.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Anthony Gabbianelli | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comLauren Mortimer scored four goals and had two assists for Kinnelon in its 9-6 win over Vernon in Vernon Kinnelon (7-5) netted three goals in the fourth quarter to take the lead and win against Vernon Madison Gigante had two goals and three assists for Kinnelon Emilia Villegas and Kira Symmons each had one goal Madison Mortimer made seven saves for Kinnelon Anthony Gabbianelli can be reached at agabbianellli@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 For the second time in a year, a Kinnelon resident has been slapped with a five-figure fine for illegally clearing dozens of trees on a neighbor's property Vincenzo Polise pleaded guilty in Kinnelon Municipal Court on Dec. 17 to violating the borough's tree ordinance and was fined $15,000 by Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst. Polise, owner of MVM Realty One LLC, was cited in August 2023 for clearing 3½ acres from a hillside behind the 33 Harrison Road home owned by his company A large portion of the clearing extended onto land owned by the Butler Water Co. and situated above the 40-acre Butler Reservoir a source of drinking water for about 8,000 local residents A reason for the logging has never been stated publicly but the effort presumably improved views of the reservoir and surrounding woods below Polise's hilltop property The citation initially reported that 363 trees were removed The culling took place between June and October of 2022 But Polise wasn't cited until a neighbor reported the damage the next summer Polise is scheduled to return to court for a restitution hearing in March DEP officials said he has hired a tree expert and continues to cooperate with the state on a remediation plan for the affected property did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Tuesday Polise will plant three trees for each one that was felled The species chosen for the replanting have been approved by the DEP Fines for the episode could have exceeded six figures The borough tree ordinance restricts the removal of specimens with trunks larger than 6 inches in diameter and violations can cost up to $1,000 per tree Courts may also impose expenses for replanting More: North Jersey bakery will churn out 1 million doughnuts a day for mystery buyer Polise's guilty plea comes 10 months after another onetime Kinnelon resident was fined $13,000 after pleading guilty to cutting down 32 of his neighbor's trees allegedly to improve the backyard view from his own residence At the time, prosecutors said reparation costs in that case could surpass $1 million. Haber's case concluded in October when his neighbor accepted a settlement with Haber's insurance company Notably, the report of the culling by Polise was not made until Haber's case made national headlines in the summer of 2023 Haber sold his home and a neighboring 7-acre property in November of that year 5,000-square-foot Colonial was bought for $1.8 million William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com; Twitter/X: @wwesthoven Newsletter sign-up and archive Kinnelon's Braydon Sisco has cemented his place as the rare individual who is both It was remarkable that he was able to hit the 50-goal mark on the season with his 15th multi-goal game of the year (in 25 games) But what is even more impressive was the goals couldn't have come at a more pivotal moment as his team trailed 2-1 heading into the third period He single-handedly regained the lead for Kinnelon with two electric goals in a span of less than three minutes KJS United was in firm control as it finished off Marlboro-Holmdel to win 4-3 and claim the Public Co-op state title at the Prudential Center Monday night "Great feed from Mike (Pandiscia) on that second one And it was just amazing to rewatch (on the replay at Prudential Center) KJS United became the first team to come from behind to beat Marlboro this season after the Mustangs were 19-0 with a lead The rarity of that feat could have only been achieved by a rare talent like Sisco KJS United fell behind five minutes into the game after Marlboro sophomore Sasha Saks drilled a shot off an assist from Phillip Revzin But Pandiscia answered later in the first period for KJS on a scoring opportunity that was created by Sisco and Eddy Brown Marlboro caught a major break early in the second when a shot by Zachary Price was accidentally tipped up and into the net by a KJS defender The frustrating fluke could've derailed KJS United but instead the moment galvanized senior goaltender Brian Sisti and the rest of the team as they locked down Marlboro and laid the foundation for a comeback The state championship is the second in Kinnelon history ironically beating current co-op associate school Jefferson in the final that year The significance of that past rivalry underlies the current team's unique identity as KJS United as opposed to a single school co-op One of the most exciting aspects of that partnership is the multitude of contributors from Sparta Those players are the first from Sussex County to be part of a hockey state championship "To be the first to ever do it in Sparta is