The old Northern Bergen Interscholastic League was one of The Messenger's favorite leagues to recap back in the day, in part because the final statistics packet put together by league commish/Bergenfield head coach Howie Conklin was a veritable statman's paradise.
Well, the good news is, Coach Conklin is still the commish of the new Big North-Patriot Divison, so the stat pack lives on... even if the new league is a random amalgamation of old NBIL-1, NBIL-2 and BCSL-American teams.
The Ramsey boys claimed their second consecutive outright league title (third in a row overall), holding off Pascack Valley in a fierce race that came down to a scant few points. This may have been the strongest division in North Jersey, given that both squads won their respective Group championships at the Bergen County tournament, both advanced to the State team finals, and both fielded the two top shooters in Bergen, seniors Kyle Landau (Rams) and Brian O'Flaherty (PV).
Meanwhile, the Bergenfield girls did as TM quasi-predicted in this very corner of the blogosphere last season — the Bears won their seventh straight league championship, with the last three all coming in different conferences (NBIL-2, NBIL-1, Big North-Patriot). Again, Pascack Valley played a pretty mean second fiddle... in fact the Indian girls finished with the exact same divisional record as the boys, which is a slightly eerie coincidence.
And now, for the tasty tidbits from the "Odds & Ends" page of the stat pack: River Dell junior Max Barnett finished the season with 9 straight 200-plus games... In 16 matches, Kyle Landau opened up with a 200 game on 13 occasions... the list of most 200 games on the season — (boys) Bergenfield junior Brian DiMarco 26, O'Flaherty 24, Landau 23; (girls) Bergenfield juniors Sarah Esmenda (7) and Cassidy Fiore (4) and Indian Hills junior Emily Ostapczuk with 4... and, always a fan favorite, the highest "low games" of the year belonged to Landau and O'Flaherty (tie, 160) and Esmenda (133).
Final random nuggets: Pascack Valley junior Tim Frantin rolled a 300 against Tenafly on Jan. 11, becoming the first Big North-Patriot bowler to do so (although DiMarco bowled a perfecto in this leagues quote-unquote "predecessor", the NBIL-2, last season)... although Mahwah struggled this season, junior Kevin Knapp had the team's high average (155) and their lone 200-plus game, a 214. Senior Esther Kim and freshman Allison Homler tied for the Lady T-Birds' high game (184)... nickname of the year may have to be Ramsey freshman Tyler Suser, who goes by "Doc" on the overhead screen (a play on the pronunciation of his last name — think Dr. Seuss). The Landau twins' handles of "R-Lanny" and "K-Lanny" seemed to be fan favorites as well, so much so that Indian Hills dubbed junior anchor Bridget Pyryt "B-Lanny". Go figure...
At any rate, congrats to coach Bill Chesney and the Rams, and to coach Conklin and the Bears, for claiming the inaugural Big North-Patriot titles. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| Patriot Div. - Boys | W | L | Avg. |
| Ramsey | 55 | 5 | 957 |
| Pascack Valley | 52 | 8 | 952 |
| Indian Hills | 40 | 20 | 881 |
| Tenafly | 28 | 32 | 861 |
| Bergenfield | 20 | 40 | 836 |
| River Dell | 13 | 47 | 774 |
| Mahwah | 2 | 58 | 714 |
Boys high game: Tim Frantin (PV), 300
Boys high series: Brian DiMarco (B'field), 566 (2 games)
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Brian O'Flaherty (PV), 225.93; Kyle Landau (Rams), 225.81; Brian DiMarco (B'field), 220; Max Barnett (RD), 211; Sam Fogelgaren (T'fly), 203; Marc Solangon (B'field), 199; Ryan Landau (Rams), 198.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Joe Farinelli (PV), 197; Tim Frantin (PV), 195; Jerry Azzolini (IH), 188; Andrew Wierzbicki (IH), 185; Jarrett Floyd (Rams), 184; Graham Mulligan (IH), 182; Ethan McGowan (T'fly), 176.31; Andrew Trinidad (B'field), 176.22; Pat Mercogliano (IH), 175.54.
