Ridge Bridge
Congratulations to our February Athletes of the Month!
Swim Team Girls - Emily Thompson - Emily is both an incredibly talented athlete and a great captain and leader on the swim team. Emily led the team to a County Championship Title and to a State Championship for the first time in Ridge swim history. She broke four team records this month and contributed to an undefeated dream season.
Swim Team Boys - Orion Wang - Orion Wang helped the team reach the state semi finals and is a tremendous senior athlete. Orion is a distance swimmer who consistently scores points in the 200 free, 200 IM, and 500 free. Orion will be competing at Meet of Champions in the 500 free.
Ski Team Girls - Kelsey Horner - led her team to Conference Championships. Kelsey helped lead her team to 2nd place overall in NJ State finals.
Ski Team Boys - William Hockstein - led his team to Conference Championships. William will represent his state in New Hampshire for Eastern High School Championships.
Wrestling - Tanner Connelly - Tanner Connelly had a tremendous run the last month of the wrestling season. He won 5 straight matches in the sectionals and group team tournament to help lead Ridge to a State title. These wins included avenging early season loses in the sectional semi-final and final.
In the individual state tournament Tanner was the District 14 Champion at 106. He was a region finalist and won two matches in the state tournament at Atlantic City to finish top 16 in the state.
Competition Cheer - Isabella Beaudry - Isabella is a freshman on our competition cheer team. Isabella consistently leads by example and works hard at each and every practice!
Winter Cheer - Arabella Sigmund - Arabella is a senior on the winter cheer team. Arabella worked hard to lead her teammates on the basketball sidelines!
Fencing Girls - Claire Muisener (11th grade). Had consistent performances, remained calm under pressure, scored some key wins in tight circumstances, and qualified for the state individual championships.
Fencing Boys - Alex Ligos (12th grade). Had a string of outstanding, controlled, skilled performances, and many wins, while leading the boys fencing team to its fourth consecutive state final.
Basketball Boys - Luke Kreitz - Luke helped lead Ridge Basketball to a 15 win season this winter, averaging 15.4 ppg. Ridge played on the road much of Feb, in which all 5 road games Luke scored double figures including 14p, 7r, 4a in a win at Millburn, 22p at Franklin and 17p at Hillsborough.
Basketball Girls - Nicole Gebert - Averaged per game
7pts - 2 rebs - 2 steals - 2 assist - 3 deflections
Percentages
55% from 3pt - 81 % from the free throw line
Ice Hockey - Alex Helgeson - senior Defenseman & Assistant Captain - Alex scored 16 goals & had 10 assists this year for a career total of 29 goals, 50 assists for 79 points which makes Alex the All-time Defenseman Goals, Assists & Points leader in the history of Ridge HS Ice hockey. Well done Alex!
Winter Track Boys - Dev Patel - Dev Patel ran a strong race at the NJ State Section, helping the team place 2nd overall and qualifying himself for the Group 4 State Championship. At Groups, he impressively took the lead and finished in the top 6, qualifying him for the NJ Meet of Champions. Also in February, he led off the Distance Medley Relay, running 3:09 in the 1200, which set up the team for a winning performance and a US #3 showing in that event. The DMR qualified for the seeded heat of Nationals in March. Dev has been captain of the team all year, and the coaches look forward to seeing his great leadership continue both on and off the track.
Winter Track Girls - Katharine Frank - Katharine has put together some impressive races this month. She won the 800 at the North 2 Group 4 Sectional Championships and helped lead Ridge to win the state sectional meet for the ninth time in the past ten years. She then went on to place in the 800 at the Group 4 Championships and qualified individually for the Meet of Champions for the first time in her career. Katharine has also been a key member of the 4x800 and helped the relay qualify for the Meet of Champions and New Balance Indoor Nationals. Katharine's coaches are excited to see her times continue to drop in these big meets next month.
Unified Basketball - Luke Wenzel - Luke was one of our 12 students that competed in the NJSIAA Unified Tournament. He hypes up his teammates, and loves to celebrate everyone's success.