just such a great feeling and something I'll remember for the rest of my life." played a pivotal role with multiple back-breaking saves as he contorted his body across the goal line on multiple occasions After Marlboro took a 2-1 lead in the second period Sisti responded with a lights out performance the rest of the way He finished off the win with several close saves in the final minutes That feeling is well-deserved after KJS United ran the gauntlet as an eight-seed to win a state championship the first such seed to win any hockey state title in 15 years they were a scrappy underdog that overcame adversity to punch their ticket to the Prudential Center the difference was the fact that KJS clearly had the best player on the ice in the stellar sophomore Sisco Each school had plenty of pride long before the co-op team but the collective's ability to forge new bonds brought each program to new heights the celebration is one at multiple schools in North Jersey said "But definitely gonna celebrate this a lot at school tomorrow Kinnelon (6-4) overcame a strong start by Randolph (0-8) to secure the win in a game that featured multiple lead changes to build enough cushion to withstand Randolph’s late rally Andrew Corrado controlled the faceoff circle for Kinnelon winning 14 of 19 draws for an impressive 73.7% success rate He also contributed a goal and collected five ground balls Ben Klinger was a force all over the field for the Colts and leading the team with nine ground balls Peter Correia also had a productive day with a goal and an assist Vincent Tallman led the offensive effort with two goals and an assist while Mark Manolis contributed a goal and an assist in the losing effort taking a 3-2 lead after the first quarter and maintaining a 4-3 advantage at halftime Kinnelon’s five-goal explosion in the third quarter gave them an 8-5 lead heading into the final period Randolph fought back with three goals in the fourth Pat Dyszkiewicz made 12 saves for Kinnelon while Randolph’s Ryan Potanovich stopped 17 shots despite taking the loss winning 16 of 21 faceoffs overall and collecting 27 ground balls while firing 44 shots on goal The N.J. 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Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff Update: For the latest on the Butler Reservoir case and Tuesday's court hearing, please click here one case involving the illegal cutting of dozens of trees has come to a conclusion; another is due back in court on Tuesday Borough resident Vinny Polise is scheduled for a virtual appearance in Kinnelon Municipal Court on Tuesday to answer a citation for allegedly culling 363 trees from the hillside behind a home owned by his company Court records indicate the tree removals extended onto land owned by Butler Water and situated above the Butler Reservoir a source of drinking water for thousands of local residents Haber agreed to pay $13,194 in fines and court costs But prosecutors suggested he may have been liable for restitution claims that "could exceed seven figures" for remediation replanting and ongoing stewardship of the affected forestland a Kinnelon Municipal Court official confirmed to the Daily Record that the victim in the Haber case had accepted a settlement and that the episode was no longer a court matter No details of the settlement were available and Shinway could not be reached for comment More: Morris County may soon gain additional recreational trails. See where the trees were removed from 3 acres of property between June and October of 2022 said a borough citation filed by John Linson submitted after a neighbor reported the culling did not explain why MVM had the trees cleared but opening up the space beyond the home's backyard would presumably improve the view of the reservoir and surrounding woods "We only found out a year after it occurred," Butler Municipal Administrator John Lampmann said "Our major concern is it's above where our water tanks are We didn't want a situation where we end up with a washout [and tree debris] comes down and impacts our water tanks." which serves about 8,000 people in that town while also supplying Kinnelon and parts of West Milford MVM attorney Alissa Hascup told a municipal judge that the state Department of Environmental Protection was also investigating An expert representing Polise's company was scheduled to meet with the DEP "to discuss his findings and also to review the remediation plan He is actively working to try and bring it to a resolution," she said Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com  Twitter/X: @wwesthoven Nick Sciacca (18) of Morris Knolls celebrates with Aidan Shaw (12) after defeating Sparta 9-6 in the boys lacrosse game at Morris Knolls High School in Rockaway NJ on Tuesday .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jack McKenna | For NJ Advance MediaRobert Brickner and Dylan Ralston scored goals for Morris Knolls in the minute and half of Thursday’s clash between Kinnelon and Morrs Knolls to secure a last-second 3-2 victory in Rockaway Kinnelon held a 2-1 lead with 1:23 remaining in the fourth quarter when Brickner scored to tie the game Ralston found the back of the net with three seconds to go in regulation to stake Morris Knolls to its first lead of the game Julian Vogel scored a second-quarter goal to account for the remaining tally for Morris Knolls (7-3) Kinnelon falls to 4-4 and will look to get back into the win column on Saturday when it hosts Montville Jack McKenna can be reached at hssports@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. 