.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dylan McCoy | For NJ Advance MediaNick Blanchard led the way with four goals as Old Tappan secured a home victory Old Tappan (7-3) held a two-goal lead at the halftime break It would outscore Park Ridge (8-3) 4-0 in the fourth quarter Ethan Anderson scored twice and dished out two assists for Old Tappan Mason Varni won 12 faceoffs and controlled seven ground balls Old Tappan will face Boonton on the road next Tuesday Park Ridge will travel to Saddle Brook on Monday Dylan McCoy 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 Academy programs are changing the landscape of North Jersey athletics The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has started the process of altering the way schools with these types of programs − and the ability to draw students from outside a traditional geographic zone − are treated when it comes to state tournaments there are concerns that these academy programs can be used to funnel athletes to specific schools Classifications for state tournaments are currently based solely on enrollment even though schools with academy programs can pull in from a larger pool of potential students One of the most notable examples in Bergen County is the Bergen Tech satellite education programs in which students go to class at the Northern Valley high schools The Demarest girls basketball program reached this weekend's Bergen County Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1992 Old Tappan is one of the most successful athletic programs in North Jersey across the board though coach Brian Dunn says his two-time state champion football program has not had any players from the Bergen Tech academy programs The Bergen Tech academy program is open to any prospective high-school student in Bergen County Eighth-graders must be in good academic standing and show an interest in a major of their choice They have to provide letters of recommendation from their current teachers in English and the program has no cost to the student “Bergen County Institutes for Science and Technology programs are thriving,” Bergen Tech assistant superintendent Andrea Sheridan said in an email “We had an increased number of applicants each year [and] will have our second consecutive graduating class in the UX/UI program and frequently receive positive feedback from current students Both Old Tappan and Demarest offer two distinct programs: The Institute for Interactive Design and Technology and the Institute for Sports Medicine and Exercise Science The online student handbook details which campus (Demarest or Old Tappan) a student attends based on his or her home district This is a key point because that determines which school the student plays at for athletics “The student’s home district pays tuition to Bergen County Technical schools as a supplement to county funding," Sheridan said "The home district also provides transportation to and from Bergen County Technical Schools “It gives more students in Bergen County access to Career and Technology Education programs." When asked if athletics plays a role in the admissions process “Athletic ability/performance is not considered for acceptance.” While the kids in the program receive Bergen Tech diplomas they are not Bergen Tech Knights in sports “It’s not a question that Bergen County Technical schools does not ‘want’ these students to play for us it is the fact that the students spend 100 percent of their time at Northern Valley with Northern Valley students,” Sheridan said “It is logistically impossible to transport them back to other BCTS campuses to play sports.” Demarest and Old Tappan had reached a point that declining enrollment meant they had open classrooms and talented faculty they wished to keep In order to maintain their reputations as two of the state’s top academic schools they entered into a partnership with Bergen Tech The Institute for Interactive Design and Technology opened in 2020 and the Institute for Sports Medicine and Exercise Science opening in 2022 The program offers opportunities to students throughout Bergen County Demarest and Old Tappan are not breaking any rules currently on the NJSIAA books, but the rise of these types of programs at various schools throughout the state has grown into a big enough issue that the organization is trying to balance the playing field The NJSIAA has proposed applying a "success factor" metric to schools with academy programs and other programs or policies that open the door for students from outside a specific region to attend these types of 'non-traditional' public schools will be moved up to a higher classification in basketball and/or football if they surpass a certain threshold of success in those sports .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By N.J. High School Sports DeskMatt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comAnnabelle Lee scored six goals as eighth-seeded Old Tappan defeated ninth-seeded Ramapo in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament in Old Tappan Old Tappan (8-2) jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back Mia Derrico had an outstanding all-around performance with four goals and two assists for a team-high six points while also contributing defensively with four draw controls while Charlotte Malady added a goal and three assists for the Golden Knights Old Tappan controlled possession throughout the game winning 10 face-offs and collecting 15 ground balls Alex Bachardy and Kirsten Seyffer each added two goals for the Raiders who scored three goals in the fourth quarter in an attempt to mount a comeback Old Tappan goalkeeper Jaley Mazzetti recorded nine saves in the victory and also contributed two ground balls who have now won four of their last five games will advance to face top-seeded Immaculate Heart in the quarterfinals on Monday The N.J. 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Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff Haring house has stood for nearly 300 years on a wooded lot just off Old Tappan Road The home will be moved to another part of the property to make way for a three-story 80,000-square-foot assisted living facility under a settlement agreement between the borough and the developer approved last week The agreement marks the end of a years-long legal battle over the fate of the property During 11 months of Planning Board hearings environmentalists and historians had urged the board to reject the application saying the project would threaten wetlands hundreds of trees and the historic house on the site The 5.5 acres of largely undeveloped land at 244 Old Tappan Road had been zoned for single-family housing The planned building is nearly 10 times larger than what was previously allowed to be built on the site More than 2,000 people had signed a petition calling for the application to be denied The board eventually voted to approve Capital Senior Housing's application in 2023 but after two borough residents challenged the decision the Borough Council overturned the board’s approval the developer sued the council and the two residents who had petitioned the council to overturn the development's approval During meetings with an attorney over the past few months borough officials said they were presented with three options: to continue to fight in court or to negotiate a settlement with the developer but we felt overall it was right to settle the case,” said Mayor Thomas Gallagher who knows what else could go on that property It could be something with an adverse effect on schools and traffic.” Attorneys advised officials that continued litigation would have little chance of success and could eventually cost the borough more than $10 million and all the concessions the developer had agreed upon with the Planning Board would be lost The developer was willing to sell the property to the borough the cost would have been a burden for residents “We felt that as much as we wanted to take a good hard look at it this is what was best for all residents,” he said Old Tappan's master plan called for the borough to purchase the site should it become available The nonprofit preservation group Bergen SWAN had offered $1 million and help in applying for grants to purchase the site the borough’s Environmental Commission chair and a Planning Board member voted against the application in 2023 and again opposed it last week when the board voted to approve the plan after the council meeting it was always the wrong project for that piece of property,” he said “For me there were a lot of issues — the environmental issue it would have been great if the borough had purchased and preserved the property.” the developer will subdivide the property and give the borough roughly 2 acres of land Historians are divided on how well the Revolutionary-period home will withstand such a move it’s going to have to be a very complex effort,” said H the chairman of the Historic Preservation Committee of the Bergen County Historical Society “I think it’s going to be a lot more difficult than they were willing to consider.” The house is connected to an early Old Tappan family who had been landowners in the area since the 1600s and is an excellent example of Dutch colonial stone architecture except for the loss of its basement and foundation The Campbell-Christie House was relocated from New Milford to New Bridge Landing in River Edge in the 1970s which is on the National Register of Historic Places will likely lose its designation when it is moved but it would remain historically significant More than 200 homes were added to the register in 1983 as part of a submission of “Early Stone Houses of Bergen County.” Since then “As we’re entering the 250th year of American independence these structures from this early period of our national origin are significant and losing any one of them is a shame,” he said .