State of NJ sports association in question

Mixing state business and high school sports sounds unpalatable, but state politicians are hoping this combination will right previous wrongs by New Jersey's governing body for scholastic sports, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

After several reports of extravagant spending by the NJSIAA, there are competing schools of thought to make high school sports more solvent and end reports of years of irresponsible spending in the Garden State. While the implementation of either solution is not imminent, Senator Richard Codey (D-Essex) met Oct. 7 with Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) to discuss what will, or will not, become of the NJSIAA.

While Burzichelli appears intent on dissolving the NJSIAA altogether and introduced a bill that gathered support from both sides of the state's House of Legislature, Codey and Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) hoped to introduce a bill that would keep the high school sports association intact but governed by the State School Boards Association under the oversight of the Commissioner of Education. However, the Codey-Diegnan bill was never presented.

Although Governor Chris Christie has introduced sweeping changes targeting fiscal responsibility throughout the state, specifically education, the encouraging aspect of this is that both sides are intent on correcting things for the sake of New Jersey's student-athletes.

Either way, there will be changes in either how the NJSIAA is run or its existence altogether. Stay tuned.

Other items from around the Garden State:

2. Crazy eights for Davies, Fuller: An eight-touchdown night usually earns its own headline, relegating otherwise great performances to secondary status. Not so on Oct. 8 when Howell (Farmingdale) junior quarterback Ryan Davies slung eight touchdown tosses and Northern Valley (Old Tappan) junior signal-caller Devin Fuller accounted for eight scores (five passing, three rushing).

Davies finished 17-for-19 with 399 yards and set a Shore Conference record for scoring strikes in the Rebels' 54-19 home triumph over Middletown North. And to think this followed up a season-opening seven touchdown throws in his first varsity start against Toms River North. Through five games, Davies has thrown for 1,757 yards and 25 scores while completing 75 percent of his passes.

Fuller's performance was also awe-inspiring, upping the standards the fast-rising Division I recruit sets seemingly every time he takes the turf. He threw for five scores, ran for three more and used his legs to convert a pair of 2-point tries while accumulating 348 all-purpose yards in the No. 12-ranked Knights' 61-34 romp over Wayne Valley. Northern Valley should be 7-0 before facing its first serious test at home against potential North 1, Group 3 playoff roadblock Ramapo (Franklin Lakes) on Nov. 6.

3. Score One for Cherokee: Last week, we trumped the Cherokee (Marlton) vs Williamstown matchup as a battle of south Jersey's two best public schools. Although it was also No. 15 Williamstown's shot at redemption after a 30-21 loss in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals last fall, No. 11 Cherokee's 27-7 triumph over its West Jersey Football League American Division rival effectively stamped the Chiefs as the favorite in its bracket. Andrew Martin and Michael Zeuli produced a pair of touchdowns apiece for Cherokee, including a 22-yard scoring scramble by Martin with 10:49 remaining that left the Braves planning for a state playoff rematch.

"They outcoached and they outplayed us, there's no excuse," Williamstown coach Frank Fucetola told The Courier Post. "They beat us pretty good up front and they got into our second level. We'll have to look at the film, and make the corrections for the next time we play them."

4. Central Jersey Skids Snapped: Cardinal McCarrick (South Amboy) won its first Greater Middlesex Conference game in more than a decade by taming Metuchen, 27-21, in overtime. Meanwhile, Dunellen halted a 17-year losing streak against GMC Blue Division rival South River, improving to 3-20 all-time against its rival with a 34-7 triumph.

5. No Repeat for Ramapo's Muliawan: Nice reporting from The Record's Varsity Aces blog about Ramapo junior and defending state champion Amanda Muliawan opting not to participate in this year's state tennis singles tournament since the PSAT is scheduled for the same day as the finals. Not only does this deny Muliawan a chance at a second-straight crown, but it also eliminates any possibility of a potential state finals rematch against Tenafly's Akiko Okuda, who wrested the Bergen County Big Schools' crown away from Muliawan two weeks ago.

TOP PERFORMERS
Among last week's outstanding efforts:

* Brendan Baum, New Milford football: The Knights' senior defensive end posted nine stops, two sacks, two pass deflections and blocked a punt in a 28-18 win at Palisades Park/Leonia.

* Catherine Caro, Bridgewater-Raritan field hockey: Caro's two-goal, two-assist showing enabled the top-seeded Panthers to advance past Somerville, 4-0, in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.