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Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) A bill sponsored by Congressional lightning rod Lauren Boebert − and cosponsored by New Jersey Rep Mikie Sherrill − will likely result in a century-old North Jersey borough to at long last having its own ZIP code municipalities expecting to benefit from the bipartisan ZIP code bill that unanimously passed the House on Wednesday The bill, H.R. 8753 Postal Service to formally designate unique ZIP codes within their system for specific cities and towns Ten of the towns on the list are in Boebert's home state of Colorado while others are located in other states represented by the many other cosponsors of the bipartisan bill Sherrill said the current status of Kinnelon − a wealthy North Jersey suburban borough with about 10,000 residents that shares a ZIP code with neighboring Butler Township − causes postal delays "and potentially deadly confusion for first responders." "Yesterday’s house passage was a critical next step in our mission to cut through red tape and solve a key quality of life issue for Kinnelon and Butler families," Sherrill wrote in a statement on Thursday announcing the bill passage "I urge the Senate to vote for this commonsense change that will make life easier for New Jerseyans." No other New Jersey towns are on the list New York towns include Glendale and Riverside Other notable towns currently without a ZIP code include Fort Myers Kinnelon Mayor James Freda is also hoping for a swift passage in the Senate "This is the closest we’ve ever been,” Freda was quoted in Sherrill's statement “Kinnelon has worked for a very long time to try to get its own ZIP code." Boebert's announcement also urged the Senate "to take up H.R 8753 expeditiously and get this bipartisan bill that unanimously passed the House signed into law.” The Colorado Republican stated Congress had not passed an updated ZIP code bill in almost two decades and "After years of small cities and towns across America being ignored," she took action The rapid postwar growth of Morris County − some 30 miles west of the George Washington Bridge − resulted in both old and new communities being assigned to what was or would be a post office in another town Residents of the largest Morris County town − Parsippany − may be assigned mailing addresses from as many as three neighboring towns Dover and Victory Gardens share a ZIP code ZIP codes are shared by the distinct municipalities of Boonton town and Boonton Township Rockaway borough and township and Chester borough and township More mailing address confusion is found around Lake Hopatcong which is bordered by four towns in two counties including a Lake Hopatcong borough in Sussex and a Lake Hopatcong section of Jefferson Township in Morris There's more at stake than just wins and losses when Morris Knolls hosts Kinnelon today. It's the Golden Eagles' annual autism awareness fundraiser This year, the game is dedicated to the special education pre-K program at Lakeview Elementary School in Denville That's where Morris Knolls head coach Terry Reilly's son Hudson His 6-year-old sister Hunter is in kindergarten at Lakeview According to Autism New Jersey the Garden State has the third highest rate of autism in the nation: 1 in 35 children That's only slightly higher than the national average Autism prevalence in New Jersey has remained stable since 2016 Hudson and his older sister Hunter are big fans of both the Morris Knolls boys lacrosse team and the Montville girls soccer team The kids usually come to Golden Eagles lacrosse games with their grandfather They like to spend time on Morris Knolls athletic trainer Melanie Rynshall's golf cart Last year's game between Morris Knolls and Montville raised about $3,000. The Reillys hope to match that this season, with donations accepted at the game or via Venmo More: Newton lacrosse player turns heads as the only girl, but 'she's one of us,' teammates say a Montville High School teacher and girls soccer assistant coach designed new T-shirts for this year's game Both feature the autism symbol of puzzle pieces the MK is a puzzle with the school's golden eagle mascot between the letters The Kinnelon Colts' shirt has a horsehead in a puzzle-piece C "It feels really good to be able to give back to the school," Alyssa Reilly said Once we started to get into these programs 24gb) is in second place for New Jersey career assists with 226 All three of Jefferson's losses are in the Waterman: at Kinnelon and Sparta – both in overtime – and 12-8 versus Morris Knolls on April 15 The Group 1 Colts lost back-to-back Waterman games at West Morris and Sparta They rebounded with road wins against potential Group 1 North playoff opponents Pequannock and Lenape Valley Kinnelon goes back to Waterman play – and larger foes – on Thursday at Morris Knolls