Top-seeded Mount St. Dominic seeks a record 11th championship at the 46th E.C.T.

The 46th Essex County Softball Tournament (ECT) is ready to go.

Mount St. Dominic is the top seed, and will seek a record 11th crown in 2024.

Currently, the Lions and Caldwell High have each won 10 championships. Both schools also claimed a ‘three-peat’, in the tourney. Caldwell won three straight from 1986-1988, and MSDA did it from 2019-2022. (There was no tournament played in 2020).

Cedar Grove, seeded third, is the defending champion, and has won six overall titles, while Livingston, the second seed, which last won the crown 11 years ago, has five county trophies.

Columbia, the fifth seed, will seek a first-ever ECT crown, to add to a state sectional championship it won in 2023. Rounding out the top eight seeds are fourth-seeded Caldwell, sixth-seeded Montclair, seventh-seeded West Essex and Verona, the eighth seed.

The semifinals and finals will once again be played at Ivy Hill Park, on the campus of Seton Hall University, with the semis on May 17, and the finals the following evening. The semis and finals have been played there since 2005.

Ivy Hill Park has been the host for the ECT semis and finals since 2005.

There have been some dominant performances in the ECT.

Mount St. Dominic had won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015, winning both championships in five innings, or less. Livingston had won the previous two crowns in 2012 and 2013, and the Lancers, at one point, had gone 48-1 against Essex County teams from 2012-2014. Mount St. Dominic and Cedar Grove have had similar dominant successes in the Super Essex Conference, and ultimately the ECT, from 2014-2022.

Cedar Grove and Livingston also appeared in the prestigious Tournament of Champions final, in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Ironically, neither school won the county title in ’19 and ’21. Just goes to show how difficult the ECT can be.

There have been some upsets along the way in the tournament.

In 2012, Newark Academy came from a double-digit seed to stun defending champion Nutley in the first round. The Minutemen, coached then by Sergio Rodriguez, made it to the semifinals, before losing to Mount St. Dominic. (Rodriguez is now the very successful head coach at Hanover Park. He led that program to a state championship and appearance in the now defunct Tournament of Champions).

In 2018, Newark Academy also made it to the semifinals, including an upset of West Essex in the quarters, in Rodriguez’s last season as head coach.

West Orange had a nice run in 2010, upsetting then 2-time champion Mount St. Dominic and making it to the semis, before Cedar Grove, the eventual champion, ended the Mountaineers’ hopes.

In 2016, Montclair made an incredible run to the finals, before losing to West Essex.

Phil Delgado coached at Montclair in 2015 and 2016. He’s now the head softball coach at Felician University.

There have been some great games over the last decade in the semifinals. 

Livingston and Nutley played a classic in 2011. Livingston sophomore righthander Jess Peslak struck out 14, but Kristen Mattia hit a 2-run homer in the fifth inning for Nutley, after Livingston had gained a 3-0 lead. The Lancers appeared to have it under control in the bottom of the seventh, especially after Peslak had a big ‘K’ for the second out, but Lauren Iradi hit a seeing-eye, two-out, two-run single as Nutley won, 4-3. A day later, Nutley captured the county final over MSDA, 3-0.

Nutley and Livingston also played two exciting semifinals in 2021 and 2022, with Nutley prevailing in both years.

The 2013 semifinal between Cedar Grove and Mount St. Dominic was also memorable, as MSDA’s Olivia Gemma hit an epic homer over the centerfield fence, in the sixth inning, to lead the Lions past the Panthers, after it appeared Cedar Grove had the game in hand.

Eight years ago, Montclair and Livingston played a tremendous semifinal, before a large crowd, with the Mounties winning, 6-4, marking Montclair’s first win over Livingston in six years.

Ciarah Minning of Montclair made one of the greatest catches in the tournament’s history, hauling in a long drive, over her head, in deep centerfield, against Livingston in the 2016 semifinals, in a Willie Mays-1954 World Series moment.

Montclair’s Ciarah Minning.

Allie Nankivell (center) clears the fence and makes the catch in 2023.

Seven years later, Livingston’s Allie Nankivell made an incredible over-the-fence catch in an ECT semifinal, versus Cedar Grove.

And for pure recent drama, the 2012 and 2013 championship games between Mount St. Dominic and Livingston were as good as they got, with Livingston prevailing, 2-0, and 5-4. It’s not often that teams meet in back-to-back years, in a final. Cedar Grove and MSDA played in the 2008 and 2009 finals, and again in 2018 and 2019, and Nutley faced MSDA in 2021 and 2022.

For a few years, the Essex County Tournament quarterfinals were all held at one site, on one day. Bloomfield’s Pulaski Park hosted the event and later, it was in Verona. Currently, the quarterfinals are back to being played at the higher seed’s home field.

Here are some tid-bits to get you ready for this year’s tournament.

FACTS AND FIGURES

This is the 46th ECT. Here are some facts and figures over the past 45 tourneys.

1-Caldwell won the first championship in 1978, defeating Bloomfield, 2-1. The Chiefs and Mount St. Dominic have the most championships with 10 each. Caldwell boasts the best record in championship games, with a 10-1 record.

2-Belleville appeared in nine county finals during the 1980s, winning three championships, including back-to-back titles in 1982 and ’83. The Bucs made it to eight straight finals, from 1982-89, which remains an ECT record. Belleville also won a county title in 1989 and appeared in the 1998 and ’99 final.

Carl Corino coached for 25 seasons at Belleville and was the first coach from Essex County to win 500 games.

3-Belleville’s 12 appearances in the finals are second most to Mount St. Dominic, which has been in 19 championship games.

4- Mount St. Dominic and Caldwell have each won 10 titles, Cedar Grove, the defending champ, has six crowns, Livingston has won five and West Essex has four. Only nine schools have won titles in the first 45 tournaments, with Belleville and Bloomfield winning three a piece and MKA and Nutley, capturing two each.

5-Livingston pitcher Jess Peslak had three of the most dominant performances in the ECT semis in recent memory. In 2011, she struck out 14, but lost in the seventh inning to Nutley, 4-3. The following year, she fanned 17 in a 9-0 victory against West Essex and in 2013, she spun a five-inning, no-hitter, with 12 strikeouts, as the Lancers defeated Bloomfield, 12-0. Peslak was 2-0 in county finals.

Jess Peslak led Livingston to a pair of Essex County Tournament championships in 2012 and 2013.

6-Mount St. Dominic pitcher Kelsey Oh led her team to a rare three championships, in 2014, 2015 and 2017, all in incredibly dominant fashion. In her final ECT game in 2017, Oh struck out 14 and scattered five hits in a 3-0 win over West Essex. Oh went on to a tremendous collegiate career at the University of South Carolina.

7-Cedar Grove pitcher Mia Faieta led her team to the title in 2018 and the finals, a year later. In 1984, Mia’s mother, the former Fran Ricciardi, was a big part of Cedar Grove’s title team, which upset two-time defending champ, Belleville, 8-5, in the title game.

One of Fran’s teammates on that 1984 team was Kim Fitzgerald. In 2010, Kim’s daughter, Briana Weinstein, starred on coach Rob Stern’s team, which won Cedar Grove’s first county championship since ’84, defeating West Essex, 2-0. Kim and Brianna were both second basemen for the Panthers.

Mia Faieta, here with her mother, Fran, at the 2018 Black and Gold Tournament, in Cedar Grove. Faieta led Cedar Grove to two state titles, a county crown, three sectional championships and an appearance in the 2019 Tournament of Champions final.

8-Livingston’s Kylie McLaughlin, hit a rare inside-the-park homer at Ivy Hill Park in the 2013 semifinal against Bloomfield. She led off the bottom of the first with a shot that hit the center field fence and bounced past a Bloomfield outfielder, as the speedy lefty batter rounded the bases.

9-Cedar Grove was the first team to repeat as champion, doing so in 1980. At that time, the Panthers were led by pitcher Laurel Van Der May, while its head coach was her brother, Ray, who, after a successful tenure at Seton Hall University, returned to the helm at Cedar Grove in 2013 and led the ’14 Panthers back to the finals. Ray retired as coach following the 2014 season.

10-Cedar Grove (1979-80), Belleville (1982-83), Caldwell (3-peat from 1986-1988, 1990-91 and again 2004-05), West Essex (1997-98), Bloomfield (1999-2000), Montclair Kimberley Academy (2001-2002), Mount St. Dominic (2008-09, 2014-2015 and 3-peat from 2019-2022) and Livingston (2012-2013) are the schools which have won back-to-back titles.

11-Former Mount St. Dominic head coach Lorenzo Sozio has won the most championships, with nine, from 1996-2021. Sozio also won his 600th career game in 2021. Caldwell coach Mike Teshkoyan and his late brother, Mark, put together eight championship teams, from 1987-2005.

Mike Teshkoyan (left) and his brother, the late Mark, guided Caldwell to 8 county championships. Mike is in his 38th season at Caldwell in 2024, where his young team is having a good season.

12-Belleville-Caldwell (1986-88), Caldwell-Livingston (1990-91), Mount St. Dominic-Bloomfield (1995-96), Mount St. Dominic-Cedar Grove (2008-09 and 2018-2019), Mount St. Dominic-Livingston (2012-2013) and Mount St. Dominic-Nutley (2021-2022) are the championship game matchups which occurred in consecutive years.

