Kelley Grippo shot the high game (269) and second-high series (714) to help Holy Angels win the North Group 2 sectional title.
The field for the state girls bowling tournament is set. Whether or not the team finals (Feb. 10) and singles finals (Feb. 12) happen on their scheduled dates will depend on the weather — not only on those dates, but on the days of the boys tournaments as well. Right now, snow is not likely to affect Thursday’s North 1B sectional… but if it does cause the postponement of Saturday’s North 1A sectional (highly possible at this point), that tournament would move to Monday, Feb. 10, and the state girls team tourney would be bumped to Tuesday, Feb. 11. Either way, we’re in for a busy stretch on the lanes next week.
And just who will be part of that craziness at Carolier Lanes? Hackensack, Paramus Catholic, Paramus, Holy Angels, Teaneck and Westwood will represent North Jersey during February Fever down in North Brunswick (college basketball has March Madness, Taglines decrees that the NJSIAA bowling equivalent is February Fever). Any one of them would like to become the first North Jersey girls team to win a state title — fact is, no team from the entire North section (which also includes Hudson, Morris, Sussex, Union and Warren counties) has done so since 1979… and the school that did, St. Joseph of the Palisades, is now closed. Hey, if the Seahawks can finally win a Super Bowl, perhaps the ladies from North Jersey can also answer QB Russell Wilson’s question, “Why not us?”
While the girls figure out the “why”, the Aces will detail the “how”, as in how all the qualifiers emerged from last Saturday’s North tournament at Bowler City. Flowers, Mario Kart and the Stanley Cup are all clues to the puzzle…
GROUP 1 CHAMP: WESTWOOD (2,591) — There was a time when Taglines somewhat regretted playing way too many hours of Mario Kart 64 in college. That time ended Saturday upon hearing the words of Cardinals coach Dan Rattacasa, who said, “Everything happens for a reason.” Westwood’s recent heartbreak at sectionals has been well-documented, and through it all, Rattacasa kept stressing to his bowlers that things would even out eventually. But he also conveyed the need for them to dig deep and find a little extra motivation to finish strong. Enter our Nintendo pals:
“I asked [the girls], ‘Did you ever play Mario Kart?’ And they were all like, ‘Oh, yes!’ I said, ‘You know when you have the [invincibility] star? You have to know when to use it. And this is the time when we use it.’ They related to that, and I think they turned it on because of that… I said, ‘This is the time, we have to finish. Keep pushing forward.’ And as you can see by the results, that’s what they did.” —Westwood girls bowling coach Dan Rattacasa
Westwood’s Marissa Rivers unleashes a red shell in the direction of Bowser’s kart… er, the pins.
And how. The Cards basically plowed all of their competitors off Rainbow Road, and no one could find the blue leader-seeking shell to slow them down. Their total would have been good enough to win two other groups as well, but seniors Kaitlyn Stapleton (542 series) and Sam Malnick agreed that lapping the Group 1 field was a welcome outcome after two straight near-misses at getting to states. “It feels really good to finally win something,” Stapleton said, emphasizing the “really”.
Incidentally, the Westwood girls team is only in its sixth year of operation (the program was strictly coed in the old BCSL). The Cardinals made it to Carolier as Group 1 runner-up in 2011, but this represents the first sectional bowling title in school history, boys or girls. There was just one tiny hitch: junior leadoff Marissa Rivers (557) missed qualifying for the state singles finals by — this is not even a joke — one pin. However, in keeping with her coach’s logic, she may well show up at sectionals in 2015 with an arsenal of red shells and level the competition with an 800 series. The Mario World always evens itself out…
GROUP 2 CHAMP: HOLY ANGELS (2,859) — The Angels are beginning to crowd out others in the conversation for North Jersey Team of the Year. The Big North United Division and Bergen County champions added the third jewel to their so-called triple crown at sectionals, winning their fourth straight title and sixth in seven seasons… they won Group 3 in 2008 and have ruled Group 2 in 2009-11-12-13-14. Even in 2010, they were runner-up to DePaul, so coach Pat Dunne’s crew will make its seventh straight trip to North Brunswick. “We’ll see what we can do down there,” said Dunne, “these kids have been fantastic all year.”
For the record, senior Kelley Grippo shot the high game (269) and second-high series (714) to finish in the top four for the second year in a row. She is unquestionably Holy Angels’ the vocal leader and plays with a type of passion that — well, let’s just say, “this girl is on fire” and has done with a bowling ball what Katniss Everdeen does with a bow and arrow. The right-hander is one of three Angels to qualify for the state singles finals, along with freshman Tiffany Sucero (571) and senior Leslie Subaldo (568). Except for Sucero, the entire lineup is seniors, and the experience factor can be critical at Carolier… P.S. Apologies to Dylann McLaughlin, the Misspelling Monster had been chomping off the second ‘n’ of her first name in previous editions of Taglines.
