Ridgewood Sports - Page 10 of 14 - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.

Posted on August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

She swims with the jellyfishes (and sharks): Fearless Ridgewood teen is an open-water star

By Maria Guardado | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on August 21, 2015 at 7:00 AM, updated August 21, 2015 at 10:58 AM

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — Charlotte Samuels is at ease. It’s 9:30 a.m. and the sun is still rising, but sweltering heat already emanates, warming the strip of lagoon behind her family’s yellow vacation rental home in Loveladies. She’s sitting on the deck above the water, wearing a blue swimsuit, her dark curly hair slightly damp from having taken a dip in a nearby beach earlier this morning.

NJ teen prepares to make 20-mile swim from Long Island to Jersey ShoreCharlotte Samuels, of Ridgewood, is preparing to swim 20 miles from Long Island to the Jersey Shore. This should be no problem after what she accomplished last summer, swimming the 28-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the 20-mile Catalina Channel and the 21-mile English Channel. (Video by John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

It’s been an unusually calm summer for Samuels, the Ridgewood teenager who last year became the youngest Triple Crown swimmer after completing a series of swims around the island of Manhattan, across the English Channel and across the Catalina Channel in California.

She traveled to Minnesota this June to participate in a poetry slam camp and then to Massachusetts in July to attend a writing program at Smith College. In between, she hung out with her family and friends, maximizing her free time before the start of her senior year at Ridgewood High School.

https://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/08/how_ridgewood_teenager_charlotte_samuels_became_an.html

Posted on August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 by James — 6 Comments

Youth Baseball: Memories of Ridgewood’s 1979 World Series team

bronx zoo memories

AUGUST 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Terry Cardew understands the emotions the Ridgewood Raiders’ U14 Little League team is experiencing at the Junior World Series in Michigan.

Cardew was a star on the last Ridgewood team to get that far, back in 1979.

“We went into that year with the goal to win the state tournament, so when we got to the region and faced a bunch of 6-foot-tall, huge guys, we were relaxed, because we had achieved our goal,” he said on Sunday. “We were playing with house money.”

His Ridgewood National team won the East Region title and then went on to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

“Back in those days, it wasn’t double elimination,” Cardew said. “It was single elimination, and we lost in the first round to Arkansas. Every game we played in the tournaments was sudden death. We lost, and that was it. We were done with no chance of winning the whole thing. We did play some consolation games, but that loss meant it was over for us.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bridging-a-36-year-span-1.1395971

Posted on August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Youth Baseball: Ridgewood team reaches Junior League World Series

PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA POWERS

The Ridgewood Raiders U14 baseball team qualified for the Junior League World Series Taylor, Mich. by winning the East Region championship on Aug. 13. FRONT ROW, from left: Garret Thompson, Coleman Clauss, Alex Facini, David Kleiman, Dan Boucher, Avery Scott, Kevin Seitter and Bret Thompson. BACK ROW, from left: Coach Craig Frisina, Ben Geraghty, Mike Breiter, Pat Higgins, coach Marc Favieri, Dylan Black, Brady McSwigan, Sam Favieri and coach Will Seitter. Not pictured: Coach Dave Wang.

AUGUST 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY RON FOX
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The Ridgewood Raiders’ bats were quieted only once in five games during their successful run to the USA East Regional U14 championship. They rebounded quickly and emphatically from that one mishap to stamp their tickets to the Junior Baseball World Series in Taylor, Mich. that began Sunday.

It is the first time a Ridgewood team has reached a World Series in any age group since 1979.

The World Series field consists of five U.S. teams, including Ridgewood, and five international squads. The Raiders’ schedule featured Pearl City, Hawaii (West Region champion) on Sunday; Johnson, Iowa (Central) on Tuesday; Weslaco, Texas (Southwest) on Wednesday; and Frederick County National East, Va. (Southeast) on Thursday.

A champion will be crowned this Sunday, provided the weather holds up during the weeklong, double-elimination tournament.

Ridgewood routed Great Valley, the Pennsylvania champ, 8-1, on Aug. 13 to take the East Region title after losing the previous day to the same team, 2-1.

