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A bronze medal winner twice, Kinnelon's Kayla Vazquez upgraded to gold in the state tournament.

Vazquez, Georges, Weiss are golden

ATLANTIC CITY _ Paige Weiss changed up her approach and got rewarded for it. Kayla Vazquez stayed the course and also ended up with a positive result. Olivia Georges navigated from a completely fresh angle and wound up on top of the heap, too. Sparta's Weiss at 100 pounds, Kinnelon's Vazquez at 132 pounds and DePaul Catholic's Georges at 145 pounds all claimed gold medals in different ways. But the troika of locals from Morris and Sussex Counties achieved their ultimate goals in the fifth annual New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) State Girls Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, March 4th…
Randolph coach Pete Torres takes his turn cutting down the net after the Rams clinched the sectional title.

Randolph shakes off Mendham for sectional crown

RANDOLPH _ Allyson Kuridza has an abundance of bruises and wears them proudly, knowing they were acquired while going into battle with the Randolph girls basketball team. Eight days after getting her largest one - a contusion three inches in diameter on her upper right arm - in a first-round game against Rahway, Kuridza, known for her hard-nosed play, gained a few more while putting in a top-notch effort in a 53-43 win over Mendham on Tuesday, Feb. 28 in the North Jersey Section 2, Group III final. The sectional title was the Rams' second in four years. In 2020,…
Beau Braverman of Madison guards Hanover Park's Arianna Allonardo during a North Jersey Section II, Group II semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.

Reigle recovers, boosts Dodgers

MADISON _ Alex Reigle went to her usual spot in the Madison locker room at halftime and leaned against the wall, just like she does for every home game. This time, though, Reigle, annoyed with herself for, in her words, "missing easy layups right under the basket," closed her eyes and took deep breaths for five minutes before returning to the gym. She was determined to get a subpar first-haf showing, in which she scored three points, out of her head. If Madison was to emerge victorious from the North Jersey Section 2, Group II semifinal and get the opportunity…
Kayla Vazquez of Kinnelon is headed back to Atlantic City for the Girls Wrestling State Tournament finals.

Local trio seeking gold at state finals

PHILLIPSBURG _  Sparta's Paige Weiss, Kinnelon's Kayla Vazquez and Newton/Kittatinny's Liliana Zaku-Ramos all made the penultimate step to mat glory on Sunday, Feb. 26. Next comes the biggest stage of all, the New Jersey State Girls Wrestling Finals on Saturday, March 4 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The Northwest Jersey triple-threat troika of Weiss at 100 pounds, Vazquez at 132 pounds and Zaku-Ramos at 126 pounds all won their state tournament semifinal bouts at Phillipsburg High School on Feb. 26 and need one more win down in Atlantic City next weekend to mine a gold medal. Weiss, a freshman,…
Morris Catholic is in celebration mode after claiming its second consecutive MCT title on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.

Matus lifts Morris Catholic to 14th MCT crown

RANDOLPH _ Daniella Matus considers Sunday "a day off" but she finds it difficult to take a rest from basketball. Instead, Morris Catholic's Matus spends an hour to 90 minutes in a local gym working on her game. Highly successful from outside the arc, she, of course, fires in 3-pointers and practices layups and pullups. It's a rigorous but necessary workout. The Crusaders are, no doubt, grateful Matus is so diligent. Top-seeded Morris Catholic engaged in a heavyweight bout with second-seeded Montville in the Morris County Tournament final on Friday, Feb. 17 and prevailed, 62-51, with a stirring comeback highlighted…
Morris Catholic's Alexis Rosenfeld, No. 11, played excellent defense in addition to scoring 18 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.

Crusaders, behind Rosenfeld, get chance to defend

RANDOLPH _ Alexis Rosenfeld's presence and involvement on the court, in her own words, "changed the dynamic" for Morris Catholic this season. Rosenfeld, who stands 6 foot 2, is a formidable force on both ends of the hardwood and, apparently, knows her worth. In the second MCT semifinal on Friday, Feb. 10, Rosenfeld, a transfer from Saddle River Day School, dominated, scoring 18 points and taking down 18 rebounds to fuel the Crusaders' 75-44 win over the Rams at County College of Morris. "Alexis is a huge piece of the puzzle," Morris Catholic coach Billy Lovett said. "She protects the…
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