This spring sports season simply put has been a stand-out season. The baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, softball, tennis, and track teams have all been successful thus far entering the last legs of their season and will look to make runs in the postseason. Let’s take a look at the highlights of the teams thus far.
The baseball team has just earned a top 20 rating in the recent polls, sitting at #20 per NJ.com with a 15-3 record. The team started off with a 1-2 record, dropping two games in a row to Millburn and West Orange but has rallied 14 wins in their last 15 games beating ranked opponents Seton Hall Prep and Howell and will look to continue their streak come the postseason. When asked about this year’s team, senior Nick Bergamotto said, “We get along really well this year, and I think that plays a huge part in our team’s success.” Sitting as one of the top teams in Essex County, there is no doubt that this has played a huge part in their wins. The team will be the number one seed going into their sectional state tournament bracket and will look to bring home a title for the first time in decades.
The Girls Lacrosse Team has had an amazing season so far with a record of 11-3. The girls have had a strong season with their losses only being to the top teams in their league which include Mountain Lakes and Montclair two times. The girls have had many milestones reached successfully this year, including many of the team members hitting triple digits in goals and points. The morale is high for this season and the team is eager to flourish during states. Sarah Catizone, a senior goalie, said, “I think this season is the best I’ve had out of all four years I’ve played.” With such a strong group of upperclassmen leading this year’s team, they will surely leave everything on the field as we enter the end of the season. Although the team had a tough battle during the Essex County Tournament, they are yearning for a state title to be theirs and will look to take one of the top seeds in their sectional bracket.
The Boys Lacrosse Team has gotten in a groove after losing three out of their first four. After dropping games to West Essex, Randolph, and Scotch Plains-Fanwood, the team rallied to win nine in their last eleven games. Standing at a 10-5 record, the team has earned impressive wins over ranked opponents including Montclair and Bergen Catholic and will look to take this energy into the state tournament. When speaking with head coach John Timan about the postseason, he remarked, “We’re expecting to do well in the state tournament.”
Senior John King, a starting defenseman, added, “We want a revenge game against Mountain Lakes. Many of the guys are still unsettled from last year’s sectional final.” With many of this year’s teams having state tournament experience from last year’s run, the Chiefs will look to battle it out in a hard section and get to their revenge game. Sometimes revenge is the best type of attitude, and it will be prominent this year as they look to end their season off with some hardware.
The Boys Tennis Team were placed in a challenging conference this spring and made out with many great wins under their belt. A main competitor for the Caldwell Chiefs was Seton Hall who they initially lost to early in the season, but as the season progressed, they were able to take the victory only two weeks later. Starting off strong in the season, they were able to beat Columbia who had a very skilled team this year. Their progression has been amazing and the team defeated many highly ranked teams this year including Pequannock, Columbia, Belleville, West Orange, Verona, and Cedar Grove. The boys tennis team is well accomplished and had a great season this year after last year’s season dealing with COVID-19.
This year, the Spring Track Team had some of the greatest times seen to date. The runners on the spring track team are very talented and reached some amazing times. Jeyden Vizcaino has been a standout runner who runs both the 100 and the 200 meter. With a time of 11.76, he is ranked with the best time for the 100 in our school and an impressive 200 meter dash coming in at 24.47. Aidan Dickson has also been very successful this year running a 12.18 100 meter dash along with a 25.41 200 meter dash.
Annie Gustavsen, Hannah Morgan, Julia Canonaco, and Samantha Solomon have led the girls team this year posting several impressive times in both the shorter and longer distance events. Such committed leaders have led the girls team to have a successful season thus far as they finish up their last meets. The upperclassmen are not the only people pulling their weight on the track team. Matthew Soder ran the second fastest 800 meter surpassing multiple years of runners, earning a time of 2:16. This season has been so successful due to the skill and talent of each runner along with the involved coaching techniques of Coach Schechter. They will look to close out their season successfully both individually and as a team.