Ella Riley - Ella has been an essential part of our team, and she's only in her second season of Unified! She is always cheering on her teammates' accomplishments, and brings such a good energy to Unified! Ella also competed in the NJSIAA Unified Tournament, and made our team proud!
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Congratulations to our January Athletes of the Month!
Boys Basketball - Quinn Dashefsky - Junior Quinn Dashefsky helped lead Ridge to a 7-4 January. Quinn had 17pts, 5 reb, 4 ast vs Hamilton West, 12 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast vs Watchung Hills and a double double (10 pts, 11 reb) vs Bridgewater.
Girls Basketball - Emma Landes -
Average PG
7pts, 7 rebound, 1 steal game, 10 points and 7 rebounds against Immaculata and Watchung Hills, 12 point/12 rebounds vs Immaculata
Swim Team Girls - Giulia Beverini - Giulia is a tremendous senior swimmer and captain that has brought the team to our 6-0 record. She excels in the sprint freestyle and backstroke and will be leading the team in the state tournament and at Meet of Champions.
Swim Team Boys - Gabe Beverini - Gabe is a versatile athlete that has won multiple individual events this season for the team. Gabe scored 32 points at Conference Championships and another 25 at County Championships while breaking the team record in 100 breaststroke.
Cheerleading - Caroline Bianchi- Caroline is a great athlete who leads her team at both practices and games! Caroline brings spirit and energy to the sidelines and is an invaluable part of the cheerleading program.
Competition Cheerleading - Alexa McCabe- Alexa brings the best attitude and maximum effort to each practice. Alexa's teammates always look to her for guidance as she is very skilled and a great leader!
Wrestling - Kevin Taylor - Kevin is currently 25 - 3 on the season. He placed 5th at the highly competitive Sam Cali Invitational featuring top teams from NJ and around the country. As team captain, Kevin won his first Somerset County title at 175, helping lead Ridge to the team championship for the first time in 33 years.
Fencing Boys - Jason Babigian (10th grade). Jason did an amazing job stepping into the A strip atte last minute for the prestigious Cetrulo tournament. He did an amazing job scoring a number of crucial wins. He fenced with confidence, bravery and skill and inspired his sabre team to a highly creditable 18th place finish.
Fencing Girls - Yasemin Ocak (11th grade and Girls Team Captain). Yasemin sets herself high standards, works hard, and puts in consistently high quality performances. She follows every bout intensely and has competitive fire. She feels the high and lows of every team win or loss as keenly as anyone.
Unified Basketball Boys - Alex Zubulake - Alex is one of the leading scorers for Unified so far this season. He has been great at helping to move the ball and rebound.
Unified Basketball Girls - Savannah Olsewski - Despite this being her first season for Unified, Sav is an essential member of this team! She is able to move the ball quickly and help create plays, and her defense is unmatched.
Ski Team - Sophie O'Connor and Ethan Barna for consistent and solid finishes leading both teams to first place in Conferences to date.
Winter Track Boys - Owen Mays - Owen has proven to be one of the most reliable members of the team throughout January. He exhibits versatility by seamlessly fitting into any relay that requires a strong performance. Notably, he was a crucial part of the team that broke the shuttle hurdle relay record in early January and further improved upon that achievement during the Stanner Games, earning qualification for nationals. Additionally, Owen contributed to the 4x800 relay, securing a 3rd place finish at the Stanner Games and delivering one of the team's faster splits. In terms of his accomplishments, Owen was the Skyland Conference Champion in the 55H, playing an essential role in the team's overall victory and also qualifying individually for nationals. Owen's leadership qualities shine through as he consistently delivers strong performances in his events, contributing to the team's success.
Winter Track Girls - Jenna Inscore - Jenna has made a great impact on the team this month. Although it is her first season competing in high school track, she has had strong results across a variety of events. Throughout the month of January, she has established herself as the team's top high jumper, pole vaulter, and hurdler as well as one of the fastest sprinters on the team. Jenna's coaches are impressed by her versatility and are looking forward to seeing her improve across all of her events.
