RHS Boys Basketball: Freshman team a fine fit for longtime Ridgewood coach
MARCH 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD — The natural progression for many coaches at the high school level is to start out at the freshman or JV ranks before landing a job leading a varsity squad.
Ridgewood High School freshman boys basketball coach John Fiocchi climbed that ladder years ago, but the descent back down the rungs of the high school game has been just as a rewarding.
“This has been the most fun I’ve had: coaching the freshmen,” Fiocchi said last Friday, shortly after receiving an award from the Bergen County Coaches Association recognizing his role in staging the Bergen County Freshman Tournament the past 20 years.
For tournament director Joe DelBuono, the honor — presented to Fiocchi at halftime of the championship game at RHS — was long overdue.
“He’s dedicated himself to the tournament for over 20 years,” DelBuono said. “It’s about time that someone recognized that he does this, and it’s a good thing for the younger coaches to see too — that you dedicate yourself and you get some appreciation for it.”
Fiocchi has served on the tournament selection committee for more than 20 years and has been instrumental in coordinating the use of Ridgewood facilities every year for the tournament semifinals and finals, leading many to refer to the tournament as “The Road to Ridgewood,” according to DelBuono.
While the coach of more than 40 years is seemingly on top of everything when it comes to the freshman tournament, the recognition took him by surprise.
Ridgewood Wrestling rolls to third straight district crown
MARCH 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015, 11:11 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
FAIR LAWN – Sporting a supportive wrap around his right shoulder and bulky brace on his left knee, Ridgewood High School senior Roger Toral departed the wrestling mat, turned to a legion of Maroons backers and raised his arms in exultation with both index fingers pointing upward, making it clear where he and his team stood at last weekend’s District 6 tournament.
Despite battling a shoulder injury since the opening week of the season – and spraining his MCL days before the tournament – the 132-pounder persevered for a 3-1 decision over Fair Lawn’s Alex Eligur to capture an individual title and help lead the Maroons to an overwhelming team victory, their third straight district triumph, last Saturday at Fair Lawn High School.
“Roger is a heart-and-soul kid, and what he did, in the midst of the adversity that he faced, that’s the story of the team,” RHS head coach Torre Watson said.
Ridgewood continually hasfound a way to exceed expectations this season, shaking off significant graduation losses to compile an 18-6 record and earn the program’s first-ever home state-tournament match earlier this month.
“We’re able to overcome anything,” Toral said. “There were problems presented to us, and we were able to work around them.”
the fly has heard claims that the Maroons Soccer Clubs business practices fall far short ……. The fly has learned that many in town claim the Maroons organization that provides the competitive youth soccer program for Ridgewood, is currently being run as a personal fiefdom by Paul Boogaert (President) and others on the Board of Trustees. Sources say a few self-serving Trustees run the organization as they please, for their own personal gain or to protect their (and some of their fellow Trustees’) personal interests.
If you don’t know the Maroons are a 501(c)(3) organization, co-sponsored and heavily supported by Ridgewood, serving hundreds of our town’s families. The odd thing is all these people who never played a sport are suddenly clamoring to be on the board of the travel soccer program in town? Is it just a thirst for local power or as critics have called it joining the “sports mafia” . Some join boards to protect there child or some say promote their child at the expense of yours .
Sources claim the Maroons Board has engaged in improper elections aimed at stacking the Board ; many “red flag” financial irregularities ;improper (and undisclosed) Board compensation; self-dealing ; conflicts of interest and interested party transactions.The Board even let the 501(c)(3) lapse yet the when questioned the Board has been known to bring in lawyers . These are serious allegations that a simple audit would put to rest .
Popular athletic field turf raises worries in North Jersey
FEBRUARY 22, 2015, 9:50 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2015, 9:59 PM
BY JEFF ROBERTS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The tiny specks of black rubber burrow their way into everything.
Keith Verkem finds them embedded in his carpet. In his car mats. Even chewed by his dog.