Sparta suffered back-to-back 11-6 losses at West Essex and to Moorestown before returning to Waterman play on Friday at Scotch Plains 14gb) leads four players with at least 20 points 26gb) and junior midfielders Cristian Forlenza (16g Mendham had a three-game winning streak snapped by sister school West Morris on April 22 The Wolfpack has alternated wins and losses 153gb) has won 84% of his faceoffs and already has more points than in any other season in Pope John's 10-7 win at Madison on April 19 The Lions had a six-day break before visiting Randolph for a Waterman Friday night game 15a) and Jayden Hernando (60% faceoff wins) The Lakers suffered back-to-back losses to Delbarton and Don Bosco a week apart Mountain Lakes has back-to-back Gibbs road games in Bergen County Chatham didn't show any rust after a week off has team highs with 18 goals and 13 assists More: Second half propels Delbarton lacrosse to win over Mountain Lakes in annual rivalry game .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comJulia Swanson scored four goals to become Montville’s all-time leading scorer as Kinnelon defeated Montville 113 as a sophomore 162 as a junior and 31 thus far this season 2014 graduate Abby Haimson held the previous record Chase Lorent (8) of Randolph takes a lead off second base during the baseball game between No NJ on 4/15/24.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Craig Epstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comChase Lorent recorded a three-run home run to help seventh-seeded Randolph down 26th-seeded Kinnelon 4-3 in the Morris County Tournament preliminary round in Randolph Sal Midolo went 1-for-2 with an RBI and one walk for Ranolph (7-7) Dylan Neigel led Kinnelon (1-9) from the plate Randolph will face 10th-seeded Morristown in the first round next Friday at 4 p.m Craig Epstein may be reached at cepstein@njadvancemedia.com Madison Gigante (9) of Kinnelon looks to move the ball past Lauren Carbon (11) of West Morrisduring the girls lacrosse Morris County Tournament preliminary round at West Morris Central High School in Chester .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comMadison Gigante had six goals and two assists to fuel 14th-seeded Kinnelon’s 15-5 victory over 19th-seeded Morris Catholic in the first round of the Morris County Tournament in Kinnelon Kira Symmons scored three goals and Lauren Mortimer had two with two assists for Kinnelon (6-3) and Olivia Torsiello added a goal and an assist Kinnelon plays third-seeded Morristown in the second round on Wednesday Kristina Harth scored two goals for Morris Catholic (5-4) while Arden Acuna added one with two assists The N.J. 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Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is looking into another possible case of illegal tree culling in Kinnelon this time including potentially sensitive land above the Butler Reservoir a large portion of the culling extended onto land owned by the Butler Water Co made a virtual appearance in Kinnelon Municipal Court last week to answer a citation for culling 363 trees from a hillside behind the home owned by the realty company at 33 Harrison Road A citation issued by the borough last August alleges the trees were removed from 3 acres of property between June and October of 2022 It does not explain why MVM had the trees cleared "The DEP is now formally involved with this matter and we have retained the services of an expert," MVM attorney Alissa Hascup told Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst at the July 23 court session She said the expert was scheduled to meet with a DEP representative "to discuss his findings and also to review the remediation plan He is actively working to try and bring it to a resolution." That remediation plan should be publicly available "in the next couple of weeks," Hascup said Wubbenhorst scheduled a virtual follow-up hearing for Sept Fines for violating the municipal tree ordinance − which restricts the removal of trees with trunks larger than 6 inches in diameter − can run up to $1,000 per tree Courts can also impose costs for replanting that can push the final penalty even higher Kinnelon tree cutting cases collideCoincidentally, last Tuesday's municipal court docket also included an appearance by the attorney for Grant Haber another Kinnelon resident who was fined more than $13,000 in February for culling 32 of his neighbor's trees allegedly to improve his view of the New York City skyline then-municipal Prosecutor Kim Kassar said Haber also faced a potential civil lawsuit and additional reparation costs for remediating the land that could exceed $1 million Earlier: 'Disrespectful act': NJ man speaks after officials say neighbor had his trees cut down current Prosecutor Christopher DiLorenzo said that his office had agreed to a reparations settlement with Haber He expected the settlement to be signed within "a few weeks." the report of the culling at 33 Harrison Road was not made until Haber's case made national headlines last summer Butler Reservoir concernsIn addition to Kinnelon's charges the state DEP in April issued two more citations to Polise for violations of the Highlands Water Planning and