Seraphs softball, CBA baseball among area's best
BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent

With another high school spring season in the books, there certainly were plenty of reasons to celebrate for local sports fans: once again, many of our hometown teams put forth championship-level performances in a variety of sports.

And while there were countless numbers of scholastic athletes who distinguished themselves with their performances this spring, there were a chosen few who rose to the top of their respective sports, claiming both individual and team accolades deserving of one last look before looking ahead to the start of the fall schedule.

When looking back on what was indeed a fruitful spring season, you have to start with the Mater Dei girls softball team.

The Seraphs, who entered the season amid some lofty expectations after emerging as one of the up-and-coming teams a year ago, had the type of season coaches dream about. Mater Dei finished the season 22-4, winning the Class B Central Non-Public title, the Non-Public South B title and eventually the Non-Public B title. Along the way, they also enjoyed an unprecedented run through the Shore Conference Tournament, beating a pair of good teams from St. John Vianney and Wall, before falling to Red Bank Catholic, the eventual Non-Public A champion, 1-0, in nine innings.

In the state tournament, the Seraphs beat the top-ranked team in the state, St. Joseph (Hammonton), in another 1-0 affair, before knocking off the four-time defending state champs from Montclair Kimberley Academy, 11-2, for the state championship. Head coach Jeanne Dickinson, in her 28th year, knew she had a good team when the season began. But even a veteran coach like Dickinson had to be impressed with the level of play the Seraphs showed down the stretch of the season.

Led by their brilliant senior pitcher, Sara Cline, Mater Dei played every bit like a champion throughout its state tournament run. Cline, whose numbers for the season were certainly impressive (21-4, including 12 shutouts, with a 0.67 ERA, 205 strikeouts and just 83 hits allowed in 166 innings), saved her best pitching for the postseason, where she battled some of the top hurlers in the state and came out on top.

The Middletown South Eagles put together a fine 18-9 season, which included a Class A North championship, as well as the Central Jersey Group III title.

The Eagles, who beat Monroe Township, 3-2, to capture the state sectional crown, were led by the Kuhn sisters, Julia and Liza, both of whom earned All-Conference nods. Julia, a freshman utility player, proved to be one of the top hitters in the Shore, leading the team in hits (31), doubles (7), RBIs (17) and batting average (.378), while older sister Liza, a junior, was one of the top pitchers in the Shore, overcoming some late-season injuries to help lead South to the sectional crown. The Eagles also got very strong seasons from infielder K.D. Rohlander and utility player Keri Kent.

On the baseball diamond, the Christian Brothers Academy Colts overcame an early-season rash of injuries to put together another stellar season for longtime head coach Marty Kenney. The Colts, who finished the year with a 20-9 mark, actually overachieved this season, as the young CBA team captured the Non-Public South A title with a win over Gloucester Catholic. From there, the Colts gave Don Bosco Prep, the state's top-ranked team and the second-ranked team in the nation by USA Today, its toughest game all season in the Non-Public A final, before falling 5-4.

With a young team that entered the season without much varsity experience, Kenney anticipated his squad to be a work in progress. However, once junior Pat Light emerged as a bona fide ace (11-0, 1.05 ERA, 73 K's in 73 innings) everything started to come together for the Colts. The offense found its stride late in the season, led by All-Conference selection Steve Mc- Sherry (.400, 33 RBIs) as well as players like Dan Avella and Anthony Cirillo. With the majority of this team coming back next year, CBA will be a popular pick as a team to beat once again.

Success at CBA was a common occurrence this spring, as both the golf and lacrosse teams also had plenty of reasons to celebrate.

On the links, CBA dominated the team events, winning the Monmouth County and Shore Conference tournaments, as well as the Non-Public South A and Non- Public A titles. Tom Gliozzo, a first team All-Conference pick, led the way for the Colts, putting together a stellar senior season, and getting better as the season progressed while recovering from wrist surgery at the end of last summer. With Gliozzo, second team All-Conference picks Kevin Clarke and Mike DeGannaro, and third team selection Brendan O'Brien, CBA certainly had a top four who could play with anyone in the state. And while Gliozzo and Clarke have graduated, head coach Tim Sewnig's Colts still have plenty of talent returning, making the Colts the early favorite next spring as well.

On the girls side, both St. John Vianney's Paige Pillar and Matawan's Jaclyn Clifton solidified their places among the top players in the state. Pillar was the Shore's dominant player, taking second to Clifton at the MCT when she missed a putt on the 18th green to score an 88, before coming back to shoot a 77 and post a five-shot win at the SCT at Fort Monmouth. While Paige, a senior, was a preseason All-Conference selection, Clifton's emergence as a top player was equally impressive. Just a sophomore, this long-hitting player will likely find herself at the top of the leader board quite a bit over the next two springs.

The CBA boys lacrosse team was the top team in the Shore once again this year, winning both the Class A North crown and the SCT for the third time in four years. CBA, which finished with a 16-5 mark after reaching the semifinals of the Non- Public A state tournament, where they lost to Bergen Catholic, 6-5, was led by Shore Player of the Year Derek Craig (50 goals, 47 assists) and fellow All-Conference players Robby Napp (55 goals, 38 assists) and Tim Cleary, one of the top defensive players in the state and a big reason why the Colts allowed just 13 goals in the SCT. Senior Chris Caude was also recognized for his strong midfield play with a second team All-Conference nod, while junior Brian Weil, an attack, was named to the third team.

On the volleyball court, CBA put together a fine 19-8 season, led by junior middle blocker Jon Rohan (217 kills, 73 blocks) and junior outside hitter Neil Slattery (192 kills, 42 blocks and 34 digs to go along with 44 aces).

Holmdel was the top local boys tennis team this spring, as the Hornets finished the year 16-4 despite losing all seven starters to graduation from the previous spring. The Hornets were led by a pair of freshmen, David Lyu and Charlie Seifer, while juniors Sean Lu, Pavan Yalamanchili, Aaron Sun and Mike Lee all stepped up and kept the Hornets' string of successful seasons intact. Head coach Chuck Chelednick, the Shore's coach of the year, had to be happy with his team's performance, which included a trip to the semifinals of both the SCT, where they lost to Ocean, 4-1, and the North Jersey II Group III tournament, where they fell to West Morris Mendham, 3-2.

Looking ahead, Holmdel returns everyone, making them one of the teams to beat next spring. CBA, led by juniors Jordan Cruz and Zac Wong, also had another strong season, finishing 15-6, while individually, St. John Vianney first singles player Harris Trismen, a sophomore, continued to emerge as one of the top young players in the Shore.