State champs…again…and again…and again
Secaucus reigns as Group I volleyball queens for seventh straight year
Every high school athlete knows that the pinnacle of achievement is winning your respective state championship. To be recognized by your peers as the premier team in the state among your enrollment classification is the ultimate feeling.
But what’s it like when you win seven straight state championships? Think about it. Seven in a row. It’s almost too unthinkable for words. Winning one is an achievement. Repeating is a mammoth accomplishment. But seven?
The members of the Secaucus girls’ volleyball team, the winners of the NJSIAA Group I championship, giving the school an unprecedented seven straight state crowns, were asked to describe the feeling in one word.
Secaucus defeated Cresskill in straight games last Saturday at William Paterson College to win the title.
The responses: “Unbelievable, honored, amazing, inspirable, indescribable, overwhelming, awesome and breathtaking.”
In the eyes of veteran coach Maria Nolan, who has now guided the Patriots to an unfathomable 16 state championships and is the only New Jersey coach to reach 500 victories, this latest chapter of the Patriots’ pure dominance can be summed up in her own words.
“Thankful,” Nolan said. “And proud. This one really seems more meaningful than others. Other people have told me about how incredible it has been, but I never understood the magnitude. Now, I can actually feel that way myself. Now, I can actually feel it. Winning this seventh really did it.”
The Patriots’ level of dominance goes much further than just seven straight state championships, which is an achievement never before reached by any New Jersey school in any sport.
Since the streak of state championships began in 1995, the Patriots have posted a record of 169-2. That’s no misprint. One-hundred sixty-nine wins against just two losses over the last seven years.
The Patriots had a winning streak of 68 matches that was snapped last year. After winning all 24 matches this season, they currently own a 40-match winning streak. They’ve won 120 straight matches at home, dating back to October, 1993.
The Patriots haven’t lost more than two matches in a season since 1991. In the 10 years since, they have posted a record of 236-6. Is that too amazing for words?
“Pretty good, huh?” Nolan says with a laugh. “You know, I never have time to think about the numbers and the records. We just play. There are too many numbers. We can’t concentrate on that. But when someone tells me the numbers, yeah, it amazes me, just like it amazes them.”
“Just to be a part of it all is an amazing feeling,” said junior Lisa Totaro. “You just can’t explain it. When we were 10 years old, we had no idea what the program was all about. But once we got here, we became a part of it and wanted to keep it going. Because once we got here, we all wanted to be a part of the team that wins the state championship.”
Every year. And the championships get passed down through sisters, like twins Lindsay and Ashley Flora following in the footsteps of older sister Leslie. Or Totaro following the lead of older sister Diana. And Heather Aciz had the biggest cross to bear, being the younger sister of last year’s All-State performer and Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Year Tiffany Aciz.
It’s all in the family. And the team acts like a family on and off the court as well.
“Everyone feels like a family here,” said senior Justine Muzones. “We’re not just friends. We get along so well.”
So well that they do collective cheers and rhythmic dances and songs before each match, ending with their signature,“Hollah!” – although none of them could either explain or describe what “Hollah” actually means.
“They get along so well and have a good time,” Nolan said. “I’ve never seen a team like them.”
“We all waited for four years to have our chance,” said senior Alexandra Schumann. “I think we all wanted to make sure that we weren’t the ones to end the streak. We have to be able to go out like all the other seniors.”
Nolan was asked if she ever gets tired of all the winning, all the state championships, all the glory.
“Each year, it’s a different team with different players,” Nolan said. “I want them to all to experience what the others did. So in that respect, I never get tired of it. It gets tougher each year to keep it going, but when it happens, you really enjoy it.
Added Nolan, “And this was a special team, because we lost three starters from last year. So you never know what’s going to happen. We just work hard all the time, work on different things, and hope for the best.”
Chances are that the best will happen at Secaucus High School every November. It has 16 times – including the last seven in a row. Who knows, like they say at the Atlantic City crap tables, “with seven comes 11.”
Let’s see what happens in four years.