The shredded bits of used car and truck tires — called crumb rubber — routinely infest his Glen Rock home. They are carried in by his 13-year-old son, Zachary, after soccer games on artificial turf. They are used as infill on nearly all synthetic fields in the country.
And he wonders just how safe those little pellets are.
“My son comes home and takes off his cleats, and now I have piles of crumb rubber in my house,” Verkem said. “They do get everywhere.”
The large majority of studies have found minimal to no health risks from crumb rubber after testing turf fields, including analyses conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the University of California at Berkeley.
Ridgewood Ice Hockey takes the cup for fifth straight year
Third period comeback propels Ridgewood Ice Hockey to 4-2 win over Paramus Catholic in Big North, Patriot Division final
By Richard Greco | For NJ Advance Media
on February 20, 2015 10:20 PM, updated February 21, 2015 12:14 AM
WAYNE–For the second straight year,Ridgewood needed to mount a third-period comeback against Paramus Catholic in the Big North, Patriot Division Tournament title.
Last year, the Maroons scored three unanswered goals. This year Ridgewood closed out the game with four unanswered third- period tallies to repeat as Big North Tournament, Patriot Division champs in a 4-2 win at the Ice Vault on Friday.
The title is Ridgewood’s fourth overall.
Ridgewood entered the third period trailing 2-0, before a Brendan Buckley goal midway through the final frame started to shift momentum. Buckley took the puck in the offensive zone and launched a snap shot through a defender’s legs to cut Ridgewood’s deficit to 2-1.
“That (goal) changed all the momentum,” Buckley said. “I knew then that we had all the momentum. I know we were going to go all the way.”
Ridgewood High School Wrestling senior reaches 100 career victories
FEBRUARY 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD — Over the course of four seasons, Nick Saglimbeni’s role on the Ridgewood High School wrestling team has changed. His goal — to win matches — has remained the same.
Ridgewood’s Nick Saglimbeni became the fourth wrestler in program history to reach the 100-win plateau.
The Maroons senior picked up his 100th win on the mat in an 8-5 decision versus Bridgewater-Raritan on Jan. 31, becoming just the fourth wrestler in Ridgewood history to reach the mark, joining all-time wins leader Joe Oliva (Class of 2014), Brandon Giovanetti (2012) and Mark Romeo (2002).
“It was definitely always a goal of mine, especially since freshman year when I got in the lineup and started winning matches,” the senior said Tuesday night.
Back in his debut season, Saglimbeni thrived as the only freshman on the varsity squad in 2011-12, earning All-County honorable mention and Big North Freedom Division first-team accolades at 113 pounds.
For parents, sacrifices worth it for children’s athletic careers
DECEMBER 28, 2014, 4:42 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2014, 8:19 PM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
When he was 3 years old, Mohammad Abdelhamid told his mother that he was going to be a basketball player and – like the pros – buy a mansion.
His mother, Azza Abdelziz, took his ambitions to heart and raised him as a well-rounded athlete. He now plays three sports at Fort Lee High School – soccer, basketball and baseball – as well as participating in a private soccer club that travels all over the region.
Abdelziz, who laughed off the promise of a mansion, was full of encouragement Sunday as she watched him take on Paramus Catholic in the Jack Reilly Holiday Basketball Tournament, a season opener for a number of local teams hosted at Fort Lee High School. Also in attendance were relatives, friends and recruiters taking in the action as the warm bodies on the court pushed up the temperature in the gym.
But Abdelziz deserved as much applause from her son as she was heaping on him.
The sacrifices many parents in the crowd have made on behalf of their children’s athletic careers are as remarkable for their size as for their duration. Abdelziz, for example, said that over the past 10 years, she has hosted relatives at her house less and less due to her son’s game and practice schedule. She has also stuck with her job as a school bus driver because the hours are conducive to high school sports.
Carleen Jeffers, Sam Halvorsen, Kelly Cleary, Olympia Martin, Named All-Suburban Girls Cross-Country Teams
December 12, 2014 Last updated: Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Greg Tartaglia
SPORTS EDITOR |
The Ridgewood New
RIDGEWOOD — Indications began showing at the end of last year that Ridgewood was in for a big-time 2014 girls cross-country season.