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By N.J. High School Sports DeskMatt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comAmelia Plescia hit a three-run home run for her 100th career hit as Old Tappan defeated Passaic Tech The victory improved Old Tappan to 15-2 on the season Erin Huelster dominated with 12 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout allowing just two hits and two walks go along with her 12 strikeouts The game remained scoreless until the third inning when the Golden Knights erupted for all five of their runs The highlight of the inning came on Plescia’s home run Sophia Savino also went deep for Old Tappan Ava Candullo had a productive day at the plate Grace McManus and Amelie Cardenas each contributed singles The win continues a hot streak for Old Tappan which has now won nine of its last 10 games 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) PISCATAWAY − Old Tappan became the first school from North Jersey to capture two public state football championships Senior Alex Orecchio’s magnificent all-around performance led the Golden Knights to their second Group 3 state title in three years with a 28-16 victory over Mainland on Sunday afternoon at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium Orecchio caught a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Zach Miceli and threw a score to sophomore tight end Shane Small as Old Tappan pulled away in the second half after being tied at intermission "Just a fantastic second half our guys played - they stepped up," longtime Old Tappan coach Brian Dunn said Orecchio caught an 18-yard score from Miceli on Old Tappan’s first possession for a 7-0 lead He ran for a 3-yard score in the third for a 14-7 lead He threw 14-yard score to a wide-open Small for the 28-16 lead with 2:33 remaining in the fourth "It's something that not many people can say," Orecchio said of winning two titles since the NJSIAA introduced public state championships in 2022 "so we're going to take it and run with it." Senior running back Nick Rossi’s 22-yard TD run at 7:44 of the fourth gave Old Tappan (12-1) a 21-10 lead on senior running back Rocco DeBiaso’s 73 yard TD run at 7:26 of the fourth Mainland pulled within 14-10 in the final minute of the third on a 29-yard field goal by junior Nate Kashay in the final minute of the first quarter on junior quarterback John Franchini’s 39-yard TD pass to junior receiver Jake Blum COOPER: Old Tappan understood the assignment, and found a way to win again Old Tappan is No. 11 in the New Jersey Super 25 and could crack the top 10 in the final rankings “We’re been breaking our you-know-whats for many years this is what we wanted and what we deserve.” A Bergen County school has won one of the five public state titles in each of the past three seasons with Westwood capturing last year's Group 2 crown in overtime “I’ve been thinking about this for over a year now,” Rossi said best remembered for coming off the bench two years ago as an injury replacement and throwing the win-clinching TD in a 24-14 win over Delsea Orecchio caught eight passes for 140 yards and a TD Orecchio's pooch kickoff to start the second half was flubbed by Mainland recovered by Old Tappan He capitalized by scoring a touchdown for a 14-7 lead He was credited with three solo tackles and two assists “I was going into the game making sure he was a big part of the game plan I had to make sure that kid was part of what we were doing Miceli completed 12 of 18 passes for 201 yards Rossi carried 16 times for 81 yards and a score Rocco DeBiaso carried 12 times for 147 yards and a score Franchini completed 7 of 14 passes for 88 yards They said it“I’m fortunate to have a bunch of adults that work so hard at this and we’re all on the same page,” Dunn said .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Will Harrigan | For NJ Advance MediaCasey Conklin pumped in a career-high 10 goals more than enough to help Livingston notch a 15-3 victory over Old Tappan in Old Tappan and getting 250 by year’s end is a realistic target but scored nine unanswered in the second half to win going away The N.J. 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To add your name, click here OLD TAPPAN − Alex Orecchio and Old Tappan had to hold on in the final seconds to earn the privilege of hosting a third consecutive sectional final Group 3 football semifinal after allowing two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter Old Tappan recovered Cranford's onside kick and Orecchio took three shotgun snaps ran around and killed several seconds each time before taking a knee and lost 23 yards to help run out the final 1:02 “We were just trying to kill a couple of seconds each play to get the [clock] all the way down and make sure we could burn the clock out without having to punt,” Old Tappan coach Brian Dunn said Cranford (7-3) pulled within 22-7 with 1:26 remaining in the fourth on senior running back Amari Petgrave's 5-yard TD run The Cougars pulled within 22-14 after Brandon DiPaolo scooped up an Orecchio fumble and returned it 38 yards for a score Top-seeded Old Tappan (9-1) was in control entering the final few minutes after scoring one TD in each of the first three quarters for its 22-0 lead Golden Knights sophomore quarterback Zach Miceli scored on a 6-yard run on the final play of the first quarter for the 7-0 lead Miceli threw a 13-yard score to sophomore tight end Shane Small in the final minute of the second quarter for a 15-0 halftime lead to give Old Tappan the 22-0 lead at 2:15 of the third “I wish we didn’t make it as interesting as we did at the end,” Dunn said We did a great job on defense and moved the ball when we needed to.” Old Tappan, No. 18 in the USA TODAY New Jersey Super 25 rankings will host West Essex (8-2) in next Friday’s sectional final The Golden Knights opened the season with a 19-7 home victory over West Essex which earned the rematch with Friday's semifinal win over 25th-ranked West Morris “I’m just thrilled we’re playing again,” said Dunn whose Golden Knights won the Group 3 state title in 2022 and lost last year's sectional final to West Morris and now we’re seeing them towards the end of the season,” said Orecchio who had two of the Golden Knights’ three interceptions against Cranford coach [Dunn] is going to put us in a spot to win and we’re going to go out there and play our game.” recovered Cranford’s final onside kick near midfield and Old Tappan had to kill the final 1:02 with Cranford stopping the clock with its final two timeouts Orecchio ran sideways and backwards for a 10-yard loss putting the Golden Knights in a fourth-and-33 at their 26-yard line but the clock expired before a fourth-down snap was necessary “I shouldn’t have even put our team in that position to begin with.” By the numbersOld Tappan had 224 total yards .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Will Harrigan | For NJ Advance MediaMia Derrico scored a game-high eight goals powering Old Tappan to a 18-6 victory over Lakeland in Wanaque Derrico should cross over the century mark in her next game Annabelle Lee also scored five goals for Old Tappan The Golden Knights also received an unsung effort from Charlotte Malady who assisted eight goals on top of scoring one Myla Gottschall scored five goals to pace Lakeland HILLSDALE − Old Tappan was the first North Jersey football program to win a public-school state title in 2022 and now the Golden Knights have a chance to capture two crowns in three years The dynamic quarterback duo of senior Alex Orecchio and sophomore Zach Miceli ran for a combined five touchdowns in a 43-14 victory over Pascack Valley in Friday's rain-filled Group 3 semifinal “It’s a great feeling to get back to where we were,” said Orecchio who played a key role in Old Tappan’s 2022 title win arguably North Jersey's most versatile player caught a 2-point conversion pass and kicked five extra points Miceli ran for two TDs and threw that 2-point conversion to help Old Tappan (11-1) avenge last month's 27-21 loss at Pascack Valley Golden Knights two-way senior standout Nick Rossi put the game out of reach by scoring on a 20-yard run at 6:07 of the fourth for a 36-14 lead “We played an outstanding football game in all phases,” said coach Brian Dunn whose Golden Knights were more physical in this second showdown against Pascack Valley “We were hitting on all cylinders against a fantastic team that handled us the last time we played I think we were all disappointed in the way we coached and played the last time we played them here and I think that kind of showed in our resilience and toughness that we showed today.” MORE: Two selfless QBs splitting time set the tone for Old Tappan's postseason run in the first quarter on a 3-yard  TD run by junior quarterback Adam Shaw The Panthers pulled within 29-14 in the third on senior running back Kevin Regula's 1-yard TD run “Just an outstanding effort by Old Tappan,” Pascack Valley coach Len Cusumano said “We just didn’t make the plays when we needed to make them they’ve done all we’ve asked of them all year Old Tappan, No. 14 in the USA TODAY New Jersey Super 25 rankings times and sites for the state finals could be announced as early as Saturday evening Old Tappan won the Group 3 state title at Rutgers with a 24-14 victory over previously-unbeaten Delsea with Orecchio entering as a sophomore injury replacement and throwing the win-sealing TD pass in the fourth quarter “I’m just happy to play another week of football be able to come back tomorrow morning and be able to watch some film and just keep the grind going,” Orecchio said Miceli was an eighth grader in the stands at Rutgers watching Orecchio and Old Tappan capitalize on the NJSIAA’s decision to finally allow the public schools to play down to a single group champion “It was always a dream to get to that championship and I knew watching in the stands that I was going to be there one day,” Miceli said By the numbersOrecchio scored on runs of 4 His 4-yard TD in the second quarter helped Old Tappan head to intermission with a 22-7 lead His 5-yard score in the third extended the Golden Knights lead to 29-7 and his 49-yard score came late in the fourth and closed the scoring Miceli scored on first-quarter runs of 15 and 5 yards to stake Old Tappan to a 15-7 lead His conversion pass to Orecchio came after his second TD run and that was the thing coming into this game,” Orecchio said ‘PV is going to out-physical you guys,’ and that was motivation coming in we’re going to out-physical you guys.’ So we came out .