2025 Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of 21-year-old JEFFREY S This arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck under the direction of Chief Robert Guidetti a month-long joint investigation into area drug activity was initiated by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force and the Paramus Police Department undercover narcotic detectives identified JEFFREY S KISHINEVSKIY as selling opioid pills and LSD in Bergen County detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force and the Paramus Police Department alongside members of the United States Postal Inspection Service detectives executed a court-authorized search of KISHINEVSKIY’s vehicle and residence KISHINEVSKIY was charged with first-degree distribution of LSD 2C:35-5b(6); second-degree distribution of LSD 2C:35-5(b)7; second-degree distribution of LSD within 500 feet of a park 2C:35-7; and third-degree distribution of suspected morphine pills KISHINEVSKIY was remanded to the Bergen County Jail made a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack and was ordered released pending further court action The investigation into this activity is continuing Anyone with information may contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at (201) 226-5532 Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt Prosecutor Musella thanks the Paramus Police Department the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Cresskill Police for their assistance with this investigation which participates in the Bergen County Narcotic Task Force Funeral arrangements have been announced for a long-serving Bergen County mayor and his wife Benedict Romeo, who had been mayor of Cresskill from 1999 until his death last week will be remembered this weekend alongside his wife of 57 years Visitation for the couple will be held Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. at St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Cresskill. their obituary said The funeral Mass will take place Saturday at 10 a.m followed by interment at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus Those who wish to attend the Mass are asked to meet at the church no later than 9:45 a.m. Saturday. The funeral will also be available via livestream known to many as "Ben," was the longest-serving mayor in Cresskill history he founded the McCarthy Hillside Agency and First Commerce Bank was known for always dressing in a suit and tie and for never wavering from his daily routine "You could set your watch by how Ben spent his day." He would start at the office before going to Borough Hall midmorning he would head to lunch with friends at the country club which was followed by a brief nap back in his office Alice Romeo's obituary described her as having "a loving heart bigger than her petite frame." Her qualities included constantly seeking out a good bargain which often resulted in her passing along money-saving tips to family and friends "Alice especially loved using coupons and getting the lowest price on gas for her beloved Cadillac," the obituary said "Often times she was seen speeding around town trying to get to the next sale." Benedict Romeo was known for always trying to make Cresskill better with his wife by his side the two earned the respect of the community "Alice and Ben were a true couple in every sense of the word," the obituary read "It is fitting that they both passed exactly one month apart Get important news about your town as it happens Get the top stories from across our network Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from daily updates Charges have been filed against an 89-year-old driver in a crash that killed a 73-year-old woman outside HomeGoods in a Bergen County shopping center last week was loading groceries into her car while facing east when she was struck by a vehicle driven by Julianna Simor of Allendale Simor had been backing south out of a handicapped parking space in front of HomeGoods when she continued reversing through the travel lane and across a parking island before striking Miller Miller was seriously injured and taken to Hackensack Hospital Simor was issued four summonses: improper backing All charges are returnable to Closter Municipal Court on May 20 Cresskill's Tyler Manarang throws a pitchPJ Potter .