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In the fall of 2018, Boonton High School teams and individual athletes found success on the gridiron, field, trails and court.
Football
The football team built up steam as the season progressed, posting a 7-3 overall record and going undefeated to claim the North Jersey Super Football Conference’s American Blue Division title.
The Bombers had a potent running game, led by Joe Cannizzaro, Corey Dempster and Hunter Van Sant. On the ground, the Bombers, who lost their first two games before commencing a seven-game winning streak, amassed 3,960 rushing yards this season, the most in the state, according to MaxPreps.
Under the direction of Bryan Gallagher, Boonton advanced to the second round of states before being halted by Park Ridge.
Field Hockey
The field hockey squad, which competed in the NJAC-Liberty Division, compiled a record of 10-9-1. The Bombers conditioned almost every day over the summer to get faster then they have ever been. The Boonton girls played their hearts out, with a handful of starting players injured. Captains Kelly Mollahan, Kristen Gallo, and Leah Durkin showed amazing leadership skills as they led the team into the first round of states against Wallkill Valley High School. Other returning seniors were Olivia Ochs, Nicole Krozser, Brooke Olsson, Brittney Ruud and Nadine Smith.
With 13 seniors graduating, how will the team fare next year? No need to worry. Rising seniors such as Kelly Doyle, Rainey Clark, Savannah Spann, Sammy Brancato, and Becca Deffler will make the varsity squad stronger than ever.
Head coach Cindy Tserkis Schlitt once quoted Jesse Owens on game day and that truly spoke volumes to the players.
“In the end, it’s extra effort that separates a winner from second place,” Tserkis Schlitt said. “But winning takes a lot more than that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness, and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together and, even if you don’t win, how can you lose?”
Cross Country
Boys cross country went 3-2 this year and finished 11th at the conference championship meet. Running their final 5K races were senior tri-captains Hunter Sagerer, Raymond Ryerson and Andrew Portas along with classmates Robert Krauss and Frank LeFebvre. Strong efforts, too, were turned in by junior Ethan Holey and freshman Alex Paulozzo. The MVP title was split between Sagerer (personal best of 18:33) and Ryerson (personal best of 18:42).
These runners consistently finished at the top and the close times and even amount of wins led the title to be split. Paulozzo, freshman of the year, ran exceptionally well. His personal best – 19:03 – placed him as third on the current varsity team. Paulozzo is the fastest freshman in recorded Boonton history, beating out the old record holder, Tyler Greff, who ran a 19:10 in 2008. The team has extremely high hopes for Alex and cannot wait to see the times he will run next season.
The girls team this year was the largest it has been in a few years and consisted of sophomore Mackenzie Zuercher and freshmen Pragya Shrestha and Ava Oberlin. Zuercher was named first team all-conference and Shrestha garnered second team all-conference honors. All three girls had fantastic seasons and Oberlin’s kindness and respect towards fellow teammates and other teams led her to receive a sportsmanship award. The coaches, Mr. Bongo and Mr. Hancock, are very proud of their team this year and are grateful for the time they got to spend with the graduating seniors.
“Our team is more like a family and this familial feeling is what makes our team,” said Andrew Portas.
Boys Soccer
The Bombers, under the direction of Coach Jamie Nash, made it to the semifinals of the Section 1, Group I tournament, falling to highly-regarded Park Ridge, 2-1, in double overtime.
The Bombers tied Verona, 2-2, in their season opener and played to seven more deadlocks over the course of the 2018 season.
Qusay Abuwad led the team in goals and assists, with seven and four, respectively.
Girls Soccer
Sophomores provided the scoring punch for the Bombers, who won five games. At the core of the attack was Madison Kleinwaks with 14 goals and six assists.
The Bombers recorded only seven goals in 2017 and more than doubled that amount this campaign. Catie Owens, a senior, stood tall in goal, making 182 saves.
Girls Tennis
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