Brick athletics enjoys another banner year

It was another successful school year completed although it went differently from the way it started for Brick MemorialAthletic Director Bill Bruno.

FILE PHOTO Among the many highlights during the school year was the second place DeAnne Hahn earned at last month's Meet of Champions shot put event, to go along with her win in the discus. After five years of overseeing athletic programs at Memorial and Brick Township high schools, Bruno last fall was informed he would be overseeing Memorial and Veterans Memorial Middle School athletics and health and physical education departments. Rick Handchen, the golf coach at Brick Memorial and a well-known local fixture as the former hockey coach at the school, was named in charge of athletics and physical education at Brick Township and at Lake Riviera Middle School.

"It's been very beneficial to all departments," said Bruno, reflecting on the change. "We now cover grades six to 12 in health and physical education and in athletics. It's helpful to be at many events and to better know not only the coaches but to know what's going on by covering things more rather than going to half of one game and then leaving it to see half of another."

Handchen said the adjustment "has not been difficult," commending the response of the coaches and the work of the assistants in both athletic offices, Margaret Reddan at Brick Township and Sara Petraccoro at Brick Memorial. "You have to be organized as (an effective) coach and it's the same here."

Both schools this fall also will launch varsity girls volleyball after playing on a club level, with Christine Conti coaching Brick Township and Melissa O'Leary heading Brick Memorial as they did during the club seasons for the past two years.

"I think it's good. The girls are excited about making the move to the Shore Conference (for varsity)," said Bruno.

"It looks good. It's ready to go," said Handchen of the sport.

With a change in administration in the district superintendent's office, neither athletic director confirmed some reports that the district may return to one director of athletics. "I haven't heard anything like that," said Hanchen. "We're going ahead with what we're doing for the fall."

Bruno said plans are moving ahead for a Brick Memorial Hall of Fame and that organizer Dennis D'Andrea "will get it going next year. The foundation and committee are in place. We'll begin work on a journal in September."

Brick Township football coach Warren Wolf said plans also are moving onward for a book compiling 50 years of highlights at the school for its golden anniversary.

The NJSIAA is working with its members to expand the wrestling brackets to wrestle backs for opening bout losers in the state championships. "It's going to happen," said Bruno assuredly. "It (the proposal) is getting a second reading in July or August and there's a good chance it'll be done by September."

No coaching changes are in the works for Brick Memorial. Brick Township has had to replace both varsity basketball coaches and Handchen said he has begun viewing applicants for the boys lacrosse post after Steve Maurelli stepped down after the spring season as the only coach in the young program's three years to have more time with his family and to pursue a graduate studies program. Kristi McCullough was named successor as head girls basketball coach to Kristi McGovern, who resigned to take a teaching and coaching position closer to home at Cherokee as assistant girls basketball coach.

Handchen said the search continues for a boys' basketball coach after Joe Lewis was not recommended to return amid the district's alleged criticisms of his using off-color language.

Wrestling at Brick Memorial was the defining sport in the district this school year, with the Mustangs winning the NJSIAA Group IV state title as well as another District 23 championship. The Parents Club gave out rings to team members at a ceremony last month.

And girls bowling at Brick Township won the state title while the girls won Shore Conference A South and the boys won the Shore Conference championship.

Girls soccer at Brick Memorial is gearing up for a defense this fall of its Shore ConferenceASouth championship and losses in the Shore Conference Tournament championship and NJSAA Central Jersey Group III semifinals. The school's baseball team also reached the Ocean County Tournament championship game with a young lineup as coach Rich Bishop was named Shore Conference A South Coach of the Year by the coaches' association. The girls basketball team made the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time since the 1990s while Brick Township's boys soccer team made the NJSIAA and Shore Conference tournaments for the first time in many years while boys lacrosse in both schools made it for the first time.M

emorial's gymnastics team also had its best season this decade, Bruno pointed out, while Brick Township's Lindsay Poplaski again made the state finals in balance beam and the overall where a late season ankle injury held her back, although she finished third in the beam in the high school nationals.

But the big individual headliners came in track and field where Brick Township's DeAnne Hahn won the discus and was second in the shot put outdoors after winning the shot put indoors at the Meet of Champions. Ryisha Boyd set seven school records in the three sprint events indoors and outdoors and in the long jump. Memorial's Andrew Brodeur got a bronze medal in the 3,200 meets indoors and had a brilliant run outdoors up to the MOC before he takes his talents to Duke University this fall. Hahn and Boyd are headed to Big 10 schools Minnesota and Illinois, respectively, with a treasure trove of meet records they leave behind.

And there are teams hat enjoyed "smaller" victories such as Brick Memorial beating Brick Township football on Thanksgiving Day, Memorial girls lacrosse winning more games than ever in its five years and the swim teams setting a number of school records in both schools. Brick Township polevaulterChrisDiGangi qualified for the MOC outdoors and Brick Memorial's Rich Dalatri won the high jump in the Ocean County championships.

Memorial's boys tennis team had a .500 season despite having only two seniors in the lineup and the golf team finished around .500 in a rebuilding season behind Sean Daly.

But it doesn't end for this school year until July 18 when the Ocean and Monmouth high school football All-Stars collide on July 18 in the Gridiron Classic at Brick Township. Practice begins on Saturday at Toms River North. A few weeks afterward, student-athletes will be back on the field preparing for the fall season and the start of another promising school year at both high schools.