Protection Act after evaluating the property Those citations increased the area of affected land to 3.55 acres The 40-acre Butler Reservoir, also known as the Kakeout Reservoir, lies within the the Highlands Region a 60-mile protected area from Phillipsburg to Oakland that supplies drinking water for millions of New Jerseyans oversees regulations in the region including development The Butler Water Utility serves approximately 8,000 people in Butler and also supplies Kinnelon and the High Crest Lake section of West Milford Its treatment plant provides approximately 1 million gallons per day of water to its customers though that can rise as high as 2 million gallons per day during the summer Butler Municipal Administrator John Lampmann said the issue "is out of our hands." "We only found out a year after it occurred probably close to a year after it occurred [and tree debris] comes down and impacts our water tanks "We don't want to end up with any issues with the DEP because it had nothing to do with us," he added "My understanding is the DEP is working closely with Kinnelon on this." Correction: A prior version of this story mistakenly said that the Butler Reservoir adjacent to the culled trees is in the Apshawa Preserve a different Butler Reservoir is in the preserve .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comMatt Ciarelli led the way for Sparta with five goals and two assists in its 15-5 win over Kinnelon in Sparta Eddie Brown added three goals for Sparta (3-2) which used a 6-1 second quarter to lead 10-3 at halftime Sam Sakowski led the team with nine ground balls The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. 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Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription Matt Bove can be reached at mbove@njadvancemedia.com The Jersey Sports Zone team reveals our All-Zone team representing all-state selections [...] Isabella Potillo (6) of Roxbury looks to shoot the ball during the girls lacrosse game between Roxbury and Livingston at Roxbury High School in Succasunna 2025.Mile Djordjiovski | For NJ Advance Media .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jack McKenna | For NJ Advance MediaAbbie Rattay and Isabella Potillo combined for nine goals for Roxbury to lead their team to a 13-3 victory over Kinnelon in Kinnelon Ratty scored five goals and earned 10 draw controls while Potillo found the back of the net four times with each player also tallying an assist Roxbury opened up a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed in the game Carlee Contillo and Alexis Oliveira scored two goals apiece to round out the scoring for Roxbury (3-2) Kinnelon falls to 3-2 and will be back in action for a road contest against Lakeland on Tuesday Kinnelon businessman Vincenzo Polise, accused of illegally cutting down more than 360 trees on a hillside above the Butler Reservoir But he could still face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for the culling and additional costs for remediating the environmentally sensitive property that was stripped of its protective forest cover appeared on Tuesday before Kinnelon Municipal Court Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst to ask for an extension of 10 to 14 days for their tree expert to complete initial remediation work at the property where overgrowth since the 2022 logging has made a final tree count difficult MVM Realty One LLC, Polise's business, owns the luxury residence at 33 Harrison Road, about 12 miles south of the wildfire currently burning in the Jennings Creek area of West Milford The issued citations did not document why Polise had approximately 3 acres of trees cleared but opening up the space beyond the home's backyard likely improved the view of the reservoir and surrounding woods 'Extensive' remediation needed above Butler Reservoir"As your honor knows this was a massive undertaking on his part," Hascup said "My client owns approximately 7 or 8 acres in Kinnelon He needs one or two more days of cleanup and then he'll be able to go in and starting on the trees Then the prosecutors will finalize their offer." Wubbenhorst scheduled a follow-up conference for Dec "We're all anticipating a resolution on that date," Hascup said The judge cautioned that with the need for expert testimony "The chances we will ask for a trial are slim to none," Hascup said adding that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection had already approved Polise's remediation plan "They are more concerned with what's happening on the back end Our expert has been working with them every step of the way More: Butler Reservoir land where 300 trees were illegally cut now has a lanternfly problem Polise was not cited for the culling until August of last year after a neighbor informed local authorities The citation also caught the attention of the DEP the agency issued two more citations to Polise for violations of the Highlands Water Planning and Protection Act Fines for violating Kinnelon's tree ordinance − which restricts the removal of specimens with trunks larger than 6 inches in diameter − can run up to $1,000 per tree Highlands Region impactedThe 40-acre Butler Reservoir, also known as the Kakeout Reservoir, lies within the Highlands Region .