And then there was one.
Hunterdon Central's baseball team is the only one among the three local counties still going in the sectional playoffs. Coach Mike Raymond's Red Devils will battle Hillsborough in an All-Skyland Conference tilt for the North 2, Group 4 championship on Friday.
Central (22-6) advanced to its first sectional final since winning the second of its back-to-back Group 4 titles in 2009. On Thursday, the Red Devils beat Hillsborough, 8-1, in a regular-season clash with the Delaware Division title still up for grabs.
Evan Klimchak and Brett Bonn, along with Geggie Russomagno are on fire for a Central offense that is averaging eight runs per game in the state playoffs. Klimchak was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the Devils' 7-0 win over Sayreville in the sectional semis, while Russomagno went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in that one.
Delaware Division chase
Immaculata sits in first place with a 12-3 division mark after beating North Hunterdon, 9-2, on Wednesday and Phillipsburg, 8-6, on Thursday. The Somerset County power has one game left against Hunterdon Central and can wrap up the championship by winning that one on Monday. An Immaculata loss would create a three-way tie for the title between Immaculata, Central and Watchung Hills, which wrapped up its Delaware slate at 12-4.
Raritan and Valley titles declared
Pingry claimed the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title with a 10-2 mark, while Bernards ran the table at a perfect 12-0 to win the Valley crown -- beating North Warren, 5-4, on Saturday to make it official.
Hopatcong, Jefferson claim NJAC crowns
It was a long time coming, but Hopatcong claimed its first league title since 1998 with a 7-6 win over Kittatinny on Tuesday to win the NJAC Freedom Division championship.
Coach Chris Buglovsky's Chiefs were unceremoniously ousted from the North 1, Group 2 playoffs with a 7-0 loss to Freedom rival Lenape Valley four days earlier. The Patriots, who finished fourth in the conference standings, beat the Chiefs in two of three meetings this season. A.J. Nolan got the complete-game win in the state game.
Jefferson won its first American Division title with a 13-1 mark, as Pope John lost its NJAC finale against Morris Hills, 6-4, on Wednesday. The Lions finished second at 12-2. The difference was the Falcons winning both meetings against Morris Hills after splitting with PJ in the regular season.
State exits
Here's how all of the local teams fared in the state playoffs:
Belvidere -- County Seaters lost 8-5 to Dunellen in the North 1, Group 2 playoffs. Coach Aaron Feldman's team finished the season at 8-17 overall and 6-6 in the Skyland Valley Division.
Delaware Valley -- Terriers lost 1-0 to Raritan in the Central Jersey, Group 2 playoffs. Senior Tom Chiswick batted .414 with 14 RBIs and was 4-1 with a 4.44 ERA on the mound this season for coach Marty White's club, which finished 10-11 after winning only two games in 2011.
High Point -- Tough draw for the Wildcats, who lost 2-1 to Old Tappan in the North 1, Group 3 playoffs. Old Tappan, the No. 8 seed, is playing for the title on Friday. Coach Mickey Thomas' team finished 10-11 overall and 6-8 in the NJAC American Division.
Hopatcong -- After a 4-1 win over Dumont in the opening round, the Chiefs fell, 7-0, to Lenape Valley in the North 1, Group 2 quarters. Somewhere former coach Tony Richards is smiling about the Chiefs winning their first league title since he guided the 1998 Hopatcong club, which featured Pete Toto and Danny Sherlock, to the Sussex County Interscholastic crown with a perfect 18-0 mark.
Jefferson -- Second-seeded Falcons rolled to a 12-1 win over Tenafly before a 7-2 loss to No. 7 Wayne Hills in the North 1, Group 3 quarters. Coach Jason Kalish's team posted 22 wins after back-to-back losing seasons since winning 21 in a run to the sectional final in 2009 under former coach Jason Klebez, now the AD at Belvidere. Jon Kristoffersen set a school record with 46 hits this season.
Kittatinny -- Cougars enjoyed a fine season, their first of the winning variety in quite a spell, as first-year coach Brian Bosworth led the Hampton school to an 11-10-1 mark and a third-place finish in the NJAC Freedom Division. Their state playoff run ended quickly with a 1-0 loss to finalist Mahwah in the North 1, Group 2 first round.