Ice Hockey - Niccolo Evangelista, senior - . Nic had 3 goals, 6 assists for 9 points this month. That spurred Ridge on to a successful January.
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Congratulations to our December Athletes of the Month!
Swim Team Girls - Charlotte Geary - Charli is a versatile swimmer that can earn crucial points for the team in a wide variety of events. She has helped the team earn a 3-0 record in December with contributions in the distance freestyle and IM.
Swim Team Boys - Youssef Elnawawi - Youssef had a great December and is a huge part of the reason why the team is 3-0. He provides great depth in the IM and distance freestyle getting crucial points from the outside lanes.
Boys Basketball - Owen Chatek - Senior - Owen’s 16 ppg has helped lead the Ridge Boys’ Basketball team to a 5-1 start to the season. Chwatek tied a career high 21 points in a thrilling come from behind win vs #18 St Joe’s Metuchen in the finals of the Whitey Dukiet Holiday Tournament.
Girls Basketball - Sophia Georgiades - Month of December Averages
19 points per game
7 Rebounds per game
3 assists per game
2 steals per game
Athlete of the Week (Ridge TapINTO IT)
ALL Tournament Team in Ridge Holiday Classic
Wrestling - Liam Thoma - Liam holds a record of 10 - 2 heading into the new year. He was Ricky I Memorial Tournament Champion at 157 defeating returning state qualifier Jake Kreisberg of Governor Livingston 20 - 6. He followed that up with a top 8 finish at the Sam Cali Invitational in a bracket that featured multiple nationally ranked wrestlers.
Ice Hockey - Alex Helguson- Senior - Helgie had 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points and has played excellent on defense to lead Ridge to a 5-3-0 record for the month of December.
Winter Track Boys - Jared Rascio (11) - Jared has shown great improvement in December. He participated in the most events on the team and emerged as a top scorer. In our Somerset County Championship meet, Jared scored the highest number of points, contributing significantly to the team's victory. He anchored the 4x200, was a member of our 4x400, and participated in our HJ relay. Additionally, he ran in the School Record-breaking Shuttle Hurdle Relay, breaking a 16-year-old school record. Jared has also impressed the coaches with his leadership, particularly by assisting newer athletes on the team.
Winter Track Girls - Ryan Ireland - Ryan has stepped up and made significant improvements this month. Although she has not had much experience running the 800, she has already proven herself as an important leg of the team's 4x800 relay. At the Somerset County Relays, Ryan ran the third leg and helped the girls secure the win in that event. Their time was the fastest time in the state for that event at that point in the season. Ryan's gotten off to a great start this season and her coaches are looking forward to seeing her progress even further throughout the year
Cheerleading - Kaylin Kerrick - Kaylin is a hardworking teammate who always gives 110% effort at every game. Kaylin leads her teammates on the court and is a great role model!
Competition Cheer - Addie Viggiano- Addie continues to push herself at practice and outside of practice, adding additional tumbling classes to achieve her goals. Addie’s attitude and effort demonstrate the qualities of a great ridge athlete! Ski Team - Aline Benitez and Tristan Deffenbaugh - for showing great leadership during early season workouts and training
Fencing Boys - Alex Yang - 9th grade - Alex made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Somerset County Tournament with gutsy and talented performances against opponents in a very good field.
Fencing Girls - Aria Chahal - 10th grade - Aria fenced with confidence and consistency to secure a quarter-final placing at the Somerset County Tournament.
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Congratulations to our October Athletes of the Month!
Soccer Boys - Patrick McCune - senior/captain - Pat's steady play and leadership at defense helped propel Ridge to the Semi-Finals of the Somerset County Tournament and the Semi-Finals of the State Sectional Championship. In October, Ridge only surrendered 10 total goals. Pat has provided offense for our team as well, scoring 2 goals and recording 4 assists, including a goal in our 1st Round State Tournament game vs Woodbridge.