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jack McKenna | For NJ Advance MediaTyler Manarang knocked in five runs and hit a pair of triples in a 2-for-5 day at the plate for Cresskill as it downed North Artlington by a 10-7 margin in Cresskill Cresskill raced out to a 6-0 lead after two innings before North Arlington responded by hanging a six spot of its own in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game up Cresskill responded to North Arlington’s rally with a three-run rally of its own in the bottom of the fourth to take a lead it did not relinquish Angelo Cristantiello drove in two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3 while Max Reiner scored three runs and knocked in one in a 1-for-2 showing for Cresskill (9-5-1) North Arlington falls to 7-8 and will take the field next in a Bergen County Tournament preliminary round matchup against Indian Hills on Saturday Jack McKenna can be reached at hssports@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Benedict Romeo was in his 26th year as mayor Cresskill Mayor Benedict Romeo passed away today His death will necessitate special primary and general elections this year to fill his unexpired term Cresskill Republicans will submit three names as an interim successor The current borough council is split: three Democrats and three Republicans One incumbent of each party is up for re-election this year 2025 at 6:23 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Jeffrey S Kishinevskiy (Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)BERGEN COUNTY NJ — A Cresskill man has been arrested for allegedly selling opioid pills and LSD in Bergen County was arrested last Thursday and charged with distribution of LSD distribution of LSD within 500 feet of a park and third-degree distribution of suspected morphine pills said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office county detectives and Paramus police began a month-long joint investigation into area drug activity Prosecutors say that undercover officers identified Kishinevskiy as selling the pills Kishinevskiy was found and arrested in Tenafly They also searched his vehicle and residence and was ordered released to await further court action Anyone with information can contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at (201) 226-5532 Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. “It is with sadness that I tell you that Mayor Ben Romeo of Cresskill has passed away today I was able to work with him during my six years as mayor He was a good neighbor,” wrote Bergenfield Mayor Emeritus Norman Schmelz Current Oakland Borough Council President John McCann rooted in their shared commitment to community improvement in Cresskill "I got a call from one of our close mutual friends McCann and Romeo ran for the first time in 1999 The borough's recreation center was another source of pride for Romeo But fears of rising taxes stymied the project for years found private funding by engaging local developers and community members who saw the value in a communal space for families It was fully donor-funded and self-sustaining through facility rentals and user fees that offset costs “That's probably the thing I'm most proud of The center was named after Romeo two years ago a gesture by colleagues and community members who recognized his long-term dedication to the town "His love of Cresskill was always evident in his words and actions," said Les Kaplan a Democratic member of the Cresskill Borough Council Romeo was also honored in 2020 for his service to the community, said a Pascack Press story from that year Councilwoman Kathleen Sava labeled him as the “longest-sitting elected official in the area” in the story adding that he “accomplished so much because of his love of the community.” A photo portrait of Romeo hangs in Borough Hall it has been a wonderful 20 years,” Romeo said at the time he probably died of a broken heart more than anything," McCann said Longtime mayor Benedict Romeo died last month John Morgan was sworn in as mayor of the Borough of Cresskill on Wednesday Longtime mayor Benedict Romeo died last month at the age of 77 stepped into an interim role before fully taking over the role “It is an honor and privilege to serve the residents of Cresskill,” Morgan said “I am fortunate to be able to build upon the strong foundation created by Benedict Romeo I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and look forward to working alongside our community to ensure a bright future for our town.” Assemblymen Robert Auth (R-Old Tappan) and John Azzaritti (R-Saddle River) attended the swearing-in ceremony A 21-year-old Cresskill man has been arrested for selling LSD and opioid pills in Bergen County April 3 in Tenafly following a month-long undercover investigation Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Detectives from the prosecutor’s Narcotic Task Force and the Paramus Police Department identified Kishinevskiy as a drug dealer after an investigation that began in March 2025 Kishinevskiy was suspected of selling LSD and opioids in Bergen County Kishinevskiy was tracked down in Tenafly and arrested with help from the U.S Postal Inspection Service and police in Tenafly and Cresskill A court-authorized search was also carried out on Kishinevskiy’s car and home Kishinevskiy was held at the Bergen County Jail before being released following his first court appearance in Hackensack Anyone with information is asked to call the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at (201) 226-5532 Luke Kopczynski (23) of Cresskill drives to the net against James Mooney (14) of Waldwick during the boys basketball game at Cresskill High School in Cresskill .