* Steven Carabali and Kevin Rodriguez, Linden football: Carabali produced four sacks and Rodriguez accumulated 152 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries in a 50-7 win over Watching Hills.

* Mike Davis, Howell (Farmingdale) football: Five of the senior's six catches went for touchdowns in the Rebels' 54-19 triumph over Middletown North. He scored on hauls of 45, 60, 43, 60 and 16 yards, finishing with 230 yards total.

* Brian Dowling, Wayne Hills (Wayne) football: The Patriots' do-it-all senior rushed 24 times for 248 yards and four scores, including fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 8 and 62 yards to help his team pull away from Paramus for a 51-17 home triumph. Dowling also finished with five stops, two pass break-ups and averaged 37.3 yards on three punts.

* Juan Guido, Hawthorne boys soccer: The sophomore scored twice in an eight-minute span as the fifth-seeded Bears reached the Passaic County Tournament semifinals for the first time by blanking perennial county power Pompton Lakes, 2-0.

* Khalif Herbin, Montclair football: In a 44-43 loss to Livingston, the junior quarterback accounted for 307 all-purpose yards (192 rushing) and a career-best six touchdowns.

* Ishmil Mack, Immaculata (Somerville) football: The senior running back increased his Somerset County-leading touchdown total to 13, producing a pair of 80-yard scores while carrying 11 times for 191 yards in a 38-10 triumph over previously unbeaten Bridgewater-Raritan last Friday night before 5,000 in Somerville.

* Kevin Monangai, Seton Hall Prep (West Orange) football: The senior amassed 277 of his 326 yards and all five of his touchdowns in the second half of last Saturday's 51-27 triumph over previously unbeaten West Orange.

* Ryan Newson, Lenape Valley (Stanhope) football: Newson recorded his second three-touchdown receiving game this season, catching seven passes for 137 yards as the Patriots, who traditionally do their damage via their vaunted ground game, rolled to a 20-3 victory over Chatham.

* Vinnie Pini, Burlington Township football: Pini's all-purpose exploits included touchdowns off a 95-yard kickoff return, an 85-yard punt return and a 65-yard run.

* Pat Raletz, Winslow Township (Atco) boys soccer: A spectacular 18-save performance between the pipes by Raletz enabled a one-win Winslow Township side to scratch out a scoreless draw against Shawnee, one of the state's top sides, on Oct. 8.

* Jim Rosa, West Windsor-Plainsboro North (Plainsboro) boys cross country: The senior pulled away on the final straightaway to capture the Eastern States individual title at the 38th Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, NY, on Oct. 9. Rosa completed the 2.5-mile course in 12:28.7.

* Justin Scourzo (Phillipsburg football): By throwing for 225 yards and four touchdowns, the senior quarterback became the school's all-time leader in aerial yards (3,777) and touchdown tosses (34) as the Stateliners rolled up an all-time best point total in a 75-0 win over Montgomery.

* Avika Shah, Scotch Plains-Fanwood girls soccer: The senior forward scored twice in the second half to continue her personal mastery of Westfield, giving her team a 2-1 triumph Oct. 8. Shah's score proved the difference in Scotch Plains' 1-0 victory over its rival Sept. 16.

* Michelle Turner, Park Ridge girls soccer: She produced a hat trick against a Cresskill squad that had allowed only three goals in its 8-0 start, helping the Owls snap a two-game skid while dealing the Cougars their first loss via a 5-0 triumph Oct. 8.

* Mary Kate Walch, Cranford gymnastics: The junior won the all-around (36.225 points), vault (9.4) and floor exercise (9.25) at the ninth Cougar Classic in Cranford on Oct. 8. She also tied for second in the balance beam (9.025) and placed third in the bars (8.55).

LOOKING AHEAD
* Football - New Egypt at Allentown, Friday: Allentown has already secured its first non-losing season since the 1960s, getting off to a 5-0 start. Now the Redbirds and star senior running back Ross Scheuerman (16 touchdowns) can position themselves nicely by knocking off a Warriors squad coming off its first loss, a 39-0 defeat against Willingboro.