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Will Harrigan | For NJ Advance MediaJohnny Papendick scored a game-high four goals helping power Kinnelon to a 13-2 victory over Lenape Valley in Stanhope the Colts took a commanding 9-2 lead at the half Peter Correia added a hat-trick for the winners in this one Lenape Valley (2-5) had its goals scored by Mason Nikituk and Dylan Fowler in this one The N.J. 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To add your name, click here MORRISTOWN — When the Morris County Girls Soccer Coaches' Association celebrated Steve Racine's retirement after the 2018 season few in the room thought he'd stay off the sideline for long Racine had stepped away for three years to finish his PhD dissertation Racine never completely stepped away from a nearly 40-year coaching career that stands among the best in the nation While "retired," he volunteered as an assistant first with former Morris Catholic superstar Vanessa Lewis Benfatti at Mount Olive during the COVID season and then at Morris Knolls for four seasons Racine became the head coach at Kinnelon for the third time this fall after players in his history class asked him to come back again Racine earned his 600th career victory when the Colts outlasted Villa Walsh "It was the ugliest win ever. By far. I told the girls, 'No team wants to be the headline when the other team got a milestone,'" said Racine, 70, who is in his 21st year teaching history at Kinnelon High School and running a stained-glass business "It's a lot more meaningful to the people around me than it is to me It means over the years I've been effective and had players who bought in I've been able to adjust to how kids are different and how things are different and reflect on how I am as a coach and get better at it Racine started the fall with a 593-136-42 all-time record over 37 years at Morris Catholic and Kinnelon. His teams have won 12 NJSIAA titles eight Morris County Tournament championships More: How has coaching at high school level changed? Some of South Jersey's finest talk about it "I didn't have any inkling he was stepping away for good I thought he'd be at the helm (at Kinnelon) and No 600 would have been in the bank already," said Sparta Middle School assistant principal Mike Petrucelli a former Kinnelon girls soccer coach who worked alongside Racine for a year and was watching at Villa Walsh with his two young sons on Thursday Racine started playing soccer and ice hockey in Vernon before his family relocated to Denville when he was in sixth grade Racine was also part of the first seventh-grade homeroom team to beat the eighth-graders Racine attended Morris Catholic, which did not have a soccer team. Rev. Anthony McLaughlin and athletic director John Newman allowed the boys to start a club If the students beat the faculty – including former Seton Hall University All-America Tom Hornish – it could become a varsity team but Morris Catholic launched boys soccer in 1976 He went on to Southern Connecticut but injured his ankle and never played he started coaching while on crutches as a college freshman "I've always been able to get people to do things usually the right thing and not the wrong thing I've been able to tap into what people wanted to do But Racine's methods were not universally accepted who disciplines his children "from a place of care and love and wanting the best out of them." Benfatti a record-setting sprinter and center back at Morris Catholic who earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan was the key speaker as the coaches honored Racine who coached Mount Olive soccer for four seasons and track and field for 18 He loved all of us enough to make us tough enough because he knew the real world wasn't going to take it easy on us." Racine got a chance to coach his own daughters in high school as well Sarah transferred from Morris Catholic to Kinnelon for her senior season when Rebecca was a freshman Steve Racine would talk about two things to improve and two things they each did well When he watched his daughters play for other teams Rebecca Racine stopped by to greet her father with a quick hug before the milestone match "He understands the game and he understands people," said former Kinnelon athletic director Scott Rosenberg who was a volunteer assistant for Racine for more than a decade including seven in a row from 1999 to 2005 His Crusaders teams also won four Morris County Tournament championships and 10 Northern Hills Conference titles in 15 years Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today Email: JHavsy@gannett.comTwitter/X: @dailyrecordspts .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Anthony Gabbianelli | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comMike Finlay and Jake Garafalo each tallied three goals and three assists for West Morris in its 14-10 win against Kinnelon in Long Valley West Morris (2-2) held a 7-6 lead over Kinnelon at halftime when West Morris tallied seven goals in the third quarter to lead 14-6 Kinnelon (2-2) cut the lead with four goals in the fourth quarter as West Morris held on to win Luke Gouse had two goals and an assist while Jaxon Corkery notched two goals Brody Mansolino and Tyler Klein each had one goal Jack Janke and Seamus Buckley combined to make nine saves for West Morris 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) Kinnelon's Andrew Corrado (left) scored 2 glals Thursday in the Colts' NJILL battle with Jefferson in Kinnelon.