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comLuke Kopczynski led all scorers with 19 points as sixth-seeded Cresskill defeated third-seeded Pequannock Jake Lewin had 13 points and Omer Tal added nine for Cresskill (14-14) but used a 17-11 fourth quarter run to pull out the win Cresskill plays second-seeded Wallkill Valley in the semifinals on Tuesday Jack Picardo scored a team-high 14 points for Pequannock (19-9) Braydon VanLenten had 11 points and Dylan Tomaskovic added 10 The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Following 11 seasons and one sectional final appearance Kevin Quinn has stepped down as the Cresskill/Emerson head football coach Quinn went 60-45 as head coach at Cresskill The first nine seasons were with Cresskill as a standalone entity He plans to stay at Cresskill as dean of students and a teacher informed the school district and team of his decision two weeks ago but one of the things I said to them was I will still be one of their biggest supporters and fans,” Quinn said I know I will still be around the kids a lot and anything I can do for them Quinn served as an assistant under longtime coach Bob Valli for 14 seasons before getting the head coaching job in 2014 He directed Cresskill to six playoff berths seven winning seasons and a spot in the 2014 sectional final which the Cougars lost to Verona at Giants Stadium “The best part of any coaching job you get is the relationships you make over time,” Quinn said “I see kids who were in the building here and then see them go on to become fathers and heads of industry 'hey coach!' and there are people happy to see you That’s the best reward you get from coaching.” Cresskill becomes the fourth known opening for football head coach in North Jersey Joe Cutrona stepped down after four seasons and 23 wins with the Blue Devils Wood-Ridge reached the NJIC championship game in 2022 and finished 8-2 that season A decision on a new coach is expected by the end of the month Jim Cleary was dismissed after going 4-4-1 with the Owls Cleary had been the Owls defensive coordinator in 2023 and 2022 and was a longtime assistant at Bloomfield and Pascack Valley GarfieldPete Santacroce spent six years at the helm the Boilermakers before departing the program last month He will remain as the school’s head baseball coach Santacroce guided Garfield to its first state playoff victory in 2019 .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mak Ojutiku | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comTyler Manarang went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI to lead Cresskill to an 8-7 extra-innings win over Ridgefield Park Ridgefield Park (7-7) forced extra innings with a tying run in the seventh and Cresskill (7-5-1) scored the decisive go-ahead run in the top of the eighth Anthony Santilli and Luke Kopczynski each recorded two hits in the win Jason Alvarado drove in three runs for Ridgefield Park 1/18Baseball: Cresskill at Midland Park, April 25, 2024.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By PJ Potter | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comOur HS sports photos like the ones above put you right up close with the action and the whole experience Check them out by clicking anywhere in the collage above to open the photo gallery Don’t forget to share the gallery with friends and relatives These photos are also available for purchase in a variety of sizes and finishes – just click the “BUY IMAGE” link below any photo to see available options and make a purchase NJ.com subscribers can also get free print-quality digital downloads of any images in this gallery Note: Because we are trying to make these galleries available for viewing as quickly as possible you are probably seeing an early version and more photos will be added later Please return and refresh the page to see additions Mobile device users: For the best experience downloading high-resolution images (available free and to subscribers only) and making photo purchases it’s best to visit this page from your desktop or laptop computer The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Reed Becker | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comAngelo Cristantiello drove in six runs for Cresskill which scored seven runs in the fifth inning on the way to a 20-10 comeback win over Elmwood Park in Cresskill the six RBIs and two runs scored for Cresskill (6-4-1) which trailed 10-9 entering the bottom of the fifth but came back to win its third straight Andrew Koprowski also went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored Lucas Rodriguez led the offense for Elmwood Park (1-10) Cresskill will travel to face Midland Park on Friday while Elmwood Park will host Dwight-Englewood on Friday as it looks to end its 10-game losing streak Reed Becker can be reached at rbecker@njadvancemedia.com A Bergen County man admitted to robbing a bank in Mountain Lakes last year pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a bank robbery on Nov Documents filed in court said Winst slipped the bank teller a note saying "this is a robbery" while claiming to have a weapon He received money from the teller and fled the bank Court