13-Cedar Grove’s crowns in 1984 and 2010 represent the longest gap between titles for a school in the tourney’s history.

14-Nutley waited 18 years between championships. (1993-2011).

15-Belleville’s Carl Corino coached in 12 county finals, and led his team to the Final Four 16 times.

16-The highest scoring final occurred in 2015, with 19 runs scored. The second highest scoring final was in 1992 and 2016, with 14 runs scored in both of those finals. Cedar Grove and Belleville combined for 13 runs in the ’84 title game.

17-Only three of the first 45 championship games have gone into extra innings, with Belleville (1989), Mount St. Dominic (2003) and Caldwell (2005) all winning by 1-0 decisions. The 2003 game between Mount St. Dominic and Bloomfield went 11 innings, the longest final on record.

18-Caldwell had one of the most improbable wins, rallying from 2-0 down to stun Belleville, 3-2, in the 1987 final. Caldwell scored all three runs without a ball leaving the infield, in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Chiefs had a similar rally in the 2004 county final opposite MKA, once again coming back from 2-0 down in the seventh. Both of those games were played at Pulaski Park, in Bloomfield.

19-Luann Zullo is 3-0 as a head coach in the finals, and Rob Stern is 2-3 in the finals. Zullo and Stern are the only coaches to win crowns at two different schools. Zullo won a pair of championships at West Essex (1997-98) before leading her alma mater, Nutley, to the 2011 championship. Stern won the 2010 title with Cedar Grove and in 2022, with Mount St. Dominic.

West Essex won the 1998 ECT final, beating Belleville, 1-0. Head coach Luann Zullo (second from far right) and assistant Sergio Rodriguez (second from left, standing) are shown here with the team.

20-Livingston coach Jason Daily is 3-0 in county finals, winning in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Daily’s teams have also been consistently in the Final Four, with recent appearances in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Daily has been head coach at Livingston since 2001.

Livingston coach Jason Daily has enjoyed plenty of success with the Lancers, including three county titles.

21-Montclair Kimberley Academy is the only team to defeat Caldwell in a county final, doing so in 2002, 4-1, for its second straight title and last to date. Two years later, Caldwell turned the tables and beat MKA, 3-2.

22-Livingston and Belleville had quite a rivalry in the 1980s. The schools met three times in a county final (1982, ’85 and ’89), with Belleville winning twice. In 1982, Livingston rallied from 4-0 down to stun Belleville, 6-4, in a state sectional semifinal. Five days later, the two met again for the county championship and Belleville won, 8-0, for its first ECT crown.

A generation later, the two met in the quarterfinals of the 2001 county tournament, with Belleville prevailing by the mercy rule. A few weeks later, the teams met in the state sectionals, with Belleville winning a close 3-1 contest, en route to a sectional championship. The following year, Livingston went to Belleville in a sectional semifinal, and won, defeating the defending sectional champions. Livingston’s current head coach, Jason Daily, was in his second year as head coach in 2002.

23-It’s not often that sisters play against each other in a county tournament, but it happened in the 2011 championship game when Nutley, led by Eileen Purcell, defeated Mount St. Dominic, 3-0. The Mount’s junior catcher that year was Jamie Purcell, Eileen’s twin sister. The Purcells played four years of collegiate softball and were graduated with degrees in 2016.

24-From 1993-1997, the final score of the championship game was 2-1.

25-Mount St. Dominic’s four runs in the 2013 county final was the most by a team which didn’t win the title during this century.

26-Gina Capardi (Caldwell), Sammi Rothenberger (Livingston), Kristen Mattia (Nutley), Olivia Gemma (MSDA) and Madison Gemma of West Essex, Olivia’s sister, hit five of the more memorable homers in Ivy Hill history, since the field became the venue for the semis and finals in 2005.

Capardi christened the move to Ivy Hill in ’05, when she homered in the eighth inning for a stirring 1-0 win over Montclair in the championship game. Madison Gemma’s homer came in the finals, as West Essex pulled away from Montclair. The other three were hit in the semifinals. Rothenberger’s shot is still raved about, as the ball went into the trees in the 2013 semifinal. Mattia’s homer was a long 3-run blast as Nutley cut into a 3-0 lead against Livingston in 2011. Olivia Gemma’s 2-run homer helped Mount St. Dominic rally past Cedar Grove in the bottom of the sixth inning, in 2013.

27-Bloomfield coach Bob Mayer and Mount St. Dominic’s Lorenzo Sozio each won his 500th career game, all for one school, in 2016.  Caldwell’s Mike Teshkoyan is first, all time, in county history with over 700 wins. Carl Corino of Belleville, who is retired, was the first in Essex County to reach 500, back in 2005. Corino was honored in April, 2016, by having the ball park at Belleville named after him.

Teshkoyan, Sozio, Mayer and Corino are the top four winningest coaches in Essex County history. A fifth member of the 500 club could happen in 2024. Livingston’s Jason Daily won his 400th career game, all with the Lancers, in 2023.

In 2002, Corino became the state’s all-time winningest high school softball coach, surpassing Clifton’s Rick LaDuke.

Livingston’s Jason Daily won his 400th career game, all with the Lancers, in 2023.

The softball field in Belleville honors former coach Carl Corino.

Bob Mayer and his Bengals celebrated the legendary head coach’s 500th win in 2016. Mayer has had some great runs at the ECT, including back-to-back championships in 1999 and 2000. He was inducted into the Bloomfield High Hall of Fame in April, 2017.

28-West Essex won its fourth county title and first in nine years in 2016. It was the second crown under head coach Andrea Mondadori-Llauget.

29-The Gemma family had its share of good memories in the county final, with seven straight appearances. Olivia Gemma played in four straight ECT finals, for Mount St. Dominic, and led her team to a title in 2014. Madison Gemma played in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 finals and led West Essex  to a crown in 2016.

Olivia and Madison are the daughters of Angela and Mike Gemma. Both went on to attend Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, and have earned their degrees, after successful playing careers.

30-Cedar Grove and Livingston both ended as the number one public school softball teams in New Jersey, in 2019 and 2021, respectively, after reaching the Tournament of Champions final.

31-Cedar Grove and Mount St. Dominic have now met in the county final six times (2008, 2009, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2023), the most renewed meeting in the history of the ECT. Mount St. Dominic has won four of the six meetings. The schools have also faced each other in the ECT semis, most recently in 2011 and 2013, with MSDA winning both.

32-Ava and Gia. Cedar Grove’s Ava Fernandez and Gia Fernandez have had their share of successes on the diamond. Ava, who was graduated in 2018 and went to play college ball at Springfield College, was a part of multiple championship Panther squads.

And now, Ava’s younger sister Gia, has been a part of an Essex County, state sectional and group championship team, in 2023, as a sophomore.

In 2023, Gia Fernandez celebrated an Essex County championship for Cedar Grove (above). Seven years earlier, Gia, here with her parents, Dina and Joe, joined her sister Ava after a championship for Cedar Grove. Ava was part of a county title team, in 2018, as well as three state sectional titles (2015, 2017 and 2018) and two Group 1 crowns (2015 and 2017). Gia has a county, section and group championship, as a sophomore in 2023.

33-CK. Cedar Grove’s Cayce Kavakich, a sophomore, had an MVP effort in the 2023 Essex County final. She hit a 2-run homer in the top of the first inning (see below), then went on to pitch a shutout to lead Cedar Grove to its sixth county title, and first in five years.

Cayce Kavakich

34-Thank you, Coach “Jay”. As good a man as there is, West Essex’s long-time assistant softball coach Jason Ahmed has always been praised by head coach Andrea Mondadori-Llauget for his diligence and hard work in making West Essex one of the best softball programs in Essex County.

Ahmed’s coaching style spoke of a man who took his job seriously, but not that seriously. He always had a good rapport with his players, dating back 20 years. Mondadori-Llauget and Ahmed grew up and went to high school in Rutherford. They were hired in 2005 to take over the softball program at West Essex, and would eventually lead the Knights to a pair of Essex County championships, and multiple state sectional crowns.

As someone who always admired “Jay”, thanks for all the great memories over the years.

They don’t get any better than Jason Ahmed.

Coach, with WEHS star Julia Vardiman.

Jason was there for Coach Mondadori-Llauget’s 200th win at West Essex, in 2016.

In 2016, West Essex won its second county title under the direction of Coaches Mondadori-Llauget and Ahmed (pictured back row, center).

Hail to The Chief! Belleville High teammates Richard Valenti and Ken Constantino remember a dear friend and wonderful man in #11, David Starr

‘Good morning yesterday, you wake up, and time has slipped away, and suddenly, it’s hard to find, the memories you left behind, remember, do you remember?’

Richard Valenti had put up a poignant and innocent post recently, on social media, mourning the passing of a Belleville High classmate and teammate, in David Starr.

When I read it, the shock to me was sudden. Wasn’t it yesterday that David, Richard and so many others were a part of the Belleville High baseball team, some 42 years ago, which won one of the most prestigious championships in high school, the Greater Newark Tournament (GNT)?

I guess the answer is yes, and no, because 1981 was indeed (now) over 42 years ago, but for anyone who was a part of that team, yes, it does seem like yesterday.

I was fortunate enough to cover that team for a local newspaper. The head coach was the legendary George Zanfini. The ’81 Buccaneers had come close to winning a GNT crown in 1980, and the varsity baseball program at Belleville had put together some impressive seasons over the years, heading into 1981. But since the program was independent from 1979 to 1982, there weren’t any championships to play for, other than the GNT and sectionals.

