Wrestling: Phillipsburg sets schedule for 2015-16

Phillipsburg coach Dave Post confirmed that his schedule for the 2015-16 season is complete. 

Post said that Hanover Park, which came to The Pit last season, is back on the schedule after the Group 2 champion Hornets switched around some dates to allow the Stateliners to come to Morris County this season for the rematch on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, the final day of the regular season.

Phillipsburg, the defending Group 4 champ, scored a 32-21 victory over Hanover Park on Feb. 4 in the first meeting between the schools.

Post said both Group 5 champion Brick Memorial and Group 2 champion Delsea were interested in wrestling Phillipsburg, which had no open dates to accommodate those schools, had that Saturday date in February opened up. P'burg has gone a combined 37-1 the last two years, including 19-1 this past season.

"We would have loved to wrestle those schools -- Brick Memorial being the Group 5 champ and Delsea the Group 3 champion -- but Hanover Park came to The Pit last season and we wanted to return the favor" said Post, whose teams are 79-14 overall with four sectional and two Group 4 titles in his five seasons in charge of his alma mater.

One notable new addition is Lenape Valley, the Group 2 runner-up last season. Coach Doug Vetter's Patriots dropped a 48-18 decision to Hanover Park in the state title match in Trenton. P'burg leads 3-1 in the all-time series dating to 2005, including a 38-24 win at The Pit in the last meeting on Jan. 17, 2009. Lenape's lone victory was 37-24 at home in 2006.

The annual matches against Pennsylvania's District 11 are also on the docket -- Northampton (Jan. 2), Parkland (Jan. 6) and Easton (Jan. 16). The 'Liners have beaten Easton the last two seasons, including a 30-23 victory on Jan. 17. It was the first time they've earned back-to-back wins in the series since ripping off nine in a row against the Red Rovers from 1963-71. However, Easton still leads 62-16 overall since the storied rivalry began in 1947.

In addition, P'burg will once again open the season at the Beast of East Tournament in Delaware.

Here's the complete P'burg schedule:

Dec. 19-20 -- at Beast of the East Tournament in Newark, Del.
Dec. 22 -- West Morris
Dec. 23 -- Voorhees
Dec. 28-29 -- at Bethlehem (Pa.) Holiday Classic (Liberty High School)
Jan. 2 -- Northampton (Pa.)
Jan. 6 -- at Parkland (Pa.)
Jan. 7 -- Raritan
Jan. 9 -- Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament (at Hunterdon Central)
Jan. 13 -- Delaware Valley
Jan. 14 -- Howell
Jan. 16 -- at Easton (Pa.)
Jan. 20 -- at Bound Brook
Jan. 21 -- North Hunterdon
Jan. 23 -- High Point
Jan. 27 -- at Hunterdon Central
Jan. 29 -- at Warren Hills
Jan. 30 -- Southern
Feb. 3 -- at Kittatinny
Feb. 4 -- Lenape Valley
Feb. 6 -- at Hanover Park
Feb. 10 -- Sectional semifinals
Feb. 12 -- Sectional finals
Feb. 14 -- Group championships at Toms River North
Feb. 19-20 -- District 1 Tournament at Warren Hills
Feb. 24, 26-27 -- Region 1 Tournament at Wallkill Valley
March 4-6 -- State Tournament at Atlantic City

Note: Bold indicates Skyland Conference Raritan Division matches.

Field hockey: Kerr to resign as Warren Hills coach

There's something to be said for going out on top.

For Laurie Kerr, the time was right to step down at Warren Hills after 15 seasons guiding one of New Jersey's premier field hockey programs.

"I'm doing it for family reasons," Kerr said during a phone conversation on Saturday evening. "I told the team [I was stepping down]."

Laurie Kerr with her team after winning the North 2, Group 3 title.

Kerr, who also stepped down as the girls lacrosse coach, said her resignation has not been made official. All fall coaching positions at the Warren County school per its policy are open, and any new hires will be pending board of education approval. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9.