“That was a clean game with great pitching,” Raiders biographer Steve Facini said over the weekend. With head coach Marc Favieri and his assistants off to Michigan for the World Series’ start, Facini served as team spokesman.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/village-fields-1st-world-series-team-since-1979-1.1395992

Posted on August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Ridgewood Welcomes Home U14 Ridgewood Junior League All Star team

RBSA – Welcome Home – Celebration for U-14 – Monday, August 24th

The RBSA will hold a victory celebration for the U14 Ridgewood Junior League All Star team, winners of the Junior Little League East Region Championship. The team is competing the week of August 16-23 in the Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Michigan. There will be a welcome home celebration taking place on Monday, August 24 between 2-4pm at Van Neste Park in the Village of Ridgewood. The team will have a police escort down East Ridgewood Avenue to the park, where they will be greeted by Mayor Paul Aronsohn, the Town Council and town residents to commemorate their accomplishments.

There will be food and music. Please come out to line the streets in celebration as we welcome home our U14 East Region champions

Posted on August 15, 2015January 20, 2019 by James — Leave a comment

Youth swimming: Ridgewood relay collects two gold medals for Graydon Swim Team

PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITNEY KLEIN
The Graydon Swim Team relay squad of, from left, Sarah Afromsky, Jackie Grayson, Emerson Klein and Jordan Afromsky won both the 200-meter freestyle and the 200-meter medley relays in the 13/14-year-old division at last week’s county championships.

Youth swimming: Ridgewood relay collects two gold medals for Graydon Swim Team

AUGUST 14, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

In the season’s final showcase, a quartet of Graydon swimmers doubled down on gold medal performances.

The foursome of Sarah Afromsky, Jackie Grayson, Emerson Klein and Jordan Afromsky claimed two relay titles in the 13/14-year-old division to lead the Ridgewood squad at last week’s New Jersey Pool Managers Association (NJPMA) county championships, held at various locations from Aug. 3-8.

In total, 10 Graydon swimmers competed in 20 different events at the meet.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/graydon-garners-gold-in-two-relay-races-1.1392430

Posted on August 15, 2015August 15, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Youth sports: Ridgewood taekwondo squad flourishes at Nationals

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAEKWONDO ALL IN

The students from Taekwondo All In earned 26 medals at last month’s Taekwondo National Championship in Austin, Texas. FRONT ROW, from left: Louise Kim, Justin Wang, Liam Woods, Arjun Narang, Colin Fitzgerald, Lucas Woods, Kalyan Patel, Audrey Kim and Lucas Wang. BACK ROW, from left: Head coach Young Min Kim, Jason Ahn, David Ahn, Alex Baker, Tony An, Abhishek Narang, Julia An, Jenna Slota and coach Seongki Kim.

Youth sports: Ridgewood taekwondo squad flourishes at Nationals

AUGUST 14, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The students at Taekwondo All In started their summer in style by claiming seven gold, six silver and 13 bronze medals at the 2015 National Taekwondo Championship in Austin, Texas, in early July.

Every Ridgewood student that reached the championships took home at least one medal.

Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of the team’s progress at the event:

JULY 5: The successful run began in the cadet division (ages 12-14) competitions in breaking, poomsae (form) and sparring.

David Ahn earned third place, and Colin Fitzgerald claimed fifth in the breaking division, while Jongyun An tied for first place but was beaten in a tiebreaker and took home the silver medal.

In poomsae, Ahn led the team by earning a gold medal, while An captured a silver for his performance. Fitzgerald and Abhishek Narang earned bronze medals in poomsae.

Narang and Ahn went on to earn gold medals in sparring, while An garnered a bronze

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-rewarded-greatly-at-nationals-1.1392336

Posted on August 14, 2015August 14, 2015 by James — 5 Comments

RIDGEWOOD: JUNIOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

RIDGEWOOD: JUNIOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE

Taylor, Michigan
August 16 – 23

https://www.cityoftaylor.com/worldseries

(All times listed are Eastern Standard Time. Box scores are unofficial.)