So when the Bucs won the GNT championship, on May 31, 1981, defeating Glen Ridge, 10-4, on that Sunday afternoon in Verona, the memories do flood back.

There was Anthony Coco, pitching a complete game that day. There was Joe Corbalis, with a huge hit in the second inning that gave the Bucs a nice early lead, and Coco screaming at me (in a good way), ‘Bluto’s my man’, as I sat in the team’s dugout. (Bluto was Corbalis’ nickname).

When the Bucs had sealed the victory, the players celebrated and Zanfini took great pride in handing out the championship medals, before the short bus ride back to Belleville High.

And while it does seem like yesterday, a lot has indeed happened since 1981. With David’s passing, three players from that team have left us, along with the great coach, Zanfini.

David passed away on Dec. 30, 2023, at the age of 60. On Jan. 27, 2024, family and friends will come together to honor a man, in a memorial service, who simply said, was as good a person as you’ll ever meet.

Recently, Valenti and Ken Constantino, also a 1981 Belleville High grad and a part of that GNT title team, took a few minutes to remember their friend.

“I was close friends with Dave since the third grade,” said Richard. “Myself, Billy (Ziermer), Joe Corbalis and Dave all went to #5 school, and of course we were all very close. Sports was our thing, and Dave was very compassionate, whether we played in the school yard or in little league.”

Constantino, known to his friends back then as ‘Kenny Gotz’, was also close to Starr, who was nicknamed ‘The Chief’.

“The first thought that comes to mind about Dave Starr was that he was a competitor, as scrappy and tough as anyone I ever played with,” said Ken. “He never backed down at the plate, and looked forward to hitting against the toughest pitchers.

“He was also a true team player, who was among the first to congratulate his teammates after a good play.”

Constantino remembered Starr as the ultimate teammate.

“Dave was a ‘top of the order’ guy, with quick hands, fast feet, and seemed to get on base whenever the team needed it most,” recalled Ken. “He could slap a hit the other way, from the left side of the plate, and be on second base before the outfielder had a chance to take it out of his glove.

“He was a high energy player, who really loved the game. Dave focused on his skills throughout the off season – spending time at the batting cages, and working the speed bag in his basement.”

The ’81 Bucs, in addition to that GNT title, had also advanced to a sectional final, and finished with a 22-7 record. Belleville concluded that season ranked seventh in the state.

“Dave was a huge part of our successful 1981 season,” said Ken. “He batted .310, with a bunch of clutch hits, as he played a strong left field all season.”

Winning the GNT title in ’81 wasn’t easy. The Bucs had won a first-round game, against Cedar Grove, but then ran into a tough Columbia team, on May 17, a Sunday morning, in Belleville. Columbia opened an 8-0 lead, in the first inning, but Eugene ‘Fu’ Cancelliere provided 6 2/3 innings of incredible relief, and the Bucs, with that potent lineup, paced by Frank ‘The Bear’ Fazzini, would rally back for a 15-9 victory.

Onto the semifinals, Belleville had another tough game, at Verona Park, in the GNT semis, against a really good Bloomfield High team, which had a marvelous pitcher in Anthony Sarno. On May 23, 1981, the Bucs and Bengals waged a 12-inning battle, which ended in a 5-4 Belleville victory. Sarno and Coco both pitched complete games that day, which wouldn’t even be allowed under high school policy today.

Zanfini would later call it one of the best games he was ever a part of.

“Dave was most proud of our 1981 GNT championship, especially the way we won the final game,” recalled Constantino, referring to the GNT title win. “We were playing a team (Glen Ridge) that outscored their opponents 17-0 in the tourney, and facing a pitcher (Rob “Goose” Gillespie) who was 9-0, with a 0.54 ERA for the season. 

“We may have been underdogs on paper, but as far as Dave was concerned, there was nothing to worry about.”

Belleville trailed, briefly, 1-0, after one inning. But the Bucs were quite confident they’d win, and in the second inning, the offense went to work.

“After going down 1-0 in the first inning, our offense responded with five runs in the second inning, on our way to an historic 10-4 victory,” said Constantino. “The Chief was on base twice, and scored both times in the win. We handed the opposing pitcher a pretty sound drubbing, that would be something Dave would reference for years to come (mainly because the Bucs were able to defeat a really good pitcher).”

Most importantly, the friendship would transcend five decades.

“Dave and I have known each other since Belleville Little League, and our friendship continued for over 50 years, as it has with several of our teammates from that season,” said Constantino, referring also to Coco, Jerry Ross, Bluto, Richie Valenti, ‘Shep’ (Paul Scheuplein) and Billy Z. “We had many, many fun times off the field, but when I think of Dave Starr, I will always think of #11, and the memorable moments we shared on the baseball diamond.

“”It was a privilege to be part of such a great group of guys, and we will dearly miss one of our baseball brothers!”

For many years, Ken Constantino has run an incredible golf outing, the Duke Classic, to raise money for Embrace Kids. The outing has been held at Hendricks Field, in Belleville, and in 2011, a number of players from the ’81 GNT squad came by, on the 30th anniversary of that title. And among those there was David Starr, along with Zanfini.

In 2011, some members of the ’81 Bucs met up at Ken Constantino’s golf outing. Among them are David Starr (second from left) and George Zanfini (second from right), along with left to right Jerry Ross, Paul Scheuplein, Constantino, Frank Fazzini and Anthony Coco.

Valenti gets the final word on what Dave meant to he and his friends.

“We played high school baseball together, the four of us from freshman year, through our senior year,” said Rich. “Sooo many great memories over the years, from sports or just hanging out. Later in life, when Dave moved to Asbury Park NJ, and I moved to Pennsylvania, and got married, we didn’t talk as much, but we spoke once in awhile, and had our occasional baseball reunions.

“Dave suffered with bad health the last few years, but he’ll always be in our hearts, and no one can ever take away our wonderful memories.

“God bless and RIP Dave.”

‘Here comes the setting sun, the seasons are passing one-by-one. So gather moments while you may, collect the dreams you dreamed today. Remember, will you remember, the times of your life?’

As the 20th Robert Luongo Fund Dinner nears, there’s about a million reasons for its incredible success

It was on St. Patrick’s Day, 2004, that a beloved Belleville, NJ native, Robert Luongo, passed away after a valiant battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or more commonly known, “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. He was just 49 years old.

ALS is an unforgiving disease, taking away a person’s motor skills. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Robert Luongo.

One of Robert’s closest friends, Phil Cuzzi, also a distant cousin, recalls when Robert told him that he was given a death sentence, years earlier. And Phil, along with so many other friends from the Belleville High Class of 1973, did what they could to help Robert, including the purchase of a special computer that helped Robert express himself by the blink of an eye.

Robert was a brilliant man, having earned a college degree at Harvard University, and doing it cum laude. He had moved to Florida, with his wife, Debra, and young daughter, Dominique, and was doing well.

Robert’s success wasn’t a surprise. He was a team captain at Belleville High, in both football and track, and was obviously a good enough student to be accepted at Harvard.

Robert’s love of family was always evident. He wanted his daughter to possibly attend Harvard, one day. With his health failing, Cuzzi assured Robert that Dominique’s education would be taken care of.

Ten months after Robert’s passing, the first Robert Luongo ALS Fund Dinner was held at Nanina’s in the Park, in Belleville, under Cuzzi’s supervision. The dinner would honor Robert by raising funds for Dominique’s education.

Robert Luongo (50), here in this 1972 photo at Belleville High, along with coach Rocco Cafone and teammates Alan Frank (20) and Mark Cervasio.

But even more importantly, there would be a commitment to research to help put an end to this terrible affliction.

Cuzzi recalled the battle his friend had faced.

“Robert and I had spoken on the phone, and Robert told me his hands were getting numb, and it was going up his arm,” Cuzzi recalled. “Long story short, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. After he was diagnosed, he said to me, ‘I’ve just been given a death sentence’. And that was really the first thing he told me, after the diagnosis. He knew what was going to happen. He knew he was going to lose his voice and (eventually) his muscle movement. 

“Little by little, he had a limp, then needed a cane, a walker and then a power wheelchair. It was heartbreaking to see what happened to my captain, and a (Belleville High) All-State linebacker.

“Robert was a smart man, a Harvard graduate. He did his research on ALS. He knew what he was going to face.”

The dinner in Robert’s honor was a complete success, starting in 2005. Over the past 19 years, there would be a surprise guest speaker, usually a Major League Baseball star, including Tony LaRussa, Tommy LaSorda, (umpire) Bruce Froemming, Joe Torre, Tommy John, and Joe Gerardi.

Many celebrities have attended, including ‘Uncle Floyd‘, heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, who has usually been accompanied by a one-time opponent, and now dear friend, in Jerry Cooney, as well as Steven Schirripa.

There is a silent auction for some nice memorabilia, as well as a live auction, hosted by various celebrities. The dinner has always been held at Nanina’s, with tremendous crowd support and usually a new record for attendance, at Nanina’s.

On January 18, 2024, the 20th Robert Luongo Fund Dinner will be celebrated. Over the past 20 years, Dominique Luongo was not only accepted at Harvard University, but she excelled there, just like her dad, and was later accepted to Harvard Law School.