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mike Kinney | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comWhen Johnny Papendick caught a pass from Luke Baitzel along the top right wing then turned and unloaded a shot from 15 yards out probably every eye at the Spiro Sports Center was locked onto the path of that ball Except for the two eyes belonging to the guy who made that shot even possible Some 45 seconds before Papendick let loose upon the cage junior goalie Patrick Dyszkewicz dropped low to halt a shot at his doorstep that would have ended the game right then and there But he smothered it for his 16th save of the day Baitzel worked it upfield and found the stick of one exhausted midfielder who was summoning all his remaining stamina to unleash the shot that found the low right corner of the net to give Kinnelon an 8-7 victory in a thrilling NJILL-Waterman Division battle Thursday in Kinnelon it was too much for me to witness,” Dyszkewicz said and my first thought process was just lay down but not before he tended to one last order of business I was cramping up and just got really tired so I kind of rested on offense when I could,” Papendick said “I waited for my shot and got it there in OT “Just tried to calm myself down and just shoot it like normal; placed it bottom right.” Dyszkewicz had made a similar stop on a close-range shot late in the first overtime but his Colts (1-1) were unable to capitalize at the other end with stubborn senior goalie Jamison Reid manning the cage for Jefferson (2-2) Reid turned away a tough shot in that first OT to give him 11 saves for the game and lift him over 400 in his fabulous career Twin brother Chubb Reid led all scorers with three goals but was able to produce just one after the first half with senior Luke Mauriello covering him and Kinnelon met that responsibility with a key three-goal run in third third quarter to turn a two-goal deficit into a 5-4 lead Andrew Corrado and Matt Goldstein each scored in that period and then Joey Baitzel (Luke’s younger brother) scored early in the fourth quarter for a 6-4 lead and Joey Baitzel each finished with two goals while junior Peter Correia scored one goal and assisted on two for Kinnelon Senior pole Ben Klinger showed his versatility with gritty defensive play and also two assists Freshman attackman Brendan Fox continued to display surprising poise with two goals and two assists for Jefferson which got one goal and one assist from Tommy DelMasto Just eight seconds after Joey Baitzel had opened the 6-4 lead and he fed Leppard to cut the deficit to 6-5 Chubb Reid tied it with a strong dodge to the crease with 7:08 remaining Kinnelon was able to kill a one-minute man-down starting with 4:29 to go and then celebrated by grabbing the lead on a perimeter rocket by Correia with 1:13 to to go in regulation Jefferson won the faceoff and worked the ball inside for a high-percentage chance against Dyszkewicz Fox chased down the ground ball 10 yards from the goal then charged back to the near pipe and stuffed it to knot the score at 7-7 with 21 seconds left but Dyszkewicz was merely gathering up information in order to win the war Here is what he saw on that dramatic second-overtime save " I see him and the stick falling and all I thought was just go low Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeKinneyHS 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 A Kinnelon land owner cited for illegally cutting down more than 300 trees above the Butler Reservoir will have to remediate the property But while Vincenzo Polise has been working on a restoration plan the task has been complicated by invasive plant species that have spread across the clear-cut property a Kinnelon municipal prosecutor said during a hearing Tuesday The 3-acre patch has become attractive habitat for spotted lanternflies the damaging insects that have become a scourge for tree owners and farmers in New Jersey The cleared area has become overgrown with invasive vegetation making an accurate assessment of the damage more difficult but we're still trying to determine the number of trees that we have to deal with and need to be replaced," Prosecutor Chris DiLorenzo told Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst during a virtual session of Kinnelon Municipal Court Polise also appeared Tuesday as attorneys discussed the somewhat complex details of his case His citation for violating the borough tree ordinance said the culling took place between June and October 2022 when Polise allegedly hired a contractor to clear a hillside behind the home owned by his realty company at 33 Harrison Road situated below his property but above the reservoir presumably gave Polise a better view of the scenic 40-acre lake But it also extended onto public land owned by the Butler Water Department The citation was issued after another resident reported the cutting in