Junior League Baseball World Series

International Teams
Asia-Pacific, 0-0
Canada, 0-0
Europe-Africa, 0-0
Latin America, 0-0
Puerto Rico, 0-0

United States Teams
Central, 0-0
East (RIDGEWOOD!!), 0-0
Southeast, 0-0
Southwest, 0-0
West, 0-0

Sunday, August 16
Game 1 – 11:00 AM
Score
East
0
West
0
Game 2 – 2:00 PM
Score
Asia-Pacific
0
Latin America
0
Box Score
Game 3 – 5:00 PM
Score
Southeast
0
Southwest
0
Game 4 – 8:00 PM
Score
Puerto Rico
0
Canada
0
Monday, August 17
Game 5 – 11:00 AM
Score
Southeast
0
Central
0
Game 6 – 2:00 PM
Score
Canada
0
Europe-Africa
0
Game 7 – 5:00 PM
Score
Latin America
0
Puerto Rico
0
Game 8 – 8:00 PM
Score
West
0
Southwest
0
Tuesday, August 18
Game 9 – 11:00 AM
Score
Asia-Pacific
0
Puerto-Rico
0
Game 10 – 2:00 PM
Score
West
0
Southeast
0
Game 11 – 5:00 PM
Score
Latin America
0
Europe-Africa
0
Game 12 – 8:00 PM
Score
East
0
Central
0
Wednesday, August 19
Game 13 – 11:00 AM
Score
Latin America
0
Canada
0
Game 14 – 2:00 PM
Score
East
0
Southwest
0
Game 15 – 5:00 PM
Score
West
0
Central
0
Game 16 – 8:00 PM
Score
Asia-Pacific
0
Europe-Africa
0
Thursday, August 20
Game 17 – 11:00 AM
Score
Southwest
0
Central
0
Game 18 – 2:00 PM
Score
Asia-Pacific
0
Canada
0
Game 19 – 5:00 PM
Score
Puerto Rico
0
Europe-Africa
0
Game 20 – 8:00 PM
Score
East
0
Southeast
0
Saturday, August 22
International Final
Game 21 – 3:00 PM
#1 Seed Pool Play
0
#2 Seed Pool Play
0
United States Final
Game 22 – 6:00 PM
Score
#1 Seed Pool Play
0
#2 Seed Pool Play
0
Sunday, August 23
Championship Game
Game 23 – 1:00 PM
Score
Winner Game 21
0
Winner Game 22
0

ESPN | Watch

Posted on August 12, 2015August 12, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Second Update: Ridgewood’s 14U Raiders, the New Jersey Junior League Champs

Second Update: Ridgewood’s 14U Raiders, the New Jersey Junior League Champs, are playing in the East Regional Tournament championship game tomorrow morning, 10:00am in Freehold, having taken the winner’s bracket with three straight wins!

JLBWS RESULTS

JUNIOR LEAGUE BASEBALL EAST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Freehold, New Jersey
August 7-12

https://www.ftll.org/regionals/index.htm

(All times listed are Eastern Time. Box scores are unofficial.)

JLBWS RESULTS

JUNIOR LEAGUE BASEBALL EAST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Freehold, New Jersey
August 7-12

https://www.ftll.org/regionals/index.htm

(All times listed are Eastern Time. Box scores are unofficial.)

