Cheryl Bott knew that this season was going to be a pretty big challenge for her Secaucus High School softball program. After all, Bott lost seven key seniors from last year’s team that won the BCSL National title for a fourth straight year and lost in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I semifinals to eventual champion High Tech.
“It was tough replacing so many kids,” said Bott, who was the long-time girls’ basketball coach at the school and became the head softball coach three years ago. “I didn’t know what to expect. You know what you have in your JV [junior varsity] program, but you don’t know if they can do it on the varsity level. I knew we would be inexperienced, that it would be a big bit of a rebuilding year, compared to what we had in the past.”
In most years, a high school team loses perhaps three, maybe four seniors to graduation. But losing seven in one clip was a huge blow, the biggest single loss to graduation that Secaucus ever had to endure.
“We had only three returning players with full-time varsity experience,” Bott said. “It was absolutely our biggest challenge, not only in experience on the field, but experience with me. Most of these kids never had me as a coach before. I had to get to know them and they had to get to know me.”
It also left the Patriots with a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores and only two seniors.
“We were going to ask a lot from our freshmen and sophomores,” Bott said. “They had to play right away, get experience and do well from the start. It was asking a lot of them, but we really didn’t have any other choice. We had to give them the tools to be successful and then just let them go out there and see what they could do.”
The results have been mixed.
“Some games, we’re very good and others, we’ve been awful,” Bott said. “That comes with having a young team. But the more they play, the better they get. I tell them that they just need to be better today than they were yesterday. It’s a modest goal. If they can do that, then we’re moving in the right direction.”
Added Bott, “I told them going into the season that were going to lose more this season than we’re used to losing. But a lot of the younger kids don’t have any idea of what we used to do, so they really don’t feel any pressure of keeping it going.”
However, Bott has helped to establish a level of excellence in the Secaucus softball program.
“We expect to win the league every year,” Bott said. “I know that may sound crazy, but that’s our goal.”
The Patriots are currently 7-5 after defeating BCSL National rival Hasbrouck Heights Tuesday. They have only two losses in the league standings and are right now in the middle of a four-team donnybrook for the top spot with Wood-Ridge, St. Mary’s of Rutherford and Becton Regional.
“We all have two league losses, but I think we’re the underdog,” Bott said. “We can’t play with the mentality that we had in the past when we were the favorites. But we’re getting better as a team.”
Leading the way is a pair of super athletes who excel also in volleyball and basketball, namely junior Shannon Waters and sophomore Andrea Innis.
Waters is the team’s No. 1 pitcher and she plays shortstop when not on the mound. Innis, the 2009 Hudson Reporter Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, is the team’s centerfielder and she’s batting better than .500 thus far.
“They’re just two great athletes,” Bott said. “Shannon bats third and Andrea bats fourth for us. They really do a lot of everything.”
Shannon Casey is the team’s first baseman and Alyssa Hopper mans third base. They are the lone two seniors on the Patriots’ roster. When called upon, Casey can also catch and she does a fine job behind the plate.
Freshman Heather Krause is the team’s shortstop. She moves to second when Waters does not pitch. Junior Marissa Eck, the younger sister of former All-Area hurler Samantha Eck, plays second base when Waters toes the rubber.
Sophomore Alexis Waters, a cousin to Shannon, is the left fielder, with junior Tara Roarty manning right field. Roarty is also a pitcher and gives the Patriots some pitching depth. Roarty won her first game as a starting pitcher Tuesday when the Patriots defeated Hasbrouck Heights.
“It’s really nice to have pitching depth, especially since we’re in a span right now of playing seven games in eight days,” Bott said. “It’s tough when you only have one pitcher.”
Sophomore Kelsey Snedecker is the team’s regular starting catcher. She does a fine job controlling the game for the Patriots.
So it might not be business as usual with the Secaucus softball program, but Bott has them in the thick of the hunt.
“It’s still fun,” Bott said. “We’re coming along. We have a young team, but they’re coming of age every day.”…
North Bergen native Steve Mocco’s amateur wrestling career is still on track. After failing to get out of the quarterfinal round at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the internationally renowned heavyweight wrestler has been hell bent on making it back to the top.
Last week, Mocco won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Venezuela, easily out-dueling the entire field. It means that Mocco will head to the World Championships later this year with a chance of winning a medal, perhaps capturing the entire world crown. Mocco is determined to make it back to the Olympic Games in London in 2012…
Rumors persist that former St. Anthony point guard Jio Fontan, who was one of the top freshman performers in the Northeast this past season for Fordham University, has asked the school for his release in order that he could transfer to another school, but Fordham athletic officials have denied his request for a transfer waiver, so Fontan remains at Fordham for the time being…
Good news about the health of North Bergen boys’ basketball coach Kevin Bianco. He called to say that the prospects for his recovery “look great” and that he is feeling great and ready to get back to work. Bianco appreciated all the well wishes he received after his illness was written about here a few weeks ago. It was good to hear his voice and great to know that he’s well on his way to a recovery, because high school sports in Hudson County need good people like Kevin Bianco…
Speaking of North Bergen, there’s an interesting interview segment with legendary football coach Vince Ascolese that can be found on YouTube. The interview was conducted in conjunction with the Frank Maguire Foundation, which has provided funds to local high schools in honor of area coaches. People like Ascolese, Ed Stinson, Maria Nolan and Bob Hurley have been honored by the foundation in the past.
The Maguire Foundation selected a handful of coaches to appear in these mini-biography interview sessions, in order to promote the coaches’ lives and promote the foundation. The Ascolese interview, conducted by yours truly, is a fascinating retrospective of Hudson County’s premier football coach and is a must-see, even if someone takes up half the screen in some shots. Take a peek by going to www.youtube.com and put “Vin Ascolese interview” in the search box. Seriously, you’ll be glad you did. It gives some new insight as to the man we all know and love, Vinny Ascolese… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.