* Football - Bergen Catholic (Oradell) at St. Joseph Regional (Montvale), Saturday: Two-thirds of Bergen County's powerful Holy Trinity - which is led by defending national champion Don Bosco Prep - will face off once again with St. Joseph hoping to put a 35-28 loss to Ramapo in its rear view mirror. How well the Green Knights fare here will likely be contingent upon senior quarterback Christopher Andrews' ability to spread the ball around and their defense keeping BC senior quarterback Tanner McEvoy from doing the same. A loss will affect each team's quest for power points and could cost the loser a home game in its respective playoff bracket - Bergen Catholic is in Non-Public Group 4, while St. Joseph's is in the ultra-competitive Non-Public Group 3.

* Girls soccer - Greater Middlesex Conference-Shore Conference Girls Soccer Showcase, Saturday: Hosted by East Brunswick, this five-game display will feature Woodbridge-Jackson Memorial and North Brunswick-Wall Township at 2 p.m.; Monroe Township-Freehold Township and Old Bridge-Manalapan (Englishtown) at 4 p.m., and East Brunswick-Point Pleasant Boro at 5:30 p.m. East Brunswick and Freehold are both Group 4 state title contenders.

RECRUITING NEWS
Former Wayne Hills girls soccer standout midfielder Andie Lakin, a member of the ODP Region 1 team who is not playing high school ball this season, committed to Vanderbilt. ... St. Rose (Belmar) girls basketball junior point guard Kasey Chambers verbally pledged to Monmouth University according to The Asbury Park Press. ... St. Augustine Prep (Richland) senior point guard Isaiah Morton committed to Marist College on Oct. 8 according to The Press of Atlantic City, choosing the Red Foxes over East Carolina, Fordham, Northern Arizona and Western Kentucky. ... The Star-Ledger reported that Montville boys soccer midfielder J.P. Correa committed to Rutgers on Oct. 5 after originally saying he would go to Villanova. He tallied 24 goals and 13 assists in 2009. ... According to The Record, Wallington's 6-9, 275-pound offensive tackle James Pusz has begun drawing interest from Boston College, East Carolina, North Carolina State and Temple. ... Holy Spirit (Absecon) linebacker Anthony Sarao, one of the state's top five recruits, already committed to Stanford. Bergen Catholic's Shutang Mungwa also pledged to play for the Cardinal.

FALZARANO'S VIEWPOINT
For those who argue about the inequity between private and public school programs - and there has been plenty of these debates for years throughout the Garden State - we refer you to what happened last Saturday in Montvale: Ramapo 35, St. Joseph 28.

Although cases of a "David" (public) slaying a "Goliath" (private) occur infrequently on a big stage, Ramapo, a longstanding Group 3 power, offers a blueprint as to how public schools can continually succeed against their private-school brethren: strong feeder programs, terrific coaching that consistently molds student-athletes into college recruits and facilities youngsters can envision themselves playing on someday. Not to mention top-shelf academics.

Drew Gibbs has done a great job at Ramapo after taking over for New Jersey prep coaching legend Mike Miello. Local rival Wayne Hills, under venerable mentor Chris Olsen, offers another example of a public school that can compete with any program in the Garden State.

This is not to say public schools will trump private schools even half the time, because there are only but so many programs like Ramapo. As last Saturday proved, though, it can happen when a public school has a plan that extends beyond 48 minutes on game day.

BRIEFLY
Oct. 8 proved a memorable day for South Amboy boys soccer coach Tony Gonsalves and Old Bridge girls soccer coach Rob Lozzi. In his 34th season, Gonsalves reached the 300-win plateau as Brayan Carpio tallied two goals in a 5-1 victory over Piscataway Tech. Meanwhile, Old Bridge got two goals from Nicole Brennan in a 7-1 victory over Timothy Christian that got Lozzi, in his 18th year, to 200 triumphs. ... Orange supported Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink jerseys for its Oct. 8 game against Glen Ridge. Although the Tornadoes dropped a 35-25 decision, the jerseys were a classy and fashionable touch for a worthy cause. ... Notre Dame (Lawrenceville) produced its 18th straight regular-season victory after defeating Trenton Central for the 12th straight time, amassing eight sacks in a 42-6 victory over its Mercer County-rival. ... The Oakcrest (Mays Landing) girls volleyball team earned its school-record fourth victory by sweeping Pleasantville on Oct. 8. ... Speaking of Pleasantville, its boys soccer team is fielding a brand new starting 11 this season, which was at least partially responsible for the Greyhounds starting 0-6 before their 3-0 victory over Cape-Atlantic League rival Cape May Tech on Oct. 7.