She was a 9-year-old child when the dinner first began.

Raising money for ALS research, and to help with a cure, and assistance to those battling the disease, is the sole purpose of the event.

The Mission Statement is simple: To alleviate the financial burden of individuals and their families that have been victimized by ALS, including assistance and research.

“Every dollar goes to research for ALS, and scholarships for students going to college, or trade school, whose parent, or grandparent, may have been affected by ALS,” said Cuzzi. “A large share of the money also goes to patient care, be it wheelchairs, ramps, chair lifts, maybe even helping to pay family’s bills, that may not be covered by insurance.”

And then, even more impressive news.

“We have raised just shy of $1 million,” said Cuzzi, of the Fund’s first 19 years.

As the 20th renewal of a wonderful event nears, Cuzzi poignantly recalled his last conversation with Robert, nearly 20 years ago.

“The last time I spoke to him,” said Cuzzi. “I said, ‘Rob, you will never have to worry about Dominique’s education. I will get our community, and the baseball community involved, to raise whatever we need to send her wherever she wants to go.'”

This is a story of promises kept, from a friend to another friend. When Cuzzi was building a career as a professional umpire, for so many years, one of his biggest supporters was Robert Luongo.

There’s no doubt that somewhere, Robert is smiling at his pal’s success, including in 2017, when Phil was the home plate umpire for Game #1 of the World Series, at Dodger Stadium, not to mention all those playoff appearances since becoming a full time Major League Baseball umpire, in 1999, and a couple of appearances as an umpire at the MLB All-Star game.

But it’s also about the continuing effort to find a cure, and to help those who are battling ALS a chance to experience as much comfort as possible.

Honoring the great George Zanfini brings back a lot of wonderful memories

George Zanfini never quite understood.

In 2013, a bunch of friends joined George for a nice dinner in Belleville. I was fortunate enough to be there, and said to George, “do you realize the impact you’ve had on so many of us ‘kids'”? (And bear in mind, some of the ‘kids’ that night were well into their mid 50s).

In 2008, the baseball field at Belleville High was renamed in George’s honor.

And, typical George, he just smiled, said “I guess”, and we continued with an enjoyable evening.

None of us knew, that night in 2013, that George would leave us a little over two years later, at the age of 72. And while he’s deeply missed, his contributions to so many in Belleville have not been forgotten.

George’s legacy will be honored at a dinner on Thanksgiving Eve, 2023. It made me think of some of the memories I had with him, first as a student, and later, a writer for a local newspaper, and, most importantly, a friendship.

A wonderful night with George, back in 2013, included Chipper Biafore, Frank Fazzini, Alan Frank and Phil Agosta.

My birthday falls on Sept. 8, and as a kid, that was sometimes the first day of a school year. Such was the case in the fall of 1971, as I began the eighth grade. My first period class, at the junior high, would be History, and my teacher was George Zanfini.

I had gotten to know ‘Mr. Z.’ when I was in the seventh grade, but it was in the 1971-1972 school year where I found out what a phenomenal teacher George was. From the Civil War through World War II, I learned so much about the various U.S. presidencies, and how our country grew from infancy into a power.

I always reminded George how much I got out of that class, and more importantly, my love of history grew substantially, thanks to him.

George and the 1981 GNT champions gathered in 2011.

As the years progressed, George’s love of sports would make for some nice early morning conversations, before school had started. Many of us kids would stop by George’s classroom, before the first period.

We learned that George loved the University of Kentucky men’s basketball program. He would tell me about these mini college pennants he kept in his classroom, which taught his students about different colleges, while spinning some sports analogies, as well.

George and John Senesky would coach the Belleville High freshman football team for six seasons, with a great deal of success. George also coached the freshman baseball team to a lot of wins, as well, in six seasons.

George and John Senesky coached freshman football for 6 years, including this photo in 1973.

George and John were also teachers at the junior high for many years. In the fall of 1974, they both came up to the high school, to continue teaching and coaching. George had been promoted to the varsity baseball coach while John would be on the varsity football staff, as an assistant coach.

It was the start of my junior year at Belleville High, and it was nice to see those guys again.

George would begin a 9-year run as the varsity baseball coach in the spring of ’75. In his first year, the Bellboys would jump out to a 9-1 start, before an epic 14-inning game against Irvington, on May 9. Irvington was undefeated and ranked first in the state, at the time.

In 2013, friends surprised George with a cake on his 70th birthday.

Belleville lost, 4-1, when Irvington scored three times in the top of the 14th inning. That following Monday, I was in George’s classroom, before first period, and he had said what an incredible game that was.

As the years progressed, George would always read my articles, and was always supportive. He did get on me, however, about writing about that ’75 game, which I did, from time to time.

“We lost!” he’d say in that voice of his. And I kind of replied how I know he was proud of that team’s accomplishments, despite the loss.

John Senesky and George were close friends for many years, both in the junior high, and later, the high school.

When I was in high school, one of my jobs was manager of the varsity basketball team. George would run the scoreboard at all the home games, as well as for girls basketball and wrestling in the winter, and football in the fall. During basketball games, George and I would always be talking about something, during time outs.

Years later, he would say to me, “You kids were the best. I made, maybe $10,000 a year teaching, and I wouldn’t have traded those times for anything. You guys were fun, but respectful, and that was because of great parents. It was a different time.”

A generation of kids got to know George for his working the scoreboard. After he retried as a teacher in 2007, George stayed on to work the scoreboard at various Belleville High games, especially during the winter months, in the gymnasium.

George’s friends will never forget him.

George worked the scoreboard at Caldwell College basketball games, as well.

Over the years, the level of success on the Belleville High varsity baseball diamond, spoke for itself. George would coach an incredible team in 1976, to a 24-4 record, and the state’s top ranking for a 5-week period.

In 1981, he led the Bucs to the program’s first Greater Newark Tournament championship, with a 10-4 victory over Glen Ridge, on May 31.

Mr. Z. would step down as a coach, after the 1982 season, but returned to lead the 1987 squad, guiding them to an NNJIL championship.

When Alan Frank, a student and player for Zanfini from the Class of 1973, was named the head varsity baseball coach at Belleville, in 1999, George came back and served as an assistant coach to Alan, for two seasons, at Alan’s request.

When Phil Cuzzi, another student and player for Z from the Class of 1973, expressed an interest in attending umpire school in 1982, it was George who lent Phil the money to attend the school. And, of course, we all know the tremendous career Cuzzi has had as a Major League Baseball Umpire, including the home plate assignment in Game #1 of the 2017 World Series.

In 2007, it was announced that the baseball field at Belleville High would be named in George’s honor. In the spring of 2008, a ceremony was held to officially change the name to the ‘George Z. Zanfini Municipal Baseball Field.’

It was nice that George could enjoy going to the field which bore his name for seven years. He literally cried during the entire renaming ceremony, but those were tears of joy. Many of his former players and colleagues attended the ceremony that evening, in the Belleville High library.

It is still hard to believe that George has passed away. Belleville was always his home. A Silver Lake resident, he went through the Belleville school system, and was graduated from the high school, in 1961. After college, George returned to Belleville as an educator and coach.

He will always be known as ‘Z’ to so many.

Thanks, George, for all the memories.

140 gridiron wins later, Mike Carter is indeed that one constant

Following Bloomfield High’s 34-12 win over Barringer on Oct. 13, at Foley Field, the Bengals head football coach, Mike Carter, was reminded that the victory was the 140th of his career.

Carter smiled, then said, “how about those Yankees?” 

And that was the typical response of a man who avoids credit for his successes, like the plague, while deflecting that same credit to his players, and assistant coaches.

Mike has been a key to the success of the Robeson Football Classic since its inception.

But 140 wins is pretty impressive. It speaks to a career spanning seven United States presidents and 33 seasons. It speaks of consistency and devotion to his school, players and family.

You see, Mike Carter is not only the head coach football coach, and educator, at Bloomfield High, he’s also a proud graduate of the school, as are his five siblings, and five children. 

When told that the recent victory was the 140th in Carter’s career, Bloomfield assistant coach Ed Sadloch, who knows a little something about winning high school football games in Essex County, was quick to respond.

“That’s an impressive number,” said Sadloch, a winner, himself, of well over 200 games, including a tremendous career at Cedar Grove. “It speaks of commitment and pride.”

Mike, with his sons Michael Jr. (left) and Dan.

And yes, in the case of Mike Carter, it also speaks of consistency.

He is, without question, that one constant, in a world of changing players and coaches. Carter won his first game as a head coach for the Bengals, on Sept. 27, 1991, in a 12-0 season-opening win, at Foley Field, against Montclair.

George H.W. Bush was president, the Chicago Bulls had just won the first of an eventual 6 NBA titles, the Pittsburgh Penguins were Stanley Cup champions, and the Giants had won a Super Bowl, 20-19, over the Buffalo Bills, a few months earlier. 

Mike and his soon-to-be wife, Gerise (Geri to most) would be married a year later, and a few years after that, the couple welcomed their first child, Michael Jr. Four more children would follow, in about seven years.

Mike, here with good friend Jermain Johnson and his sons, Danny and Mike.

Today, two of Mike’s sons, Michael Jr. and Daniel, are coaches on his football staff. 

He takes incredible pride in his children’s accomplishments, both as students, athletes and a musician. They’re all talented in the classroom, which he attributes to their mother. And they’re all pretty good athletes, whether it be in baseball, softball or track. 