The Maroons wrapped up 2013 with a sixth-place finish in the State Meet of Champions and delivered on the high expectations that carried over. They took third at this season’s SMOC and topped things off with a ninth-place showing at Nike Northeast Regionals.
As a result, four Ridgewood girls have been named to the All-Suburban first team. Immaculate Heart and Northern Highlands garnered two spots apiece, while Glen Rock and Indian Hills have one each among the four seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
Kelly Cleary of Ridgewood and Colleen Buckley of IHA are four-time overall picks – Cleary makes her second appearance on the elite unit (2012 and ’14) and Buckley her third (2011, ’13-14). Indian Hills’ Julia Guerra (2012-14 first team) and Northern Highlands’ Veronica Mahler (2012 first team, ’13-14 second team) are three-time honorees overall.
Ridgewood’s Olympia Martin moves to the first team from the Freshman of the Year spot, which this season is occupied by Northern Highlands’ Isabel Hebner.:
Kelly Cleary
GRADE: Senior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2011 Freshman of Year, 2012 first team, 2013 second team
SEASON BEST: 19:09
FAST FACTS: Cleary had perhaps the season’s most memorable run at the Bergen Group A meet. After taking ACT exams that morning, she arrived just in time to start the race and clocked an 11th-place 19:33 despite not being able to warm up. One week later, she set a new PR with her 14th-place run at the BMOC, and she was 15th in North 1, Group 4.
Carleen Jeffers
GRADE: Senior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2013 first team
SEASON BEST: 17:59
FAST FACTS: Jeffers began her second year of cross-country by winning the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational at Penn State. The softball-player-turned-distance-runner finished in the top four of every major North Jersey meet and took things to the next level at season’s end, placing ninth at the SMOC and 10th at Nike Cross Northeast Regionals.
Sam Halvorsen
GRADE: Junior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2012 Freshman of Year, 2013 first team
SEASON BEST: 17:59
FAST FACTS: Halvorsen shared the No. 1 spot in the lineup with neighbor and fellow first-teamer Carleen Jeffers. She won gold at the North 1, Group 4 meet, leading Ridgewood to its third state-sectional title in five years, and added bronze in the Shore Coaches, Big North Freedom, BMOC and State Group 4 races.
Olympia Martin
GRADE: Sophomore
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2013 Freshman of Year
SEASON BEST: 18:45
FAST FACTS: Martin followed up a breakthrough rookie campaign by establishing herself as a consistent No. 3 for the Maroons. Her four top-10 outings included a fifth at the Bergen Group A meet and an eighth at the North 1, Group 4 sectional, and at the SMOC, she eclipsed the 20-minute mark at Holmdel for the first time in her career, placing 49th in 19:48.
Nick Barnabic, Ken Marshall, Billy Byrne Named All-Suburban Boys Cross-Country Team
December 12, 2014 Last updated: Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Greg Tartaglia
RIDGEWOOD — The top three boys cross-country teams at this season’s Bergen Meet of Champions (BMOC) were Don Bosco Prep, Ridgewood and Indian Hills.
The latter two added state-sectional titles, and Don Bosco – whose group does not crown section champs – tied for first place at the State Non-Public A meet. All three schools went on to qualify for the State Meet of Champions (SMOC).
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the trio dominates the All-Suburban first team, which features five Ironmen, three Maroons and two Braves. The 10-man squad includes four seniors, four juniors and two sophomores.:
Nick Barnabic
GRADE: Junior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2013 second team
SEASON BEST: 15:58
FAST FACTS: Barnabic was one of the Maroons’ top three runners and also took a couple turns at the No. 1 spot. He led Ridgewood with a second-place finish in the Big North Freedom Division meet, where the team held off Indian Hills for the title, and added a sixth-place showing at the Bergen Group A meet to pace his squad to second behind Don Bosco.