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dylan McCoy | For NJ Advance MediaDonnie Duffus scored his 200th career point with an assist in the third quarter leading Pascack Valley to an 18-8 home victory over Old Tappan Pascack Valley (8-2) outscored Old Tappan (6-3) 12-3 in the first half to secure the win scoring three goals and dishing out four assists and Marley Smith all had hat tricks for Pascack Valley Logan De La Cruz led the Old Tappan offense with three goals and an assist OLD TAPPAN − Old Tappan claimed its second football sectional championship in three years with a 41-13 win over West Essex in Friday’s North 2 "You need some good breaks and we got some tonight," head coach Brian Dunn said "We have had our share of bad breaks along the way It's not easy but we will enjoy this one." West Essex opened the scoring with a seven-play drive capped by a 35-yard touchdown run by Max Garcia to take a 7-0 lead Old Tappan responded with a touchdown drive of its own ending with a 1-yard touchdown run for Alex Orecchio whose extra point tied the game with 6:01 left in the first quarter Nick Rossi’s 38 yard touchdown run gave the Golden Knights a lead they never let go who ran for an 81-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead after one quarter Orecchio connected on a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter along with a 4-yard touchdown run for a 31-7 halftime lead the defense got the ball and our playmakers made plays," Miceli said Miceli added an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter followed by a 32-yard field goal for Orecchio in the fourth quarter Anthony Drago’s 25 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter ended a string of 41 straight points for the Golden Knights Orecchio is no longer the quarterback for the Golden Knights but seemingly still does it all for Old Tappan with two rushing touchdowns two field goals and five extra points on Friday "Our senior class has made it to three sectional finals," Orecchio said "We were 1-1 and wanted to remain positive Coming out here and being able to say we won this game is a great feeling." Nick Rossi also played a big part of that sectional final loss and hasn't forgotten what the loss last season meant for the program "I think we took the game too lightly last season and we let it slip away," Rossi said "This week we looked at it as the hardest game we would play and it was We practiced hard all week and we played really well tonight because of that." Key playThe play that turned the momentum for Old Tappan came halfway through the first quarter Following a touchdown that tied the game at seven the ensuing kickoff fell into an area that West Essex was not prepared for A pooch kick off the foot of Orecchio hit the ground near the Old Tappan sideline and was recovered by the Golden Knights "We wanted to keep the pressure up," Orecchio said "We were lucky enough to get it and then we just did what we do best which is run physical and get into the end zone again." Rossi's touchdown run came on the next play to put Old Tappan in the lead for good I get to play the game I love with the guys I love "I'm filled with a lot of emotions right now but excitement is the number one right now I have to celebrate a little bit to get some of this energy out." - Rossi Up nextOld Tappan (10-1) eliminated West Essex Friday and handed the Knights two of their three losses for the season Now the Golden Knights get another rematch next week facing Pascack Valley (10-1) in the Group 3 semifinal The Panthers handed Old Tappan its only loss of the season with a 27-21 win on Oct Mia Allison Derrico of Old Tappan (7) looks for help against West Milford's Sarah Benowitz in Monday's high school girls lacrosse season opener in Old Tappan 04/03/2023Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jack McKenna | For NJ Advance MediaAnnabelle Lee and Mia Derrico each recorded five points for Old Tappan to lead the team to an 11-9 victory over River Dell in Oradell Lee found the back of the net five times for Old Tappan while Derrico notched a hat trick and assisted on two other goals Charlotte Malady scored a pair of goals and Nina Caunedo scored once to account for all of the scoring for Old Tappan (5-1) Old Tappan lead 7-3 at halftime and rode that margin the rest of the way to its victory River Dell drops to 1-5 and will look to get back into the win column on Thursday when it hits the road for a clash with Lakeland Jack McKenna can be reached at hssports@njadvancemedia.com .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dylan McCoy | For NJ Advance MediaJamie Farrington pitched an eight-inning complete game with 16 strikeouts as Old Tappan defeated Rutherford 2-1 in the Breathe Easy Cystic Fibrosis Tournament Old Tappan (9-1) opened up the scoring with a run in the fifth inning Rutherford (5-4-1) tied the game up in the sixth and the game would be sent to extra innings Mia Ferraro had a three-hit ballgame for Old Tappan Grace McManus hit a solo home run to open up the scoring Katrize Castillon drove in the lone run for Rutherford Giana Yaniero also pitched a complete game striking out 12 in eight innings on the mound .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Bove | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comSelden Kolkebeck pitched a five-inning no-hitter for Old Tappan with nine strikeouts and two walks in its 15-0 win over Dwight-Englewood in Old Tappan Kolkebeck also went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI AJ Aiello and Anthony Onnembo both hit home runs on their way to huge days at the plate and three RBI while Onnembo was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI Old Tappan moved to 9-4 while Dwight-Englewood dropped to 8-7 The N.J. 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Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription Matt Bove can be reached at mbove@njadvancemedia.com OLD TAPPAN — A 130-unit apartment complex has opened at the former site of the Pearson Education building on Park Avenue and several businesses are set to open in the three-story development while still offering a tranquil setting and natural beauty with acres of farmland adjacent to the property but the back of the property backs up to Stokes Farm,” he said The development’s 130 apartments are a mix of one- Twenty of the apartments are affordable units and the rest are market-rate Monthly rents range from $3,000 to more than $6,000 for the larger three-bedrooms The 75,000-square-foot property was the site of the U.S headquarters of Pearson Education for many years Townhomes were built on a portion of the property that was sold to K All 99 of the townhomes were sold in the past year The development is split between two buildings with one housing most of the 130 units and the other offering 21,000 square feet of retail space Among the businesses in the building are a Dunkin’ Donuts and several other businesses are expected to come in soon less than 20 miles from the George Washington Bridge the Garden State Parkway and train service Old Tappan also boasts a highly ranked K-12 public school system and sends students to the Blue Ribbon Award-winning Northern Valley Regional High School The development offers more than 20,000 square feet of amenity space bocce ball court and herb garden on the property Residents also have access to work booths and conference rooms bike storage and a pet spa and walking path Apartments feature expansive floor plans with large windows and kitchens with stainless steel appliances quartz countertops and full-height quartz backsplashes Some units also offer terraces and balconies “We’ve essentially built a boutique hotel for apartment living The finishes are best in class,” Hornblass said “It’s a great cocktail for someone who is looking for an elegant elevated living space in an upscale suburban setting.” Old Tappan became the first North Jersey public-school football team to win two state championships when the Golden Knights beat Mainland, 28-16, in the Group 3 state final on Sunday afternoon at Rutgers The Golden Knights (12-1) also won the Group 3 title in 2022 the first year New Jersey played down to true public state champions Back-to-back sacks by Shane Small caused Mainland to turn the ball over on downs with 1:28 left in the game Old Tappan may have sealed the win with a 13-yard pass from Alex Orecchio to Shane Small with 2:35 left in the game Small caught a 30-yard pass from Zach Miceli to put the Golden Knights in the red zone Mainland quickly responded on its first drive of the fourth quarter with a 73-yard touchdown run by Rocco DiBiaso with 7:26 left in the game The 2-point conversion failed on an incomplete pass Nicholas Rossi extended Old Tappan's lead with a 22-yard touchdown run with 7:44 left in the game Old Tappan began the fourth quarter facing a second-and-7 at its own 27-yard line Third quarterAfter converting on fourth down to get into the red zone Mainland's Nate Kashey kicked a 29-yard field goal to cut into Old Tappan's lead with 46 seconds left in the quarter The Golden Knights had regained the lead by capping a 44-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by Alex Orecchio with 6:41 left in the quarter Old Tappan kicked off to begin the second half and recovered a muffed fair catch at the Mainland 44-yard line Second quarterAfter a three-and-out The first three drives of the second quarter ended on interceptions The third came when Old Tappan's Christakis Nicolaou intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:39 on the clock Old Tappan's first drive of the quarter ended when Jake Blum intercepted a pass near midfield with 5:43 left in the first half Mainland's first drive of the quarter ended when Old Tappan's Leo Etter intercepted a pass in the end zone on a fourth-down play from the 27-yard line First quarterThe quarter ended with an Old Tappan punt Mainland tied the game on a 38-yard touchdown pass from John Franchini to Jake Blum with 59 seconds left in the quarter After a long pass from Zach Miceli to Alex Orecchio brought Old Tappan into the red zone Mainland's Caleb Foster intercepted a pass at the 3-yard line and returned it 37 yards Mainland went three-and-out on its first drive of the game Old Tappan returned the punt to its own 38-yard line Old Tappan drove down the field on the first drive of the game capping an 80-yard march with an 18-yard touchdown throw from Zach Miceli to Alex Orecchio Darren Cooper's predictions for the state finals Two selfless QBs splitting time set the tone for Old Tappan's postseason run How Brian Dunn turned Old Tappan into a steady North Jersey power HILLSDALE – The situation was not ideal for an average freshman But Old Tappan's Matthew Morrissey is hardly average That was evident on Wednesday night when a battle between the top-ranked public schools in Bergen County came down to the final bout Trailing a point and with their heavyweight unavailable the Golden Knights called on Morrissey to bump up against a wrestler almost 70 pounds bigger in front of a juiced-up crowd in Hillsdale "He doesn't act like a freshman," senior Nick Rossi said "He definitely gives me the work in practice and it doesn't seem like he's a freshman and I'm a senior." It was a chess match all night