documents reveal he made off with just over $1,000 Bank robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By John Lewis | For NJ Advance MediaSophia Coleman struck out 14 in a five-inning perfect game It was the second straight shutout for the Cougars (3-2) and for Coleman who held Palisades Park scoreless on one hit and struck out seven in a 15-0 win on Wednesday Angelina Cecere drove in a pair of runs and scored four John Lewis can be reached at hssports@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Paterson Charter and Cresskill met in the North 1 Cresskill pulled out a 48-44 win in the sectional final at home for the program's first sectional title since 2010 Paterson Charter hosted and returned the favor in a 46-40 win for the Lions Paterson Charter head coach Jerry Wimberley had a message for Cresskill coach Dan Egorow "I said 'I'll see you next year'," Wimberley said I said 'I told you we would both be here.'" Cresskill began the season 4-10 while Paterson Charter lost the NJIC final and the Passaic County quarterfinals in a span of four days Group 1 sectional final as Paterson Charter emerged with a 58-38 win for their third title in four years The Lions started quickly with a 16-3 advantage after the first quarter forcing eight Cresskill turnovers in the opening eight minutes Foul trouble in the second quarter for helped Cresskill climb back into the game trailing by single digits at the half at 23-14 it can feel like eight against five if the calls aren't in your favor and you have to play through that," Wimberley said the Lions began shooting well again and overcoming foul issues to take a 42-24 lead into fourth quarter Paterson Charter (22-6) will face Newark Tech on Tuesday at Bloomfield in the Group 1 state semifinals The trilogy of sectional finals is complete between Paterson Charter and Cresskill with the home team being the winner in all three editions respect has grown from the competition of these two NJIC programs "That's a good program over there," Wimberley said about Cresskill "That's a solid program that's kind of like us we get our kids together and playing well." While the two teams play conflicting styles it has been the ability to adapt to the others' strengths that has bolstered this rivalry The Lions play a quick game with their various athletes looking to score at will and dominate opponents It led to Paterson Charter's defensive display The Lions held an opponent under 40 points for the second time in the playoffs but only the third time in the last six weeks A third foul early into the second quarter sat senior guard Giovanny Figueroa down for the remainder of the first half with only five points to show for it Figueroa was back on the court in the third quarter and quickly made up for his absence "I had trust in my teammates to keep the lead while I was sitting," Figureroa said "The first half wasn't a good half for me and I knew I needed to play better for them in the second half." The senior capped the quarter with a long three-pointer to fire up the Paterson Charter faithful On their first two possessions of the fourth quarter FIgueroa hit a heat check three-pointer and then drove the lane for a basket with a foul The free throw would not count due to a lane violation Figueroa has averaged nearly 20 points per game in the tournament for the Lions "We left everything out there," FIgureroa said "We worked hard all season for a moment like tonight." "I told them it's your last game in this gym Nobody can take it away from you." - Wimberley "Not everyone gets the chance to come back to this game and not everyone gets a chance to play in front of their community like we get the chance to do." - Figueroa A 62-year-old Bergen County man has been arrested for possessing sexually explicit images of prepubescent children following an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI revealed that Hildenbrand “used the Internet to view and possess items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent children,” officials said Hildenbrand was charged with third-degree possession of child pornography He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a court appearance in Hackensack Prosecutor Musella credited the FBI Newark Division and Closter Police for their help with the case Hildenbrand's Facebook profile indicates that he's a married father who works at General Mills .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mak Ojutiku | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comLuke Kopczynski gave up two hits over six innings with eight strikeouts and one walk to power Cresskill to a 9-0 shutout over Waldwick in Cresskill Jason Pratt threw one inning of relief with one strikeouts and no hits or walks Andrew Koprowski finished 2-for-4 with an RBI for Cresskill (3-3-1) Ben Siracusa struck out four and gave up one walk one earned run and three hits for 5 2/3 innings on the mound for Waldwick (3-3) .