Boys Honorable Mention: Josh Burke (B'field); Eliot Sackler (T'fly); George Kim (RD); Perry Starr (Mah.); Mike Shine (PV); Ronny Wagner (IH); Bryan Boyd (Rams).
********************************** | Patriot Div. - Girls | W | L | Avg. |
| Bergenfield | 56 | 4 | 742 |
| Pascack Valley | 52 | 8 | 686 |
| Indian Hills | 38 | 22 | 643 |
| Tenafly | 25 | 35 | 610 |
| Ramsey | 15 | 45 | 585 |
| Mahwah | 14 | 46 | 570 |
| River Dell | 10 | 50 | 538 |
Girls high game: Emily Ostapczuk (IH), 268
Girls high series: Emily Ostapczuk (IH), 447 (2 games)
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Sarah Esmenda (B'field), 176; Emily Ostapczuk (IH), 173; Cassidy Fiore (B'field), 168; Bridget Pyryt (IH), 159; Claire Reiser (PV), 154; Emma Taylor (T'fly), 146; Samantha Griffenkranz (B'field), 144.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Danielle Volpe (PV), 139.93; Danielle Hayes (B'field), 139.56; Sky Davenport (PV), 139.18; Ashley Delaney (PV), 132; Jodi Iannantuano (RD), 131.93; Nicole Schielzo (B'field), 131.00; Carolyn Donnelly (Rams), 129.
Girls Honorable Mention: Melissa Schielzo (B'field); Melissa Ehrlich (T'fly); Sarah Lee (RD); Alise Strauch (Mah.); Maggie Campbell (PV); Harveen Kaur (IH); Laura Dosch (Rams).
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
Finally, a league where The Messenger doesn't have to get used to some drastic name change. What remains of the old BCSL-American Division has become the Big North-American, which this winter bowled at various houses and typically had crossover matches with the Big North-Patriot.
In the boys division, Dumont emerged as champ behind seniors Austin Bonacum and Marc Reimann — both left-handers, and therefore both sure-fire Parker Bohn III All-Stars. Although give credit to Ridgefield Park... the Scarlets not only made the league a close race, they also finished higher at sectionals and had senior Sean Carmody place 12th in the State individually. Come to think of it, third-place Westwood finished higher than both its chief rivals at Counties, so basically all three of them can claim some sort of bragging rights.
For the girls, Westwood brought home the title in a division that was rife with Q-power... the Cardinals had junior Chelsea Qualliu in their rotation, and runner-up Dumont featured senior Qynn Pascual. (See? This is what happens when TM can't get to any league matches and all he can comment on are his favorite letters). And hey, Cliffside Park hung in there too, thanks to league average leader Nicolette Brenner — who, incidentally, placed 6th at Counties for the second straight year. *Those* are the types of random factoids you'll find only on the NJBB!
Anyhow, congrats to coach Mark Ferrara and the Huskies, and to coach Dan Rattacasa and the Cardinals, for claiming the inaugural Big North-American crowns. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| American Div. - Boys | W | L | Avg. |
| Dumont | 30 | 10 | 875 |
| Ridgefield Park | 28 | 12 | 888 |
| Westwood | 25 | 15 | 856 |
| Fort Lee | 15 | 25 | 735 |
| Cliffside Park | 2 | 38 | 598 |
Boys high game: (TIE) Sean Carmody (RP) & David Daniels (FL), 278
Boys high series: Carmody, 492 (2 games)
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Sean Carmody (RP), 216; Austin Bonacum (Dum.), 203; Christian Sontag (WW), 197; Nick Keim (RP), 193; Marc Reimann (Dum.), 191; Andrew Cirillo (WW), 181; Ryan Perez (Dum.), 178.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Nick Cytowicz (Dum.), 177; David Daniels (FL), 175; Kei Kase (FL), 174; Mike Benaquista (WW), 171; Dakota Krokus (WW), 170; Dan Buttacavole (RP), 165; Kerlyn Cortinas (RP), 164.