long as an even split in bouts forced each coach to find ways to squeeze a little extra out of the lineup Helping the equation for Old Tappan was a pair of bonus-point wins from Ryan Sullivan (150) and Rossi (215) "We lost to these guys last year and they are always a great program and a great team," Old Tappan coach Rob Ortiz said I know a lot of the kids on the other side and the coaches very well Morrissey has been at the front of the class all season as he's 11-3 on the year after breaking out and taking second at the Sam Cali Battle for the Belt his leadership and willingness to teach those around him in drills has impressed coaches and teammates alike The challenge on Wednesday night was still a little different than anything he's encountered It was only his second match at 285 and the first with a big disparity in weight Old Tappan was hoping to avoid that scenario "It was a 50/50 in my head," Morrissey said I knew I probably would because PV bumped up a few of their kids and that switched us up An undefeated season rolls on for Old Tappan (7-0) who took a half-game lead in the Big North National The Golden Knights won a sectional title with a young core two years ago but never reached their potential last season with four or five starters out at most points Now with an experienced senior class and better health the Golden Knights want to make each moment count "We're going to use each match to get better," Ortiz said "One of our themes in practice is don't waste a minute don't be looking at the clock hoping practice is over Look at the clock and be upset that it's going so fast." Turning pointsIt was a fast start for Old Tappan on Wednesday with wins in five of the first eight bouts A critical run came in the middle-weights with three straight technical falls from Jack Drucker at 138 Daniel Olivo at 144 and Sullivan at 150 in his first bout since spraining his ankle in December Another big pick-up came at 113 when sophomore Andy Osorio collected a major decision in his first varsity match this season it wasn't one we were counting on," Ortiz said Pascack Valley went up 31-24 with two bouts to go after ripping off four straight wins from 157 to 190 Rossi got Old Tappan back within one after pinning Delvin Oxmann in 4:57 Morrissey followed with two takedowns in a 6-1 opening period before locking up the fall in 2:12 "Each time we're wrestling somebody I'm not sure how it's going to turn out and these guys really have developed some toughness over the years and as the season has gone on." .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Cosentino | For NJ Advance MediaRonan Malady scored a game-high four goals to lead Old Tappan to a 6-5 win over Demarest in Demarest Nick Blanchard added two goals and two assists for Old Tappan (5-2) an assist and four ground balls for Demarest (3-4) The N.J. 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Jamie Farrington of Old Tappan hurls against Bergenfield in Monday's high school softball showdown in Bergenfield 04/15/2024 Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance MediaSteve Hockstein | For NJ Advance there are loads of feared players who leave their mark in any game they’re in Some are strikeout mavens and others are inning eaters some set the tone at the top of lineup and get on base and create havoc on the basepaths Regardless of what style some of the state’s top seniors play some in more ways than one — and have for years As part of our season-long coverage, the NJ.com softball staff will run four polls to determine the top player for seniors These polls will run every week for four consecutive weeks and it’s up to you - the readers - to determine the winners we asked who you thought was the top senior in New Jersey The results — Old Tappan’s Jamie Farrington who pulled in over 59 percent of the nearly 21,000 votes cast Below check out the voting tallies and the bios for all of the poll’s finalists NOTE: The results of these polls have no bearing on NJ.com’s selection of All-State or All-Group teams or any other postseason honors Alicea has been one of the top run producers this year with 22 RBI while hitting .429 (18-for-42) She also has 14 runs scored and 10 extra-base hits for a 9-3 Summit team Awad is one of the top hitters in Essex County this year with a .700 average (21-for-30) She’s already scored 23 runs and stolen 12 bases with eight RBI as well She has 127 career hits and 84 career steals Bailey was a first-team All-Group 3 pick at catcher a year ago six runs scored and three RBI as the Braves are out to a 5-1 start Biggio has been one of Morris County’s top pitchers this year with 111 strikeouts and a 1.78 ERA and 14 walks in just 51 innings 14 RBI and the first four home runs of her career second team as a sophomore and first team last year when she led the state with 372 strikeouts This year she has 111 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings to go along with a 2.26 ERA She is on pace to hit 1,000 strikeouts this season Eleven of her 17 hits this year have gone for extra bases and she has 12 runs scored and 14 RBI Derbyshire has a 1.24 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 45 innings She is also batting .321 with eight RBI and five extra-base hits Derbyshire was a second-team all-Group 2 pick a year ago Dobkin has been one of the hottest hitters in the Colonial Valley Conference this year Dobkin has a 2.42 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings the Iona-bound Downey is hitting .469 (15-for-32) with 15 runs and 10 RBI as well as 13 stolen bases for one of Bergen County’s top teams 18 career home runs and 75 career stolen bases Duran is hitting .783 this year (18-for-23) with 18 runs 26 RBI and eight homers already as well as 11 walks She ranks third in the state among active players in career hits (153) first in extra-base hits (82) and first in RBI (154) Duran will play at UNC-Wilmington in college Farrington has been one of Bergen County’s top pitchers this year for a 10-1 Old Tappan squad She has 81 strikeouts with 11 walks and 40 hits allowed in 54 innings of work She also has a career-best 1.30 ERA this season and has 387 career strikeouts The Bears’ catcher is hitting .595 with seven extra-base hits She was a third-team All-Group 2 pick last year A two-time third-team All-State selection at catcher Figliolino has helped lead the Lancers to back-to-back state No she is batting .346 with two home runs and six RBI Francis recently became Pingry’s all-time hits leader in a game against Blair Academy She has 21 hits and a .618 average this season as well as 10 RBI 14 runs and four steals as one of the Skyland Conference’s top leadoff hitters A second team All-State player last year for the Bees Gaetani is once again lighting it up at the dish and in the circle 11 extra-base hits plus 18 runs and 18 RBI she has a 1.52 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 41.1 innings She has 150 career hits and 150 career RBI Gill is hitting .545 with two home runs and nine RBI and is nearing 100 hits She also has 68 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings and a 2.73 ERA earning second-team accolades twice and third team once She is once again leading the state’s undefeated No Hoppe is in her third season as the Scotties’ starting pitcher This year she has a 0.85 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 41 innings A third-team All-State selection a year ago Hagan has a 1.75 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 44 innings this year Liebhauser made history two years ago with a second team All-State nod becoming the first All-State player in Randolph’s history She was a first team All-State choice last year and this year she’s got 11 hits She has 111 career hits and 29 career homers Lopez became the first athlete in state history to reach 100 softball hits and 100 wrestling wins last week she is hitting .303 with 10 runs scored and 15 RBi She was an All-State selection two seasons ago McLean has been tearing the cover off the ball for the 9-0 Crusaders She is hitting .556 with 19 runs scored and 11 RBI A third team All-State outfielder for the Wolfpack last year McNally has 153 career hits and is committed to Rhode Island Mears was a second-team All-State selection a year ago and has led the way again for the state-ranked Fighting Clan Murphy has a 1.09 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 59 innings Murphy is making up for lost time after missing last season She is batting .500 with nine extra-base hits Murray is one of the top strikeout pitchers in North Jersey this season for the Highlanders She has 133 strikeouts and a 1.99 ERA in 67 innings and has allowed just 28 walks and 49 hits in that span as well She’s got 486 career strikeouts and a career ERA of 1.99 Miller has been one of the top power hitters in the state this year with six home runs She is hitting .394 with 15 runs scored and 15 RBI One of only three returning three-time All-State players Nankivell has been one of the best outfielders in the state since her freshman year She’s back after missing some games to injury this year and is 8-for-11 with seven runs and five stolen bases 112 career runs and is a .517 career hitter including 17 this year with a .630 average including five home runs and she’s driven in 21 runs and scored another 17 for an 8-2 Paramus Catholic team A two-time All-State choice and FIU commit Kavakich made history earlier this year when she became the 24th pitcher in state history to record 1,000 strikeouts She’s got 86 K’s and 2.00 ERA as well as just 16 walks in 63 innings this season while also hitting .564 with 22 hits She has 160 career hits and 1,012 career strikeouts Kiesewetter has been one of Union County’s top hitters so far this season with a .600 average thanks to a 21-for-35 campaign with 17 runs and 12 RBI as well as three homers She has 138 career hits and 106 career runs scored Knox was a first-team All-State pick a year ago A Villanova commit and All-Group 3 choice last year Reed is hitting .571 (12-for-21) with 19 RBI and 12 runs while going deep five times so far A second team All-Group 1 choice last year Riordan has 21 hits already this year as well as 18 runs scored and 12 RBI plus 27 stolen bases as well She has 134 hits and is on pace to become the Aviators’ all-time hits leader and she has 19 career homers including two this year as well to go along with a .600 average this year 18 RBI and four homers so far this year as well as eight runs scored 13 walks and a 2.49 ERA in 59 innings and has 635 career strikeouts which is