Soccer Girls - Sydney Gunn - started every game this season, in a multitude of different positions based on the team's needs. She connected the midfield with her precise passes, got into the attack as forward, and took time in the backline versus some of the state's best forwards. Sydney scored two goals and dished out 4 assists for the Ridge Red Devils this season.
Volleyball - Stella Qu - Senior - Stella took on the role of starting libero this season and averaged 10 digs per match in October. Her passing is always consistent and has made an impact on her team. She is by far the loudest voice of the team whether she is on the court or on the sidelines. She helps with communication for her teammates during long rallies and takes charge on the court.
Football - Chris Oliver - Captain Chris Oliver has been a leading force in every aspect of the game. On offense he has been a key blocker for the 3,000+ yards of offense and nearly 40 TDs on the season, along with being a disruptive force on the defensive line, accumulating 57 tackles, 6 sacks, and 9 tackles for loss.
Cheer Sideline - Ella Trachtenbroit - Ella is a positive force on the sidelines! Ella leads her Varsity team with spirit and energy. Ella is a great role model for her teammates and always brings positivity to the team!
Cheer Competition - Sharlyn Andrade - Sharlyn is an active role model and leader on the competition cheerleading team. Sharlyn leads the team with her positive attitude and strong work ethic. Sharlyn faces adversity head-on and is always willing to help her teammates.
Sail Team - Jack Schlenker - Jack has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and helps mentor new sailors coming out to sail with this young team. His enthusiasm is paramount to the success of the team during practices and during regattas. He has endorsed and expanded the goals of the Ridge Sailing Team being recognized by the Ridge community as well as the Sailing Community.
Cross Country Girls - Elayna Douglas - Elayna has worked incredibly hard this season. She is a captain and contributing varsity member. Elayna has consistently improved throughout the season. This was evident with her PR performance during the State Section in which she ran a 5k time of 20:29, helping her team make it through to the Group Championships.
Cross Country Boys - Brenden McMahon - Brenden started the month off by placing in the top 10 in the Eastern States Race at Manhattan. This was a Ridge #2 all-time performance and an impressive finish overall, considering the strong competition on the East Coast. Brenden won the Somerset County Individual title, setting a Ridge school record on that course. This performance helped his team secure their 5th Somerset County Championship win in a row. Brenden ended the month by winning the State Section, also setting a Ridge school record on that course. Brenden's hard work and determination helped him have an outstanding month! He has not only rewritten the Ridge record books but also set an example for all athletes!
Unified Soccer - Ava Polos and Ryan Wintermute -
Ava is a great leader and peer-model on the team, and her enthusiasm for Unified is outstanding! She was a key player during the SONJ Unified Cup.
Ryan has been a great addition to the team this year, and was a key player during the SONJ Unified Cup. He does a great job taking feedback from the coaches and his teammates, and applies it to his playing.
Gymnastics - Miya Tomaru - as a Varsity Athlete for the past three years she has shown true dedication and leadership to her team and teammates. Her determination and excitement to compete are qualities that have led her and the team to great success. She puts her teammates first and is a huge asset to our team. We are lucky to have Miya a part of our team and look forward to her success next year as a senior on the Ridge Gymnastics team.
Field Hockey - Sana Halthore - Sana has been instrumental in our championship run in the month of October. She has scored at least one goal in almost every single game in October. Coming up big in the most important games, including the Somerset County final game vs. Pingry, where Sana led our attack and scored 2 of the team's 4 goals! Sana has incredible speed and stick skills which makes her a very difficult attacker to defend. She also has a competitive spirit which drives her to find the back of the cage when goals mean the most! She has been a playmaker for us in October, but has been an incredible leader all season.
Tennis - Kate Henderson, Senior Captain - A four years varsity starter and 2 year varsity captain, Kate, played 3rd singles this year for the Red Devils. Kate helped lead the team to an overall 14-2 Record, a State Sectional Title and a Group IV Championship. Kate was recently awarded All State Honors: 3rd Team All Flight. Congratulations Kate
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Congratulations to our September Athletes of the Month!