Life offers many challenges, both wonderful and trying. But Mike Carter never wavered. Again, he’s that constant, both as a son to marvelous parents, a devoted husband, a brother to five siblings, a dad to five great kids, an uncle and cousin, and a father figure to so many high school students, and athletes, past and present. 

And yet, when he has the moment to cherish the 140th win of his career, not to mention 204 victories as Bloomfield’s varsity baseball coach, from 1991-2001, including the Bengals last GNT crown, to date, he prefers a metaphor to his favorite team, the Yankees. 

He took the time, after the win, to laud Barringer’s head football coach, Dave McCombs, a long-time friend of his, dating back to their college days. Before last Friday’s game, when McCombs and his team arrived at Foley Field, Mike wanted to make sure someone would take a photo of McCombs, Sadloch and he.

Why? Because friendship and respect for the art of coaching, is something that Carter comprehends, and never takes for granted.

Mike, with good friend Chet Parlavecchio.

In 2012, Carter would lead the Bengals to a sectional championship game, at MetLife Stadium, against the the program’s biggest rival, Montclair. Mike Jr. was the team’s quarterback that season, but couldn’t play in the title game because of an injury. 

The Mounties won a thriller, 16-13, in double overtime. Bloomfield would finish 9-3 that season, the team’s best mark, so far, in Carter’s career. 

Afterward, there was Carter, making sure to congratulate every Mounties player on a good game. 

Mike, with his pride and joy, his mother, Pat, and children.

When he was inducted into the Bloomfield High Hall of Fame in 2023, he had the audience laughing and shedding some tears, sometimes in the same thought, in discussing a life of happiness and some adversity. 

Yes, that one constant.

Success is never about him, it’s about those around him. However, a loss on the field, is about him. He takes responsibility for those, and doesn’t deflect it to anyone else.

He is that constant.

While his players enjoyed a post-game win in the locker room on Oct. 13, Carter sat by the door leading out of the locker room, because he wanted to make sure that every player’s helmet was properly checked. When one player said he hadn’t played that particular game, Carter said “doesn’t matter, I need to see that helmet.”

Why the concern about helmets? Because the last thing Mike Carter ever wanted was for a player to suffer a head injury that could easily have been avoided, with a simple follow up, and making sure the shell was properly affixed to the helmet. 

Carter loves to say “pay it forward”. He is always making sure others are okay, and speaks volumes when it comes to asking for help. Paying it forward is sometimes a quick story, or 10, to share. It speaks of a good deed, whether it be helping to rebuild a house, or a fund raiser for a friend who has struggled with a health issue, or just being there to listen.

Mike Carter never underestimates his role as a friend. He takes that seriously. He learned from his parents, Patricia, and the late Robert Carter. He loves to tell stories of going to ball games, as a kid at Yankee Stadium, especially with his siblings and his dad. 

Teaching the game of football, and life, always comes first.

If you ever take a ride with him in his car, he’ll point to the home in Bloomfield where he grew up, and a bunch of memories with boyhood friends.

An animal lover, Carter loves to hang out with his dogs and take them for walks in the Bloomfield community he adores. 

And don’t get him started on his love for old-time television shows, namely ‘The Three Stooges’, ‘The Honeymooners’ and ‘The Odd Couple’.

With Nutley friends, Steve DiGregorio (left) and J.D. Vick.

Ask him about a good concert, and he’ll go on and on, from Country music to Rock ‘N Roll, and some of the venues he’s attended with friends, to see the shows.

After every football game at Foley Field, win or lose, the Bloomfield High band plays the school’s alma mater, and Carter stands at attention, with his hat over his heart, while his players follow the coach’s lead, with their helmets off, in a sign of respect.

Geri and Mike’s eldest son, Michael Jr., himself recently married, is so proud of his dad.

“I’m happy for him, and all that he’s accomplished in his career,” said Michael. “Dad eats, sleeps and breathes football, year-round. 

“A win always feels good. I’m pretty sure he was breaking down film ’till midnight (after the win over Barringer). He really enjoys what he does.”

Again, that one constant.

‘The Honeymooners’ and ‘The 3 Stooges’ are always good for a laugh.

Mike has also been devoted to the successes of the Robeson Football Classic, since its inception three decades ago.

Whether victory number 141 comes next week, next month, or next year, Mike Carter will be there, for his players, while deflecting accolades afforded him, with the simplicity of swatting a mosquito in the height of summer.

He is, what he is. And he’s not going to change, because everything Mike Carter has done, over a life of 62 years, and running, is about being there for those he cares about.

So, from one writer to a man of huge integrity, a sincere thank you, Coach, for allowing me to be a part of your life. 

And whether you want to hear it, or not, 140 is a nice number. 

Looking forward to writing about many more. 

50 years ago, Nutley and Westfield waged an epic football game at The Oval, and a 12-year-old Steve DiGregorio recalled his role, perched in a tree, and delivering updates

Fifty years ago, an incredible New Jersey high school football game was played between Westfield and Nutley.

It was on Oct. 27, 1973 that the Raiders and Blue Devils met before a HUGE crowd at the Park Oval, in Nutley. Well over 10,000 fans were in attendance.

The game was so legendary that a future Nutley head football coach, then 12 years of age, was perched in a tree, located inside the Oval, and giving the overflow crowd, who couldn’t get into the complex, updates on the game.

Steve DiGregorio, here with his players as Nutley’s head coach in 2019, was a 12-year-old who gave the fans, who didn’t have a ticket to the 1973 game, an account of the action.

Yes, Steve DiGregorio was that 12-year-old who was giving play-by-play accounts to the fans who couldn’t get a ticket, and stood outside of the Oval. He was literally being ‘Twitter’ 40 years early. (Steve was graduated from Nutley High, in 1979, and played for the Raiders).

It was something that DiGregorio recalled with vigor, when reminded, in 2019, of that game.

“Are you kidding?” DiGregorio said to me, when I asked him if he was at the game. “I’ll never forget it. The crowd was enormous.”

Among those in the crowd that day was me, who at the time was a sophomore at Belleville High School. I remember that getting a ticket to the game was almost impossible. I’ve been trying to recall how I got the two tickets. (My father and I went to the game that day). I’m pretty sure I made my way over to Nutley High, on the Wednesday before the game, after school, to purchase the tickets.

Anyway, it was a perfect fall afternoon, weather-wise, on that Oct. 27. My father and I must have gotten there at least an hour ahead of time, and we actually got to sit in the stands, rather than the standing-room-only option. The Oval was packed, but everyone was there to have a good time. It was indeed a festive atmosphere.

I remember getting an autograph from Jeff Torborg, who was sitting near me. He actually signed my ticket stub for the game.

Jeff, a former Major League baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels, and later an MLB manager, was a Westfield, NJ native and graduate of Westfield High. Torborg was a tremendous catcher for the Dodgers and Angels. He caught multiple no-hitters and was also behind the plate for a perfect game by Sandy Koufax, in 1965. Later in his career, he caught the first of Nolan Ryan’s seven no-hitters, with the Angels. 

I’m sure there were other famous people there. As Burt Sugar once said a few years earlier, of the first Ali-Frazier fight, ‘everybody who was anybody was there’.

The media was well represented, too, including the New York Times.

Why was this such a big game? 

Both teams were off to 5-0 starts. Nutley and Westfield generally played on the sixth game of the season, and in 1973, it took on a significant meaning. Westfield was riding a 36-game winning streak, and 47-game unbeaten streak (46-0-1), the longest in the state, at the time. The Union County school was ranked first in the state while Nutley had made its way up to the second-ranked team in N.J.

The head coaches were outstanding. Gary Kehler was in the midst of a legendary career at Westfield while Mario Cocchiola was in his first season as the Raiders’ coach.

Westfield had controlled the rivalry with Nutley, but the games were close. Westfield won, 7‐6, in 1969, 14‐8 in 1970, 7‐0 in 1971, and 10‐0, in ’72. Nutley’s eventual lone win the rivalry came in 1967, by a score of 20-13. (The rivalry ended in 1981, with Westfield holding a 13-1-1 advantage).

The Nutley defense in ’73 was led by Vic Cucci, Barry Maurillo and Charley Potter.

The team had recorded three shutouts and gave up just 16 points in its first five games, leading into the Westfield encounter.  

Nutley had strong runners in Mark Cafone, Don Kiwor and Dave Moscara. The passing game was pretty good, too, led by Bob DellaLuna.  

Westfield was missing two key defenders, Iran Thorne and Gene Maresca, but they were still loaded. The ground game was paced by Glen Kehler, the coach’s son, and the state scoring leader with 108 points, and the passing of Bob Davis also had to be respected.  

The respective team defenses controlled the game, as expected. Late in the fourth quarter, with the game scoreless, Nutley would drive to the Westfield one yard line, as the crowd noise reached near delirium. 

On fourth and goal, DellaLuna attempted a quarterback sneak, but the officials ruled he came up short. Many who were there said DellaLuna had indeed crossed the goal line, but to no avail.

Westfield would then threaten in the game’s final seconds. Taking over on its own 6 inch line, the Blue Devils drove quickly into Nutley territory, but came up short on a field goal attempt as the final gun sounded.

Fittingly, the final score was Westfield 0, Nutley 0.