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By John Lewis | For NJ Advance MediaSophia Coleman struck out seven over three innings of work and went 3-for-3 at the plate as Cresskill defeated host Palisades Park scored a run and drove in three as the Cougars got to 2-2 Angeline Cecere added two hits for Cresskill and drove in a run Aya Catran (15) of Cresskill passes the ball while against Lori Graham (11) of Park Ridge during the girls basketball game between Park Ridge and Cresskill at Park Ridge High School in Park Ridge 2025.Mile Djordjiovski | For NJ Advance Media .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Tyler Duffy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comAya Catran contributed 22 points and two steals to help give Cresskill a 55-27 victory over Wood-Ridge in Cresskill Eden Levy added 12 points and seven rebounds for Cresskill (16-9) and six steals on the way to its third consecutive win The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) (edited) Aya Catran (15) of Cresskill looks to drive past Lori Graham (11) of Park Ridge during the girls basketball game between Park Ridge and Cresskill at Park Ridge High School in Park Ridge .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comAya Catran had 14 points and four blocks to lift third-seeded Cresskill to a 33-30 victory over 14th-seeded Indian Hills in the first round of the North Jersey Caitlin McGee added 12 points and five rebounds for Cresskill (17-12) Cresskill plays 11th-seeded Midland Park in the quarterfinals on Saturday Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Longtime Cresskill Mayor Benedict Romeo died over the weekend after 26 years in office Bergenfield Mayor Emeritus Norman Schmelz said "I was able to work with him during my six years as mayor," Schmelz said had been serving as mayor since 1999 and his term was set to end in December 2027 According to the New Jersey Globe, a special primary and general election will be held to fill Romeo's position Three names will be submitted by the borough's Republican Party to serve as an interim successor "Very sad to learn about the passing of Cresskill Mayor Benedict Romeo," he said "Mayor Romeo dedicated 26 years of service to the people of Cresskill and Jersey My thoughts are with his family during this difficult time And before you ask him about his one-of-a-kind name and what it was like to be greeted as a marvel by opponents after games I’ve had this all my life… I never thought of it as a discomfort It’s left him partially developed on the right side of his upper body Aside from hiding it in pictures – it’s just a habit he can’t shake – the Cresskill senior has embraced his whole self He benched 250 pounds and threw the discus 120 feet He played two years of varsity football as the Cougars' starting center and defensive tackle they say refs can call holding on every play,” laughed Cresskill football coach Kevin Quinn “What Glory has never stopped him or slowed him down whether on the field or in the classroom or the community Moon will be recognized Friday at the North Jersey High School Sports Awards show as one of two 2024 Charlie McGill Scholarship winners Glory Moon has courage to answer every question Glory Won (pronounced "Juan") Moon to be exact a tennis standout at Cresskill who just graduated from Villanova Glory Moon sounds like the name of a heroic video game character a leading man in a sci-fi movie franchise or a YouTuber who wears a signature hat the name reflects the family’s religious background “They just got Glory from the Bible,” Moon said “There’s a Bible story where parents are asking Jesus why their child was born disabled and Jesus says to ensure the glory He played a lot of video games in his house − League of Legends It’s not easy being the Korean kid with a Nub I would say that I could do something and they would say you can’t because you don’t have a hand,” Glory said Glory got into a handful of fights defending himself One of those incidents changed his life forever Glory was in middle school and got into a scrap with an older kid What was important was that Quinn is in charge of the school’s discipline He saw the fight and suspended Glory for a few days from school we don’t have a big team,” Glory remembered “When he first told me that I was like no way but going into high school my dad was like the Cresskill coaches put Glory at left guard but then they realized defensive linemen would just attack Nub That way he was in the middle of the offense Cougars line coach Mike McCourt worked with Glory on his technique Athletic trainer Anthony DeMarco would cover Nub with some padded tape for games and practices and also rigged up a special glove/oven mitt he could wear to lift weights he’ll hit you with a jab every now and then It was a little different to teach him to pass block and run block but he was one of our leading tacklers on the line.” With medical science advancing at such an incredible rate did he ever think of getting an artificial hand “My parents did tell me it was an option,” Glory said They said he could wait until he was done growing but it was not an option he was comfortable with “I didn’t want to do any of