Hasbrouck Heights head coach Richie Aponte steers his team to victory over Becton in Monday's high school softball showdown in Hasbrouck Heights 04/14/2025Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jake Aferiat | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comBefore Saturday’s Bergen County Tournament game against River Dell Hasbrouck Heights coach Richie Aponte said if his starting pitcher threw strikes and hit her spots that would bode well for the Aviators As Aponte — who spent nearly five years as the Hawks’ JV coach before taking the reigns at Heights — well knows They don’t hit it — they mash it," Aponte said “She did hit her spots and they still came up and hit the ball.” it was Heights’ strong outfield play when River Dell did mash the ball coupled with several River Dell errors and a big seventh inning rally that gave the 20th-seeded Aviators the win in the preliminary round of the Bergen County Tournament their first county tournament win since 2021 It was back and forth for much of the early going as Heights struck first and then River Dell tied it up in the bottom of the second on an RBI double there was controversy over whether a ball should’ve been blown dead on a dead ball strike that hit the batter the umps ruled the ball dead but allowed the River Dell runner on first to advance to second and eventually score on an RBI double It ultimately became a moot point as Heights went on to win the game “It did hurt us because they got the run,” he said That run made it a 1-1 game and Heights eventually extended the lead to 3-1 before River Dell answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth and in the bottom of the fifth Then came the top of the seventh inning where Heights batted around and then some to take a 9-3 lead thanks to some walks and River Dell errors River Dell loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh and scratched across two runs But the real encouraging sign was how Hasbrouck Heights handled the adversity between the protest “They’re growing up and they’re maturing,” Aponte said “The underclassmen were playing like they were having fun but the upperclassmen were waiting where they normally don’t.” The win was Heights’ first in the county tournament since 2021 and they now travel back to northern Bergen County on Wednesday to take on fourth-seeded Old Tappan With a 16-3 record and a Division I player in FAU bound Mackenzie Riordan who went 2-for-5 and is the program’s all-time hits leader the best could be yet to come for this Aviators group “I told the seniors this is their year and they’re not coming back so everyone’s trying to do it for them before they leave,” Aponte said Jake Aferiat can be reached at jaferiat@njadvancemedia.com. 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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 Police identified a Bogota man as the person who was killed Thursday night in a four-vehicle crash on Route 17 south in Hasbrouck Heights one of the drivers involved in the collision near the Franklin Avenue intersection on Route 17 according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Several occupants of other vehicles involved in the crash were taken to the hospital with varying degrees of injuries Coreas operated a Isuzu box truck on Route 17 and collided with another motor vehicle which then led to another two vehicles being involved in a chain-reaction crash The press release from the BCPO did not state the condition of the other people involved in the wreck State news: Fred Daibes gets 3 years for fraud, to be served concurrent with 7-year bribery sentence "Criminal charges are not expected," the BCPO said HASBROUCK HEIGHTS — The landmark Bendix Diner which was shut down in January by the borough Health Department The diner was issued a health code violation and forced to close in January because of an issue with its fire suppression system said he had been trying to fix the system since 2021 but the age and structural condition of the building made it challenging to repair to the standards of the state fire code He was told it could cost $100,000 or more to fix The diner was forced to close abruptly in the middle of a busy business day it was allowed to reopen if it agreed to sell only cold food until the fire suppression issues were resolved After Diakakis began selling hot food again borough inspectors shut the eatery down once more and forced him to throw out food “People say I can’t believe the town can’t figure out something for you No one feels worse than me not being able to earn a living,” he said Diakakis’ family has owned the Bendix since 1985 when his father bought the property at 464 Route 17 and it was passed on to Diakakis and his siblings after her death in November of last year The commercial real estate investment firm IPRG is handling the sale The asking price is a minimum of $2.5 million has been a fixture at the center of a tangle of highways where Routes 17 and 46 meet since 1947 It has appeared in numerous commercials and films over the years including “Jersey Girl,” “Boys on the Side” and “The Many Saints of Newark.” has been working there since he was a teenager The single parent raised his three sons while running the diner He was the subject of a documentary, “Bendix: Site Unseen,” by Anthony Scalia Diakakis said he’s had several interested buyers look at the property at the busy intersection It could remain a restaurant or be developed into something else it feels like I’ve lost my family,” he said of the regulars who would come in for a coffee or meal “When you constantly see people all day long It’s been just a really big culture shock.” HASBROUCK HEIGHTS – The Hasbrouck Heights wrestling team has experienced its share of drama over the last year After two-near misses last winter in championship tilts the small Group 1 school knew it was just a matter of time before they would be celebrating a dramatic finish of its own The Aviators earned that on Friday night and rewrote history in the process when they defeated Manchester 41-22 to capture their first North Jersey Interscholastic Conference