Of course, back then, there was no overtime rule, so a tie was just that, a tie. Westfield’s unbeaten streak reached 48 games. Both teams were now 5-0-1.

A week later, Nutley would travel to East Paterson, where the name of that town had just been changed to Elmwood Park. The game would be aired on WPIX-TV, which, back then, aired a high school game-of-the week, every Saturday morning. The legendary broadcaster, Marty Glickman, provided the play-by-play.

Nutley lost that day, to a good Elmwood Park team, 18-6, for its first loss. A week after that, the Raiders were defeated by a powerful team from Bloomfield. (The Bengals finished 8-0-1 that year).

Nutley finished the ’73 campaign with a win on Thanksgiving Day, to conclude a 6-2-1 season. It would be Nutley’s best record for a decade, before the 1983 Raiders made its first NJSIAA playoff appearance and finished 7-2 in the regular season, 7-3 overall.

A half century has passed since that game on Oct. 27. But the memories for those who experienced that day are still vivid, including that 15-year-old kid, from Belleville, who was there with his dad, and that wonderful 12-year-old, who would later coach Nutley High football.

Optimism is good for Montclair High football team in 2023, led by head coach Jermain Johnson

With his team’s season opener less than a week away, Jermain Johnson’s smile was evident, even after a tough game scrimmage against St. Thomas Aquinas on Aug. 19, on Montclair High’s beautiful new Woodman Field turf. 

Johnson, a 1991 Bloomfield High graduate, is in his second season as the Mounties’ head coach. Last season, the team played its best football in the second half of the season, and was 4-4 heading into a NJSIAA playoff game at Ridgewood.

Johnson celebrates a championship in 2016, at Wayne Hills.

However, that game never materialized, as the Mounties were forced to forfeit its season following an administrative snafu with an ineligible player on the roster.

A year later, the Mounties have put in a lot of hard work in the weight room, and the practice field. There’s a new acting athletic director in Ron Anello, who is also a part of the team’s talented coaching staff. 

Montclair will open the regular season on Aug. 26, when it travels to Overpeck Park to play a tough Clifton squad. A week later, on Sept. 2, there’s another road game, this time at the newly refurbished Hinchliffe Stadium, to take on West Orange. (The Mounties will officially be the ‘road’ team for that contest). The home opener is slated for Sept. 9, versus Nutley, at 1 p.m.

Johnson and then Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly at a football camp.

Montclair is back to playing a 9-game regular season schedule in 2023 after playing eight a year earlier.

Johnson likes what he’s seen from his team in the pre-season, despite not playing well in the game scrimmage with St. Thomas Aquinas. 

“We’re young, and it showed today,” said Johnson after the scrimmage. “Our kids have put in the time during the off-season, there’s no question about that. We just have to correct some of the mistakes.”

Johnson admits the schedule won’t be easy.

“Clifton and West Orange to start the year on the road will be big time tests for us,” the coach said. “Both those teams are well coached. I like to think we have the athletes to play at that level. If we can get off to a good start in the first two games, that should help our confidence.”

Games at Union City (Sept. 15) and East Orange (Sept. 30) will also provide a big test for the squad, as well as Irvington and Ridgewood coming to town on Oct. 7 and 14.

Johnson appreciates a tough schedule. As a player at Bloomfield, he saw his share of good teams in the old NNJIL. He’s been a head coach at Paterson Eastside and later, Belleville, before taking over at Montclair. Johnson was also the defensive coordinator at Wayne Hills form 2013-2017 and helped that school win a state sectional title in 2016. 

“It’s how you get better,” Johnson said, when discussing the rugged slate of games in 2023. 

Last season, the Mounties started slowly, losing four of its first six games. But Montclair turned it around with a pair of wins to end the regular season, including a victory at Ridgewood, which had set the stage for a rematch between the schools in a playoff game. 

Ironically, Montclair may have played its best game last season in a 22-21 loss at Irvington, in week six, when the Blue Knights scored the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, in Irvington.

“The game with Irvington showed me a lot about our team,” said Johnson. “Winning there is never easy, and our kids battled. That was good to see.”

A new season certainly has positive vibes for the Mounties. Just ask the head coach. 

A wonderful connection to the town of Nutley, and a special FAMILY bond, will assuredly provide a successful base for Mia DiPiano, as she begins college this fall

She was once that little kid who would accompany her family to the Italian feast and oldies music concerts in Lyndhurst, NJ, during the summer months.

And in the blink of an eye, she’s graduated high school and is heading to the University of Central Florida to begin a new phase of her life.

Mia with her dad, and aunt, celebrating Nutley High softball.

For Mia DiPiano, the past 18 years have indeed flown by. From the little girl who sheepishly asked me for one of the zeppolis, covered with sugar, I had in a paper bag while Kenny Vance and the Planotones were playing in Lyndhurst, she’s gone on to be a very good athlete and tremendous student.

The surname, DiPiano, certainly speaks of athletic greatness. Mia’s grandfather, Michael DiPiano Sr., is a legendary wrestling coach and Olympic-quality athlete. Her dad, Michael Jr., has won well over 500 games as a high school coach, in multiple sports, most notably soccer and wrestling.

Mia’s uncle, Frank DiPiano, is the athletic director at St. Benedict’s Prep, and was also a highly successful wrestling coach at Nutley High. Both Mike and Frank were also tremendous athletes in their own right.

Mia embracing her dad after a Nutley softball game.

Her cousin, the former Deanna Giordano, was a marvelous softball pitcher in high school and college. Mia’s aunt, Michelle Puzio, was also a tremendous softball player at Nutley.

With that kind of legacy, one would think there’s pressure attached for a youngster, especially since Mia’s head soccer coach and assistant softball coach at Nutley High, was her dad.

That certainly was not the case. 

Family above all: Mia, joined by her great grandmother, grandparents, dad, uncles, aunts and cousins.

“I spent most of my life devoting my time to sports,” said Mia, as she was packing for college. “Whether it be practicing, playing, watching, or traveling, aside from school and work, it was always sports, sports, sports.”

And while she was a talented athlete, Mia never felt the need to compete with a legacy. If anything, she embraced it.

“I had the privilege of coming from a family of athletes that supported me every step of the way,” she said. “But with the last name came high expectations.”

Mia was a 4-year starter for the Nutley High softball team.

She admits to growing up quickly, when it came to developing a thick skin. But that’s part of life, too.

“Along the way, I found that there was always going to be a teammate, parent, or complete outsider that had something to say,” she said. “While it was never easy to hear, it would hurt a little more when it was from someone I thought didn’t care about my ‘connection’ to Nutley Athletics. 

“But through perseverance and remaining true to myself, I grew and developed leadership skills that I will use for the rest of my life.”

Mia played on some very good softball teams at Nutley High, and was a 4-year starter at second base. As a senior in 2023, she was one of the leaders of a very young squad, and helped to make that team better with each game, which should enhance next year’s squad.

The emotion of that final game.

“Every single win, and even the losses, made all the hardships worth it,” she said. “Contrary to popular belief, my dad did not go easy on me. While most people would assume I would be coddled, I was actually pushed much harder. Rather, I had to put even more effort into every sprint, shot, swing, or throw.”

Her dad is a hard-working man, who excelled in athletics and earned a degree from the College of New Jersey, while wrestling on the collegiate level. 

With that kind of legacy, one would think there’s pressure attached for a youngster, especially since Mia’s head soccer coach and assistant softball coach at Nutley High, was her dad.

That certainly was not the case. 

Mia and her uncle, Frank DiPiano (pictured right).

“I spent most of my life devoting my time to sports,” said Mia, as she was packing for college. “Whether it be practicing, playing, watching, or traveling, aside from school and work, it was always sports, sports, sports.”

And while she was a talented athlete, Mia never felt the need to compete with a legacy. If anything, she embraced it.

“I had the privilege of coming from a family of athletes that supported me every step of the way,” she said. “But with the last name came high expectations.”

She admits to growing up quickly, when it came to developing a thick skin. But that’s part of life, too.

“Along the way, I found that there was always going to be a teammate, parent, or complete outsider that had something to say,” she said. “While it was never easy to hear, it would hurt a little more when it was from someone I thought didn’t care about my ‘connection’ to Nutley Athletics. 

“But through perseverance and remaining true to myself, I grew and developed leadership skills that I will use for the rest of my life.”

Mia played on some very good softball teams at Nutley High. As a senior in 2023, she was one of the leaders of a very young squad, and helped to make that team better with each game, which should enhance next years squad.

Mia and good friend Lia DeMaio were a part of a state sectional championship softball team at Nutley, in 2022.

“Every single win, and even the losses, made all the hardships worth it,” she said. “Contrary to popular belief, my dad did not go easy on me. While most people would assume I would be coddled, I was actually pushed much harder. Rather, I had to put even more effort into every sprint, shot, swing, or throw.”

Her dad is a hard-working man, who excelled in athletics and earned a degree from the College of New Jersey, while wrestling on the collegiate level. 

“(With my dad), the coaching did not stop off the field,” said Mia. “Even on days that I didn’t get into a game, I would hear about losses at the dinner table. But, it only further proved his love for sports and coaching, and to be a part of that, I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Growing up in Nutley was the perfect setting for her.

“Nutley High School is a very special place,” she said. “Most days, I would walk in tired, not so ready for the school day ahead, to be followed by a game or practice, sometimes work, homework, and then trying to maintain a healthy sleep schedule. 

