1. BY DOMINICK POLLIO
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT BORO — The Point
Boro girls lacrosse team
traveled a long and tough
road this season, ending
without a victory in the win
column for the second sea-
son in a row. The funny
thing about losing, though,
is all the benefits that come
with it.
The team has grown sig-
nificantly since the begin-
ning of the season despite
what the scoreboard reads.
“I thought we were a bit
more competitive this year,”
said head coach Megan
Fritz. “The Ranney game in
overtime [and] the Jackson
Liberty loss [8-7] were
games we really didn’t see
last year.”
In the Panthers’ first
meeting with Ranney this
season, they lost by one goal
SPORTS
The Ocean Star
FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 PAGE 37
ICE HOCKEY 38
GOLF 38
BASEBALL 38
GAMES OF THE YEAR 39-42
BY DOMINICK POLLIO
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT BORO — Now that sum-
mer is here, the door has been
closed on high school sports.
Now, this does not mean that the
athletes stop playing until fall
rolls around. They take advan-
tage of the weather and work to
improve their game by partici-
pating in summer leagues.
On Monday, the Ocean Coun-
ty American Legion Baseball
league opened the summer sea-
son and on Tuesday, the Point
Boro Panthers played their sea-
son opener at home.
They hosted Toms River East
and shut them out 10-0 through
five innings of play.
It was definitely a positive
start to the season, and head
coach David Drew has a positive
outlook for the summer.
“Compared to last summer we
are hoping to have a much more
successful season than we did
last year with many returning
players to the roster, many of
whom received a varsity letter
this spring during the high school
baseball season,” Drew said. “We
have big goals this summer and
the biggest would be to be a part
of the American Legion World
Series. Even though that would
be a remarkable feat, we don’t see
any reason to take the field if
you’re not dreaming of the
biggest accomplishment the
league has to offer.”
The American Legion age
range consists of high school to
freshmen in college. According
to Drew, there is an unwritten
rule the teams in Ocean County
like to follow, which is to play
and compete against each other
with players who will be enter-
ing high school to those players
entering their senior year of
high school. This leaves the
team at a slight disadvantage
since they face teams with older
and more experienced players
when the state tournament rolls
around.
The advantage that Drew sees
is the opportunity to develop
younger talent for the high
school baseball season, and
playing against tougher compe-
tition will bring out the best. He
AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL PREVIEW
Point Boro Panthers shut out
Toms River East in five innings
Rossi pitched a
five-inning shutout
with eight strikeouts
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR
Point Boro had no problem getting the bat on the ball in Tuesday’s season-opening game against Toms River East at home. The Panthers shut out their opponent 10-0 through five innings of play.
POINT BORO GIRLS LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
Boro keeps positivity
Favato led Panther
offense with 36
goals this season
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR
Haley Hanrahan makes her way around a fallen opponent during a game against Ranney this season.
BY DOMINICK POLLIO
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT PLEASANT — The stu-
dents of both Point Pleasant
Beach High School and Point
Pleasant Borough High
School have banded together
in the hopes of achieving a
common goal.
That goal is to bring back
the Boro vs. Beach Thanks-
giving Day football game,
something that has not been
around for quite some time.
Point Boro’s Noah Husak
and Sam Livolsi put their
heads together and drafted a
petition and took to Twitter
to bring attention to the mat-
ter. The petition was set into
motion on June 8.
The petition reads as fol-
lows.
“To whom it may concern
— This is a petition involving
both Point Pleasant Beach
and Point Pleasant Borough
football teams. Over the
course of the late 20th, early
21st century the Borough and
Will tradition return?
Students: Bring
back Thanksgiving
Day rivalry game
My oh my,
what a year!
BY DOMINICK POLLIO
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT BORO — From the Battle of Point Pleasant
to division title wins, it’s been quite a year for the
local sports scene.
This week, check out a roundup of the top
games of the 2014-2015 year, starting on page 39.
