Kelsey Snedeker is someone who definitely keeps a busy schedule. The Secaucus High School senior is the starting goalkeeper for the girls’ soccer team, where she has excelled, collecting save after save. She has been the starting catcher for the Patriots’ softball team for the last three years, protecting home plate like it was Fort Knox. This winter, Snedeker will also play basketball for John Sterling and the Patriots.
If that wasn’t enough, Snedeker is also the president of the student council, a member of the National Honor Society and treasurer of the school Key Club. She’s been a drum major with the Secaucus marching band and this year, she’s the dance team’s captain. She does volunteer work with the Secaucus Unico United and has been very active in the school plays in the past.
Just reading such an impressive resume and ledger can get tiring. It’s hard to fathom how Snedeker handles it all.
“It’s all about time management,” Snedeker said. “Sometimes, sports interferes with the other activities, but I try my best to do them all. I’ve learned that if I can do all of that, I can do anything.”
Snedeker gives a lot of credit to her mother, Lisa, for keeping up with her crazy schedule.
“My Mom is great,” Snedeker said. “She helps me keep going. She schleps me all over the place. Before I learned to drive, she was my chauffeur. And she had to feed me on top of all that. I always had a lot of stuff to do.”
Snedeker is also an excellent student, keeping a fine great point average.
“Because I take a lot of honors classes, I always have a lot of homework to do,” Snedeker said. “I always have something going on. Mom always knows I can do it. I have a lot to live up to.”
Recently, on a whim, Snedeker found an application for a program called the Wendy’s High School Heisman, which is presented to the student/athletes who have the best combination of academics, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
“The guidance department of the school helped me with the application,” Snedeker said. “I figured I had nothing to lose.”
About three weeks ago, Snedeker received a letter that her application had been received.
“The letter came with a gift certificate for a free lunch,” Snedeker said. “I figured that’s all I was going to get. I thought that was pretty cool.”
However, Snedeker has learned she’s in contention for far more than a hamburger.
Snedeker was informed last week that she is one of 20 finalists from the state of New Jersey for the High School Heisman award. She’s the lone finalist from Hudson County and she’s the only Hudson County student/athlete to receive this much consideration from the organization in the history of the program, which began in 1998.
Snedeker is in contention to earn a $20,000 scholarship and get a chance to attend the Heisman Trophy awards presentation at the Marriott Marquis in New York next month.
“It’s pretty cool,” Snedeker said. “Most of the time, awards like this are for the really smart kids or the really athletic kids. There aren’t a lot of awards like this one. I think it’s crazy that there are hundreds of thousands of kids who play sports in New Jersey and I’m one of only 20. I like to think I’m a well-rounded kid.”
Not to mention, a very busy one at that.
Snedeker doesn’t know where she will attend college, but she’s looking at some of the Ivy League schools like Princeton, which is her top choice. She would like to major in either elementary education or mathematics in college. Needless to say, she’s well on her way to becoming a success and quite possibly, the New Jersey recipient of the High School Heisman…
Two other female local standout athletes have declared their collegiate intentions.
All-Area softball standout Angelique Nieves, who formerly played for High Tech and will join the Union City roster this spring (although she still attends High Tech), has agreed to accept a softball scholarship at Iona College next fall….
And All-Area basketball standout Antoinette Blake of Marist has agreed to a scholarship package to attend NCAA Division II Gannon University next fall…
The Hudson Catholic boys’ basketball program will have a special tip-off beefsteak on Friday, November 17 in the school’s gymnasium, when the school will welcome back its two most famous basketball alumni, namely former NBA players Jim Spanarkel and Mike O’Koren.
Spanarkel was an All-American at Duke University and scored more than 2,000 points in his career there. He went on to play in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks and is currently a respected broadcaster on the YES Network, ESPN and CBS.
O’Koren, who teamed with Spanarkel for the Hawks’ lone HCIAA championship in 1975, went on to play at the University of North Carolina, then had a long career with the New Jersey Nets. O’Koren also had a long career as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Nets, Washington Wizards and most recently, the Philadelphia 76ers.
For more information on purchasing tickets for the event, contact Hudson Catholic head coach Nick Mariniello at (201) 221-6428 or e-mail at ngmariniello@yahoo.com….
Now, it’s time for the first edition of the NJSIAA pigskin playoff prognostications, featuring the old wide one, wearing turban and waving his wand. Yes, the Great Hagueini has awoken from his 11-month slumber and has returned to offer insight on the first round of the state football playoffs.
Remember, these picks are not to be used for any wagering purposes, unless it’s for a corned beef sandwich on rye and a bottle of Dr. Pepper with your Uncle Looie.
Verona at Secaucus, North 2, Group I: How can Hagueini even think of picking a school whose nickname is the Hillbillies? How many Hillbillies does it take to screw in a light bulb? Who knows? Eddie Delgado is the real deal at running back and Matt Traynor did a fine job last week, filling in for the injured Sean Egan at quarterback. Secaucus 20, Verona 14.
Lincoln at Glen Ridge, North 2, Group I: There are many experts who believe that the sixth-seeded Lions are the dark horses of the section, thanks to QB Ronald Butler and RB Ty Stevens. Glen Ridge just doesn’t have the firepower to stay with the high-powered Lions. Lincoln 40, Glen Ridge 14.
Hoboken at New Providence, North 2, Group I: The Red Wings earned the eighth seed in the same bracket as Hudson teams Lincoln and Secaucus. While Delquan Groomes has been a big playmaker for the Red Wings in recent weeks, this is a task just too big for the locals, facing a perennial Group I power. New Providence 28, Hoboken 14.
Union City at West Orange, North 1, Group 4: The 4-4 Soaring Eagles managed to get themselves into the post-season party despite the rocky season. Steve Le has had a nice year for the Eagles, but this is not a favorable matchup for Union City. West Orange 35, Union City 7.
Passaic County Tech at North Bergen, North 1, Group 4: As mentioned in Scoreboard, this is the first home playoff game for the Bruins since 2006 and the Bruins haven’t won in the state playoffs since winning the state championship in 1997. Time to buck the trend as the Bruins march on. North Bergen 20, Passaic Tech 14.
St. Peter’s Prep at Notre Dame, Non-Public Group 4: The Marauders have won seven straight impressively since losing to St. Joseph of Montvale in the second week of the season. It’s safe to say that Notre Dame has never seen anything like Savon Huggins, who should run wild as the Marauders advance to a showdown with nemesis Don Bosco Prep next weekend. St. Peter’s 28, Notre Dame 14.
There you have it, the first edition of the Hagueini’s pigskin prognostications. We’ll have more next week. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.