Kerr said that assistant coach Josie Potter (nee Schantzenbach), another former standout player for the Streaks and team MVP in 1998, is also resigning from the coaching staff.

Athletic director Pete Lubrecht would not comment on any potential hires or resignations when reached earlier this week.

Warren Hills completed the greatest field hockey season in its history last fall, finishing 23-4 -- a school single-season record for wins -- and capturing both its 12th sectional title and the program's first state title with a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against nemesis Ocean City in the Group 3 final. It's also the first state championship in any female sport for the Blue Streaks.

Kerr, a former star player at Warren Hills and 1987 graduate, turned the program into a state powerhouse during her 15 seasons at the helm. Her teams went 264-71-12 overall and won or shared six Skyland Conference Delaware or Raritan Division titles and the school's only county championships in 2009, '11, '13 and '14.

In addition, the Streaks claimed eight of their 12 sectional titles and appeared the Group 3 finals seven times under Kerr, who surpassed her predecessor and coach Luanne Ferenci (226-101-41 from 1981-99) as the winningest coach in program history.

The Washington/Warren Hills program is 601-250-92 overall in 50 seasons. The 600th win came on Nov. 12, 2014, a 6-1 victory over Northern Highlands in the Group 3 semifinals. A 4-2 loss to Oak Knoll in the school's first Tournament of Champions appearance ended an 11-game win streak.

Warren Hills will sorely miss both Kerr and her six graduating seniors -- Nikki Profita (Rutgers), Jessica Nissen, Sydney Muntone (Drexel), Amanda Crampton (East Stroudsburg University), Amanda Oberly (Southern Connecticut) and Allie Brouhard (Sacred Heart).

Crampton, a stellar defensive player, scored the game-winning goal against Ocean City.

"Those girls have been like my own daughters," Kerr said.

Baseball: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex standings

   (Through Friday's games)

Skyland Conference
Delaware Division
		Overall	Division
x-Bridgewater-Raritan		(21-6)	(12-1)
Hunterdon Central		(23-7-1)	(8-4-1)
Immaculata		(15-13)	(8-5)
y-Hillsborough		(12-11)	(6-7)
Watchung Hills		(16-13)	(3-10)
Raritan Division
		Overall	Division
x-Ridge		(18-9-1)	(9-3-1)
Montgomery		(15-11)	(8-5)
y-North Hunterdon		(21-9)	(7-6)
Franklin		(5-15)	(2-11)
Phillipsburg		(6-19)	(1-12)
Valley Division
		Overall	Division
x-Somerville		(18-9)	(10-0)
Bernards		(21-6)	(7-3)
Delaware Valley		(11-14)	(4-6)
Voorhees		(9-13)	(4-6)
Warren Hills		(9-16)	(3-7)
Rutgers Prep		(9-16)	(2-8)
Mountain Division
		Overall	Division
x-Gill St. Bernard's		(21-8)	(10-2)
Pingry		(16-11)	(9-3)
North Plainfield		(11-11)	(8-4)
Belvidere		(14-10)	(7-5)
Bound Brook		(6-15)	(4-8)
South Hunterdon		(6-16)	(4-8)
Manville		(4-14)	(0-12)
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Freedom Division
		Overall	Division
x-Hackettstown		(19-6)	(6-2)
High Point		(16-9)	(5-3)
Jefferson		(19-10)	(5-3)
Lenape Valley		(7-14)	(4-4)
Sussex Tech		(8-19)	(0-8)
American Division
		Overall	Division
x-Pope John		(16-14)	(6-2)
x-Mount Olive		(21-10)	(6-2)
Morris Hills		(11-18)	(3-5)
Vernon		(10-15)	(3-5)
Sparta		(8-16)	(2-6)
Colonial Division
		Overall	Division
x-Wallkill Valley		(12-12)	(6-2)
x-Newton		(11-11)	(6-2)
x-North Warren		(10-12)	(6-2)
Hopatcong		(7-14)	(1-7)
Kittatinny		(3-22)	(1-7)
x-division champion
y-county champion