August The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection then stepped in to investigate the potential impact on the reservoir a source of drinking water for thousands of area residents Polise has hired a consultant to help guide the remediation "We are working with our [tree] expert," Polise's attorney "Unfortunately in light of the invasive species that have grown we have been unable to get an accurate tree count." The species chosen for the replanting have been approved More: Will parental rights, LGBTQ+ policy swing Roxbury school board race again? DEP spokesman Larry Hajna on Tuesday confirmed that the agency continues "to coordinate with the property owner and their representatives on the in-progress restoration of the site." "We're all on the same page with this," DiLorenzo added Wubbenhorst scheduled another in-person hearing on the matter for Nov Fines for the episode could reach into six figures or beyond The original report counted 363 trees removed from the property "I've come up with a suggested fine amount," DiLorenzo said Tuesday In a similar case that drew national attention last year, another Kinnelon homeowner, Grant Haber was fined more than $13,000 for felling 32 of his neighbor's trees allegedly to improve his view of New York City's skyline Another Kinnelon case settledThe ultimate penalty was based on a negotiated amount of $700 per tree though a prosecutor said at one point that Haber could have faced more than $1 million in remediation costs and fines Haber's insurance company recently entered into a private insurance settlement with his neighbor Details of that settlement have not been made public Hanover Park head girls basketball coach Doug Wear (back row center) is honored by his players after getting his 400th career win.Kyle Murphy .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comAndrea DiSessa had 19 points and five steals as Hanover Park defeated Kinnelon in his 20th season over two separate stints as the Hornets head coach Wear’s teams have won four state sectional titles Wear has also been Hanover Park’s head baseball coach since 2015 leading the Hornets to two state sectional championships Alexis Langereis added 12 points and four rebounds on Tuesday for Hanover Park (16-5) which used a 13-3 second quarter run to take a 17-point lead into halftime Kylie Whalen paced Kinnelon with nine 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) The 'win-now' mode is in full effect in Kinnelon And based on traditional timeline expectations third-year coach Dustin Grande is right on schedule Since taking over at the Morris County school in 2022 Grande has spent his first two years establishing the foundation for a winning program the Colts turned in another winning season going 5-4 and qualifying for the NJSIAA playoffs for the second straight year it would mark the first time since the 1960s that the program posted three straight winning seasons “We’ve put together two good years and I like the direction the program is going,” Grande said “We’re building a winning culture here and the athletes and community have bought in We’re working with the youth-level coaches and establishing and teaching what we do on the high school level There’s a lot that goes into building a program The Colts return five starters on offense and another seven returning on defense Three of the five back on offense are skill position players led by three-year starting quarterback Zach Grande (932 yards “Having a three-year starter at quarterback is comforting for any coach Zach has a good understanding of the offense and the game He’s like another coach on the field,” Grande said “We’ve had success running the ball over the last two years but we’re going to open it up a bit with our passing game.” The Colts recently participated at the competitive East Stroudsburg Camp where they had the opportunity to compete against larger Group 3 and 4 schools “We were the smallest school in attendance and we held our own,” Grande said “We got a lot of good reps and learned a lot in the time we were there It was a good gauge of where we are at this time.” The traditionKinnelon won its first and only sectional title in 2012 in North 1 the Colts have qualified for the postseason three times (2019 Kinnelon lost to top-seeded and eventual Group 1 champion Mountain Lakes in the sectional quarterfinals The Colts are now 4-5 all-time in the postseason The Colts are inexperienced up front and must fill three holes on the offensive line Grande expects it’s just a matter of time before the line gels and gets up to speed While Kinnelon averaged 29 points per game last season it’s defense surrendered 26 points per game Limiting the opposition’s scoring is a high priority ExpectationsAfter showing year-over-year improvement the last two seasons and with several starters back on both sides it’s realistic to think that the Colts will continue to progress and take another step “We have starters back in key spots and quite a few of them have big-game experience,” Grande said but that’s a common theme at small schools We have the opportunity to spread out our offense and mix it up It’s something we haven’t been able to do consistently the last two years.”