Billy Byrne
GRADE: Sophomore
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
SEASON BEST: 16:04
FAST FACTS: Byrne qualified for the SMOC as a wildcard by clocking a 23rd-place 16:35 in the State Group 4 finals at Holmdel Park, a 40-plus second improvement from his previous course best. He logged top-five finishes at the Big North Freedom (fifth) and North 1, Group 4 (fourth) meets, helping the Maroons to championships in both.
Ken Marshall
GRADE: Junior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2013 second team
SEASON BEST: 15:55
FAST FACTS: Marshall emerged as the Maroons’ No. 1 runner down the stretch, leading them in every meet from the BMOC onward. He won the individual title at the North 1, Group 4 meet — where Ridgewood captured its fifth straight sectional crown – and finished 20th at the Group 4 finals to earn an SMOC wildcard bid.
DECEMBER 5, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Two games do not a season make, but for the Ridgewood High School ice hockey team, its first two outings did begin to paint a portrait of the 2014-15 campaign. And, judging by some of the base colors, the picture looks bright for the Maroons.
With the early November start, RHS got a pair of games in the books over Thanksgiving weekend. It opened with an 8-0 defeat of Passaic Valley/Cedar Grove on Saturday before falling to state power Ramsey, 5-2, on Sunday.
While the former result was somewhat expected, the game with Ramsey is the one that opened some eyes. The Maroons impressed many people with their effort against last season’s State Public B runner-up — including Rams head coach Bob Toy, who complimented his Ridgewood counterpart afterward.
“He [Toy] told me that he felt we’re capable of playing with the Mennen [Division] teams,” Maroon coach Mike Lucchesi said, referring to the top flight of the powerful Morris County Hockey League. “He was very complimentary, and that was really nice to hear coming from him.”
Ridgewood will get the chance to prove those words right later in the season when it plays Randolph and Morris Knolls, two Mennen Cup contenders, in non-conference games. Next up is tonight’s Big North Patriot (formerly Gold) Division meeting with River Dell/Westwood at the Ice House in Hackensack.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACOB BROWN From left, Jack Byrne, Nick Barnabic, Kotaro Tamura and Billy Byrne pose with the championship trophy
Ridgewood Boys Cross-Country runs at ‘elite’ level to win section
NOVEMBER 14, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014, 12:31 AM BY RON FOX CORRESPONDENT | THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Very good runners have become outstanding runners as the Ridgewood High School boys cross-country team has gathered momentum and rolled through the season’s latest major meets.
“Our first three kids have been very consistent over the whole season,” coach Mike Glynn said a few days after the Maroons won the North 1, Group 4 sectional championship for a group-record 22nd time. “And they ran even faster Saturday. They put themselves in a different league. They’re becoming elite runners.”
The Maroons were so dominant that they captured three of the top four spots in the race.
Junior Kenny Marshall was the individual champion, junior Nick Barnabic took third and sophomore Billy Byrne was fourth. They stood out as usual, but so did a host of their teammates — all seniors — who provided the important depth to earn the title. Jack Byrne finished 15th, Kotaro Tamura was 17th, Henry Ricatto 24th and Sam Calello finished just outside the top 25. Tamura continues to battle determinedly despite the fact that his foot problems still have not subsided. The other three upperclassmen all ran their personal bests on the Garret Mountain course.
Union City lights await Ridgewood Football in state playoffs
November 14, 2014 Last updated: Friday, November 14, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Jim McConville
CORRESPONDENT |
The Ridgewood New
RIDGEWOOD — The second season begins tonight for the Ridgewood High School football team.
The question is, will it be a one-act show, or have the Maroons learned enough throughout the fall to be able to make a serious run in the North 1, Group 5 state tournament? Ridgewood (5-4) enters the postseason as the No. 7 seed and will visit No. 2 Union City (7-2) tonight at 7.
While a 40-13 loss in the final game of the regular season may not sound like a good springboard into the playoffs, the Maroons’ effort against Bergen Catholic last Friday night actually was encouraging.