title in front of an overflow home crowd in Bergen County “We had an opportunity for a little piece of history We talk the same way about all the other banners in our building When your kids are here wrestling or playing any other sports that’s always going to be here," Hasbrouck Heights coach Kristopher Freund said It was one of our goals at the beginning of the year to get back to this final Hasbrouck Heights (18-1) lost in the NJIC final last year to Emerson-Park Ridge the Cavos had been the only program to claim a NJIC title Less than a week after that heartbreaking defeat the Aviators came up short at Hanover Park in the sectional final “The best part of our team is their perseverance and their character We haven’t shied away from anyone," Freund said "We’ve been to three-consecutive state sectional finals and we want to get back to another one The Aviators wasted no time marking their territory racing to a 15-0 lead on four straight wins to open the match Nicolas Carvajal (113) and Mateo Toledo (120) all came back to win tight decisions before Nico Nipitella (126) won by fall kept the momentum going when he erased a seven-point deficit and came back to win 14-11 to give his team an early 9-0 lead one of the biggest things is that I never really focused on winning It was more about scoring points,” Toledo said When I saw that I was down 7-0 I said to myself ‘let it fly’ and let the points go on the board.” stopped the bleeding when Adam Bagdough pulled out a 10-7 decision in overtime in his 132-pound bout against Nicholas Gonzalez Both teams traded wins the next two bouts with Kyle Von Seidelmann of Hasbrouck Heights winning by fall at 138 pounds and Jihaad Fulmore of Manchester earning bonus points with a 13-3 major decision in the next bout We don’t take anyone lightly,” Freund said “We did that against New Milford and all the teams we faced this year Heights took four of the final six bouts with Gabe Thomas (175) clinching the match with a fall in 2:35 to stretch the Aviators lead to 38-13 Hasbrouck Heights won nine of 14 bouts and scored bonus points in five of them stretched their win streak to 15 straight with its last loss at Group 3 power Old Tappan on Jan Someone like me was thinking about private schools but there was never a doubt I was going to Hasbrouck Heights,” Toledo said “I think there’s definitely more to come the next couple of years Hopefully by senior year I’m walking out of here with a few more rings.” Both teams now shift attention to the NJSIAA team tournament which gets underway on Monday will return to Bergen County where it will take on No “When I got here I wanted to change the culture but as a team we weren’t filling lineups and we weren’t getting the noise out,” Freund said “To see a packed crowd and seeing the fans and little guys come out on the mat for the coin toss was arrested in Pine Beach in Ocean County on Tuesday afternoon said a press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office State news: In surprise move, Shavonda Sumter won't run again for Assembly seat in Passaic County The report from the Prosecutor's Office said the woman was able to take the crossbow away from the suspect The employee ran to a neighboring business for help after being shot She was taken to a hospital to be treated for serious injuries and was reported to be in stable condition Carey is being charged with first-degree attempted murder third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law Authorities said they identified Carey through "License Plate Readers and witness interviews," according to the affidavit Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Manchester Township Police Department assisted in the search The Hasbrouck Heights man was taken back to Bergen County and was placed in the custody of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office pending a first appearance in state Superior Court in Hackensack No official court date was released by the Prosecutor's Office A beloved and historic diner in Hasbrouck Heights was forced to close Friday due to health code violations according to a Health Department notice posted on the establishment's door customers and locals noticed a red sign taped to the front door of the Bendix Diner saying "unsatisfactory." Bright yellow caution tape was draped around the restaurant's entryway "A 'hot topic' of the day caught my eye while driving by. Recently, there was a rumor of Bendix Diner closing, and apparently it was temporarily closed by the health department yesterday. There was no one there and the lights were off. Who knows what will be next ..." a local photographer by the name of River Rail Photo posted on Facebook on Saturday The Health Department's notice is dated Jan The Bendix Diner is an iconic spot. Operating in the same location since 1947, according to the NJ State Library the diner has been featured in several films In 2022, owner John Diakakis was featured in a documentary titled "Bendix: Sight Unseen," which highlights his story as a blind business owner The reason for the unsatisfactory sanitary inspection report and whether the restaurant will reopen is unclear at this time Hasbrouck Heights and Bergen County officials did not immediately respond to messages the Bendix Diner was listed on Google as "temporarily closed." An old English adage goes "from little acorns The Hasbrouck Heights track and cross-country programs have seen a lot of acorns turn into oak trees over the last quarter-century making it one of the most successful high school programs in any sport in New Jersey The story of Mackenzie Bua and Lexi Powers is the perfect example of the Aviators' success As Bua and Powers charge into the final half of their senior year they've each competed in more than 100 major races they've placed in the top 10 together dozens of times leading the Aviators to their only three sectional titles and only two top-five team finishes at the Group 1 state meet they've helped Hasbrouck Heights to two of their three sectional titles and three Group 1 state relays titles they played vital roles in the 2023 and 2024 Group 1 state