SEE PANTHERS PAGE 38
SEE BORO PAGE 38
SEE RETURN PAGE 38

2. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COMPAGE 38 THE OCEAN STAR FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 SPORTS
Jim Dowd not returning as co-op team ice hockey coach
BY LEN BARDSLEY
THE OCEAN STAR
POINT BEACH — The Man-
asquan-Point Beach ice hock-
ey team is looking for a coach
… again.
Jim Dowd will not return to
the position after one year be-
hind the bench for the War-
riors.
The departure of Dowd will
leave the team looking for its
fifth coach in the last five
years.
Dowd confirmed he would
not be returning, but did not
want to talk about the situa-
tion, offering no comment.
Manasquan athletic director
Ron Kornegay said it was
Dowd’s decision to step away
from the position.
“He had some business op-
portunities he was looking at,
so it was difficult for him to
coach,’’ said Kornegay.
A job posting for an ice
hockey coach was placed on
the website
www.njschooljobs.com on
June 7.
Dowd was a high-profile
hire by Manasquan High
School.
A 17-year veteran of the
NHL, Dowd won a Stanley
Cup with the New Jersey Dev-
ils.
It was a tumultuous season
for the co-op team due to a
simple assault accusation
against Dowd that was filed by
a parent of a Manasquan play-
er who claimed Dowd kicked
his son in the back while on
the bench.
The alleged incident hap-
pened during a game at the
Jersey Shore Arena during a
home game against Red Bank
Regional.
Dowd was suspended for
three games during which the
Wall Police investigated the in-
cident; he returned to coach
the team when police decided
not to file charges.
Dowd was also cleared in
the parent’s civil suit against
him on May 21 by Wall Munic-
ipal Court Judge Joseph Defi-
no.
Dowd came to the Warriors
with plenty of energy and en-
thusiasm to coach a young
team.
He obtained locker space at
Jersey Shore Arena, giving
Manasquan-Point Beach its
first home locker room during
the regular season, and had the
room painted Warriors colors.
Despite struggling record-
wise on the ice in a very com-
petitive Shore A Central Divi-
sion, Dowd got strong support
from parents and players dur-
ing the simple assault allega-
tions.
The co-op team finished the
season with a record of 6-15
with a lineup that featured
mostly freshmen and sopho-
more players.
Since the ice hockey team is
a co-op program it allowed
students who attend Point
Pleasant Beach to play for the
Warriors since the Garnet
Gulls have no ice hockey pro-
gram.
The number of players who
played for the Warriors and at-
tended Point Pleasant Beach
spiked when Dowd was
named head coach.
The team had four players
who attended Point Beach
High School during the 2013-
2014 season and 10 last season.
Dowd also confirmed he
would not be holding his an-
nual high school all-star game.
The game, run through his
Shoot for the Stars Founda-
tion, had been a Shore Confer-
ence summer tradition.
It was scheduled for the first
Sunday in August for its 18th
game with the money raised
going to a local charity, such as
the FoodBank of Monmouth
and Ocean Counties.
hopes to see a productive sea-
son, saying, “As for our goals,
we would have to start with
the hope of winning the Ocean
County American Legion reg-
ular season title, which will
guarantee us a spot in the state
American Legion baseball
tournament. We also hope to
win the Ocean County Ameri-
can Legion Baseball double
elimination tournament at the
end of the regular season,
which doesn’t guarantee you a
spot in the state tournament,
but certainly prepares you for
elimination baseball.”
The goals do not seem too
lofty this year seeing as the
Panther team is returning a
good amount of players from
last year. Returning to the
team, all of whom have earned
a varsity letter during the
spring high school season, are
Sebastian Severio, Mike Fal-
conetti, Bill Feehan, Mark Ley-
ble, Frank Graziano, Tim
Rossi, Ryan Carne and Justin
Rafi.
“All of them are looking to
make their marks this season
as all of them are looking to
play college sports, but ulti-
mately, they want to be as
good as possible for the overall
team accomplishments and re-
alize the better the team is, the
more exposure they will have,”
Drew explained.