Boys Honorable Mention: Eric Blakeman (Dum.); Ammad Quirashi (FL); Vinnie Bucceri (CP); Ian Woods (RP); Bobby Grimaldi (WW).
********************************** | American Div. - Girls | W | L | Avg. |
| Westwood | 37 | 3 | 690 |
| Dumont | 26 | 14 | 667 |
| Cliffside Park | 25 | 15 | 651 |
| Fort Lee | 10 | 30 | 586 |
| Ridgefield Park | 2 | 38 | 529 |
Girls high game: Mary Schneider (WW), 254
Girls high series: Nicolette Brenner (CP), 490 (2 games)
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Nicolette Brenner (CP), 177; Mary Schneider (WW), 166; Yeliz Inalman (FL), 154; Kirsty Flores (Dum.), 142; Kristen Bonacum (Dum.), 140.18; Kelsey Nobile (WW), 140.14; Chelsea Qualliu (WW), 137.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Kristen Connolly (WW), 134; Melissa Reimann (Dum.), 133; Kamber Chaiken (Dum.), 131; Kristen Fernandez (Dum.), 128; Qynn Pascual (Dum.), 124.92; Tiffany Ebanks (WW), 124.88; Sarah Ann Martello (CP), 121.
Girls Honorable Mention: Justine Valdez (FL); Sabrina Johannemann (CP); Chin-Kyong Kim (RP).
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
In Peanuts-speak, The Messenger would use the rubric: "It's an NBIL reunion, Charlie Brown!" For all intents and purposes, the old NBIL Division 1 reformed as the Big North-National, minus Bergenfield and Wayne Hills.
Fair Lawn rejoined the others after a one-year "exile" to the stopgap NJTCC and came back with a flourish, winning the girls division title. For the boys, Northern Highlands added to its banner year, bringing home a league title for the first time since– we're not really sure. The Highlanders had a bowling team back in the 1970s, dropped it somewhere along the line in the early '80s, then resurrected the program about eight years ago. So, to borrow a page from TMQ's book of nomenclature, we can say it's the first league championship for Northern Highlands Release 2.0.
Congrats to coach Matt Markman and the Cutters, and to coach Rich Smith and the Highlanders, for claiming the inaugural Big North-National crowns. The stats:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| National Div. - Boys | W | L |
| No. Highlands | 36 | 4 |
| Ramapo | 32 | 8 |
| Fair Lawn | 21 | 19 |
| Old Tappan | 10 | 30 |
| Demarest | 0 | 40 |
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Mike Carr (R'po), 221.5; Billy Olszewski (NH), 211.1; Kevin Macchia (R'po), 203.8; Ben Schuckman (FL) 195.2; Eric Sibbald (NH), 195.1; Josh Taylor (NH), 187.8; Nick Rossi (NH), 187.7.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Matt Brown (FL), 182; Victor Stickna (R'po), 174.7; Ray Geller (OT), 172.7; Tyler Kammen (R'po), 171.8; Nick Fasolo (R'po), 170.9; Scott Royse (OT), 169.6; Brendan LoDolce (FL), 168.1.
Boys Honorable Mention w/averages: Chris Keane (NH), 166.5; Joe Haverilla (OT), 155.6; Ian Wiese (Dem), 143.3; Shawn Kerestes (FL), 142.3.
***************************** | National Div. - Girls | W | L |
| Fair Lawn | 38 | 2 |
| No. Highlands | 20 | 20 |
| Demarest | 17 | 23 |
| Ramapo | 15 | 25 |
| Old Tappan | 10 | 30 |
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Denise Marain (FL), 157.84; Nicole Munczinski (FL), 153; Ellie Schuckman (FL), 144.87; Tiffany Lee (Dem), 142.38; Shannon Rossi (NH), 140.58; Chelsea Lawlor (FL), 131.50; Carly Bonsignore (R'po), 129.03.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Jen Do (R'po), 128.91; Cassandra Weisman (NH), 127.04; Yoojung Kim (Dem), 119.63; Kristina Barila (OT), 115.93; Emily Sposa (OT), 115.83; Cari Gaynes (Dem), 114; Trisha Gregory (NH), 114.
