Tag: Pingry

by Mike Pavlichko

Playoff update: Girls’ Basketball Non-Public Sections

Central Jersey Sports Radio continues its breakdown of playoff sections with Saturday’s NJSIAA cutoff fast approaching. Here’s a section-by-section look based on official standings available on NJ.com as of 11 pm Monday:

Non-Public South B: This could come down to the wire, as Rutgers Prep (15-1) sits in first with 417 points, just eight ahead of Wildwood Catholic (16-4, 409 points.) But those are the only two teams in the same realm of power points, as St. Rose of Belmar in third has only 315 points, trailing by 94. This one could come down to residuals for the Argonauts, and Sunday’s game against statewide No. 1 St. John Vianney won’t count – it’s after the Saturday NJSIAA cutoff. Calvary Christian (12-2) out of the GMC Gold is fifth at 269, with Timothy Christian (6-7, 164) in 10th.

Non-Public South A: It’s St. John Vianney leading the pack here by a wide margin, 19-0 with a whopping 501 power points, 99 ahead of Paul VI (15-3, 402). Red Bank Catholic (18-3, 392) is next, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (14-3, 366). It’s unlikely they could make up enough ground, which sets up a potential matchup with SJV in the sectional semis. It’s no better for fifth=-place Immaculata (11-7, 334), as the winner of that potential 5/4 quarterfinal game would get the Lady Lancers in the semis. Mount St. Mary (10-5, 301) would get them in the quarters if they hold in eighth place. Mother Seton (2-5, 72) brings up the rear.

Non-Public North B: The only real threat here is Gill St. Bernard’s, which is 11-3 with 289 points and sitting in 5th. Even though two of their 13 games are losses, even a couple of wins probably aren’t enough to propel them into third (currently held by Montclair Immaculate at 13-4, 345 points) and away from top-seed Saddle River Day (16-1, 486 points) until the sectional finals. Also in this section: Wardlaw-Hartridge (1-12, 89) in 12th.

Non-Public North A: The only area team here is Pingry, which is 6-10 with 209 points, and sitting ninth in the standings. The Big Blue could edge up into the top eight and even the top seven if they play their cards right. Top seven would avert an early matchup with top-seed Immaculate Heart (16-4, 399 points).

by Mike Pavlichko

Playoff Update: Boys’ Basketball Non-Public Sections

All this week, Central Jersey Sports Radio will take a look at playoff projections for Greater Middlesex Conference and Somerset County teams. Here’s a look at the Non-Public sections on the boys’ side, using the NJSIAA’s official standings available on NJ.com as of 11 pm Monday:

Non-Public South A: It’s not going out on a limb to say all the non-public sections are tough, but this one is a bear even for the local teams at the top. It says something when St. Augustine – the only undefeated team left in New Jersey – is only sixth in the section. Red Bank Catholic (17-3) leads the section with 475 points, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (20-1), with 457 points. Can the Trojans get a top seed? It would be difficult. The NJSIAA this year counts the best 13 games on a team’s schedule for power points. Right now their lowest power point value is 25, which means they would have to earn more than 25 points in a game between now and Saturday. Sayreville Tuesday is a 25 point game, and won’t move the needle much. But a win over Gill St. Bernard’s might. They’re a Group 1, so a win would get them 7, and their residuals would get them likely 35 points for a total of 42. Add 17 to their total and you get 472. But if Gill sneaks another game onto the schedule somewhere, they could hit 475. Ah, intrigue! Rutgers Prep is third, right behind the Trojans, at 16-1 with 424 points. St. Joseph-Metuchen (14-4) is in fifth, 15 behind Christian Brothers, and 4 points ahead of St. Augustine. They could make a move into the top four, for sure. Immaculata (7-11, 253 points) is 11th, while Pingry (7-5, 186) is in 13th.

Non-Public North B: This is where the third-ranked team in the state sits fourth in the standings. That’s how tough a section this is. Gill St. Bernard’s (11-5) is that fourth place team, with 365 points. They certainly could gain when you consider the “top 13” rule. Since they’ve only won 11 games, any win would likely boost their power points by a significant amount, because their power points include 11 wins and 2 losses as their best 13 games. On the schedule: Hillsborough on Wednesday at Aquinas – with its 20 wins – Saturday night at 7:45 on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Even a win over Hillsborough should make up the four points they would need to pass third-place Morris Catholic (15-2, 368), and they may even have a longshot at second, which is held by Saddle River Day (14-2, 402). Moving to second or third avoids seeing top team Roselle Catholic until a potential North B Final, which would be at their place. The Rams are 17-2 with 473 points, uncatchable at this point. Also in this section, GMC Gold leader Timothy Christian (12-4, 256) is 7th, with Wardlaw-Hartridge (9-4, 213) in 9th.

Non-Public South B: The only area team in this section is GMC Gold Division team Calvary Christian of Old Bridge, which is 11-4 with 213 points, good for eighth out of 14 teams. They are just four points behind Wildwood Catholic (8-9, 217), and moving up just one spot would keep them away from likely top-seed Trenton Catholic (11-4, 363).

by Mike Pavlichko

Eight teams, four games, one day: Bound Brook hosts Skyland-GMC Coaches vs. Coronavirus showcase

Starting anything outside the confines of a pandemic is challenging enough, but doing so in the midst of one is hit or miss.

And so it went last year with what should have Bound Brook head coach Anthony Melesurgo’s inaugural Coaches vs. Coronavirus showcase, a fundraising event meant to raise money for those hit hard by the the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year? He again got plenty of interest, and the fates have smiled on the event, at least for the participants.

Though cases continue to surge in New Jersey – and across the U.S. – spurred by the omicron variant, all eight teams are healthy enough to play in today’s event, including the Crusaders, who are coming off a two-week layoff and only got back onto the practice floor as a group yesterday.

Scroll down for previews and notes on today’s games.

Click below to hear organizer and Bound Brook head coach Anthony Melesurgo talk about the event with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Skyland vs. GMC Coaches vs. Coronavirus Schedule
Saturday, January 8 – Bound Brook High School

Dunellen vs. South Hunterdon, 12 pm
South Plainfield vs. Pingry, 2 pm
Franklin vs. Timothy Christian, 4 pm*
Bound Brook vs. Middlesex*

*games broadcast live on Central Jersey Sports Radio; click here to listen

READ MORE:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rick Mantz talks facilities, academics, and his plans for Pingry

He says his golf game isn’t going so well, and he misses coaching football.

But really, anyone who knows Rick Mantz couldn’t have expected him to be gone from the sidelines for very long.

Mantz – who had perhaps his greatest success as the head coach of Hillsborough, but also turned around South Brunswick’s program and coached for a spell at Passaic – will be back on the sidelines after spending three years at Rutgers as high school relations coordinator, hired earlier this week as the new head coach at Pingry.

The Big Blue have been playing a mostly prep school schedule since 2017, when it left the now-defunct football version of the Skyland Conference.

And while Mantz says there’s no immediate plans to change that, he also believes there’s no reason Pingry – with what he says are top notch facilities and academics – can’t compete with schools like Morris Catholic, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Bishop Ahr and Immaculata, its nearest non-public competitors, geographically-speaking.

Click below to hear Rick Mantz talk about his plans for the Big Blue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: