Monday, September 23, 2013

Field hockey: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex rankings

Throw out the records and just play. It's not a mantra that many field hockey teams in the Open Mike area have adopted over the years.

But Warren Hills' field hockey team is doing just that in preparation for another march to the Group 3 final. At 3-3-1 entering the week, coach Laurie Kerr's Blue Streaks are already battle tested with games against Shore Regional (Group 1 power), Bishop Eustace (Group 2 champion in 2012) and Bridgewater-Raritan (eight-time Group 4 runner-up).

"Coach Kerr made these hard games happen, because we want to get better," said Warren Hills junior forward Sydney Muntone, who leads the team with seven goals. "The only way we're going to get better is to play tough teams. It gets you focused on winning."

Warren Hills dropped 2-1 decisions to Bishop Eustace and Bridgewater and also to Skyland Conference Raritan Division rival Voorhees in this early-season gauntlet on the schedule. Saturday's loss to Bridgewater was a hard-fought contest packed with action.

Panthers coach Kathie DeBonis does a great job with the Somerset County program and has beaten Warren Hills in seven of the last eight meetings dating to 2006. A stark contrast from when the Streaks went 17-0-1 against Bridgewater in DeBonis' first nine seasons.

"We set high expectations for our girls," DeBonis said, when asked how the program transformed into one of New Jersey's best year in and year out. "The girls bought into the vision of the program and they're sold on it. They want to be a part of it and we're all on the same page."

Programs in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area should take note. With the impending realignment of the Skyland Conference for 2014-15, in which Voorhees and Warren Hills will no longer be in the same division for some stupid reason as its the best rivalry in three counties, the top teams will struggle to get quality competition in their divisions. Same holds true for the NJAC, where High Point is riding a 43-game win streak in the American Division.

If you want to be the best, schedule the best.

Note: The Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament seeds and pairings will be released some time around mid-week. Check back here for those matchups and a sneak preview. Play-in games are scheduled for this Saturday. Power points will be used for the first time to seed the teams and the cutoff includes Wednesday's games.

Now onto this week's rankings. As promised, there's a whole lotta shakin' going on from six through 10.

1. Hunterdon Central (5-1 ) -- Red Devils are the new No. 1 following their 3-0 week with wins over Pingry (3-2 on Tuesday), Lawrenceville (2-1 on Thursday) and Phillipsburg (1-0 on Saturday). Coach Jenn Sponzo's team has played five one-goal games to start the season and has won four. Junior forward Taylor Barrett had a big week with two goals and three assists, while junior forward Kendall Nickel leads the team in scoring with four goals overall.

Up next: at Watchung Hills on Tuesday; Hillsborough at home on Thursday.

2. South Hunterdon (7-0) -- Eagles move up a spot following their 3-0 week and are off to one of the best starts in program history, one rich with success in Group 1. Wins over North Plainfield (9-0 on Tuesday), Mount St. Mary (3-0 on Thursday) and Stuart Day (7-0 on Friday) followed that big overtime victory against No. 3 Voorhees. Forward Kaycee Zelkovsky is scoring at a record pace with an Open Mike-area best 16 through seven games, including five against North Plainfield and four against Stuart Day. It will be interesting to see where this team falls in the HWS seedings since it plays in the Skyland's lower division.

Up next: Bernards at home on Tuesday; at Franklin on Thursday.

3. Voorhees (5-2) -- Vikings shook up the rankings by beating former No. 1 Warren Hills, 2-1 in overtime last Tuesday at home. Third-year coach Taylor Webb evened her record against the Streaks at 3-3 after the program's second straight win in the series dating to last year. The Hunterdon County school is 30-17-6 vs. Warren Hills since 1975, when the Voorhees opened its doors. Sensational sophomore forward Kathryn Roncoroni scored both of the goals in that one and leads the Vikes with 13 through seven games. She also scored twice in Thursday's 3-0 win over Delaware Valley.

Up next: Phillipsburg at home on Tuesday; at Montgomery on Thursday.

