Seven weeks ago, there weren’t many people – outside of the ones who attend Hudson Catholic High School – who knew who Crystal Ortiz was.
But now, after her breakthrough freshman cross country campaign, one that saw her win the Hudson County Track Coaches Association title, the NJSIAA Non-Public B state championship and finally the 11th place finish at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions last Saturday at Holmdel Park, the entire cross county community in New Jersey knows exactly who the diminutive Ortiz truly is.
Ortiz crossed the finish line in 18:53, amid a pack of four runners who all finished at the same time. Ortiz kicked home to topple several runners down the stretch to place as the No. 2 freshman in the state overall.
Alyssa Aldridge of Mainland Regional, who finished just two seconds behind overall winner Epiphany Grisbaum of Ocean City, was the only freshman runner to finish ahead of Ortiz.
Needless to say, it was a tremendous first season, one for the record books, for Ortiz.
“I’m really happy,” Ortiz said after the race. “I have a lot of pride in what I was able to do. I would have liked to win it, but this was a little different experience for me.”
For the first time in her young racing career, Ortiz did not race from the lead. She fell behind a little bit at the onset and had to catch up during the course of the race.
“I got pushed to the back,” Ortiz said. “I tried to make up ground, but it was really hard. It was tough to come back after the start.”
But Ortiz wasn’t overly disappointed with her performance.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ortiz said. “I’m still young. For me to be here among the very best in the state is incredible. I had so many people here supporting me.”
After the race, hundreds of people approached Ortiz, draped in a blanket to keep warm, and offered their congratulations.
“It was amazing to see all these people,” Ortiz said. “It definitely motivates me to do better things in the future.”
Ortiz plans to continue her aspiring track and field career by competing in indoor track during the winter season that begins in a few weeks…
The Secaucus volleyball team has nothing to be ashamed of after its performance in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions last weekend at South Brunswick High School. The Patriots defeated River Dell, 25-17 and 25-23, to advance to the overall state semifinals.
In the semis, the Patriots faced the seven-time defending NJSIAA champion Immaculate Heart Academy, coached by former Secaucus coach and recently retired Secaucus High School teacher Maria Nolan.
The Patriots fell to IHA, 25-14, 25-17, as IHA then rolled on to yet another overall state title.
The Patriots, the Group I state champions who earned their first state title since 2006 last week, ended their season with a 32-2 record – with both losses coming at the hands of IHA and Nolan.
“We wanted to play IHA,” Secaucus head coach Sheila Rivera said. “We lost to only one school this year and that was the overall state champion. We got there and gave it a shot. We had to play two games in a day. But it was still one of the best seasons ever. We earned the 800th win in school history. We had three girls get their 1,000th points. We had our assistant coach [Cory Roesing] get inducted into the state Hall of Fame. It was a culmination of a few years. We had a good time and ended up with the second-best record in the state.”
Rivera was asked was it tough going up against her former coach in the state semifinals. Nolan coached Rivera at Secaucus High.
“She was emotional,” Rivera said of Nolan. “She didn’t want to play us. It was tough for her. It was a win-win for us. We have five seniors who know they never leave Secaucus volleyball. One girl got emotional with me, thinking that she was going to leave me. But I told her that Secaucus volleyball players never leave. They’re with us forever. I really enjoyed this season.”…
There were some solid football performances during the state sectional semifinal weekend. Eli Terry of St. Anthony had the best game, collecting 250 yards on 26 carries and scoring two touchdowns in the Friars’ huge 19-6 upset win over previously undefeated St. Mary’s of Rutherford. Devell Jones of Lincoln had 189 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns in the Lions’ big win over Madison. Josh Mercado of Hoboken had 196 yards and two touchdowns in the Red Wings’ loss to Dunellen. Jonathan Castellano of Union City had 110 yards and a touchdown in the Soaring Eagles’ loss to Passaic County Tech, ending their dream of going to MetLife Stadium and the state finals.
Torrence Williams of St. Anthony (147 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown) and Kamani Addison of Lincoln (122 yards on seven carries and one touchdown) also had big games, both in winning causes…
St. Peter’s Prep standout golfers Paolo Matti and T.J. Kaczan have announced their college golf plans. Matti, a two-time state medalist, is headed to Iona, while Kaczan will play at Cal State-Bakersfield. Both schools are NCAA Division I golf programs…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Football Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (10-1). 2. Union City (8-3). 3. Lincoln (9-1). 4. St. Anthony (8-3). 5. Hoboken (7-4)….—Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.