As the only local field hockey teams still standing, the Red Devils and Blue Streaks, fresh off sectional championships, continue their runs to a Group championship on Thursday in a state semifinal doubleheader at Boonton High School.
Warren Hills, which won the North 2, Group 3 title on Monday, will take on North 1 champion Northern Highlands in a Group 3 semifinal at 4 p.m. In the nightcap, North 2 champion Hunterdon Central will battle North 1 winner Bridgewater-Raritan in a Group 4 semifinal at 6 p.m.
Thursday's winners advance to the Group finals on Saturday at Toms River East. The Group 3 title game is at noon and Group 4 final is set for 2 p.m.
The Blue Streaks (21-3-1), winners of 18 in a row, are set to face another red-hot club in Northern Highlands, which has won 19 straight, including its first sectional title since 1993 and the program's seventh overall. Coach Laurie Kerr's Streaks are seeking the Warren County school's first state title after coming up short in seven championship games since its first finals appearance in 1996.
But first thing's first for Warren Hills, which defeated Northern Highlands pretty handily in an abbreviated preseason scrimmage, not that it means much at this time of year. Also of note, this is just the second meeting between the schools since the Streaks' 2-1 win at Northern Highlands in the second round of the 1974 sectional playoffs.
"The tradition is here and we've always had kids that love sports at Warren Hills," said Kerr, when asked why the field hockey program has far exceeded any other at the school with 12 sectional titles. "When you put on that Warren Hills jersey it means something. The kids are pumped up and real excited."
Junior midfielder Nikki Profita (19 goals, 12 assists) and junior forward Sydney Muntone (17 goals, 16 assists) lead a well-balanced offensive attack. Freshman star Dani Profita holds the school's single-season record for goals by a ninth-grader with 15, while junior forward Jessica Nissen has 11 goals. Senior midfielder Nikki Schott, a four-year starter, also has come up big of late with two goals and two assists in the Streaks' three sectional playoff games.
Defensively, backs Amanda Crampton and Rachel Phillips have been locking down opposing scorers all season, while sophomore goalie Taylor Austin has really come along during the season. Austin made a huge save early on in Monday's 3-0 win over Ocean Township to set the tone in the sectional final.
Northern Highlands (21-1), which posted a 1-0 win over West Milford in the North 1 title game, is making a major leap up in competition for this one. Coach Rich Smith's Highlanders have been rolling since a 1-0 loss at Wayne Valley on Sept. 18. Senior forward Lauren O'Keefe (16 goals, 11 assists) and Jordan Patton (17 goals, 12 assists) pace the offense.
Central seeking redemption
Hunterdon Central, which won its only Group 4 titles in 1993, '94 and '96, enters its third meeting with Bridgewater this season with a bit of a chip on its collective shoudlers. The Red Devils felt slighted by published comments deeming their 2-1 win "lucky" over the Panthers on Sept. 10, which snapped a 13-game losing skid in the series since a 1-0 victory in 2007 exactly six years to the day.
"We need to do the little things well, keep our passing game going," said veteran Central coach Jenn Sponzo, whose teams finished as the Group 4 runner-up to Eastern from 2001-04. "The girls have a kind of bring it on attitude [after losing the second meeting with Bridgewater this season]."
Bridgewater (20-2), which won its ninth straight sectional title and has losses to Eastern in the last eight Group 4 title games, won the rematch at Hunterdon Central, 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 3. Coach Kathie DeBonis' teams are 285-105-8 in her 19 seasons, including a 15-8-2 mark vs. Central in Sponzo's 15 seasons with the Red Devils. The Somerset County school is 5-2 in playoff meetings -- including wins in last year's North 2, Group 4 semis (4-0) and the 2011 Group 4 semifinals (4-1 at Governor Livingston) during Sponzo's tenure.
"[Bridgewater] said it was a lucky win [on Sept. 10] and we really want to show them we are just as good of a team," said Central junior forward Kendall Nickel, who has scored three postseason goals, including the game-winner in Tuesday's 1-0 sectional final win over Montgomery.
Nickel (15 goals), along with junior forward Taylor Barrett (15 goals) and senior forward Sarah Pulkowski (13 goals) comprise a potent offensive attack. Senior Ally Baligian, now healthy after missing a few games earlier this season with a knee injury, is a rock at the center midfield spot. A 3-0 loss at Warren Hills on Oct. 15, without Baligian in the lineup, began a rough patch for Central, which lost four of six games prior to the start of the playoffs.
The Red Devils' last postseason win over the Panthers was 2-1 in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals in 2004.
Bridgewater features a pair of 20-goal scorers in forward Emily Miller (23) and back Samantha Giordano (20). Miller also leads the Panthers with 23 assists, including one on the game-winner in Tuesday's 5-4 win in overtime against Montclair in the North 1 final. Midfielder Lindsay Alvarez (15) and forward Kelly Watson (12) also bear watching up front.
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