Rossi pitched the five-in-
ning shutout against Toms
River East and racked up eight
strikeouts while only walking
two batters. Coupled with
strong bats and RBIs from Fal-
conetti, Feehan, Severio,
Graziano and Kyle Lauria, the
Point Boro team played a well-
balanced baseball game.
“Tim, like most of the pitch-
ers we have on staff, wants the
ball every at bat, every inning,
and every game, no matter
who the opponent is or what
the situation may be,” said
Drew. “That’s what I like about
him and the whole pitching
staff we have. Tim is a great
competitor and I am extreme-
ly happy the team was able to
get him some run support to
make his job a bit easier than it
has been for him in the past.”
Severio had the big bat with
two doubles, one single and
four RBIs. The team was real-
ly seeing the ball and waiting
patiently for pitches the play-
ers could hit.
Drew says he was happy the
team was able to get the big
hits when they were needed,
as opposed to the high school
season, where they could not
consistently come up with the
big hits.
“Tonight we were capable of
making the most of our oppor-
tunities with runners in scor-
ing position and hope to build
on that all season long,” he
stated.
The Panthers will need their
bats to be strong as they are
one of the smallest schools in
the league. The defending
champion of the summer
league is Mystic Islands, which
is Pinelands High School.
Drew says he would definitely
like to beat the defending
champs, but they are not the
only squad to beat.
Teams like Toms River,
Brick or Lacey are always big
competition since they have a
lot more players at their dis-
posal. Drew also pointed out
that Manchester and Donovan
Catholic have both finished
higher than Boro during the
high school season, so if they
could get wins over those
teams, it would mean good
things come next spring.
American Legion Baseball
league is a great outlet for
these high school players to re-
ally develop their games, and
the Panthers look to have a
very promising season this
year.
Point Boro had a bye yester-
day and will play its next game
at home tomorrow morning.
They are playing Toms River
Post 129 and the game is
scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
Dominick Pollio covers sports for The
Ocean Star. He can be reached at dpol-
lio@theoceanstar.com or 732-899-7606
Ext 15. Follow him on Twitter @dompol-
lio.
Rossi off to good start
PANTHERS
FROM PAGE 37
Beach football teams devel-
oped a tradition on Thanks-
giving Day of playing a com-
petitive football game,
conceiving a healthy rivalry
that still goes on to this day.
After the 2009/2010 season,
this tradition was stripped
from not only the programs,
but also the players and fans.
This list of names represents
both the Point Borough and
Point Beach football teams
and our desire to relive the
tradition of the Thanksgiving
Day game.”
Below that paragraph are
designated signing spots for
Boro head coach Sean Henry,
Boro athletic director Chris
Ferrone, Boro principal Kurt
Karcich, Beach head coach
John Wagner and Beach ath-
letic director Ellen Magliaro.
Below those names are
lines for students or anyone
interested in signing the peti-
tion to print their name, sign
their name and write what
school they affiliate with.
“We knew Beach and Boro
kids wanted to get it started
so we thought the petition
would be a good first step,”
said Husak.
One of Husak’s friends and
Point Beach football player
Matt Zuhowski jumped at the
opportunity to get the ball
rolling on his side of town.
Husak had contacted
Zuhowski on Twitter to let
him know what they were
planning on doing and he had
no doubts about getting in-
volved.
“It’s a tradition, and
Thanksgiving around here is
not the same without the ri-
valry,” stated Zuhowski.
The left tackle and defen-
sive end recalled a time when
he was younger and the rival-
ry was still around. Accord-
ing to him, it was an exciting
event that the two towns par-
ticipated in and enjoyed thor-
oughly.
Husak also has memories
of the event as a child, saying,
“I remember going when I
was a kid because it was a
family thing. My grandpa ac-
tually used to referee the
game.”
Husak pointed out that he
feels keeping the tradition is
one of the main reasons to
bring back the game.