BC did hold out some of its walking wounded in a game that had absolutely no meaning to either team as far as playoff positioning was concerned, but the Crusaders’ offensive line was intact, and their quarterback and running backs did play.
The Ridgewood defense did a good job of keeping Bergen Catholic in check, and it was a 13-6 game late in the second quarter. Senior Mitch Campbell’s interception in the final minute of the period seemingly had RHS in solid shape, but a fumble on the ensuing play from scrimmage turned the ball over at the Maroon 1-yard line.
Ridgewood Girls tops IHA to win Bergen County lacrosse crown
MAY 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2014, 1:21 AM BY BRIAN A. GIUFFRA STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
MAHWAH – Ridgewood wasted no time and left no doubt. It is the best girls lacrosse team in North Jersey by a wide margin and appears primed for another strong run in the state tournament.
Darby Kiernan, right, celebrates after one of her goals in the Maroons’ Bergen County girls lacrosse championship win Saturday.
A fifth consecutive state sectional title, a fourth group title in five years and a third Tournament of Champions title in program history all seem within reach. With the way the Maroons are playing, anything is.
Darby Kiernan recorded six goals and two assists and Jordan Ford added two goals and five assists to pace top-seeded Ridgewood to a 17-3 victory over No. 2 Immaculate Heart in the Bergen County girls lacrosse tournament final Saturday at Mahwah.
The Maroons have won all 10 county tournament titles, including the last seven against IHA. Unlike last year, when they had to battle for a 13-10 victory, this outcome was never in doubt.
MAY 9, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2014, 12:31 AM BY DARIUS AMOS STAFF WRITER
Officers within Ridgewood’s largest youth sports organization said corrective measures are already underway for the reinstatement of their federal tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service.
The tax-exempt standing of the Ridgewood Baseball and Softball Association (RBSA) recently came into the spotlight following the revelation that the group did not file federal taxes for at least three consecutive years. As a result of that oversight, the RBSA was stripped of its tax-exempt status with the IRS more than three years ago.
Public records available on the IRS website, which is regularly updated, confirm that the federal government revoked RBSA’s tax-exempt classification on March 15, 2011. The IRS imposes an automatic revocation on organizations that fail to submit tax returns for three straight years.
Under federal law, a tax-exempt organization in the United States is required to file 990 series returns with the IRS each year. Some groups are excused from the 990 federal tax filings under the Internal Revenue Code, though most falling under that category are religious institutions, select political groups and those with low annual gross receipts, according to the IRS website.
Turf Field Supporter We now have 3 turf fields that get used almost non-stop. That means more kids participating in more activities and being more active
Could we please stop with the turf field bashing, or at least get some facts straight? First of all, the turf at Maple is still there and still being used so I have no idea where “we only got 7 years out of Maple” comes from. Secondly, how could it be “way too much money” when the field at Maple was paid for with private money? And in regards to the loss of the 90 foot diamond after moving the track to BF that falls on the past Village Council. The Master Parks and Field plan called for all of the upgrades/changes that were made including moving the undersized/unusable track from RHS to BF. Almost all of the upgrades/changes were to BOE properties. The only component in that phase of the plan that fell to the the Village of Ridgewood was to renovate/expand Lower Hawes so to accomodate a 90 foot diamond to make up for the “lost” diamond at BF. They never did it. So now the focus is on Schedler.
We now have 3 turf fields that get used almost non-stop. That means more kids participating in more activities and being more active. That is a positive in my book. If we had not passed the bond and we still had the old facilities the RHS Stadium Field would be gettng used a maximum of 12 to 15 times a year instead of dozens of times a week. The same goes for Stevens. I actually disagree that the “turf looks nice.” I’d rather see real grass, I think it looks better but the reality of the situation is that with our limited number of fields and the sheer numbers of children we have involved in sports from the youth level thru the HS there is no alternative if we want safe, usable, fields. In fact I would bet we’ll be seeing a couple of more fields “turfed” in the next few years.
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