that,” Glory said “I didn’t want to change the way my body was made I’ve adjusted well enough to where I am right now and don’t notice any difference.” His football teammates may notice a difference in the 5-foot-11 Glory today He lost the weight through diet – although he loves his Korean food – and exercise “I just didn’t think I needed to be 250 pounds anymore,” Glory said About the only thing that appears to cause Glory a hint of embarrassment is the recognition he got Cresskill’s rivals recognized him from either track or earlier football games “We were in a scrimmage playing some teams from Hudson County who hadn’t seen Glory before,” Quinn said you kicked my butt today.' He gets that respect from people He doesn’t go around advertising what he’s done When Glory is reminded about those moments He is going to George Washington University to study business although he admits there’s a part of him that is thinking about mechanical engineering I never viewed myself as someone with a disability,” Glory said “I would see other kids and see them as equals compared to me I saw people working harder than me and that just motivated me even more I never saw my arm as something that got in my way.” Now we can ask the biggest question: Was he ever scared “I was scared… I was scared of a lot of things growing up,” Glory said “But the biggest thing I was scared of going into high school was missing out on my potential I believe God gave me this hand for reason.” if I didn’t work out or get my nutrition right it would make me scared because maybe I wasn’t reaching my best ability I would finish practice in the morning and come back and do the same drills in the afternoon I was scared of that feeling that I wasn’t the best that I could be and maybe I could be a little better every day or better the next week I just wanted to try my best to achieve that.” 2025.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mile Djordjiovski | for NJ.comOur HS sports photos like the ones above put you right up close with the action and the whole experience Don’t forget to share the gallery with friends and relatives.These photos are also available for purchase in a variety of sizes and finishes – just click the “BUY IMAGE” link below any photo to see available options and make a purchase Omer Tal (0) of Cresskill scores on a layup against Waldwick during the boys basketball game at Cresskill High School in Cresskill .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Anthony Gabbianelli | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comOmer Tal scored 13 points and collected eight rebounds for Cresskill in its 42-41 win against Bergen Tech in Hackensack Cresskill (11-12) edged Bergen Tech with a 10-9 fourth quarter to take the lead and win Luke Kopczynski scored 11 points with seven rebounds for Cresskill Ryan Faynzilbert had 10 points and three steals Dean Aminyar led Bergen Tech (10-13) with 16 points and Jake Burke scored 12 points .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comNick Klein had 15 points and five assists as Westwood defeated Cresskill Michael Rinaldi added 15 points and five rebounds for Westwood (14-8) which used a 22-15 second quarter to take a five point lead into halftime Sean Morrison and Conner Readie added 11 points apiece Jake Lewin and Sella Sharon scored 14 points each for Cresskill (12-13) Omer Tal had 13 points and Luke Kopczynski added 10 1/39Boys Basketball: Paterson Charter vs. Cresskill, N1G1 Final, March 7, 2025.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comThroughout this state tournament run Paterson Charter showed it has the talent to be one of North Jersey’s top offensive team served proof that Paterson Charter can play quite a bit of defense as well Despite being forced to play at a more controlled pace than it’s used to and early foul trouble for star point guard Giovanny Figueroa top-seeded Paterson Charter’s stellar work on the defensive end set the tone right from the opening tip in a 58-39 victory over sixth-seeded Cresskill in Paterson It was the second consecutive N1G1 title and third in four years for Paterson Charter (22-6) which never trailed during its third straight finals appearance against Cresskill (15-15) In all four state tournament games this year Paterson Charter limited its opponent to 41 or fewer points and it held Cresskill to its second lowest point total of the season Paterson Charter will now face another familiar face on Tuesday at 7 p.m in Bloomfield when it faces Newark Tech in a rematch of last year’s Group 1 semifinals Coach (Jerry Wimberly) has been stressing that the whole week because we know in the past couple of competitions it wasn’t up to par like this,” senior point guard Giovanny Figueroa said So it was good to come out here and defend like that.” Whether it was Figueroa at the top of the defense Joshua Diaby and J’Khai Singletary protecting the paint against Cresskill’s productive forward tandem of Omer Tal and Luke Kopczynski or Kyle Fulcher and Julian Estrella on the wings Paterson Charter’s defense was in