“I think the big thing is tra-
dition,” he explained. “We all
grew up and went to the
game as kids. We want to
continue that tradition and
live what we grew up with.”
According to Husak, in the
first two days of the petition
he has picked up between 50
and 60 signatures after circu-
lating it through his school.
On Twitter as of yesterday,
the tweet regarding the peti-
tion had 66 favorites and 48
retweets. The petition was on
its way to Point Beach, where
Zuhowski had been generat-
ing interest by word of
mouth.
Zuhowski was confident
that more names would be
added to the list, saying,
“Everyone wants to do it.
Wrestling has a great atmos-
phere and that’s a popular
event. It’s a great experience.
Everyone gets into it and it
brings the two towns togeth-
er.”
While the students make
the effort to bring attention
to their desire for the rivalry
game, a lot of other things
need to come into play for it
to become a reality.
The high school football
schedule and dynamic is a
different giant compared to
other sports. It is not easy to
just throw in an extra game
during the season like with
baseball, when teams play
more than one game a week.
And although Point Beach
football has seen strong sea-
sons these past few years, the
rivalry game used to be large-
ly one-sided, which led to a
less competitive and enter-
taining Thanksgiving Day
game.
Wagner, the Garnet Gulls
football coach, appreciates a
healthy rivalry but also rec-
ognizes how much high
school football’s time table
has shifted throughout the
years with football seasons
coming to an end closer to
the beginning of November
rather than the end. This
makes it logistically difficult
to keep the athletes engaged
for a competitive and enter-
taining Thanksgiving Day
football game.
While the rivalry game
may see a comeback, it most
likely will not be in the next
few years.
“All I’m focused on is As-
bury Park and getting the
football team prepared to
make it into the playoffs this
season,” stated Wagner.
“While a healthy rivalry
holds a lot of appeal, it is not
something that is going to fit
in the schedule as of now.”
Point Boro head football
coach Sean Henry has the
same mindset when it comes
to the rivalry game. He point-
ed out that the scheduling is
something that is out of his
hands and while he respects
Wagner and the Beach foot-
ball program, the Garnet
Gulls football team is on the
back of his mind.
“I understand where
they’re [the players] coming
from as a past Boro football
player,” he said. “But we have
nine other teams to worry
about this season and I’m
concentrated on Pinelands
right now.”
While the coaches will
keep their concentration on
this year’s schedule and their
respective season opening
games, the students of Point
Pleasant will continue circu-
lating the petition and hope
to reach out to members of
the community to gauge
more support.
In the end, though, logis-
tics will play more of a role
than anything in bringing
back a tradition from seasons
before.
Athletic directors Ferrone
and Magliaro could not be
reached for comment by
press time.
Dominick Pollio covers sports for The
Ocean Star. He can be reached at dpol-
lio@thecoaststar.com or 732-899-
7606 Ext 15. Follow him on Twitter
@dompollio.
Scheduling a game is not all that easy
RETURN
FROM PAGE 37
that came in the second half
of overtime. Senior Nicole
Favato led Point Boro and
netted seven goals and had
one assist.
Fellow senior Liz Peled
manned her station in goal
and recorded 25 saves during
that game. Ultimately the
game ended in a 13-12 loss for
Point Boro but it spoke vol-
umes to the potential level of
play the girls are capable of.
Fritz has noticed the team’s
progress and pointed out a
couple players that really
stood out this year.
Sophomore Sydnee Biel
became more proactive on
offense and had a strong
game against Manchester
with four goals. Fritz was
happy to see her become less
timid and take more chances
to score.
Another sophomore that
showed progress was Devin
Moeller, a player Fritz has
worked with in field hockey.
“She plays offense in field
hockey but I needed her
speed and aggression on de-
fense and she rose to the oc-
casion,” explained Fritz.
Moeller was an in-your-
face defender, making it diffi-
cult for opponents to navi-
gate and hang on to the ball.
