Sunday, March 14, 2010
Dodgers' 21-win season has young team thinking big in 2010-11.
The Madison High School boys basketball team got its first taste of the "contender" label during the 2009-10 season. They expect that label to stick heading in to next year. After a stunningly successful campaign keyed by a junior-dominated lineup, the Dodgers will use this offseason to dream of future glory. And they'll return to the court in November with suddenly-great expectations for a worthy follow up to this year's 21-4 record."We're definitely proud of our season," said head coach Bill Librera. "But we feel like we have more work to do."The Dodgers won the inaugural Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference-Independence Division championship (Madison finished 11-1, one game ahead of Hanover Park), a holiday tournament title, and the …
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Cinderella Dodgers fall just short of playing for state championship.
MORRISTOWN – As with any long playoff run, the Madison High School ice hockey team needed a few bounces to go its way to get this close to playing for a state championship.But Wednesday night at Mennen Arena, the Dodgers' magic finally ran out, and they were eliminated by No. 8 seed West Essex, 2-0, in the semifinals of the NJSIAA Public B tournament. It was a tense, hard-fought, defensive clinic that saw West Essex grab an early second-period lead and withstand Madison's offensive pressure. The Dodgers had opportunities to score on West Essex goalie Mike Cuozzo on a number of rebounds, but Cuozzo stood strong, stopping all 22 shots he faced. "It could have went either way," said Madison coach Dave Hansen. "If we had gotten the first …
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Madison ice hockey upsets Chatham behind Perry's 33 saves, advance in Public B.
MORRISTOWN – After 45 minutes of sublime goaltending, it was fitting that the Madison High School's ice hockey team celebrated the biggest win in program history by heading straight for Grant Perry after the buzzer.The freshman netminder stopped 33 shots as the Dodgers, the No. 21 seed, shocked No. 4 Chatham, 3-2, Sunday afternoon in the NJSIAA Public B quarterfinal round at Mennen Arena. "It still hasn't sunk in yet," Perry said. "Madison has never won a state playoff game before this year, and to win three in a row now, it feels great."Madison (17-5-2) advances to the state semifinals against eighth-seeded West Essex, Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at Mennen Arena.It was a victory that could not have been scripted any better: 48 hours earlier…
Dodgers' 152-pounder had a tremendous season.
Christian Mazzocchi had gotten a good night's sleep, loosened up, and with ten minutes until match time, he paced behind the bleachers on the far side of Boardwalk Hall among the other wrestlers. Ten minutes turned into twenty. Twenty turned to thirty. He nodded his head. He stretched his arms. He wasn't nervous. He was ready. Mazzocchi, a senior, was Madison High School's lone entry Saturday in the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City. He made a name for himself in the 152-pound weight class on Friday when he he pinned his first opponent in 1:20. In the next match, Mazzocchi upped the ante by pinning Collingswood's Brian Hairston in a mere 0:39 seconds. His teammate, sophomore Patsy Davis, was eliminated Friday in the …
Saturday, March 6, 2010
152-pounder pins both of his opponents on Friday night.
The New Jersey State Wrestling Tournament began on Friday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Madison sent two wrestlers to the state championship tournament this year: sophomore Patsy Davis at 103 pounds and senior Christian Mazzocchi at 152 pounds. Davis was eliminated in his preliminary round fight, but Mazzocchi won both of his matches Friday night with pins, advancing to the quarterfinals. "People don't expect me to place, but I think I can," said Mazzocchi before his second match. "When you get down here, anything can happen… he has got the one punch capability," said Madison head coach Steve Healey of Mazzocchi's ability to pin an opponent at any time. That one punch capability was made apparent twice on Friday night: first in…
One Dodger disqualified, unavailable for Sunday's NJSIAA tournament game.
MORRISTOWN – The Madison ice hockey team's storybook season took an abrupt turn Friday night.The Dodgers were thoroughly beaten, 8-0, by West Morris in the Haas Cup final at Mennen Arena. Making matters worse, four Madison players were kicked off the ice in the third period–three following an ugly brawl in front of the Madison goal. At a team meeting Saturday morning, Madison coach Dave Hansen and assistant Joe Swanson decided to allow their team to play Sunday's 4 p.m. NJSIAA Public B quarterfinal against Chatham at Mennen Arena."It's up in the air," Swanson said Friday night. "We had a disqualification, and we haven't decided whether or not to suspend the kids who were thrown out. If we do, having enough players for Sunday would be a …
Friday, March 5, 2010
Meister's 16 not enough for Madison, which finishes season 21-4.
MADISON – The momentum had shifted back to Madison. Aaron Fant had just stepped into a passing lane, completing the steal and a perfect layup to pull the Dodgers within 40-37 with four minutes to play.Everything was set up for a frantic finish in front of a pumped-up crowd. But it never materialized.Newark Tech freshman Jared Hall–who had missed his first 10 3-point attempts–finally connected from long range on the Terriers' next possession. The Dodgers would never get closer, and eighth-seeded Newark Tech eliminated top-seeded Madison, 50-41, Thursday night in the NJSIAA North 2, Group II quarterfinals at Madison High School."We got it within three, and then they went on another little run," said Madison coach Bill Librera. "That gave …
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Thursday, March 4, 2010
Dodgers upend Bernards, 5-1, behind Perry's hat trick.
MORRISTOWN – Junior forward Lou Cecala said that perhaps the Madison High School hockey team took 28th-seeded Bernards too lightly prior to the teams' NJSIAA Public B second-round game Wednesday afternoon.It certainly appeared that way for about the first period and a half. But the Dodgers the game's final four goals to cruise to a 5-1 win over the Mountaineers at Mennen Arena. Brett Perry (three goals) and Cecala accounted for all the scoring for Madison, who extended their unbeaten streak to eight games. Freshman goalie Grant Perry stopped 23 shots."We knew we came off a big win against Mahwah (in the first round of the tournament)," Cecala said. "We weren't cocky, but I think we were semi-overlooking them. It's the wrong mentality to …
New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year looking forward to Duke and beyond.
It wasn't a surprise to Madison High School boys soccer coach Gary Adair when Jon Aguirre was named the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year last week. "You see good players with skill and ability, which he has has obviously got, but there are very few who can grab the game by the neck," Adair said. "That would be what stands out to me." That ability helped the Dodgers take their first Morris County Tournament championship in school history. It was a banner year for the program as well as its star player, although it wasn't always so easy. Both Aguirre and Adair said their relationship has evolved from tougher times earlier in midfielder's career. However, as Aguirre gets set for graduation and the next level, they have a solid …
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dodgers overcome first-quarter frustrations to advance to North 2, Group II quarterfinals.
MADISON – Last year's Madison High School boys basketball team, fresh off its run to the Morris County final, didn't even make it out of the starting gate in the North 2, Group II state tournament, and lost by a comfortable margin to Orange in the first round. In Tuesday night's North 2, Group II first-round game, the top-seeded Dodgers found themselves again stuck in neutral early–they trailed 16th-seeded Parsippany, 12-3, midway through the second quarter. "We didn't come out ready to play," said Madison coach Bill Librera. "We were so excited for the moment, that we didn't execute in the moment."But there would be no repeat early exit. Junior guard Aaron Fant totaled 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists to lead the …
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170 Ridgedale Ave
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60565
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