peek form from the start when it built up a 16-3 first quarter lead Paterson Charter blocked three of Cresskill’s first nine shots and converted a trio of steals into six points “The only way we’ll win is because we’re playing defense,” said Wimberly then it’s a problem because I don’t have that many to sub so I got to keep those five or six at bay.” That lack of depth was put to the test when Figueroa was called for his third foul just 26 seconds into the second quarter and was forced to the bench for the remainder of the half The absence of its floor general saw the Paterson Charter lead shrink from 15 to nine with Kopczynski’s two free throws in the final second of the quarter which overcame a 4-10 start to the season to return to final never got closer than eight the rest of the way Figueroa pushed the lead back to double digits with an And-1 followed by a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions The six-straight points served as the start of a game-deciding 24-7 Paterson Charter run in which Figueroa scored 14 of his game-high 21 points and recorded three assists “The first half was kind of a bad half for me because I was fouling too much,” said Figueroa who also finished with seven rebounds “I knew my team needed me to do a little bit more They needed me to pick it up so I did what I had to do.” Fulcher added 20 points with 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the state tournament while Diaby had four of Paterson Charter’s seven blocked shots Kopczynski had 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half for Cresskill which got eight apiece from Ryan Fynzilbert and Jake Lewin Tal added six points and 11 rebounds for a Cresskill team that didn’t anticipate making a third consecutive final against Paterson Charter This was the sixth time in the last seven state tournaments the two NJIC schools squared off in the N1G1 final or semifinals “I told (Cresskill coach Dan Egorow) when we played him here last year I said I’ll see you next year and he told me no In the beginning of the year they might not be doing well he gets his kids together and they’re ready.” .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By N.J. High School Sports DeskZohar Catran and Aya Catran each scored 18 points to lead Cresskill to a 58-36 victory over Waldwick in an NJIC Patriot Division matchup in Cresskill The Cougars built a 29-16 halftime lead thanks to a 19-point second quarter Cresskill then outscored the Warriors 29-20 in the second half Maya Joshi pulled down 10 rebounds for Cresskill while Catlin McGee added eight points and five rebounds five assists and two steals for the Cougars Cresskill improved to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in the NJIC Patriot Division Waldwick fell to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in division play Lyla Stokes paced Waldwick with 18 points and seven rebounds Lucy Castaneda contributed eight points and five rebounds for the Warriors Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff 1/35Boys Basketball: Waldwick vs Cresskill, Jan 27, 2025..st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comThe Cresskill boys basketball team knows where its bread is buttered The Cougars know they have a big advantage over many Group 1 schools when the calendar turns to March Cresskill deploys two bigs down on the block -- 6-foot-5 Omer Tal and 6-foot-4 Luke Kopczynski -- and it is going to play through them as often as possible Most Group 1 schools are lucky to have one player with that size “Our number one advantage is that we have 6-5 and 6-4 down low,” Cresskill head coach Dan Egorow said Luke is an old-school type of player in the post Omer just has such great touch and can pull you out to shoot a three If we stay to ourselves with the inside-out look we’re a tough matchup for a lot of teams.” The formula for Cresskill has been to play a tough regular season schedule in Bergen County to give itself an advantage in the state tournament That is what has occurred again after finishing the regular season two games under .500 at 12-14 sixth-seeded Cresskill finds itself back in the North 1 Group 1 title game following a convincing 58-39 win over second-seeded Wallkill Valley Getting a chance to win a sectional championship is the best thing there is in high school.” if you had asked me back in January I would have said there was no chance‚" Egorow said They’re just resilient and we’ve just gotten better every single day It’s starting to pay off now at the end of the year.” It was a tighter game for much of the contest but the Cougars closed the game on a 12-0 run after leading 46-37 with 5:26 remaining Sophomore guard Ryan Faynzilbert stepped up in the fourth quarter with seven of his 10 points Kopczynski led the way with 17 points while Tal was right behind with 14 Not only did they pace Cresskill offensively their rim protection was huge in controlling the paint against Gavin Solano and Ryan Geene of Wallkill Valley He’s the best partner down low I could ask for Cresskill saw that lead shrink to 31-30 