Strong improvement in the
younger core of players is a
good sign for the Panthers,
who graduate four seniors
this year in Favato, Peled,
Erin Hoffman and Tori Zac-
cheo.
The four seniors laid a
strong foundation for the
younger players to emulate,
outside of securing wins.
They created an atmosphere
that promotes perseverance,
teamwork and, most impor-
tantly, fun.
“The graduating seniors
will be seriously missed,”
said Fritz. “Their love and
passion for the game is infec-
tious and really permeated
the program. They showed
the younger girls how hard
work and determination can
make a difference.”
With the team set up with
the right attitude and desire
to succeed, all that is left to
do is work hard in the offsea-
son in preparation for next
year.
Fritz has provided the team
with clinic and camp infor-
mation for local lacrosse
camps that the players can
participate in. She suggests
they try out for club teams
for experience and knowl-
edge and to basically play
lacrosse year round.
Fritz is also working to im-
prove herself as the coach of
the team.
“I’m continually learning
and growing and trying new
things as a coach to help my
players be the best they can
be,” she said. “I’m never
afraid to seek assistance and
input from other coaches and
players. Just getting them to
play year round is a huge ac-
complishment.”
The Panthers are not let-
ting this winless season cast a
shadow on the progress they
have made this year and will
utilize the offseason to im-
prove individually and as a
unit.
Dominick Pollio covers sports for The
Ocean Star. He can be reached at dpol-
lio@theoceanstar.com or 732-899-
7606 Ext 15. Follow him on Twitter
@dompollio.
Offseason work will pay off
BORO
FROM PAGE 37
THE OCEAN STAR
The Point Pleasant Boro
football and wrestling pro-
grams will hold their second
annual golf outing at Gam-
bler Ridge Golf Club, Cream
Ridge, on Monday, July 27.
The outing starts with reg-
istration at 11 a.m. with a shot-
gun start at 1 p.m. A cocktail
hour and dinner will follow
at the Elks in Point Pleasant
starting at 6:15 p.m.
Individual golfer cost is
$100; foursome cost is $400.
Individuals can purchase
tickets for just the dinner and
beverages for $35.
Features of the golf outing
include a longest drive and
closest to the pin contest, a
hole-in-one contest and mul-
ligans for purchase. The golf
outing is made possible
through the sponsorship of
the Point Pleasant Wrestling
Club.
Money raised from the golf
outing will assist in purchas-
ing equipment for the teams.
For more details regarding
the golf outing or for a
brochure, call Sean Henry at
908-489-4992 or email him at
shenry@pointpleasant.k12.nj.
us.
Those interested can also
contact Pat Brady by phone
at 732-773-4532 or by email at
pbrady@pointpleasant.k12.nj.
us.
For more information, visit
Pt. Boro Football and
Wrestling on Facebook.
Annual golf
outing set
for July 27

3. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 THE OCEAN STAR PAGE 39SPORTS
T h e
a t m o s -
p h e r e
w a s
electric
and the
s t a n d -
i n g -
r o o m -
o n l y
Memori-
al Middle School gymnasi-
um provided a wrestling
match that will not be for-
gotten for years to come.
Point Boro vs. Point Beach:
a crosstown rivalry and
town-wide spectacle that
everyone enjoyed.
The Panthers got off to a
good start with a win in the
132-pound weight class and
the first bout of the rivalry
match.
Point Beach was not go-
ing down easy, though, and
won the next six bouts.
After Garnet Gull Jake
Fioretti wowed the crowd
with big takedowns of his
opponent in the 182-pound
weight class, he secured a
victory by technical fall,
giving Point Beach a com-
manding, 29-3 lead.
In a bout that no one
predicted, Boro freshman
Gabriel Fattizzi ripped the
momentum out from under
the Gulls’ wings.
“Fattizzi was the one.
That was the match that
sparked us right away,”
graduating senior Dan
Nobbs said after the match
that night.