the sixth-highest total of any pitcher in the state She has eight homers this year and 44 in her career and she’s hitting .625 (15-for-24) with eight runs and 20 RBI A Fairfield commit and third team All-State player last year for the defending Group 4 champs Simon is once again a standout as a hitter — where she’s hitting .576 (19-for-33) with six runs 16 RBI and four homers — and as a pitcher where she has a .78 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 27 innings of work Simonka has pitched in the last two state finals for the Spartans She has a 1.48 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 33 innings and is also batting .312 this season after being named first-team all-Group 3 last year Skrek was an All-Group 2 choice last year and has had another strong year this season She’s got 55 strikeouts and a .57 ERA with just three walks and 15 hits allowed in 37 innings in the circle while hitting .400 with three homers Stagliano is having a career year for a 9-0 East Brunswick team that’s one of only around a dozen unbeaten teams left she’s only allowed 29 hits and 14 walks and has struck out a career-high 64 with a .91 ERA as well Strauss was a second-team All-State selection a year ago after leading the Hawks to the state Group 1 final The Siena commit is hitting .647 with 12 runs scored and eight RBI while pitching to a 1.16 ERA and fanning 74 in 36 1/3 innings A second team All-State pick a year ago after finishing second in the state in strikeouts Tabaka has continued to rack up the punchouts again this year she’s got 99 career strikeouts and has allowed just 35 hits and 12 walks to go along with a 1.37 ERA in 56 innings She’s second in the state with 935 career strikeouts and is on pace for 1,000 Theuret has helped lead Pinelands to a 10-1 record hitting .432 with 11 runs scored and seven RBI She was a first-team all-Group 3 selection a year ago and is committed to Chestnut Hill Turner is hitting .516 (16-for-31) with 12 runs seven RBI and nine stolen bases so far at the plate She also has 75 strikeouts and a 1.06 ERA in 52.2 innings with a WHIP of under 1.00 as well Few pitchers in the state are having the season that the Boston College-bound Van Cleef are Van Cleef is back fully healthy this year and is a force to be reckoned with she’s allowed just 18 hits and six walks while striking out a staggering 102 batters with a meager .13 ERA as one of the most dominant pitchers in the circle this season Wakeley struck out over 300 last year on the way to third-team All-State honors The Seton Hall commit has fanned 70 in 44 innings this year and is also batting .476 The Virginia commit is hitting .600 with six home runs A third-team All-Group 2 selection last year She has a 1.01 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings while batting .333 with nine RBI Yaniero is once again playing at a high level both offensively and as a pitcher She’s hitting .515 (17-for-33) with 10 RBI at the plate and in the circle Peter’s commit has 117 strikeouts and .82 ERA while allowing just 34 hits and seven walks in 60 innings of work She has 881 strikeouts for her career and could get to 1,000 We ask that you operate by these guidelines Organized voting campaigns consisting of friends the poll will view rapid-fire voting from any individual IP as an attack and will put that IP in a time out technical enhancements or other unnatural tactics designed to skew results may result in voiding of votes NOTE: Some mobile apps, including the X (formerly Twitter) app, may not show the poll below. To open in your mobile device click this link or copy it and paste into your mobile web browser Jake Aferiat can be reached at jaferiat@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @Jake_Aferiat Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @bybillevans 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) Max Stalb (36) of Pascack Valley dives into third base with a triple during the baseball game between Bergen Catholic and Pascack Valley at Breslin Field in Lyndhurst on Thursday .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jack McKenna | For NJ Advance MediaMax Stalb knocked in two runs in a 2-for-4 day at the plate for Pascack Valley as knocked off Old Tappan Pascack Valley opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning scratched across an additional run in the third and tacked on two more in the fifth in a game it never trailed JT Deriso tossed a complete game gem for Pascack Valley striking out eight while walking one and scattering three hits through the length of the game Trevor Kirkby went 3-for-3 with a walk and James Narlinger came around to score twice while going 2-for-4 for Pascack Valley (8-3) Selden Kolkebeck had a 2-for-3 day at the plate for Old Tappan (7-3) HILLSDALE − Pascack Valley overcame an arch nemesis and some bad luck to earn its most significant regular-season win in almost a decade The Panthers held on to defeat previously-unbeaten Old Tappan Friday night and capture the Super Football Conference Patriot Blue Division title “It’s a step forward,” said coach Len Cusumano whose Panthers enter next week’s NJSIAA Group 3 North sectional playoffs with big momentum which is to get to the top of the mountain.” Pascack Valley put its fate in the hands of Kevin Regula going for it on a fourth-and-1 from its own 19-yard line with just over two minutes remaining The senior running back ran for 4 yards and a first down to allow the Panthers to run out the clock and I know I just have to run hard," Regula said and that’s how we’re going to go throughout the playoffs."  Pascack Valley (7-1) led 27-14 after junior running back Kai Smith scored on a 5-yard run with 7:38 left in the fourth Old Tappan (7-1) pulled within 27-21 after senior Alex Orecchio scored on a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 3:47 left to play Junior quarterback Adam Shaw threw a 23-yard TD pass to junior receiver Marc Dellaquila and he threw an 8-yard TD to Regula for a 20-7 lead Old Tappan tied it 7-7 in the first quarter on Orecchio's 9-yard run Sophomore quarterback Zach Miceli threw an 18-yard TD pass to senior receiver Ronan Malady Pascack Valley argued the ball touched the ground in the end zone and should be ruled incomplete NorthJersey.com shot video of the play and a frame-by-frame review showed the ball did touch the ground the Panthers made their debut in the USA TODAY New Jersey Super 25 rankings and showed they belonged with the win over the No Pascack Valley stamped itself as a Group 3 sectional title contender The Panthers were third in North Group 3 in the United Power Rankings Friday’s win shows they can compete regardless of where they’re seeded and what opponent they face “It means we get to move up a couple of notches in the [UPR] standings and we’ll see who we get in the next round,” said Cusumano whose Panthers could know their first-round opponent as early as Saturday night What’s the reason Pascack Valley went for it on fourth-and-one from its own 19-yard line with just over two minutes remaining And the decision came after Shaw was stopped for no gain on third down they were really shredding us there,” said Cusumano referring to Old Tappan’s previous drive that began back at the 22-yard line and led to a TD and I’m just really proud of our guys for executing.” Pascack Valley had bad luck on TD calls in each half In addition to disputing Old Tappan’s score with five seconds left in the first half the Panthers argued that Shaw broke the plane of the goal-line and scored on a 2-yard run to start the third but officials ruled he fumbled and the Golden Knights recovered You can’t really argue about it,” Shaw said of the two calls that resulted in a 14-point swing “You’ve just got to play the game and live with it.” You’ve got to battle adversity in this game,” Cusumano said Our kids stayed mentally and physically tough.” They are the standard right now in Bergen County,” said Cusumano whose Panthers snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Golden Knights that began in 2015 “Old Tappan is a hell of a team,” Shaw said OLD TAPPAN − When Old Tappan and Sparta scrimmaged one another back in August both teams knew they were practicing against top competition "We walked away from that wondering if we would see them again down the line," Old Tappan coach Melissa Landeck said the two girls volleyball teams did see one another three months later After both sides won their respective county championships Old Tappan and Sparta collided Tuesday with a sectional championship at stake For the 10th time since the NJSIAA began awarding sectional trophies The Golden Knights controlled throughout in a 25-13 "It's just a great feeling," senior Samantha Kranzler said I remember playing Sparta and coming up just short the last time the two teams faced one another during the season The Spartans went on to win the Group 2 state title "We went there in 2021 and knocked them out and then they knocked us out in 2022," said Landeck "There's nothing but respect for that program and it wasn't a shock that we had to face them in order to get this achievement."The Golden Knights scored the first three points in Game 1 and earned a 16-9 lead before Sparta’s first timeout Samantha Kranzler’s ace built the lead to 20-10 who led Old Tappan with nine kills on Tuesday helped put Sparta away in the first game.In Game 2 an ace by Giselle Faria to start the game gave Sparta its only lead of the match Following another ace later that redirected off the ceiling Sparta cut the lead to 18-16 to force an Old Tappan timeout "We focused on our controllables," Kranzler said "We wanted to play confident and not play tense." Sparta was a few points away from potentially forcing a deciding third game having only surrendered one game all season Old Tappan scored seven of the final 10 points out of that timeout to secure the sectional title and have won 40 consecutive games since losing Game 1 to Pascack Valley on Sept It's a full circle moment for the four Old Tappan seniors the Golden Knights won a sectional championship on their home court when they were freshmen those same freshmen have now won a championship at home as well "It was a big moment for me as a freshman," Gioffre said " I didn't really understand it at the time because I wasn't a big part of the team that got that done The seniors then were so excited then and to have our moment now means a lot." Addison Gioffre served and was able to just get the ball over the net for an ace One of only two aces for Old Tappan across the entire match the Golden Knights turned expanded upon a two-point lead and never let Sparta get closer in the deciding game "It's all about looking at what you did well and what you can do better for the next point," Gioffre said "We just focus on what we can do for ourselves and for our teammates to keep momentum going." Gioffre led Old Tappan with 23 assists in the victory They said it"It was about keeping the blockers honest and on their toes People like to cheat over on our hitters and anything we can do to alter that cuts down on long volleys and allows us to play our style." —Gioffre "This group loves playing with one another and they want to do whatever they can to keep playing together We have a chance to have two more games together and we want to win them both." —Landeck Old Tappan (23-0) will face Lyndhurst in the Group 2 semifinals for a berth in the state finals The Golden Bears defeated Mendham in Tuesday's North 2 Sparta finished the season with a 21-3 record .