Soccer Boys - Yagiz Bayserke, Senior - "Yaz" is one of our captains and scored 13 goals thus far in the month of September helping the team to our 4-3-2 record. Yaz recorded hat tricks on three separate occasions, including a 4-goal game against Franklin. Yaz also recorded 3 game-winning goals this month as well.
Soccer Girls - Laura Carney - Laura is a starting defender and defensive center midfielder for the Girls Soccer Team. She shows up to every game to battle, to shut down her opposition, and to lead the team by her actions. She is fearless in tackles, tracks players to deny goal-scoring opportunities, and shows the knack to distribute with precision.
Volleyball - Laura Lemgruber - Laura is one of our captains this season and a 3-year varsity player. She has stepped into the starting role as middle this season and works really hard to improve every practice and match. She is always encouraging the rest of her team and stays positive on the court no matter what the score might be. We are lucky to have her!
Football - Will Deady - In the month of September Will picked right back up where he left off last season, leading the team in rushing with 504 yards and 5 TDs, to go along with 113 receiving yards and a TD, and an interception he returned 70 yards for another TD. After showing great dedication to the program throughout the summer, Will was selected as a Captain by his teammates and has shown outstanding leadership throughout the season.
Cheer Sideline - Sophia Jacobson - Sophia is a hard-working leader on our Varsity team. Sophia shows up to each game and practice ready to lead her teammates and the crowd!
Cheer Competition - Grace McNey - Grace comes to practice each and every day with a positive attitude. She consistently demonstrates her work ethic and is a role model to her teammates!
Sail Team - James McCarthy - James is in his third season sailing for Ridge. Not only is he an excellent sailor but he demonstrates leadership by mentoring new sailors and always exhibits pure enthusiasm for the sport. He represents Ridge at all of our regattas.
Cross Country Girls - Rachel Biondo - At the Magee Class Meet, Rachel placed 4th in the sophomore girls race in a top 10 all-time Ridge performance at Greystone Park running 19:50! At Shore Coaches, Rachel finished 6th in the Varsity B race with a huge Holmdel PR.
Cross Country Boys - Max Neumann and Nick Alapatt - Max and Nick's dedication and hard work stood out both this summer and throughout September. Both made significant improvements in their training, leading to substantial personal bests in September. Max began the season by shaving 2 minutes off his personal best at Ocean County Park and even medaled in his first race. Nick, who was a sprinter last year, decided to transition to distance running this year and finished 7th on the team in the last race. Both athletes have a promising future, and we can't wait to see what else they can accomplish this season.
Unified Soccer - Brayden Schiraldo and Amy Richman - Despite this being Brayden's first season with the high school team, he is crushing it! He's already scored multiple goals and brings such positive energy to the team. Amy's first season with Ridge Unified is off to a great start! She represented our team by bringing out the game ball at Red Bull Arena during the Ridge Girls Soccer match, and Amy's defensive skills are helping prevent goals.
Gymnastics - Katie Shimsky - As a Varsity Athlete for the past four years she has shown true dedication and leadership to her team and teammates. She is driven and willing to do what is asked of her and completes any task she is given with a smile. She puts her teammates first and is a huge asset to our team. As a senior, we will miss her but we wish her the best of luck as she moves onto college.
Field Hockey - Katie McCaffrey - Katie has been a consistent and reliable midfielder for the 7-5 field hockey team. Katie spent the first couple of games of the season on defense and has seamlessly transitioned to midfield. She has been a lockdown defender in one of the most difficult positions on the field. while also being an offensive threat. Most notably, Katie scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat county and divisional foes, Bridgewater-Raritan.
Tennis - Isabel Su - Junior 2nd singles player - Isabel went undefeated in regular season play with an individual record of 5-0 in September. Isabel helped the NJ #5 Ridge Girls Tennis team to a 2nd-place finish in the Somerset County Tournament. Good luck to Isabel as she competes in the NJSIAA state tournament in October.
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