Lenape Valley -- How 'bout the Pats? No one saw their run to the North 1, Group 2 semifinals coming after losing three straight and seven of nine entering the postseason. Coach Bob Klinck's troops, seeded 15th, opened with a 6-5 win over No. 2 Hawthorne, followed by a 7-0 win over No. 10 Hopatcong. The season ended with an 8-6 loss to No. 3 Mahwah, but it was some ride.
North Hunterdon -- Lions lost to a familiar foe in the North 2, Group 4 draw, falling 10-6 to Bridgewater-Raritan. Talented outfielder Derek Jenkins went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs in that one, his final state game of a fine career. North still has one Delaware Division game remaining against Ridge.
North Warren -- Coach Jim Haupt's Pats didn't scare anyone with their No. 1 seed, certainly not No. 16 Pascack Hills, which won their first-round meeting, 5-0. It was the second first-round exit since 2009 for North on its home field -- losing 7-5 to Wallkill Valley in the North 1, Group 2 playoffs in '09. Garret Becker lost his first on the mound this season in six decisions against Pascack Hills.
Phillipsburg -- Stateliners knocked off Edison, 12-9, before a heartbreaking 5-4 loss in 15 innings to top-seeded Sayreville in the North 2, Group 4 quarters. Lefty ace Anthony Ciavarella went nine frames and struck out 18 in the loss, reportedly throwing an absurd 160 pitches. The Monmouth recruit holds the P'burg single-season record for K's with 99 and one more start likely against Ridge on Friday. Center fielder Chris Trent went a combined 5-for-7 with four walks in the two state games.
Pope John -- The defending Non-Public North A champs beat DePaul, 3-1, in the opening round before a 13-1 loss to state power Don Bosco in the quarters on Tuesday. The Lions actually had a shot to make that one interesting, trailing 2-1 early on with the bases loaded. They failed to score, however, and that was a pivotal turning point. The loss to Morris Hills on Wednesday ended their bid for the school's first NJAC American Division title. Outstanding shortstop Matt Tietz went 2-for-2 with an RBI in his final high school game before heading to Rutgers in the fall.
South Hunterdon -- Eagles qualified for the Central Jersey, Group 1 playoffs despite a 2-12 record at the cutoff. Coach Toby Jefferis' team lost, 11-1, to Metuchen and finished the season at 2-13. Not sure why South played so few games and even its final two Skyland Conference Valley Division games against Bound Brook and Manville were not rescheduled after rainouts.
Sparta -- Spartans lost a tough 6-5 decision to Paramus in the North 1, Group 3 playoffs and finished 12-12 overall and 6-8 in the NJAC American Division standings. Coach Sam Slobodzian's team lost two heartbreakers to crosstown rival Pope John this season and dropped six of its last seven down the stretch.
Sussex Tech -- Mustangs enjoyed a winning season at 10-8 overall, falling 2-0 to Verona in the North 1, Group 1 playoffs -- an 8-9 matchup.
Voorhees -- Vikings (13-11) had a nice little run to the Central Jersey, Group 2 playoffs -- beating Johnson, 10-0, to start and Point Pleasant Boro, 6-3, to reach the semis. Coach Spark Mattson's team saw its season end with a 9-4 loss to Raritan. Ronnie Honickel, who suffered a shoulder injury, went 4-for-6 with three RBIs in the two wins and got the victory on the mound with seven K's against Point Boro. Tyler Duplaga, who was the team's offensive MVP, homered and had four RBIs in the games against Point Boro and Raritan. Trey Conroy went 1-1 on the mound in the postseason.
Wallkill Valley -- Rangers dropped a tough 2-1 contest with No. 4 River Dell in the North 1, Group 2 draw as coach Kevin Lukich's team finished up 14-11 overall and second in the NJAC Freedom Division with a 7-3 mark. Wallkill finished up strong by winning three of its last four, including wins over division champion Hopatcong and Lenape Valley.
Warren Hills -- Blue Streaks limped down the stretch, losing seven of their last eight, including a 1-0 loss to South Plainfield in the North 2, Group 3 playoffs to finish 9-14 overall. Coach Mike Quinto's bunch beat North Plainfield, 8-2, in the previous game to snap a six-game skid. Mark Apgar and Kyle Allen were a tough 1-2 punch on the mound this season, combining for a 7-7 pitching mark.
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