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dylan McCoy | For NJ Advance MediaNick Blanchard scored four goals and dished out four assists as Old Tappan was able to claim a home victory The two teams played a very close first half with Old Tappan (6-2) holding a one-goal advantage after the second quarter It would outscore Indian Hills (4-3) 11-1 in the second half Logan De La Cruz registered a hat trick and added two assists for Old Tappan Justin Vitale scored all five goals for Indian Hills PISCATAWAY – Dan DeFeo heard all the doubters After undergoing significant turnover from last year’s undefeated state championship squad a return trip to Rutgers University appeared to be just a dream for the Mainland Regional High School football team back in the heat of summertime there was plenty of Mainland magic that produced unexpected thrills throughout the season including an incredible two-point conversion in overtime that thwarted Somerville in last week’s state semifinal More: Football 2024: Check out all of our content for the South Jersey high school season On a cold December afternoon at Rutgers University as the Mustangs turned the ball over three times and never led during a 28-16 loss to Old Tappan in the state Group 3 final “We wanted to prove everybody wrong and we did,” said DeFeo who delivered two sacks in the state final “We were the only ones that knew we could get back here.” Mainland has been one of the state’s most successful teams over the last three seasons with a 34-6 combined record that includes a state title and three sectional crowns who won last year’s state final with a 56-0 rout to swallow,” Mainland head coach Chuck Smith said “We have a lot of kids coming back next year this is a great building stone for next year I don’t think anyone expected us to be in this situation this year Record breakersMainland junior quarterback John Franchini threw for 88 yards raising his career passing total to 4,299 and breaking the old mark set by Brent Caprio by one yard Blum’s 39-yard touchdown catch was his 15th of the season The Mustangs appeared to be in deep trouble when Old Tappan (13-1) scored on its first two drives of the second half chewing up close to 11 minutes off the clock and holding a 21-10 lead Rocco DeBiaso needed just one play to give Mainland some much-needed momentum as the ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run The senior finished with 147 yards on 12 carries DeBiaso was a workhorse down the stretch for Mainland He ran for 130 or more yards in each of his final five games with 12 of his 17 touchdowns on the season Included over the stretch was a career-high 250 yards against Holmdel “After he was banged up midway through the season he came alive in the second half and really rode us in the playoffs,” Smith said DeBiaso said the team fed off others' doubts who finished with 1,199 rushing yards this season “Everybody didn’t think we were going to be the same team Franchini completed 7 of 14 passes for 88 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email tmcgurk@gannett.com Help support local journalism with a digital subscription FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — The first tournament title that Old Tappan earned this girls volleyball season helped fuel the belief that something rare was possible The Bergen County champions fully believed they could add a state crown 25-11 win over Governor Livingston in the NJSIAA Group 2 final the Golden Knights headed home from Somerset County with a 25-0 record – marking the second unbeaten season in program history "Going undefeated is not something you talk about or set as a goal," Old Tappan coach Melissa Landeck said "It's one of things that takes on a life of its own And I think once we got through the county tournament Landeck also led the 2015 team squad that went 26-0 and she has guided the Golden Knights to six of their 14 state championships all-time This is the 10th time a Bergen County program has authored a perfect season and the seventh time it has been done in North Jersey since the turn of the century Demarest (26-0) and Secaucus (25-0) all went unbeaten in 2001 and Demarest followed up with a 28-0 campaign in 2002 The most recent occurrence came when Bogota finished 10-0 with a sectional title in the COVID-affected Spring 2021 season "What it really came down to is this team working hard every day and never believing we were a finished product," Landeck said Old Tappan setter Addison Gioffre put up 23 assists in the final to finish with 1,011 for her varsity career The senior set up classmate Samantha Kranzler (12 kills) for the winning point in the first set and junior Julia Whaley (7 kills) on the championship point "It's just the cherry on top," Gioffre said "There's nothing better I can wish for my senior season – perfect season I had some injuries last year and the year before The match was tied twice in the first few rallies but Old Tappan took control of the first set and never allowed Governor Livingston (24-6) to get a lead The Highlanders led by a point three times early in the second set but the Golden Knights pulled away with a 5-0 run spurred by two aces from Kranzler Old Tappan was strong at the net as always and the back-row defense led by senior libero Jamie Kim was able to dig up most of what got through "but it's always our front row really finishing the job With multiple unbeaten campaigns to her credit Landeck joined a club that includes retired coaches Beth Powell of Demarest (two unbeaten seasons) and Maria Nolan of Secaucus/Immaculate Heart (eight) – both of whom were in attendance Sunday and I'm sure they would tell you the same thing about their seasons," Landeck said "This is homegrown talent from Old Tappan that got this done." OLD TAPPAN — The Kranzler kids are now 2-for-3 in the Bergen County championship department Seniors Samantha Kranzler and Addison Gioffre led Old Tappan to its first county girls volleyball crown since 2019 25-22 victory over two-time reigning champ Immaculate Heart both named Alex – were starters for the Golden Knights’ baseball team that earned a Bergen title in 2022 “He was here [Saturday] and gave us a little pep talk just telling us to enjoy the moment,” Addison Gioffre said of her sibling Alex Kranzler had offseason responsibilities with Vanderbilt University baseball and was unable to attend but he didn’t get the day off,” Samantha Kranzler said only one sibling has yet to experience a Bergen County title Young Chloe Kranzler has yet to reach high school Old Tappan moved into a tie with Paramus Catholic for fourth on the tournament’s all-time championship list Immaculate Heart and Demarest remain tied for second behind Paramus (11) with nine apiece though IHA now has the most appearances in the final with 16 the champion has emerged with an unbeaten record fewer than a dozen times with eight going on to complete perfect seasons – including Old Tappan in 2015 (26-0) “We honestly haven’t talked about it,” Golden Knights coach Melissa Landeck said “We’ve really tried to focus on just who the next opponent is “We try to respect everybody and not get too far ahead of ourselves and that formula has been working for us.” Key sequenceThe teams traded 13 consecutive side-outs to open the second set before Old Tappan gained some slight separation 2 seed IHA (22-4) pulled even at 20-all and 21-all but the Golden Knights responded with three straight points Gioffre assisted opposite Eva Curko on two of them Curko buried a bump-set for championship point “It’s about spreading the ball around,” Gioffre said “because everyone can put it down at the end of the day.” ► Gioffre put up a match-high 28 assists and added two kills and two digs second in the match only to IHA opposite Julia Sobilo (10 kills ► Adriana Bryan and Desi Malafis each served an ace for the Golden Knights For the tournament’s 50th anniversary celebration the Bergen County Women Coaches Association invited every championship coach to be recognized in a pre-match ceremony Landeck (now five titles) and IHA coach Michelle Yoo (2023) both took part along with Beth Powell (nine titles at Demarest) Beth DelVecchio (five at Paramus Catholic) Andrea Murphy (Tenafly 1978) and Brenda Canal (River Dell 1977) Me and Addie were at the boys’ baseball [championship] and just to be able to continue the legacy By: 7:30 am on September 6 Photograph of residential unit at Park & Arbor Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews US need to like get rid of this and move onto Til/turns already eventually it will become a playground for pets: Thanks ga('send', 'event', 'beautyofblock', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Standard_336x280-100-2.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'PCRichards Builders Division', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PCR_Beko_Compact_YIMB_336x280.