Looking forward to this weekend's Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday -- featuring a big showdown in Wantage between No. 3 Warren Hills and No. 5 High Point.
This one is a rematch of the 2011 final, won by Warren Hills, 3-1, at Vernon Township High School. The fact that Warren Hills is a No. 4 seed in this year's event is a tribute to the strength of the Hunterdon-Warren bracket. Defending champion Voorhees is the No. 2 seed and also resides in this loaded upper half of the draw.
Therefore, in order for High Point (10-0-1) to win this year's title, it will have to go through Warren Hills and most likely Voorhees just to reach the final. It's a tall order for coach Bev Keur's team which hasn't played near the level of top-flight competition as the other two schools. But the Wildcats will have the advantage of playing on their home grass field until the final should they get past the quarters.
That brings me to my next point as to why the county games aren't played universally on turf from the semifinals on like the first year in 2009, when Vernon hosted the semifinals. I know travel is a concern, but maybe Hackettstown would be interested in hosting the semifinals and final since that seems to be the most centrally located school. Teams are also reluctant to give up home-field advantage, but the semifinals and final should be played on turf.
Regardless, Warren Hills is a confident group and is rolling right now with six straight wins coming into this week. The Blue Streaks started off 3-3-1 after losses to state powers Bishop Eustace (last year's Group 2 champion) and Bridgewater (the eight-time Group 4 runner-up).
"We're starting to put things together," said veteran coach Laurie Kerr following last Thursday's impressive 4-1 win over Voorhees. "Hopefully, we can keep the ball rolling ... into the cage."
Now onto this week's rankings, which again were a bit shaken from the Nos. 6 to 10 spots.
1. Hunterdon Central (9-2) -- Red Devils still on top following a 2-1 week that included a tough 3-2 loss in overtime to Bridgewater on Thursday in a clash of Skyland Conference Delaware Division title contenders. Senior midfielder Jane Higley and junior Kailey Dalgauer scored goals in the loss. Earlier in the week, senior forward Sarah Pulkowski scored both goals in Central's 2-1 win over Ridge, avenging a loss to the Somerset County school on Sept. 6. Pulkowski also scored in a 6-0 win over Newton in the HWS tourney on Saturday.
Up next: North Hunterdon at home on Tuesday; Pingry at home on Thursday; at Sparta on Saturday in HWS quarterfinals.
2. South Hunterdon (11-1) -- Eagles capped 3-0 week with a 5-0 victory over North Warren on Saturday to advance in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. Senior forward Kaycee Zelkovsky added three more goals to her tri-county leading total of 25. She's had at least one goal or an assist in all 12 games, including a three-goal effort in last Thursday's 4-0 win over North Plainfield in a Skyland Conference Valley Division contest. Eagles need a win over Mount St. Mary on Tuesday to assure themselves of at least a share of the division title with Bernards (also 8-1 in the division).
Up next: at Princeton Day on Monday; Mount St. Mary at home on Tuesday; Hackettstown at home on Saturday in HWS quarterfinals.
3. Warren Hills (9-3-1) -- Blue Streaks avenged an earlier loss to No. 4 Voorhees -- 4-1 at home on Thursday -- to move up a spot in the rankings. Junior midfielder Nikki Profita and junior forward Sydney Muntone scored second-half goals to help ice the victory. Coach Laurie Kerr also passed Luanne Ferenci to become the program's all-time victories leader. The Warren County school opened the week with a 7-0 win at Phillipsburg and advanced in the HWS tourney with a 6-0 win over No. 6 Kittatinny on Saturday as forwards Dani Profita and Shannon Zignoli each scored a pair of goals.
Up next: Somerville at home on Tuesday; at Montgomery on Thursday; at High Point on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
4. Voorhees (9-3) -- Vikings slipped a spot after Thursday's 4-1 loss to Warren Hills, but coach Taylor Webb's team rebounded with a 3-0 win over No. 9 Wallkill Valley on Friday in the opening round of the HWS tourney. Sophomore forward Kathryn Roncoroni scored her team-leading 21st goal -- becoming the program's first 20-goal scorer since Colleen Boyce, now playing at Princeton University, tallied a school record 33 in 2010. Ashley Kerekgyarto and Emma Garcia also scored against Wallkill and had goals in the Vikes' 7-1 win over Somerville last Tuesday. Garcia scored in all three games last week. Voorhees will try to stretch its win streak over North Hunterdon to 27 in a row on Thursday.