Time for college, and moving into the dorms at the University of Central Florida.

“But the friends and connections I’ve made along the way were all worthwhile. I feel so grateful for having gone to NHS, and the privilege of having family that lives close to come watch my games, or attend other school events.”

The DiPiano name is certainly familiar to those in Nutley. But for Mia, it was always about family, first.

“I’ve felt an unwavering support, because I always had a family member in the crowd watching,” she said. “It is tough to leave it all behind, coming from such a close-knit community, but I am excited for what’s to come.”

Mia was honored with multiple awards for her academic prowess at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Most notably, she received the Principal’s Distinguished Service Award, for her energy and enthusiasm in bringing the most school spirit to the halls of Nutley High.

She will study Business Pre-Marketing at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando. And, of course, family will be close by, as her grandparents, Karen and Michael DiPiano Sr., reside about an hour away, in Florida.

As she settled into her new dorm, the emotion of being on her own was evident among the family, but in a good way. Mia can’t wait for the next phase of her life. 

“I plan on jumping right in, and getting involved in anything that interests me on campus, to foster those similar connections.

“But I’m sure none will add up to what I’ve created for myself, in my hometown of Nutley.”

And from someone who remembers Mia in that first photo, of she and her dad in the fall of 2010, on her first day of Kindergarten, to communicating recently with an incredibly mature young woman, it’s safe to say I can’t wait to see what she will accomplish. 

During the past 13 years, she was always a class person, coming over to say hello and sharing her dreams for the future.

Good luck, Mia!

“(With my dad), the coaching did not stop off the field,” said Mia. “Even on days that I didn’t get into a game, I would hear about losses at the dinner table. But, it only further proved his love for sports and coaching, and to be a part of that, I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

Growing up in Nutley was the perfect setting for her.

“Nutley High School is a very special place,” she said. “Most days, I would walk in tired, not so ready for the school day ahead, to be followed by a game or practice, sometimes work, homework, and then trying to maintain a healthy sleep schedule. 

“But the friends and connections I’ve made along the way were all worthwhile. I feel so grateful for having gone to NHS, and the privilege of having family that lives close, to come watch my games, or attend other school events.”

The DiPiano name is certainly familiar to those in Nutley. But for Mia, it was always about family, first.

“I’ve felt an unwavering support, because I always had a family member in the crowd watching,” she said. “It is tough to leave it all behind, coming from such a close-knit community, but I am excited for what’s to come.”

Mia was honored with multiple awards for her academic prowess at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Most notably, she received the Principal’s Distinguished Service Award, for her energy and enthusiasm in bringing the most school spirit to the halls of Nutley High.

She will study Business Pre-Marketing at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando. And, of course, family will be close by, as her grandparents, Karen and Michael DiPiano Sr., reside about an hour away, in Florida.

As she settled into her new dorm, the emotion of being on her own was evident among the family, but in a good way. Mia can’t wait for the next phase of her life. 

“I plan on jumping right in, and getting involved in anything that interests me on campus, to foster those similar connections.

“But I’m sure none will add up to what I’ve created for myself, in my hometown of Nutley.”

And from someone who remembers Mia in that first photo, of she and her dad in the fall of 2010, on her first day of Kindergarten, to communicating recently with an incredibly mature young woman, it’s safe to say I can’t wait to see what she will accomplish. 

During the past 13 years, she was always a class person, coming over to say hello and sharing her dreams for the future.

Good luck, Mia!

‘It’s All Good’, and ‘It all started in Belleville, NJ’: 15 years later, A Coach. A Player. A Miracle. Looking back at the bond between Bill Bakka and Edward Aulisi, as told by family and friends

I first wrote this article in the fall of 2008. Fifteen years later, so much has changed, yet much remains the same.

I thought it would be nice to share this story again, nearly a decade and a half later, about a Belleville High School connection that indeed has stood the test of time.

If you saw the play, ‘Jersey Boys’, there’s a famous line which read ‘It all started in Belleville, NJ’.

Keep that in mind, as you read this.

This is the story of a bond between a coach and player that has transcended time. It’s the story of friends who came together at a critical time, in the life of a colleague.

Most of all, this is the story of a true miracle, of a young woman who received a second chance at life after most doctors felt she had no chance just nine months earlier.

The story begins in the early morning hours of March 25, 2008. Twenty-seven year old Sarah Bakka, a graduate student at the University of Maryland in College Park, was found unconscious on the floor of her dorm room at 3:30 a.m. by her roommate, Mahreen Yasin, who immediately called 9-1-1. Bakka was taken by ambulance to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

For a month leading up to March 25, Sarah Bakka had been complaining of headaches and doctors had felt it was a sinus infection. She had been due to go for more tests the following week.

At the hospital, Sarah was seen by the neurosurgeon on call, who was not optimistic about her chances to survive the night. The doctor took quick action to stabilize Sarah, but knew that long term care would be needed at a larger facility. The decision was to Medevac her to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

At about 6:35 a.m. on March 25, Bill Bakka, a veteran science teacher at Belleville High School, was preparing for work. He was in the shower when the younger of his two daughters, Katie, left a distressing voicemail for Bill, advising him that Sarah was seriously ill. Within 10 minutes, Bakka was in his car and speeding toward Bethesda, some 220 miles south.

“Honestly, that entire ride was a blur,” Bill Bakka recalled. “All I remember was being in the shower, getting the message from my daughter, then receiving a phone call from my ex-wife (and Sarah’s mother, Laura Heller) and taking off for Bethesda.”

Bakka does remember calling Anna Marie Perna, an administrator at Belleville High whom the teachers call when they won’t be at work. Perna, in turn, advised Annie Calabrese, a longtime colleague of Bakka and herself a graduate of Belleville, of Bakka’s plight. Annie had gotten Bill’s cell phone number from another colleague, Cheryl Marion, and promptly called Bill, who had just arrived at Suburban Hospital, at around 9:25 a.m.

“Obviously, Bill was extremely upset when I got him on the phone,” Calabrese said. “My brother is a neurosurgeon in the Maryland, Washington, D.C. area and I asked Bill if he wanted me to call my brother.”

Dr. Edward Aulisi.

Bakka remembers the conversation well.

“Yes,” Bakka implored Annie. “Please call Edy.”

Annie Calabrese is the former Annie Aulisi, and her brother, Dr. Edward Aulisi, a 1980 graduate of Belleville High School, is today a successful neurosurgeon in suburban Maryland.

“I called Edy right away and left a message, telling him that the (Aulisi) family was okay, but that I needed to speak to him right away,” Annie recalled. “Within two minutes, Edy called me back and I told him what happened to Bill’s daughter. Before I could finish the story, he said to me ‘don’t tell me you know her?’”

It was indeed Dr. Edward Aulisi who was the neurosurgeon in the early morning hours of March 25 who first saw Sarah Bakka, and was able to stabilize her in those critical minutes. He had also made the key decision to move her to the Georgetown Medical Center, a decision that Bill Bakka readily said saved his daughter’s life.

“I gave Edy, Bill’s number and asked him to call Bill right away,” Annie said.

Edward Aulisi, the Valedictorian of his class at Belleville High, a star quarterback for the Bucs from 1977-1979, as well as a standout basketball and baseball player, had gone on to Princeton University, where he pursued his dream of being a doctor.

Aulisi then attended The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. where he became a neurosurgeon. Aulisi is today a board certified neurosurgeon with advanced training and interests in tumors of the skull base, neurovascular microsurgery, complicated spinal surgery, neurotrauma and computer-assisted neurosurgery.

When Aulisi was a freshman at Belleville High, in the fall of 1976, one of his freshman football coaches was Bill Bakka.

“I had no idea that was Bill’s daughter,” Ed Aulisi said. “As soon as my sister called me, I was like ‘I just saw her a few hours ago.’ And it wasn’t good.”

Bill Bakka had arrived at Suburban Hospital to find out his daughter had been transported to Georgetown. In a state of shock, he needed some kind of information and got it from Eddie in a phone call.

Bill Bakka (back row, right) and Carl Corino (left) were freshman football coaches for a couple of seasons at Belleville High.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Bakka said. “It was so frustrating. Edy then called me and said it wasn’t good. He was straight with me, and said she was probably going to die. As devastating as that was, I was so glad to talk to him. I needed some kind of answer. He also said he’d do whatever he could for me, and gave me his cell and pager number.”

Bakka quickly left Bethesda and when he arrived at Georgetown, he found out that Aulisi was a man of his word.

“Ed made one call and believe me, there were doctors swarming over Sarah,” Bakka said. “Edy had saved her life in the emergency room that night by stabilizing her, and then making the decision to move her to Georgetown. Now, he was able to get every doctor possible to look at her.”

When Aulisi first saw Sarah in the emergency room, he had correctly diagnosed her condition as Venus Sinus Thrombosis. In essence, she had severe blood clots in the veins leading to the brain.

“Venus Sinus Thrombosis is sometimes caused by a type of birth control,” Aulisi said. “With Venus Sinus Thrombosis, there are really two diagnoses. The patient either makes a full recovery, or dies. There really isn’t a lot of in-between with it. The early diagnosis and treatment is critical. If the patient is placed on a ventilator to control the breathing, they have a chance. But as I told Bill that morning, it looked like she was not going to make it.”