Junior League Baseball East Regional Tournament
Results through Monday night, 8/10
Connecticut (0-2)
Delaware (1-2)
Host – District 19 (2-1)
Maine (1-2)
Maryland (1-2)
Massachusetts (3-1)
New Jersey (3-0)
New York (1-2)
Pennsylvania (3-1)
Rhode Island (0-2)
Friday, August 7
Game 1 – 10:00 AM
Score
Maine
3
Pennsylvania
1
Game 2 – 1:00 PM
Score
Rhode Island
4
Delaware
7
Game 3 – 4:00 PM
Score
District 19
5
Massachusetts
2
Game 4 – 7:00 PM
Score
New Jersey
12
Connecticut
0
Game 7 – 4:00 PM
Score
Maine
0
New York
5
Game 8 – 7:00 PM
Score
Maryland
5
Delaware
0
Sunday, August 9
Game 9 – 10:00 AM
Score
Massachusetts
3
Maine
2
Game 10 – 1:00 PM
Score
Delaware
1
Pennsylvania
11
Game 11 – 4:00 PM
Score
District 19
6
New York
4
Game 12 – 7:00 PM
Score
Maryland
5
New Jersey
6
Monday, August 10
Game 13 – 1:00 PM
Score
Maryland
3
Massachusetts
4
Game 14 – 4:00 PM
Score
Pennsylvania
10
New York
0
Game 15 – 7:00 PM
Score
District 19
5
New Jersey
6
Tuesday, August 11
Game 16 – 4:00 PM
Score
Massachusetts
0
Pennsylvania
0
Game 17 – 7:00 PM
Score
District 19
0
Winner Game 16
0
Wednesday, August 12
Championship Game
Game 18 – 10:00 AM
Score
New Jersey
0
Winner Game 17
0
Winner of Game 17 advances to the 2015 Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Michigan.

Posted on August 7, 2015August 7, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Ridgewood Youth Baseball Squad Claims State Crown

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE FACINI

The Ridgewood U14 Raiders captured the Junior League state championship Monday night with a comeback win over Toms River East and will begin the Eastern Regional Tournament tonight in Freehold. FRONT ROW, from left: Garret Thompson, Ben Geraghty, Alex Facini, Sam Favieri, Avery Scott, Brady McSwigan and Kevin Seitter. BACK ROW, from left: Coach Dave Wang, coach Will Seitter, Dan Boucher, Mike Breiter, Pat Higgins, Dylan Black, Coleman Clauss, Bret Thompson, coach Marc Favieri, David Kleiman and coach Craig Frisina.

AUGUST 7, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY RON FOX
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Fortunately, Marc Favieri’s rallying cry did not fall on deaf ears Monday.

“Keep fighting,” he and his assistant coaches kept urging the U14-level baseball team.

The Ridgewood Raiders responded full bore. They came back from near oblivion to take the next step on the circuitous route toward the Little League Junior World Series by scoring nine runs in the seventh and final inning to win the state championship, 14-8, over Toms River East in Old Bridge.

The Raiders now move on to Freehold, where the Eastern Regional Tournament starts against Edgewood Little League of Bristol, Conn., tonight at 7 p.m. The tournament consists of 10 teams, from Maine to Maryland and Delaware.

The winner of that tournament earns a berth in the Little League Junior World Series beginning Aug. 16 in Taylor, Mich. A New Jersey team hasn’t won the tournament since Holbrook Little League of Jackson captured the title in 2009.

The outlook was bleak as Ridgewood entered the seventh. They were running out of time. With one out and no one on base, the situation has reached desperation time for a Raiders squad just two outs away from elimination.

“Keep fighting,” came the cry again, reasserting the faith the coaches had in the boys. It was not an empty phrase.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/raiders-stage-rally-to-claim-state-title-1.1388182

Posted on August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Open-water Ridgewood swimmer continues her quest

AUGUST 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2015, 9:43 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Open-water swimming sensation Charlotte Samuels has been having a truly memorable summer.

The record-setting 17-year-old attended a summer camp for poets in Minnesota some weeks ago. She’s also fresh from a young women’s writing workshop at Smith College in Massachusetts.

Plus, in a matter of weeks, Samuels will be back in the swell, doing what she loves most: traversing massive expanses of undulating water in awe-inspiring fashion.

Samuels became the youngest person to complete her sport’s Triple Crown when she made quick work of the English Channel in September, after swims around Manhattan and off the coast of California. Since April, she has been training for her next aquatic feat – a 12-hour swim between Long Island and the Jersey Shore. “I’m excited for this swim, which will cap what has been such a great summer,” Samuels said. “I can’t wait for this swim.”