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'yimby+', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image.png', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram var sb_instagram_js_options = {"font_method":"svg","placeholder":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/img\/placeholder.png","resized_url":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sb-instagram-feed-images\/","ajax_url":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php"}; © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY® LLC YIMBY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF NIKOLAI FEDAK / NEW YORK YIMBY LLC ALLENDALE – The parallels were hard to miss for coach Tara Madigan A game to decide who would go home and who would go on to face Ramapo But the same plot from one of the most painful losses of Madigan's career came with a different ending on Thursday Northern Highlands buckled down on defense and beat Old Tappan to avenge a crushing upset from this year's Bergen County tournament and advance to the North 1 With two goals from Columbia commit Lyla Geller the defending sectional champions will live to see another day "We came out here thinking we needed revenge," senior centerback Cassidy Gallagher said "There was no way we would not practice tomorrow." That motivation and a strong lineup at forward helped the fourth-seeded Highlanders (15-3) take control against No The Highlanders put three goals on the board in the first half and added another in the final minute of regulation to drive home the point that this was their match No one on the Highlander bench had forgotten what happened the last time Old Tappan came to town three weeks ago Especially after rewatching the film on Wednesday to analyze the mistakes The tape showed Northern Highlands battle back from two goals down to tie it at 4 and come less than a minute from forcing overtime Then came the dagger – a counter from Old Tappan freshman Elena Pothos who dribbled past four defenders and scored on a long run up the middle Losing was hard enough for a team with 15 seniors but the scoreline made it even harder to fathom for a Highlander defense that allows under a goal per game "I feel like we went into that county tournament kind of thinking we were invincible," Gallagher said "We were a really good squad defensively and had a lot of returning players with experience We didn't really think we would be in a position where we would be getting scored on that much." "We have 15 seniors on this roster," Madigan said "Watching them and the emotions pour out of them when they were here four days a week in the summer you don't want something like that to happen." Northern Highlands never cracked on Thursday with Gallagher and Sophia Galgano in the middle of the defense and Audrey Campbell and Norah Marron on the outside Senior Avery Hirsch finished with nine saves behind them in the victory One luxury for Northern Highlands this time was a comfortable early lead built up by three seniors likely playing in their final home game George Mason commit Julia Buono opened the scoring in the 12th minute on a penalty kick and the Highlanders followed it up three minutes later on Meghan Buchanan's goal Buchanan pounced on a rebound by the right post after the Old Tappan keeper got a piece of Geller's initial shot "I just had to get in front of the goal and crash the net," Buchanan said Stick a foot out to get it in the back of the net." Northern Highlands kept its foot on the pedal led by Geller The senior added some insurance midway through the first half when she took the ball down the left side cut inside past a defender and nailed a shot back toward the top left corner "I've played with Lyla since sophomore year on varsity," Buchanan said we know how each other plays and we're able to play off each other well." Up nextNorthern Highlands has lost only three times all season and the other two came in overtime to top seed Ramapo The Highlanders will get another crack on Monday in a rematch of last year's sectional final won by Northern Highlands "I just think we have to play to our strengths and know our game," Buchanan said it means the guy who does a little bit of everything for his football team Golden Knights' senior Alex Orecchio has morphed into one of the most unique athletes in North Jersey – someone who plays safety on defense kicker on special teams and all the skill positions on offense After starting at quarterback last year for Old Tappan he transitioned to a broader role this summer with Zach Miceli getting most of the reps under center Being a jack-of-all-trades is not only a source of pride for the 5-foot-9 It’s a big reason why Old Tappan knocked off Ramapo Orecchio scored three touchdowns – one on a trick-play pass – and stopped two others with interceptions near the goal-line Coach Brian Dunn called it one of the best all-around performances he's seen in 32 years coaching "My senior class was 0-3 against Ramapo," Orecchio said So it was a big motivator going into the game Then coming off the field after one of the most physical hard-fought games I've ever been in in my entire life was an unreal feeling." Orecchio is hardly the first in his family to experience the highs and lows of Friday night lights His two older brothers both played football – one for Bergen Tech and one for Old Tappan – and his dad was a senior fullback when the Golden Knights won their first sectional crown in 1985 Two years ago, Orecchio was fitted for a ring of his own. Thrown into the fire when a starter got hurt, Orecchio completed his first touchdown pass inside Rutgers' SHI Stadium to lift his team to the Group 3 title his first experience in a championship setting came in 2017 Orecchio and senior Troy Essmann helped the Golden Knights stay hydrated during a perfect season "I worked with the trainer that we still have now "We were the water boys up until eighth grade." Orecchio is committed to play football at Johns Hopkins His acceptance to the Baltimore school required hard work on the field and in the classroom where he takes three AP courses and maintains a 4.42 GPA Orecchio came to a crossroads in his career While he put up some elite numbers last year (1,532 passing yards he wondered if his size would allow him to play quarterback at the next level receiver and defensive back to find the optimal fit Dunn proposed the idea of using him in a hybrid position but one that’s freed him up to play defense and special teams unlike in the past "We just had a brief talk basically by text in August," Dunn said I'm just here to win and do what's best for the team.' It's not like he's been phased out Orecchio accounted for 246 yards after finishing with 12 carries three catches and five pass completions on nine attempts he added seven tackles and two momentum-changing picks Playing on such a tight-knit team has provided inspiration during a 4-0 start "Being able to look to your left and see a brother fighting for you the same way you're fighting for them is a motivator that keeps you moving even when you're gassed," Orecchio said "You stop playing for yourself and start playing for the other people around you." Orecchio had 12 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown went 5-for-9 passing with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion and added three receptions for 34 yards Also nominated: Nick Shahinian of Fair Lawn Joseph for football; and Anthony Cala of Wood-Ridge for soccer OLD TAPPAN – The chants started with under a minute left in the southeast corner of the Old Tappan gym A future Marine with a bad shoulder and rebuilt knee stepped on the mat with a chance to close it out for Wayne Valley with one bout to go And senior Wilson Javier did not disappoint with the rowdy road fans calling out his first name His 3-2 decision at 175 pounds helped the Indians clinch their second straight sectional title and conquer top seed Old Tappan the second-seeded Indians (21-0) became the first team in school history to repeat on top of the section “It's pretty special,” coach Todd Schroeder said They worked so hard especially in the offseason The victory sends the Indians back to the Group 3 semifinal on Friday likely as the fourth seed on the road against No None of it would have been possible without some fine work in the upper-weights the Indians rallied back with major decisions from Adam Suzay at 157 and Alexander Perez at 165 That set up a toss-up bout between Javier and Old Tappan county medalist Pierce Kupprion Tensions rose in the first period when Javier was shoved near the scorer’s table “I just wanted that back-to-back so bad,” Javier said “I've put the work in and I was waiting for this day Javier took a 3-1 lead on a reversal in the second and escape in the third then had to sweat out the ending after allowing a stall point with 1:17 to go he’s no stranger to adversity after tearing his right ACL at last year’s district tournament and reporting a few days late to training camp there is ongoing pain in his rotator cuff that keeps him heading back to physical therapy “It's good to know that everybody has your back It's not home but we still have people cheering you on That feeling of winning under the spotlight just amazes me What it meansAs good as Wayne Valley was last season it's clear that the 2025 roster has kicked things up a notch the Indians still have nothing in the loss column making them the only unbeaten public school in the state and one of two with Camden Catholic across the board The challenge opponents face is there are fewer and fewer spots to find bonus points when matching up with Schroder's lineup The Indians came into the sectional final with nine 20-match winners after having a trio of them at this same point last year only one starter in blue and white came into Wednesday with a losing record “Everyone played a part and got the job done,” Schroeder said “They wrestled as close to perfect this whole sectional tournament.” Inside the matchThe battle between the top two public schools in North Jersey proved to be a see-saw affair Old Tappan struck first with victories at 215 and 285 but Wayne Valley countered by taking five of the next seven A huge turning point came at 120 when Justin Tuhari held off Leo DeCandia The match also featured two wrestlers clinching their 100th career victories Old Tappan’s Daniel Olivo hit the milestone with a 7-2 decision at 144 and Wayne Valley’s Noah Zindaki got there with an 11-3 win over Jack Drucker at 138 “I really wanted to end it off with 100 wins and a sectional title on the same night,” Zindaki said We worked really hard all year and it shows.” Alex Orecchio (12) of Old Tappan hands off to Nicholas Rossi (22) during the football game between Northern Highlands and Old Tappan at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Bove | For NJ Advance MediaThe usual adage in football is when your team is playing two quarterbacks it’s because you don’t know if you have one The Golden Knights are playing two quarterbacks because they are both elite talents The production through two games for senior Alex Orecchio and sophomore Zachary Miceli cannot be argued Old Tappan moved to 2-0 on the season with a 44-13 win at River Dell on Friday evening “They’re both really good athletes,” Old Tappan head coach Brian