Fattizzi pinned his oppo-
nent after falling behind 2-
0 in the first period, and
the Panther Pit roared
louder than ever before.
After giving up one more
bout by decision, Point
Boro won the next four to
bring the deficit to 32-28
with only one match to go.
The battle was in the
hands of Nobbs in the 126-
pound weight class, and he
could not settle for a win
by decision or major deci-
sion.
It took Nobbs all of 46
seconds to pin his oppo-
nent and complete the dra-
matic comeback at home.
The classic sporting events
Boro Panthers win the
Battle of Point Pleasant
The Gulls
won their third
Class B Central
Division Title
this year after
defeating the
Henry Hudson
Admirals at
home, 65-37. It
is the third sea-
son in a row
they have sat atop the Class B Cen-
tral division.
Point Beach seniors Jesse Hill
and Ryan Sheehan led the charge
with 12 points apiece. Teammates
Trevor Covey and Mike Rice each
added 11 to the total.
The 2014-2015 high school sports seasons were full of thrilling games. With Point Boro coming
back from behind to claim the Battle of Point Pleasant and Point Beach girls tennis winning the first
doubles title at the Ocean County Tournament, there was plenty excitement for everyone this year.
2
GAME OF THE YEAR
Gulls win third B-Central title in a row
1
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR [ABOVE, LEFT & RIGHT]
MORGAN CAMPBELL THE OCEAN STAR [ABOVE]
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR

4. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COMPAGE 40 THE OCEAN STAR FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 SPORTS
Boro cross country wins B South
T h e
Point Boro
boys cross
c o u n t r y
squad se-
cured the
t e a m ’ s
f o u r t h
straight di-
vision title
this year.
They ran against both
Lakewood and Pinelands
high schools to claim the B
South division.
The Panthers won the race
with ease, with a 15-43 result
over Pinelands and 17-48 final
score versus Lakewood.
The Panthers were heavily
favored to win against both
teams.
They took five of the top
six places.
Joe Busichio took first
[16:38], Kameron O’Leary
second [16:40], Dylan Peters
third [16:54], Cortlandt Dalik
fifth [18:02] and Matt
Schwartz sixth [18:03].
Point Pleasant Borough
head cross country coach
Kevin Conheeney is pleased
this year’s team was able to
continue the Panthers’ win-
ning ways.
“We have a really good
group of leaders that formu-
lated a winning tradition here
at Point Boro,” Conheeney
said after winning the title.
“All the kids buy into it and
everyone likes to win. When
we put the work in we want
to get the results. I try to rein-
force to the team how impor-
tant training is and staying
healthy.”
The Point
Boro boys soc-
cer team
clinched the B
South title at
home this sea-
son.
The team
defeated Lake-
wood High
School at
home 4-1 during the Panthers’
senior night.
Goalie Gabe Pesante began
the game up top and scored the
first goal. Teammates Ryan Re-
mondelli, Jake Woodring and
Sam Monaco each added a goal
of their own in the win.
The win marked the 12th win
a row for the Panthers, and
they didn’t stop there.
The team went on to make
the streak 13 with a win over
Manchester.
The 4-1 road win saw all four
goals scored in the first half of
the game. Quin Hornish, Alex
Stupar, Harry VanWagenen
and Woodring each scored a
goal.
The Panthers saw more suc-
cess the rest of the season, as
well. They made it through the
preliminary round of the Shore
Conference Tournament with a
1-0 win over St. Rose. They
were knocked out of the tour-
nament by St. John Vianney.
They also earned the top
seed in the CJ Group II tourna-
ment. They won the first round
over Raritan 3-0 and the next
over North Plainfield 3-0, put-
ting them in the semifinal
round for the first time since
2009.
They lost the semifinal game
against Governor Livingston 2-
1 in overtime.
Panther soccer clinches
division on senior night
3
4
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR

5. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 THE OCEAN STAR PAGE 41SPORTS
The Point
Beach duo of
Molly Laterza
and Chloe
Johnson know
what it takes
to win.
