITAN TOWNSHIP -- Cara Tripp pounded 16 kills, and Hillary Guardo accounted for 31 assists as the Hunterdon Central High volleyball team defeated North Hunter don, 2-1, yesterday in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA Group IV Tournament.

• Aggressive Steinert advances
HAMILTON -- In a game that had been twice delayed by rain and poor field conditions, Steinert and Manalapan finally played their NJSIAA Group IV Central girls soccer quarterfinal game yesterday.

• WW-PN gets its revenge

• BOYS CROSS COUNTRY LEADERS

• GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY LEADERS

• Lifting is pivotal for CVC

• Ossowski helps N. Egypt to title
PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP -- Poor Karly Ossowski.

• Steinert can't stop Gomez, unbeaten Hunterdon C

• Steinert blanked in sectional final

• Alston, Robbinsville run past WW-P North
FOOTBALL

• CVC RECORD FALLS
Nottingham's Kendrick Williams set the CVC single- season rushing record in yesterday's win over Stei nert as.

• Ewing seizes opportunity
TRENTON -- An early rain made for some muddy, slippery field conditions in yesterday's Ewing-Trenton football game.

• Hopewell Valley, Robbinsville roll
JAMESBURG -- It was the single greatest day in Mercer County cross country history.

• Lawrence's Pearson, Russ reach milestones

• Notre Dame's Quarrie, defense rock Hamilton
HAMILTON -- As a kid growing up just a few blocks from Hamilton High, Ransford Quarrie and NOTRE DAME 22HAMILTON 0his friends would take the short trek up to William J. McEvoy Field for pickup football games.

• Peddie boys win, capture MAPL crown in finale
ROUNDUP

• SECTIONAL CROSS COU NTRY
JAMESBURG -- On a dreary day in Jamesburg, the sun shined brightly on the West Windsor- Plainsboro North, Robbinsville and West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys cross country teams.

• 'Stars' Williams sets CVC record
HAMILTON -- Jon Adams had his reservations entering this season.

• WW-PS among locals in states
Seven local teams continue their pursuit of football state championships next weekend after yesterday's final day in the NJSIAA power points scramble.

• WW-PS enters playoffs at 9-0

• Cougars continue on a roll

• Remarkable Steinert rally

• Wallace returns and nets winner in OT for Hightstown

• FOOTBALL LEADERS

• Hunterdon Central repeats history in loss

• NE playoff hopes dim after 4th loss
WILLINGBORO -- An once promising New Egypt High football season has melted into a puddle that could form a playoff pool for Keyport to dive into.

• New Egypt gains sectional final
ROUNDUP

• Toomer key in Steinert win
WEST WINDSOR -- The name of the top field hockey goalie of the Colonial Valley Conference is a lively discussion.

• Washington's TDs lead NBC to victory
FOOTBALL

• NJSIAA GROUP III CENTRAL QUARTERFINALS
PLAINSBORO -- In the span of a year, West Windsor-Plainsboro North's boys soccer team has gone from everybody's favorite cuddly story to the giant Godzilla monster the whole world wants to slay.

• All tied up: CVC field hockey stood by error
On the opening day of the Colonial Valley Conference field hockey season in September, Hopewell Valley and West Windsor-Plainsboro South High played to a scoreless tie. The teams were allowed to play to penalty strokes (penalty kicks for you soccer nuts out there). Just as the CVC does not allow for a shootout in a regular-season game in soccer, it does not allow for strokes in field hockey.

• Focus is on girls soccer at '33' event
EWING -- It has a name that honors its roots, but girls soccer of today and tomorrow will be in the spotlight Monday at the annual Mercer 33 Awards Dinner at the West Trenton Volunteer Fire Co. on Upper Ferry Road.

• FOOTBALL LEADERS

• Kotowski leads Princeton
ROUNDUP

• Mistakes hold back Trenton

• NJSIAA PLAYOFFS
The cutoff to qualify for the NJSIAA football playoffs is after a team has finished playing its eighth game. A good portion of teams across the state have played their eighth games already, but with many teams waiting to play their eighth game this weekend, a lot can -- and probably will -- change.

• Robbinsville has consistency, depth
They say no one remembers who finished second, but if you were present at last week's Mercer County Girls Cross Country Championships, it was important to recall who finished third.