Winter Sports: Season Preview

Although young, the team looks to be a Somerset County favorite this season. The talented squad was designated #11 in pre-season rankings by The Star Ledger. Key returning players include seniors Michael Morreale (forward) and Evan Storch (guard); juniors Scott Begane (forward), TJ Chaney (guard), Alex Schachne (point-guard) and John Yoss (guard), and sophomore Paul Mulcahy (guard). Two juniors new to GSB, Brad Bundschuh (center) and Will Yarbrough (guard), will give the team more depth this season.

 

Early on, the boys travel to face conference foes Rutgers Prep and Ridge. The strength of schedule only increases as the season unfolds, with games against nationally-ranked programs, including St. Anthony's, Our Savior New American and Oak Hill Academy.

 

In the first game of the season, the Knights traveled to Skyland-conference crossover opponent, North Hunterdon, and outscored the Lions 125-64. Mulcahy scored a career high 25 points, while Bundschuh and Schachne each recorded 19 points. Yarbrough scored 17 and Storch had a career high 15 points. Morreale and Will Soucie '20 each added 10 points.

 

This relatively young team garnered a top 10 pre-season ranking from The Star Ledger. This season, the squad will look to UMass-bound senior center Alexia Allesch to lead the way. In addition, senior forwards Emma Dean, Kat Howard and Nyla Mulcahy will bolster the team with experience and depth. Other important contributors to the team’s success will be junior Ariel White (center), sophomores Sydnei Caldwell (guard), Nisani Santiago (the team’s starting point guard), and freshmen Isabello Lalo (point guard) and Devyn Scott (forward). Several returning players will also add depth and experience to the program this year: sophomore forwards Emma Fetrow, Gillian Fritzlo and Hayley Goldin.

 

The girls’ schedule this season is among the toughest in the state. Early season games against Rutgers Prep, Phillipsburg and Franklin will test this young team. As the season unfolds, the Knights will be traveling to play tri-state-area-ranked Ossining, Paul VI, Lodi Immaculate, McDonough MD, Staten Island Academy and Red Bank Catholic.

 

On opening night, the girls played North Hunterdon at home and fell short with a 34-43 loss. North Hunterdon’s defense proved a challenge for the Knights and the low scoring game was the evidence of that. The turnovers that were caused by the constant full court pressure did not allow Gill to find its rhythm or control the game. Allesch was the high scorer for the Knights, with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Mulcahy chipped in seven, Santiago added six and Dean added four. The team rebounded from the upset with a 58-4 1 win over Phillipsburg on December 19. 

 

The fencing team can look to its strong core of seniors, led by sabre-specialist Landon Braemer, Patrick Reilly (epee) and Luke Solondz (sabre). Rounding out the squad will be sophomores Nick Bhimani (epee), Barrett Reep (epee) and Mark Rusas (sabre).

 

On the girls’ team, the squad will look to senior Mary Fran Howard in foil competition, sophomore Brianna Moglianesi in epee and sophomore Edie Brazil in sabre.

 

Both teams recently competed in the Somerset County Championships at Bernards High. The men’s epee team of Bhimani, Reep and Reilly took fourth overall. In individual competition, Braemer took seventh in sabre.

Knights hockey has entered into a cooperative agreement with Immaculata High School for the 2016-17 season, which has given a jolt to the program. Key returners this year are seniors Nate Chrystal, ennifer Lowe, Issac Ling and Grayson Valentine, junior Tyler Schrecengost, and sophomore Mark Lewis. After a somewhat slow start, the team has begun to make gains in the last few games. The goal-keeping tandem of Mark Lewis '19 and Graham Valentine '17 has been very adept at stopping the puck. Freshmen Edward McCarthy, Samantha Lowe and Jamie Pila have been contributing from the outset.

 

As the indoor track season heats up, the Knights look to key returners to help build a season. On the boys' side, the throwing program looks to senior CJ Licata, who is poised for strong showing this year after a very successful campaign last spring. Fellow seniors Mark Giordano and Will Dadouris will bolster the team’s throwing program. On the girls’ side, senior Erica Phiansunthon will be the lone thrower.

 

The boys distance team is led by senior Matt Petit and junior Bobby D’Angelo, and the girls are led by junior Nicole Johnson. The first meet in the Somerset County Championship is scheduled for December 28 at Lehigh University.

 

With 24 members, this season’s swim team is the largest in the program’s history—boding well for the future of the sport at Gill. The Knights dropped their opening meet in a tough-fought match against Union Catholic, 117-53. Highlights of the meet included a win in the 200-medley relay from the team of Robert Brandl '20, Adrian Meyers-Massuet '20, Rebecca Michaels '20 and Preston Reep ’'9, with a time of 1:59.51. The other Knights victory came in the 100m backstroke as Michaels touched the wall first with a time of 1:07.81. In addition to the two first-place wins, sophomore Christian Ernst placed second in the 50 free with a time of 26.44, only four seconds off the top speed. In the butterfly, Michaels and Preston finished second and third, with times of 1:07.75 and 1:07.85, respectively.

 

On December 12, the team lost to Newark Academy, but bright spots were evident, including two second-place finishes for freshman Adrian Meyers-Massuet: the 100m freestyle and 100m breaststroke and a second-place finish for Michaels in the 100m backstroke. Freshman Robert Brandl placed second in the 500m freestyle to close out the evening. The team looks to its next challenge at the Pirate Invitational on January 7 at West-Windsor Plainsboro South.