GROUP 2 RUNNER-UP: TEANECK (2,702) — The Highwaywomen got the lead to the story in The Sunday Record, so just a few things to add… A.) The bouquet of roses was not the only prop used by Malik Wright to ask high-series champ Dana-Marie Laloo (719) to the prom, he also had a T-shirt made. On the front: “Dana-Marie Annabella-Lyn Laloo” / on the back: “Will you go to prom with me?” Going all out with the full name — that’s dedication. … B.) Senior Kiana Baham (553) didn’t miss the state singles cutoff by much, either. But when you help your team get to the team finals for the first time in 25 years, that hopefully makes up for it. … C.) Teaneck was in Group 3 last year, and had the alignment stayed the same, it would have been a group champ.
As it was, the Highwaywomen held off the team that really got a raw deal, Warren Hills (2,687). The Blue Streaks had the third-highest score in the house and didn’t advance… if nothing else, they still have one of the top 10 nicknames in the state.
GROUP 3 CHAMP: PARAMUS CATHOLIC (2,548) — The Paladins are headed back to North Brunswick, and their excitement was palpable. Senior Nikki Vucak (598, fourth-high series) took the trophy for a short victory lap around the pit, Stanley Cup-style, though the Garfield resident didn’t go quite so far as to make that analogy (hence, Taglines made it for her). She, Ameera Khan and Teresa Sandberg are all four-year varsity members of the team, and according to coach Audrey Lelyo, “It’s really the first time in a long time that I’ve had three seniors, so they were excellent mentors to the girls coming up.”
Speaking of which, freshman Kristen Kane (544) and junior Lilly Sigona (508) both finished in the top 35 individually and have been major contributors down the stretch. Both of them had their high games of the day in Game 3, when PC shot a 902 to wrap things up. So the 2013-14 school year continues to be a successful one for Paladins’ athletics, and really, for the entire Borough of Paramus. All those good vibes from football season seem to have migrated indoors…
GROUP 3 RUNNER-UP: PARAMUS (2,375) — In December, the Spartans made their first-ever appearance in a state-sectional football final. Next week, they’ll send a team to Carolier Lanes for the first time. Brittany Hovan qualified as an individual last year, and while a return to the state singles finals was not in the cards, the senior still will be a part of history after shooting 531 at sectionals. Paramus placed third in Group 2 in 2013, and the move up to Group 3 made me think the hill would be a bit tougher to climb this time. It was. The second- through fourth-place finishers were separated by less than 100 points — the Spartans, though, stayed consistent and got additional strong effort from sophomore Haley Hassan (525) and senior Noel Hodgins (511). BONUS: Paramus has a chance to make more history today… a win over Hackensack in its Big North Freedom Division finale would give the program its first league title.
GROUP 4 CHAMP: HACKENSACK (2,225) — This was not a vintage Group 4 year. In fact, it was a bit ironic that the group which typically produces some of the biggest numbers ended up on the opposite end of the spectrum. That said, take nothing away from the Comets, who rode group runner-up finishes to the state finals three times in five seasons before breaking through last weekend. Coach Bob Lotz conceded, “I know in the past, things were a lot different. But this year, we just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and the girls came through” …in particular, their young 4-5 combo. Anchor Janina Santoro, a sophomore, tossed Hackensack’s high series (545), and freshman Danielle Denise Quitola added a 485 from the No. 4 spot. (And, if I’m not mistaken, I also saw Santoro’s name in some swimming results recently… how about that? “A two-sporter!” in the words of Frank Caliendo impersonating George W. Bush).
SCENE & HEARD: One of the things that jumps out right away about the six North Jersey state finalists — Immaculate Heart is not one of them. For the first time since 2000, the Blue Eagles will not have a team in North Brunswick after finishing fourth in Group 3. To be fair, seniors Mary Kate Alvarez (591) and Kat Blehl (565) will keep the tradition alive by competing in the singles finals at Carolier. Also, their team was in perhaps the most competitive group at sectionals… after Paramus, Fair Lawn (2,315) finished 60 points back, IHA (2,290) 25 behind the Cutters, and Wayne Valley (2,281) just nine behind the Eagles. Even sixth-place Northern Highlands (2,233) made a late push to get in the mix. … Mahwah (2,340) finished fourth in Group 2 for the second year in a row but shot roughly 100 points higher this time, with senior Anna Zaat firing a team-high 231 game on the way to a 543 series. The T-Birds had the seventh-best total in the house and scored better than both Group 4 runner-up Bayonne (2,168) and Group 1 runner-up Marist (2,119). … “Ridge-hurst” rode again, with Lyndhurst’s Emily Young (706) and Ridgewood’s Kelly Skettini (534) and Zoe Singer (509) grouped on the same lane, as they were for counties. Sure would make for an interesting co-op team. … Point of order, Young shot over 700 and still finished third. Third! The Aces’ records only go back to about the ’90s, but not too many girls in the history of the North sectional have reached that mark. Unless some new info comes to light, I think it’s safe to say that Laloo tied the tournament record for high series and now shares the mark with Sparta’s Nicole Chanin, who shot 719 in 2010. The other all-time highs: 2008, Lauren Rhein of IHA (718); 2011, Nicole Linder of IHA (715).