Sarah’s overall health had been good, and Aulisi attributed that fact to her body’s ability to overcome the initial attack, which is often fatal. The average intracranial pressure of a healthy individual is between 5 and 15. When Sarah was admitted on March 25, her pressure was over 80.

After four days of tests, Sarah would undergo a procedure called a Hemicraniectomy, where a portion of her skull would be removed to alleviate the pressure on her brain, by Dr. Andrea Douglas. During the healing, Sarah would wear a helmet for protection, and carry the portion of the skull that had been removed in her abdomen to allow for the bone marrow to remain alive. The portion of the skull would be reattached after a few months, once the swelling in the brain subsided.

On March 29, ironically Bill Bakka’s birthday, the procedure was completed, but not without some complications. Sarah had suffered a stroke during the surgery and would come down with pneumonia shortly after the procedure, spiking a 104 degree fever. She was also placed in a medically induced coma, to help the healing process.

“I had just driven home to get more clothes, when I got the call that she had developed pneumonia,” Bill Bakka said. “So I hopped in the car and headed back to Georgetown.”

For many years, Bill Bakka (top row, far left) was an assistant football coach at Belleville High. In 1976, he was the freshman football coach for the Bellboys and Ed Aulisi was his quarterback.

During those early days of Sarah’s illness, Bakka had slept in the hospital waiting room, and on occasion, his car.

Despite the obstacles following surgery, Sarah continued to fight. On April 12, she was taken out of the coma and allowed to breathe on her own. For the first time since she was stricken, her eyes opened and she was able to recognize her father, mother and sister.

“Unreal,” an emotional Bakka recalled. “She still had a battle ahead of her, but she was back. Ten years ago, I don’t think she would have made it, but what medical science has accomplished over the last decade is truly incredible.”

Eleven days later, Sarah was discharged from Georgetown and transferred to Kessler Rehabilitation Center in West Orange for the start of an aggressive rehabilitation process. In addition to rebuilding her muscles, which had atrophied for a month, she had also fractured her foot upon collapsing on March 25.

Ed Aulisi, during his football days at Belleville High.

“She had worked her way through a lot,” her father said with a nervous laugh.

From April to June of 2008, Sarah went through rehabilitation, in essence learning how to walk and talk again. On June 5, she underwent the surgery to reattach the skull at Overlook Hospital in Summit. For the remainder of the summer, Sarah, who stayed with her mother in Oak Ridge, NJ, would continue outpatient speech and occupational therapy.

On Sept. 23, she returned to Virginia, where she resides with her boyfriend, Grant Breithaupt.

“She’s doing great,” Bill Bakka said of his daughter. “She’s still working through some things, but it’s truly a miracle.”

Bill was one of a kind.

Sarah Bakka would agree.

“I’m feeling very well and very lucky,” she said in 2008. “I’m back at work and living in Alexandria. As far as the experience, I have definitely been left with a new appreciation of my health and my ability to endure and overcome whatever comes my way. I am grateful every day for things I never thought about before, like being able to walk and talk. After the blood clots and stroke, I had pretty severe aphasia (difficulty speaking and making sense when I did speak) and was unable to walk or even get out of bed. After months of therapy I am walking just fine and even jogging a little with little to no speech problems.

“I am, of course, grateful to my family and all my friends that stood by me through this ordeal. I am very happy that I have my independence back, but feel that I learned the importance of leaning on family and friends during tough times and accepting help when it is offered or, in my case, needed.

“I was never particularly religious before, and although I’m not exactly orthodox now, I do have a different perspective about the power of prayer and positive thoughts. Many people told me that they were praying for me, and I do credit all of that positivity in assisting to help me get where I am today. Basically, I am almost back to where I was before this all happened on March 25.”

As a doctor, Aulisi has saved numerous lives. However, this particular life had an even bigger perspective, if that’s possible.

“He was my freshman football coach,” Aulisi, his voice cracking ever so slightly, said. “When people influence your life at an early age, it leaves a great impression. Men like Bill did their jobs, not for the money, but because they loved sports and loved working with kids.

“I’ll forever be grateful for that. My job is to save lives and that night I did what I was supposed to do. Bill Bakka is a wonderful man and was a great coach, and what he did for me is something I’ll never forget. It’s amazing how things come around some time, isn’t it?”

Thirty-two years after Bill Bakka made a contribution to the life of a freshman football player at Belleville High, that player returned the favor in an extraordinary way.

So, that was the story, from 2008.

Let’s see what’s happened since.

Sarah is now Sarah Bakka Breithaupt. She and her then-boyfriend, now husband, Grant, have two beautiful daughters and Sarah is in good health.

Annie Calabrese, Ed’s sister, is now retired. A proud grandmother, she and her husband Carlo, have celebrated the marriage of all three of their children, two daughters, and most recently, the couple’s youngest, a son.

Dr. Edward Aulisi is continuing his brilliant career as a neurosurgeon. In 2019, Edy was the team’s quarterback and also starred for the BHS basketball and baseball teams. He also played football and baseball at Princeton University. He serves as Chairman of Neurosurgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, in downtown Washington, DC. A husband and father of three, Aulisi and his medical team made history on June 10, 2020, performing the first spinal surgery, in the nation, using Brainlab’s Cirq Robotics. 

Anna Marie Perna is retired from her job at Belleville.

Cheryl Marion retired as an educator at Belleville High in 2022.

And in what can only be described as incredibly poignant, Bill Bakka died on Aug. 2, 2009. In a year that he had been elevated to department head of Science, at Belleville, and after his daughter fully recovered, Bill would become ill late in the 2008-2009 school year.

My last conversation with him was just a few months before his passing. He said he wasn’t feeling great, but was confident he’d be fine.

Always that man with the goofy grin and upbeat attitude, Bill Bakka would live to see his daughter regain good health, and for that, we can all be grateful.

A few years later, Bakka Court would be built at Belleville High, as a testimonial to Bill’s love of nature and science.

And somewhere, there’s no question that Bill Bakka is smiling at the good fortune of his family.

Because, as Bill always said, “It’s All Good.”

In collecting money to build Bakka Court, the students at Belleville High made up these posters 10 years ago to honor the late Bill Bakka.

A Coach.

A Player

A Miracle.

This was truly a Belleville, New Jersey story of love and perseverance.

For the 8th time in the last 9 seasons, the Wayne Hills football team will open its road campaign with an out-of-state game, this time vs. Cardinal O’Hara of Pennsylvania, as Coach Wayne Demikoff begins his 25th season with the program

In 2015, the Wayne Hills football team began a tradition of opening its season, out of state, when the Patriots began its campaign in Graham, North Carolina.

Trips to Pahokee, Florida; Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio; Timpview, in Utah; Ridgeview in South Carolina; Harrisonville, Missouri and Liberty Creek in Tennessee would follow from 2016-2022. A 2020 game, vs. Lewisburg High, in Mississippi, was canceled due to travel concerns with COVID.

In 2018, Hills played Timpview, in Utah, and had the chance to practice at BYU.

And now this year, the Patriots head to Springfield, PA, to play Cardinal O’Hara High, on Sept. 1, in its first road contest. This game will actually be the team’s second game of the year, since the Patriots open the season, at home, vs. Orange High on Aug. 25. (And believe it or not, that’s just a little over 2 months away).

Wayne Hills head coach Wayne Demikoff has found that opening a season away from home has helped his team bond as a unit. Plus, the exposure to different communities, and the discipline of following a strict travel schedule, has kept the players focused on a long season.

In 2016, the team practiced at the University of Miami before a really hot and humid game in the Everglades.

Most of the venues over the years required flights. That first trip, to North Carolina, was a long bus ride, as was the visit to Ohio, in 2017.

This year’s travel is only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Wayne.

When the team headed out of state, there were trips to various college campuses, including the University of North Carolina, Penn State, Duke University, Elon University, the University of Miami, the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, the University of South Carolina, Youngstown State, and last year, Vanderbilt University.

There was a visit to Penn State in 2017, en route to Canton, Ohio.

At some of those schools, the team practiced, or had its walk-through, before heading to the site of the game.

In 2023, Hills will visit Villanova and the University of Pennsylvania’s campuses.

The coaching staff in Tennessee last year.

In the seven previous out-of-state games, Hills is 3-4, winning at Graham in 2015 and defeating Liberty Creek last season. In 2016, Hills lost a hard-fought game to Pahokee in the humidity of the Florida Everglades, but at the end of that season, were credited with the win after Pahokee had to forfeit for using an ineligible player.

Hills had a chance to play at the legendary Tom Benson Stadium, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 2017.

There were close setbacks to some really good teams, including Pahokee in 2016 and in Utah, by a field goal, two years later. Ironically, Hills eventually won state titles in those seasons, and Demikoff credited those early games in getting his team ready for a big year.

Two years ago, the Patriots played a back-and-forth game against Harrisonville, in Missouri, falling in the final seconds, 38-37.

In 2019, the Patriots played in South Carolina, where a famous Patriots alum, Greg Olsen (wearing gray shorts and white tee-shirt) was on hand to watch.

This will be Demikoff’s 11th season as head coach, and 25th year as a coach at Wayne Hills. He has a career record of 67-37 as the team’s head coach, along with two state sectional crowns, and a Bowl Game win.

As an assistant coach at Hills, he was a part of eight state championship squads in a 10-year span.

The Dellechiaie Family (left to right, Pete, Dawn and Gabe) has been on many of the team’s road trips, including last season.