4. Warren Hills (3-3-1) -- Blue Streaks fall three spots following the loss to No. 3 Voorhees last Tuesday in another classic battle in that epic series. Junior midfielder Nikki Profita set up the Streaks' lone goal in the 2-1 loss in overtime, with her assist on the game-tying goal by forward Jessica Nissen in the second half. Freshman forward Dani Profita scored the only goal in the 2-1 loss to Bridgewater. In their only other game last week, Muntone and Nikki Profita connected for a pair of goals in an 8-0 rout of Somerville on Thursday.

Up next: Montgomery at home on Tuesday; at Delaware Valley on Thursday; at Peddie on Saturday.

5. High Point (4-0-1) -- As expected, the Wildcats have clearly established themselves as the top program in Sussex County once again this season. Coach Bev Keur's team rolled to NJAC American Division wins over Mount Olive (3-0 on Tuesday) and Morris Hills (5-0 on Thursday) before playing to a 3-3 tie with Skyland Conference Delaware Division member Pingry on Saturday. Senior forward Brittany DeLima, junior forward Alexis Ambrosino and sophomore forward Maddie Smith scored goals in the draw. 'Cats will almost certainly draw the top seed in the Sussex bracket for the upcoming HWS tourney.

Up next: at Pope John on Monday; Sparta at home on Wednesday; at Montville on Friday.

6. Belvidere (3-2-1) -- County Seaters moving on up after their 2-0-1 week, with wins over North Plainfield (3-1 on Thursday) and Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 8-0 on Saturday. Coach Kristin Gaitan's team also played Franklin to a 1-1 tie last Tuesday in a Skyland Conference Valley Division clash. Forwards Hannah Koch (five goals) and Erin Sassaman (seven assists) are powering the offense. Koch had two goals and three assists against NDES.

Up next: at Mount St. Mary on Tuesday; Bernards at home on Thursday; Lenape Valley at home on Saturday.

7. Lenape Valley (3-1-1) -- Patriots enter the rankings for the first time since the blog was created in 2009. Coach Kate Rothman's program seems to have turned a corner after several tough campaigns, including a 2-15-1 season a year ago. Lenape had five wins total in Rothman's first two seasons, so needless to say this is a major turnaround. A major step was last Monday's 4-0 win over Newton, which the Pats followed up with a 1-0 win over Hackettstown in another NJAC Freedom Division clash before ending the week with a 0-0 tie against Kittatinny in what is shaping up to be a very close division race this year. Junior forward Sally Olson, a captain, scored two goals against Newton, including a penalty stroke.

Up next: Jefferson at home on Tuesday; at North Warren on Thursday; at Belvidere on Saturday.

8. Hackettstown (4-1) -- Tigers also enter the rankings for the first time this season after a 2-1 week, including wins over Jefferson (6-0 last Monday) and North Warren (7-2 on Friday). In between, coach Stephen Speirs' team dropped a 1-0 decision to No. 7 Lenape Valley in an NJAC Freedom Division tilt. Senior forward Kalie Thies scored three goals against North Warren, while totaling three assists in the two victories. Big game on tap with 2012 division champion Parsippany.

Up next: Parsippany at home on Tuesday; Wallkill Valley at home on Thursday.

9. Newton (3-2) -- Braves rebounded from back-to-back losses to Hackettstown and Lenape Valley (4-0 last Monday) with wins over North Warren (4-1 on Wednesday) and Wallkill Valley (2-1 in overtime on Friday). Senior forward Katherine Kellenberger played a big role in both victories -- with a goal and an assist against the Patriots and the game-winner in OT against the Rangers. Goalie Jenna Zawislak has been solid early on with a combined 17 saves in last week's wins.

Up next: at Kittatinny on Tuesday; at Parsippany on Thursday.

10. Sparta (3-1) -- Spartans are the second team to enter the rankings for the first time ever as coach Kristin Savasta's program has taken a major step forward after an 0-16 campaign in 2011. After five wins in her first season a year ago, the Sussex County school is on pace to shatter that mark. Sparta has reeled off three straight wins following a 4-0 loss to No. 9 Newton in the opener -- beating Vernon (2-0 last Tuesday) and Pope John (5-0 last Thursday). Sophomore forward Rhett Curran is powering the offense with two goals and three assists in four games, while sophomore forward Gretchen Bowie leads with three goals.

On the bubble -- Vernon (3-2); Wallkill Valley (3-4).

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