Samuels began plotting her next big swim soon after making history in England last summer.

https://www.northjersey.com/towns/open-water-ridgewood-swimmer-continues-her-quest-1.1385023

Posted on August 1, 2015August 1, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Youth Baseball: Ridgewood U14 team brings home Section 1 title

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE FACINI

The Ridgewood U14 Raiders baseball team claimed the Section 1 crown and advanced to the State Championships. FRONT ROW, from left: Alex Facini, Ben Geraghty, Sam Favieri, Avery Scott, Brady McSwigan, Bret Thompson and Kevin Seitter. BACK ROW, from left: Coach Marc Favieri, coach Dave Wang, Dan Boucher, Mike Breiter, Coleman Clauss, Pat Higgins, Dylan Black, David Kleiman, coach Will Seitter, Garret Thompson and coach Craig Frisina.

JULY 31, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY RON FOX
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

While there was no “Under Construction” sign attached to the dugout, it was understood that this was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Ridgewood U14 baseball team.

The Raiders were coming off a series of strong seasons, but this time, half of last year’s team had begun high school and moved on.

“But it was a nice turnover,” coach Marc Favieri said between events this week. His team had won the Section 1 championship and was poised to enter the state tournament at midweek.

“These kids knew each other and they had played together in rec league,” the coach said. “This is a strong group of kids. They’re all very athletic and there’s a camaraderie. They’re all friends and that helps a lot. They jelled very quickly.”

All the coaches at the lower levels in the village, from Little League on up, are proud to have developed players who have gone on to play and star at Ridgewood High School.

“The high school program is in good hands,” Favieri said. “The last three or four classes moving up have been strong.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/rebuilt-raiders-rise-to-the-occasion-1.1384025

Posted on July 28, 2015July 27, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Golf: Ridgewood’s John Driscoll steps up in class

JULY 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY GREG MATTURA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

John Driscoll has set his sights on winning the New Jersey Junior Championship and has given himself five years to do it.

New Jersey’s reigning Boys champion is foregoing his final two years of eligibility in that 15-and-under division and stepping up in class against many of the Garden State’s premier 18-year-olds.

The 14-year-old from Ridgewood hopes to join a prestigious list of golfers who have won the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Boys and Junior titles since the former debuted in 1971. Six have won both, most recently Wayne’s Anthony Alex in 2009.

“I just wanted to give myself an opportunity to do it,” Driscoll said.

The 94th Junior and 45th Boys championships open today at Rumson Country Club and Driscoll, an incoming freshman at Don Bosco, will compete against golfers who in the spring were chosen All-State by the New Jersey PGA and in late summer will head to college.

“To be honest, my goal is just to make match play in the Junior,” said Driscoll, who plays out of Arcola CC in Paramus, “because I know there’s a lot of good players there. And I know if you can make match play, anything can happen. That was my mind-set last year.”

The Junior has a field of 77 who today will compete in an 18-hole, stroke-play qualifier, with the low 16 advancing to Tuesday morning’s first round of match play. The final is Wednesday afternoon.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/golf/ridgewood-s-driscoll-steps-up-in-class-1.1381447

Posted on July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 by James — 3 Comments

A Hall of Famer John Smoltz issues a warning to baseball parents

JULY 26, 2015, 11:26 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, 7:57 AM
BY TARA SULLIVAN
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD
Print

The message was tucked deep inside a long and personal Hall of Fame acceptance speech, important words of warning amid heartfelt words of gratitude.

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz was one of four players inducted Sunday

John Smoltz touched all the emotional bases Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, N.Y., thanking everyone from family and friends to former teammates and coaches for helping him realize baseball’s career pinnacle. But it was when he turned his attention to a long-ago major league pitcher and a host of doctors and trainers that Smoltz’s moment of personal achievement morphed into one of public service.

With an impassioned plea to parents across America to protect the arms of their budding baseball stars, Smoltz gave an important big-league voice to an issue that threatens the future of our long-standing national pastime.