Perhaps one day soon, Taglines will be able to complete the list(s) of all-time North section champions to post. We can tell you that the group format did not start until 2007… from the 1970s through 2003, the four highest-scoring teams (regardless of school size) advanced to the finals, and from 2004-06, it was the top five.
Until next time — which, weather-permitting, will be the North 1B boys sectional tournament Thursday at T-Bowl-II in Wayne — Statman will leave you with the major numbers to know from last Saturday’s action:
NORTH JERSEY GIRLS SECTIONAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
[Feb. 1 at Bowler City, Hackensack]
Team Results (Top 2 in each group qualify for state tournament)
Group 4:
1. Hackensack 735-721-769—2,225
2. Bayonne 734-723-711—2,168
3. Bergen Tech 795-619-696—2,110
4. Bloomfield 1,981
5. Kearny 1,960
6. Passaic Tech 1,804
7. North Bergen 1,765
8. Memorial (West New York) 1,686
9. Clifton 1,661
10. Passaic 1,531
Group 3:
1. Paramus Catholic 848-798-902—2,548
2. Paramus 815-766-794—2,375
3. Fair Lawn 736-757-822—2,315
4. Immaculate Heart 2,290
5. Wayne Valley 2,281
6. Northern Highlands 2,233
7. Nutley 1,841
8. Wayne Hills 1,792
9. Belleville 1,531
Group 2:
1. Holy Angels 842-1,033-984—2,859
2. Teaneck 855-937-910—2,702
3. Warren Hills 818-904-965—2,687
4. Mahwah 2,340
5. Tenafly 2,080
6. Demarest 1,829
7. River Dell 1,782
8. Lakeland 1,672
9. Indian Hills 1,562
Group 1:
1. Westwood 810-933-848—2,591
2. Marist 729-683-707—2,119
3. Mother Seton 646-673-727—2,096
4. Mount St. Dominic 2,082
5. Ramsey 1,967
6. Dumont 1,802
7. Ridgefield Park 1,789
8. McNair Academic 1,751
9. Pascack Hills 1,738
Individual Results (Top 15 qualify for state tournament)
1. Dana-Marie Laloo (Teaneck), 244-219-256—719; 2. Kelley Grippo (Holy Angels), 199-246-269—714; 3. Emily Young, Lyndhurst, 248-213-245—706; 4. Jenna Hendersen (Warren Hills), 245-204-195—644; 5. Nikki Vucak (Paramus Catholic), 213-171-214—598; 6. Brianna Boze (Summit), 594; 7. Mary Kate Alvarez (IHA), 591; 8. (tie) Tiffany Sucero (Holy Angels) and Ashleigh Poszyler (Cranford), 571; 10. Leslie Subaldo (Holy Angels), 568; 11. Kat Blehl (IHA), 565; 12. Alycia Danielson (Newton), 562; 13. Lauren Scholes (Warren Hills), 561; 14. Alize Stepenson (Roselle), 560; 15. Teja Young (Sussex Tech), 558.
16. Marissa Rivers (Westwood), 557; 17. Kiana Baham (Teaneck), 553; 18. Shannon Rossi (Northern Highlands), 550; 19. Margaret Peretti (Bayonne), 549; 20. Lauren Pinkard (West Orange), 546; 21. Janina Santoro (Hackensack), 545; 22. Kristen Kane (Paramus Catholic), 544; 23. Anna Zaat (Mahwah), 543; 24. Kaitlyn Stapleton (Westwood), 542; 25. Kelly Skettini (Ridgewood), 534; 26. (tie) Brittany Hovan (Paramus) and Clarissa Herndandez (Holy Angels), 531; 28. (tie) Ellie Schuckman (Fair Lawn) and Haley Hassan (Paramus), 525; 30. Kristen Benavente (Westwood), 524; 31. Amanda Mamunes (Northern Highlands), 517; 32. Noel Hodgins (Paramus), 511; 33. Zoe Singer (Ridgewood), 509; 34. Lilly Sigona (Paramus Catholic), 508; 35. Aimee Balleza (Bergen Tech), 507; 36. Hanna Jeon (Tenafly), 502.
See you ’round the lanes…
—GT