championships and three sectional titles the duo helped the Aviators win a fourth straight North Jersey Interscholastic Conference winter track title they'll be key to Hasbrouck Heights' chances of a fourth straight sectional crown "We've had a lot of great distance runners since I've been with the program," said longtime Hasbrouck Heights cross-country Mike Ryan who revived the Aviators' girls program in 2008 after a 20-year absence "Kids like Rebecca Fortoul (the program's first State Meet of Champs qualifier) Two paths to distance runningBua and Powers experienced different introductions to distance running was an excellent cross-country runner for Hasbrouck Heights who was part of the only Aviators boys team to qualify for the State Meet of Champions back in 2018 Madeline and Corinne Barney were All-North Jersey selections at Indian Hills who went on to run in college "The Buas always hosted team dinners and I knew Mac from when she was in middle school," Ryan said "I knew she'd be coming out and I knew she'd be good." "Mackenzie and I have been friends for a long time but I did travel soccer and softball and expected to do that in high school," she said "I was dating (current Group 1 state champ) Aidan Morrow and his older brother Evan made me promise to go out for one day of cross-country practice during the summer "I showed up and Mackenzie and I and another coach went out for a mile-and-a-half run and it was easy I enjoyed it and I thought I could be pretty good at this." she texted her soccer coach that she was switching sports Hasbrouck Heights' version of the Dynamic Duo began full flight "I had no idea who she was but the other kids had been talking about her," Ryan said she showed up at practice went out for a run and never left." Thrown into the fire as freshmenWhen Bua and Powers were freshmen in the fall of 2021 they joined a young team with three fellow freshmen and just a few upperclassmen I can treat freshman like freshmen and bring them along slowly," Ryan said they had to go into the very deep end of the pool from the beginning They hadn't even figured out what cross-country running was about yet." The Aviators had terrific seniors with Drezek and Amber Barrios but a good cross-country team needs five successful runners Bua and Powers got with the program immediately By the time the NJIC Meadowlands Division championships were held a month into their freshman season 3 behind Drezek and in the top 10 of the division "I fell in love with just being able to run," Bua said I just put expectations on myself to reach my own personal goals and for the team to have success." I just wanted to get better in every race," Powers said "The sport does that better than anything else to show your actual progress It was tough for my dad to understand the running scene because he was a football/baseball guy and all about team sports But I was able to show him that running was a team sport too." The Hasbrouck Heights track team had always been deep with sprinters but Bua and Powers immediately brought depth to the distances in their first winter track season "When they came out and we already had (Drezek) as a senior I told (Hasbrouck Heights track coach Rob) Brady that he didn't have to worry about the distances and he could worry about the rest of the team," Ryan said "I had never really thought about the distance relays before but with the two of them at the center of it we just to had to pop two kids around them and we were set." the Aviators had never won a state group track title of any kind with three indoor relays and the 2023 and 2024 outdoor Group 1 titles The cross-country program has reached new heights as well "Track is a known thing and everyone wants to be on the track team," Powers said "Our team is huge for how small the school is but some people still don't realize how much mileage we put in as distance runners." While they hang out a lot together on weekends along with other teammates and friends and both have similar tastes in post-meet meals (usually Chick-Fil-A) they're headed in different directions for college while Powers is focused on science and wants to be a psychiatrist with five more months of high school running left It's clear that even if college pushes them in different directions there's an unbreakable bond that goes far beyond the track or cross-country course That's evident when they talk about the best moment of their respective careers "For me its (Bergen Meet of Champions) my sophomore year Mackenzie broke the school record in the 3,200," Powers said so proud of her because she'd worked so hard to break (Drezek's) record." I was so proud of her and the pictures of us together are something I love to look at." because they're so dedicated and want to be the example for the other kids," Ryan said "Last year's BMOC was one of the highlights of my coaching career too to see those two kids walk off with records and to have Aidan to do it too in the boys 3,200 Mackenzie Bua and Lexi Powers have become vibrant oak trees .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dylan McCoy | For NJ Advance MediaMadelyn Connelly threw a complete game three-hitter as Hasbrouck Heights recorded its fifth straight win Each team scored a run in the third inning Hasbrouck Heights (9-1) added two more runs in the fourth inning to secure the result Jaelyn Karwoski hit the go-ahead home run for Hasbrouck Heights Daniele Giresi recorded two hits and drove in an RBI Grace Wien pitched six innings for Saddle Brook (4-6) Hasbrouck Heights will attempt to extend its winning streak in a road matchup on Sunday against Wallington Saddle Brook will also travel on Sunday to face Lodi Dylan McCoy can be reached at hssports@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. 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Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) 1/33High School Softball: Becton vs. Hasbrouck Heights on April 14, 2025.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance MediaOur 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. 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