During this
year’s Ocean
County Tour-
nament, the pair won the dou-
bles title as the second-seeded
team.
The two had a troubled road to
the finals, which included play-
ing a talented Donovan Catholic
team of Angelica Merone and
Sara Hohwald, the third seed.
The Gulls won 6-4, 6-2 earlier
this season when they played the
Donovan Catholic team and won
6-4, 6-3 in the Ocean County
Tournament.
When the Gulls went on to
play in the finals, they went up
against a tough Toms River
North duo of Isabella Siercho
and Carly Cabey.
The first set was extremely
close. The score went all the way
to deuce multiple times before a
point was scored.
After winning the first set in a
nail-biter, Johnson and Laterza
jumped ahead in the second set
and the Toms River North team
started to fold. The last point was
hit into the net and instantly,
Johnson and Laterza looked at
each other in surprise.
“We have been working hard
this season and it didn’t seem
real we won it. We are still get-
ting used to people saying con-
gratulations,” Johnson said about
winning the title. “We just played
our best and were happy to be
there. It was extra to win.”
The win was special for Lat-
erza, who had missed out on the
tournament the year before.
“I was upset I couldn’t be with
Chloe last year, but I believe it
pushed me to go harder this sea-
son and make up for lost time,”
Laterza said.
Laterza, Johnson
win doubles title
Vail-Stein, Zabelski first at Ocean Relays
Panthers lacrosse
gets first varsity win
The Ocean
County Relays al-
ways bring to-
gether some of
the toughest
competitors from
schools through-
out the county,
making for close
races, throws and
jumps.
During the spring relays this year, Point
Boro athletes Nick Vail-Stein and Megan
Zabelski cashed in first-place finishes.
Vail-Stein competed in the pole vault
event and cleared a height of 12-06 to tie for
first. Teammates Joshua Schlanger and Har-
ry VanWagenen took fifth after clearing 11-
06.
Collectively, the pole vault team was six
inches shy of tying the meet record.
“These guys had an amazing day collec-
tively, and will certainly boost their confi-
dence as we progress into the champi-
onship season,” said boys coach Mike
Colonna. “These guys are one of the most
deserving groups to walk away with a first-
place finish, and had the mojo on Friday.”
Pole vault coach Robert Dikun was also
proud of their performance in not-so-ideal
conditions.
“They jumped really well in pretty bad
conditions. It was cold and it was windy,” he
explained. “I’m looking forward to them
beating their own expectations and getting
a little bit higher of a jump.”
Vail-Stein ended up finishing the season
strong at the Meet of Champions with a
new personal record of 13-06. He earned the
opportunity to compete at the Meet of
Champions after placing fifth at the Group
II Championships in the pole vault event.
There, he cleared 13-00, a personal record at
the time of the competition.
Also at the Ocean County Relays was
Zabelski, who took first place in the high
jump for the girls.
She sat atop the competition in first
place, clearing 5-00.
Teammates Robin Fiorentino and Kristi
Lennon both jumped over 4-06 to tie for
sixth with jumpers from Barnegat and
Southern in the same event. All three
earned points for the Panthers.
Like Vail-Stein, Zabelski ended her sea-
son at the Meet of Champions after taking
fifth in the high jump at the Group II Cham-
pionships. She finished her day at the Meet
of Champions clearing a height of 5-02.
5
It is extremely tough to start a
new program for a sport that not
many people know too much
about.
Although the task was daunting,
Point Boro boys lacrosse head
coach Guy Lassen was not going to
let that stop him.
The team earned its first win as a
varsity team when it hosted Long
Branch. The Panthers pulled out a
4-1 win in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
“Hopefully this is the first of many wins,” Lassen had
said with a smile after the game.
Long Branch was the first to strike in the game with
a goal five minutes into the first quarter.
The Panthers were not phased by the early goal and
slowly started gaining momentum. This led to a goal
from junior Darian Healy with 58 seconds left in the
first quarter.