Girls Honorable Mention: Jessica Oviedo (FL); Lauren Scheck (R'po); Amanda Mamunes (NH); Shannon McBride (OT); Mina Choi (Dem).
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
Made up primarily of former NNJIL/NJTCC-Bergen denizens, the Big North-Freedom featured a good, close race on the girls side and a not-so-close one on the boys side. Most everyone in this division called Bowler City home, but again, with the amorphous mass that is the new Big North Conference, almost everybody bowled in at least two or three different houses this year.
Anyway, The Messenger was a bit surprised to see Hackensack mixing it up with the big boys at tournaments this year since, well, he was under the impression that the Comets had lost a few key components to graduation. Having observed facts to the contrary, he is not surprised that they are the inaugural boys champs of the Freedom Division.
The girls league chase featured a great battle between Bergen Tech and Ridgewood. The latter got the best of the former at Counties and State sectionals, but the Knights eked out the division title in perhaps the most literal sense — they won both meetings, 3-2, and according to the Maroon folks, the first match-up between the two was decided by something like 8 pins.
Again, with the Big North's decentralized bookkeeping this year, the NJBB was unable to accrue quite the depth and breadth of stats it so ardently pursues. Also, please note that all BN standings we have will include ONLY intra-division matches and *not* crossovers. Nonetheless, TM is happy to be able to present the All-League selections along with the standings:
FINAL STANDINGS (Points Won-Points Lost-Team Average)
| Freedom Div. - Boys | W | L |
| Hackensack | 34 | 6 |
| Ridgewood | 20 | 20 |
| Teaneck | 20 | 20 |
| Paramus | 14 | 26 |
| Bergen Tech | 12 | 28 |
Boys All-League 1st Team w/averages: Rob Gilbert (H'sack), 205.91; Dean Edwards (BT), 193.07; Dylan Laloo (Tea), 190; Dalton Dupree (Tea), 190; John Draney (H'sack), 189.94; Justin Stumpf (Tea), 188.3; Kevin Skettini (R'wood), 185.25.
Boys 2nd Team w/averages: Gordon Chen (Par), 185.1; George Steffani (BT), 184.3; Shane Sassone (Par), 183.5; Kevin Muldoon (R'wood), 180.5; Justin Morin (Tea), 180; Kevin Hamza (H'sack), 177.78; Takuya Tokunago (Par), 176.6.
Boys Honorable Mention: Christopher Cannon (H'sack); Jordon Kotellos (R'wood); Michael Vacarro (Tea); Yuki Ito (Par); Kevin Toledo (BT).
Boys Coach of the Year: Bob Lotz (Hackensack)
***************************** | Freedom Div. - Girls | W | L |
| Bergen Tech | 36 | 4 |
| Ridgewood | 34 | 6 |
| Hackensack | 20 | 20 |
| Teaneck | 5 | 35 |
| Paramus | 5 | 35 |
Girls All-League 1st Team w/averages: Belle Estee Dante (BT), 184.3; Nyasia Williams (BT), 181; Shelby Taylor (R'wood), 179.83; Nicolette Maggiolo (R'wood), 171.19; Jesmarie Reyes (BT), 163.2; Kelly Skettini (R'wood), 162.83; Kendall Tinston (R'wood), 160.67.
Girls 2nd Team w/averages: Rachel Healy (H'sack), 158; Sarah Chirichella (BT), 153.4; Brittany Hovan (Par), 153; Kim Ercolino (BT), 152.43; Brenda Griepenberg (Tea), 150; Stacie Harewood (H'sack), 149; Kelsey Sarro (H'sack), 142.
Girls Honorable Mention: Alex Ptak (BT); Gwen Widicus (R'wood); Cindy Navaro (H'sack); Marissa Guilianti (Par); Billie Jean Kureck (Tea).
Girls Coach of the Year: Joe Prenenski (Bergen Tech)
Please e-mail any/all corrections to NorthJerseyBRG@gmail.com.
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