As the first pitcher in the Hall of Fame who had Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm, Smoltz spoke from a perch of experience. Though filled with gratitude and appreciation for the career-saving procedure pioneered by noted orthopedist Dr. Frank Jobe and famously performed on onetime Yankee pitcher Tommy John, Smoltz is part of the growing chorus of baseball fans alarmed by the increase in Tommy John procedures, particularly among young athletes.

“It’s an epidemic, it’s something that’s affecting our game,” Smoltz said. “It’s something that I thought would cost me my career, but thanks to Dr. James Andrews and all those before him performing the surgery with such precision, it has caused it to be almost a false read, like a Band-Aid you put on your arm.

“I want to encourage families and parents that are out there to understand that is not normal to have a surgery at 14 or 15 years old, [that] you have time, that baseball is not a year-round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports. Don’t let the institutions that are out there running before you, guaranteeing scholarship dollars and signing bonuses, [tell you] that this is the way.

“We have such great, dynamic arms in our game, and it’s a shame we are having one and two and three Tommy John recipients.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/sullivan-a-hall-of-famer-john-smoltz-issues-a-warning-to-baseball-parents-1.1381270

Posted on July 25, 2015July 25, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Graydon Swim Team satisfied with progress

file photo by ArtChick

JULY 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Despite suffering a few setbacks along the way, the Graydon swim team has been pleased with the progress of its young swimmers and is hoping to continue that momentum at next week’s Lake League Championships.

The team finished second with 218 points in a tri-meet with Fair Lawn (252 points) and Wyckoff (156) on Monday, but several swimmers have shown improvement since the start of the season earlier this month.

The meet featured several non-traditional events, such as 100-yard races and relays with both boys and girls. Sarah Afromsky headlined Graydon’s girls lineup, winning the 13-and-older 100 freestyle in 1:06.02, while Evan Shadbolt had the highest finish for the boys, taking second in 1:02.84 in the same event.

The 200 freestyle “step-up” relay, which consisted of boys and girls participants from each age group, represented another bright spot for Graydon. The team of Morgan Hoffman (11/12-year-old age group), Merrill Klein (9/10), AJ Liguori (13/14) and Shadbolt (15-17) placed first in the event in 2:04.38.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/graydon-improving-as-big-meets-approach-1.1380054

Posted on July 25, 2015July 24, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Little League Softball: Section title a big step forward for Ridgewood team

PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY BARBERA
The Ridgewood Raiders U14 softball team clinched a spot in the New Jersey State Little League Tournament (Junior Softball Division) by defeating Morristown, 13-1, in the Section 1 final July 11. FRONT ROW, from left: Francesca Barbera and Kristen Yee. MIDDLE ROW, from left: Elizabeth Policano, Kiera Boucher, Alli Olsen, Payton Angus, Grace Pizzuti and Brianna Buckley. BACK ROW, from left: Ciara Emmanuel, coach Linda Hannafey, Liz Hannafey, coach Tim Boucher, Chloe Lennon, Casey Kandel, coach Tony Barbera and coach Tom Olsen.

Little League Softball: Section title a big step forward for Ridgewood team

JULY 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY RON FOX
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

In his 14 years of coaching softball, Tony Barbera has learned that players benefit most when challenged. So he often had his Ridgewood Little League U14 team, the Raiders, “playing up” this spring and summer.

“Most teams play sophomores and we play freshmen against them,” he said after a long and winding schedule was nearing its end. “This helps our girls get ready for the high school varsity.”

Barbera should know, as his daughter, Mia, is a three-year starter for the Ridgewood High School team at shortstop and is entering her senior year.

One of the challenges involved the girls making some history, Barbera said, by becoming the first Ridgewood softball team to enter into the Little League Tournament.

In the first round of the regional event, they lost to Morristown National in a rain storm, then routed Ringwood, 20-0, and Morristown National, 8-4, the latter in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. And the Raiders once again defeated the Morristown team, 12-1, to capture the Section 1 title and advance to the state tournament, where they beat Jersey City before losing consecutive games to eventual champion Northfield and runner-up West Windsor.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/young-raiders-reel-in-a-section-title-1.1379991

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