following a 13-5 run for the Rangers A steal and layup by Chris Bila made it a one-point deficit with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter It only took the Cougars less than three minutes to get the lead back up to eight Jake Lewin hit a corner three-pointer before Kopczynski recorded a put-back and hit two free throws Cresskill made it a 11-2 run with Faynzilbert scoring the first four points of the fourth quarter “He’s a sophomore guard that has the ball in his hand 90 percent of the time Part of our growth of the team has been him growing up this whole season Jake (Lewin) coming in hitting big three’s and Sella (Sharon) is a senior playing great defense It’s just such a good collective of these five guys and 10 off the bench.” If top-seeded Paterson Charter wins its semifinal game against 13th-seeded Emerson Boro this would be the sectional final matchup for the third year in a row two seasons ago before Paterson Charter returned the favor with a 46-40 victory The Cougars are certainly ready for their chance at revenge They find themselves back in this spot despite being the sixth seed finishing the regular season under .500 and losing their two leading scorers from last season “That rivalry is one of my favorite things,” Tal said It’s something I look forward to every year and I’m happy to get a chance at it again this year.” Matt Bove covers North and Central Jersey basketball. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MBoveHS Follow us on social: Facebook |Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Several members of a Bergen County family were in critical condition following a crash on a summer vacation Vivek Talwar his wife, Kiran Bhat Talwar and their four children were seriously injured in a crash during a road trip through South Carolina A GoFundMe launched for Vivek Talwar says they were on a road trip when they were involved in a crash on Friday morning and one child remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries while three of their children were released from the hospital but required assistive devices to move reads the campaign launched by Tuisha Desai A post from Colleton County Fire-Rescue says only that a family from New Jersey was injured in the crash None of the six family members were wearing seatbelts A spokesperson from the CCFR declined to identify the victims when Daily Voice inquired the family's southbound Toyota Sienna minivan left Interstate 95 and drove behind a guard rail before plummeting over an embankment The minivan crashed head-on to Bells Highway below the interstate before overturning A female child and an adult male suffered critical life-threatening injuries and an adult female suffered serious injuries The three other male children received multiple non-life threatening injuries "The discharged children are currently in a ground floor AirBnB that can accommodate 4 and are being cared for by their elderly grandparents that flew in to help," the GoFundMe campaign says "They have no help down in Charleston as they were driving through and may have to stay in the area for weeks or find a way to get 3 medically transported back to NJ "Most of the items they were traveling with were destroyed in the crash and the family has no transportation to even get between hospitals grocery and the Airbnb aside from rideshare "They will need a lot of help over the coming weeks to get back on their feet while they are in Charleston and then get back to NJ Kiran and here family are remaining strong." Click here to donate to the Talwar family and here for more from CCFR Mia Derrico (12) of Old Tappan dribbles up court during the girls basketball game between Old Tappan and Tenafly at Northern Valley Regional Old Tappan High School in Old Tappan .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Anthony Gabbianelli | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comMia Derrico led Old Tappan with 18 points in its 72-41 triumph against Cresskill in the Joe Poli Tournament in Old Tappan Old Tappan (4-1) led Creskill 40-20 at halftime limiting Cresskill to eight points in the second quarter Alexa Caunedo scored 15 points for Old Tappan and Sienna Drullinsky had 10 points The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Cayden Raymond of Cresskill (17) dribbles the ball during the boys soccer game against Waldwick in Waldwick on Monday .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Nestor F. Sebastian | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comCayden Raymond tallied twice as Cresskill held off Hasbrouck Heights 3-2 in Hasbrouck Heights Cresskill (1-0) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half with a goal and an assist from Tomer Yochai and another assist from Alon Monhite Yahav Angelo Cristantiello finished with six saves in between the pipes Chihiro Suenaga produced a goal and an assist while Franco Paradiso scored as well for Hasbrouck Heights (0-1) Hasbrouck Heights had eight shots on goal and Cresskill had five The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now!