Dunn said and we have to get our best kids on the field so moving them around and using them the right way is the smart thing.” Orecchio threw 1,532 yards and 21 yards as a junior in leading Old Tappan to the North 1 Not all seniors with that level of success would be comfortable giving up quarterbacks snaps to a sophomore Orecchio has been a model teammate and has been able to be used all over the field as an offensive weapon so when I get him the ball he can make plays It also takes a special talent to get on the field at quarterback with Orecchio still on the team which Miceli clearly displayed against River Dell He went 10-for-12 for 189 yards and three touchdowns Miceli not only showed off an excellent arm; his movement in the pocket looked very smooth and his eyes never dropped to the rush coming at him “Every day in practice my coaches are preparing me for scramble drills,” Miceli said my trainer coaches me for all those pocket movements with people coming out of nowhere Miceli threw a picture perfect go ball down the sideline to Ronan Malady for 42 yards The drive ended with Nick Rossi running like a bowling ball up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown his second of the game to give Old Tappan a 16-0 lead with 7:28 left in the second quarter The power running of Rossi is a great complement to the dangerous Old Tappan passing game The third score of the game for Old Tappan showed off just how dangerous Miceli and Orecchio can be together who slung a sidearm pass to Aidan Nally for a 19-yard touchdown Old Tappan forced and returned it to the River Dell 30-yard line It only took the Golden Knights two plays to score from there as Miceli hit Robert Agans for a 11-yard touchdown and a 30-0 lead “We just started a little slow from a speed and physicality standpoint,” Dunn said “I wasn’t really thrilled with ho we warmed up The kids realized they had to jack it up and that we have a legit opponent here Miceli finished off the first half with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Troy Essman River Dell dropped to 1-1 with the loss following a 42-7 win over Nutley in Week 0 Matt Bove can be reached at hssports@njadvancemedia.com Matt Morrissey of Old Tappan celebrates the win after the boys wrestling match between Pascack Valley and Old Tappan at Pascack Valley High School 2025.Mile Djordjiovski | For NJ Advance Media .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mak Ojutiku | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comTop-seeded Old Tappan defeated fourth-seeded Ramapo 39-25 in the semifinals of the NJSIAA/IBEW Local 102 North 1 Old Tappan (17-1) will face second-seeded Wayne Valley for the sectional crown on Wednesday Old Tappan won the three opening bouts and led 25-7 seven bouts in Ryan Sullivan opened the dual at 157 with a pin over Gino Gorga Nicholas Rotolo earned a 13-9 decision over Branden Causillas at 165 and Justin Morrisey earned an 8-3 decision over Jason Sansone Jack Drucker also contributed a pin to the win at 138 Jonathon Rotolo earned a 7-1 decisino over Joe Donohue at 126 Leo DeCandia outlasted Paul Tsocanos for a 10-8 decision win over 120 Andy Osorio earned a 17-7 major over Daniel Turano Matt Morrissey teched Jonah Smith 18-3 at heavyweight and Nicholas Rossi took a disqualification win over Nathan Mangino at 215 Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Sadie Murphy (22) of Old Tappan scores in the second half during the girls basketball game between Pascack Valley and Old Tappan at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Mak Ojutiku | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comSadie Murphy converted three free throws in clutch time to push fourth-seeded Old Tappan to a 48-44 win over fifth-seeded Ramapo during the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Tournament Old Tappan (13-5) will face top-seeded Saddle River Day in the final four at Fair Lawn on Saturday Murphy drained the free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in the game Camden Epstein netted a team-high 22 points for Ramapo (17-5) .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dylan McCoy | For NJ Advance MediaAnnabelle Lee scored six goals as Old Tappan won its first road game of the 2025 season Old Tappan (3-0) jumped out to an 11-2 lead at the end of the first half This was enough for the win as Pompton Lakes (0-3) would score once in the second half Charlotte Malady led all players with seven points scoring four goals and dishing out three assists Mia Derrico added four more goals and two assists for Old Tappan while Layla Dyer controlled a game-high five ground balls and Gabriella Solis all scored for Pompton Lakes it recorded 10 shots on goal and controlled 15 ground balls This marks Old Tappan’s first 3-0 start since 2014 It will attempt to remain undefeated when it travels to face Mount St This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page a 5-foot-6 sophomore quarterback came off the bench and threw a touchdown to give Old Tappan a two-score lead in an eventual championship victory and on the same field and on the same NJSIAA/Xfinity Group 3 championship stage Alex Orecchio was the hero again for the Golden Knights The senior threw a touchdown to sophomore Shane Small as part of a three-score day to lift NJ.com No 14-ranked Old Tappan to a 28-16 win over No 16 Mainland on Sunday at SHI Stadium on the campus of Rutgers University “This says that we have a lot of men and women who do a lot of work to put these kids in a good position to win,” Old Tappan head coach Brian Dunn said “We have kids who are just really committed and dedicated to each other Alex Orecchio (12) of Old Tappan catches a pass for a touchdown as defender Jake Blum (8) of Mainland slipped on the coverage during the first half of the NJSIAA Group 3 Championship football game between Old Tappan and Mainland at Rutgers Chris Faytok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Orecchio was a quarterback in his first two varsity seasons – the backup to Tommy Caracciolo in 2022 and the starter last fall – but Dunn opted to make him his do-it-all athlete in his senior campaign The Johns Hopkins commit threw the 14-yard touchdown to Small on his lone passing attempt to go with eight catches for 140 yards and a score receiving and 15 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown rushing a 19-yard punt return and four extra points on defense and special teams “I just leave it to the coaches,” Orecchio said Everyone is able to make plays and execute That’s what’s so special about this team.” Just like in the team’s state championship win over Delsea two years ago Old Tappan was tasked with having to contain a volatile Wing-T attack Mainland was the reigning Group 4 champion and carved up Ramapo in last year’s final in ridiculous 56-0 fashion The Mustangs held their own against a grueling schedule this season and even though many pieces from last year’s team had graduated their offense had long proven to be high-octane Old Tappan celebrates with the trophy after winning the NJSIAA Group 3 football final between Mainland and Old Tappan at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University in Piscataway NJ on 12/1/24.Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media Enter Old Tappan’s Joe Claus – the brains behind the Golden Knights’ defense and a known Wing-T destroyer Aside from one run – a 73-yard touchdown scamper from senior Rocco DiBiaso – Old Tappan held Mainland’s offense in check and did the terrific job defensively it had done for all but one game this season He has a great rapport with the kids and he’s a great teacher but I can’t say enough about Joe as a coach.” “He’s one of the best coaches there is if not the best coach,” added senior running back/linebacker Nick Rossi He has believed in me since I got here and I owe it all to him.” The game caps an incredible two-year run for Mainland which included a 24-4 record and video game numbers on both sides of the ball the Mustangs could very well find themselves back on this scene in 2025 “They ran the ball and did a great job of executing their game plan,” Mainland head coach Chuck Smith said of Old Tappan “They milked the clock [and] they shortened the game up They did a nice job being able to run the football when they had to and they were effective with their passing game They stole the possession to start the second half [on a fumbled pooch kick] which was big because then they scored on that with a tied ball game They took the lead and we just couldn’t get back from that.” We have a lot of kids coming back next year I don’t think anybody expected us to be in this situation this year We had a tremendous run and just came up a little short today.” The touchdown from Small wasn’t his only highlight of the game The 6-4 sophomore and younger brother of Duke freshman Jack Small compiled two sacks on Mainland’s final drive of the game to put a bow on the win Shane Small (13) of Old Tappan catches a pass for a crucial first down and is brought down by Lucas DeBiaso (33) of Mainland during the NJSIAA Group 3 football final between Mainland and Old Tappan at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University in Piscataway Could this be the blossoming of a potentially illustrious career for the Northvale native “Shane has been hurt the last couple of weeks with a high-ankle sprain,” Dunn said but he worked hard to come back and get healthy It all comes back to Old Tappan’s seniors though – the ones who had been around for both championships It’s a tiny 2025 class for the Golden Knights of just 10 kids It’s 10 kids who poured their heart and soul into the program and symbolized exactly what Dunn and his staff expect out of Old Tappan football players who wore an enormous smile below the dried-up blood on his nose and cheek Perhaps there wasn’t a more fitting end to his high school career “The kid has been spectacular for us for three years,” Dunn said of Orecchio We weren’t coming into this game without him being a huge part of what we were doing We were going down with him or winning with him no matter what.” “This has been full circle and I’m forever grateful to be a part of this program,” Orecchio added It’s an amazing coaching staff and culture To watch the complete replay of this game, click here Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com or via direct message here Kevin Minnick can be reached at kminnick@njadvancemedia.com or via direct message here Ryan Patti can be reached at rpatti@njadvancemedia.com or via direct message here