Boro gained its first lead in the second quarter off a
goal from Cullen Zawcki and the first half closed with
the Panthers up 2-1.
In the second half, the offense added two more goals.
Healy added another goal to his total and Kyler Rossi
netted one of his own in the third quarter.
The defense remained resolute through the final 12-
minute quarter and kept Long Branch to only one goal.
“I’m happy that we finally got a win,” said Healy.
“It’ll show the other teams out there that we are here
to stay.”
Point Boro finished the season with three wins.
7
6
COURTESY OF EILEEN FLARITY LATERZA
DOMINICK POLLIO THE OCEAN STAR
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR

6. WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COMPAGE 42 THE OCEAN STAR FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 SPORTS
The name
Dan Nobbs is
one that teams
throughout the
state instantly
recognize, es-
pecially when
in regard to the
wrestling mat.
A formidable
and model
wrestler for
Point Boro, the senior won his third Dis-
trict 23 title, this time in the 126-pound
weight class. Nobbs’ other two titles were
both in the 120-pound weight class in 2012
and 2014.
Nobbs entered the tournament with the
top seed in his weight class, making him
the man to beat. He navigated through the
bracket well, defeating his first opponent
with a pin in 27 seconds and his second
opponent with a pin at the one-minute
mark. In the final bout for his weight class,
Nobbs had a tough opponent in Nick Wag-
ner of Wall.
Nobbs persevered and took the victory
by decision, punching his ticket to the
quarterfinal round of the Region 6 Tour-
nament held at the Pine Belt Arena in
Toms River.
Nobbs was the only Panther to claim a
District 23 title this year.
Mimi Leturgez is
sectional champ
Nobbs is back-to-back District 23 champ
In an impressive performance for the
Point Boro girls track and field team,
freshman Mimi Leturgez jumped above
the competition to finish first in the high
jump at this year’s sectional champi-
onship.
She cleared 5-00 on her first try, beating
out teammate Megan Zabelski and com-
petitor Caroline Buczynski from Arthur L.
Johnson High School, who also cleared 5-
00 but in more jumps than Leturgez.
She was surprised at her performance since she came late
to the meet after a soccer game, saying, “I wasn’t prepared or
warmed up or anything, but I ended up clearing all of my
jumps in one try compared to the other two. It was a big
shock for me because it was the first time I had ever cleared
five foot on the first try.”
Leturgez finished her freshman season at the Group II
Championships but did not place for the Meet of Champions.
Giordano defends his county titlePoint Pleasant Beach High
School senior tennis player
Gerard Giordano won the
Ocean County Tournament
first singles title for the second
year in a row.
Giordano went into the tour-
nament seeded No. 2 and pro-
ceeded to defeat all of his
opponents in two sets.
His journey started with a
match against Lakewood’s
Irving Sanchez, who was seeded at 15. Giordano
took the first-round win in two shutout sets.
In the quarterfinal round, he faced a tougher
opponent in Nick Prestera from Barnegat.
Prestera held the seven seed but Giordano won
the match in two sets.
The first set proved competitive, and Gior-
dano eventually won 6-4. The second set was
much stronger and he won 6-0.
On the second day of the tournament, he had
to face third-seeded Brandon Gildea of South-
ern. Giordano remained a force on the court,
defeating Gildea in two sets, 6-1 and 6-1.
The final round ended up a classic one-seed
versus two-seed match as Giordano went up
against Boyle. Earlier in the season Giordano
had lost to Boyle, but the outcome was a bit dif-
ferent this time. He defeated Boyle 6-4 in the
first set and 6-2 in the next.
“It felt really great to win it again,” said Gior-
dano. “Going into the season you always set
goals for yourself, and that was a really big goal
for myself to win that.”
9
10
8
RYAN MAYER THE OCEAN STAR
DOMINICK POLLIO THE OCEAN STAR
STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR
DOMINICK POLLIO THE OCEAN STAR