Up next: Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; at North Hunterdon on Thursday; Lenape Valley at home on Saturday in HWS quarterfinals.
5. High Point (10-0-1) -- Wildcats keep rolling along with another 3-0 week, including Saturday's 2-1 win over Delaware Valley in the opening round of the HWS tourney. Junior forward Alexis Ambrosino tallied three goals and three assists for the week, including a goal in the win over Del Val. Coach Bev Keur's team also earned wins over Morris Knolls (3-0 on Tuesday) and Vernon (5-1 on Thursday) to stretch the program's win streak to 48 straight in NJAC American Division games dating to 2010. Defensively, the 'Cats have allowed just three goals in their last six games and six goals all season.
Up next: Mount Olive at home on Wednesday; Kittatinny at home on Friday in Play for Pink game; Warren Hills at home on Saturday in HWS quarterfinals.
6. Kittatinny (5-4-1) -- Cougars are moving up the ladder after 1-0 wins over No. 7 Hackettstown last Monday and No. 9 Wallkill Valley on Wednesday. It capped a run of three straight shutout wins for coach Emily Murray's team before a 6-0 loss to No. 3 Warren Hills on Saturday in the opening round of the HWS tourney. Midfielder Sunny Karns had two assists for the week as the Sussex County school avenged an earlier 1-0 loss to Wallkill Valley on Sept. 13.
Up next: North Warren at home on Tuesday; at Parsippany on Thursday; at High Point on Friday.
7. Lenape Valley (7-3-1) -- Patriots fall back one spot from last week following the 1-0 loss to No. 9 Wallkill Valley. Coach Kate Rothman's team also dropped a tough 3-2 decision to NJAC Freedom Division leader Parsippany on Wednesday before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over Belvidere to reach the HWS quarterfinals for the first time in the tourney's five-year history. Sophomore Gianna Puco scored the winning goal off an assist from junior captain Sally Olson. Freshman goalie Kaylee Gentilucci shut out the County Seaters for the second time in a week.
Up next: at Newton on Tuesday; Hackettstown at home on Thursday; at Voorhees on Saturday in HWS quarterfinals.
8. Hackettstown (7-3) -- Tigers fall down a spot after last Monday's 1-0 loss to No. 6 Kittatinny, but coach Stephen Speirs' team rebounded with wins over Newton (5-1 on Wednesday) and Vernon (9-0 on Saturday in HWS tourney). Big week for forward Sierramarie Fitzgerald, who scored five goals, including three against Vernon, to go with three assists. Senior forward Kalie Thies had four assists in three games, as the Warren County school attempts to reach the tri-county semifinals for the first time on Saturday.
Up next: Jefferson at home on Tuesday; at Lenape Valley on Thursday; at South Hunterdon on Saturday in HWS quarterfinals.
9. Wallkill Valley (6-7) -- After stunning No. 7 Lenape Valley, 1-0, on the road on Monday, the Rangers dropped a 1-0 decision at No. 6 Kittatinny on Wednesday before capping the week with a 3-0 loss at Voorhees in the opening round of the HWS tourney. Senior forward Casey Pustelniak scored the winning goal against Lenape. Coach Irene Chernati's squad has scored just two goals in its last five games entering this week.
Up next: Parsippany at home on Tuesday; at Jefferson on Thursday.
10. Belvidere (4-7-1) -- County Seaters still holding on after a tough 1-2 week, capped by a 1-0 loss to No. 7 Lenape Valley on Saturday in the opening round of the HWS tourney. It was the second straight year that coach Kristin Gaitan's program went one-and-done following a semifinals appearance in 2011. In its lone win last week, 2-0 over Franklin on Thursday in a Skyland Conference Valley Division game, forwards Erin Sassaman and Hannah Koch scored goals for the Warren County school.
Up next: North Plainfield at home on Tuesday; at Mount Olive on Friday.
On the bubble: Sparta (6-3); Delaware Valley (5-6-1); Vernon (5-6).
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