A popular occurrence on Facebook is the weekly “TBT,” for Throwback Thursdays, where people post pictures of yesteryear as a source of memories.
Well, at a certain local high school, last week represented “Championship Thursday.”
Hudson Catholic had a historic day last Thursday, when the school almost simultaneously captured the first-ever NJSIAA state sectional championships in two different sports.
At 4 p.m. in their own Joe “Rocky” Pope Memorial Gymnasium, the Hudson Catholic girls’ volleyball team captured the NJSIAA Non-Public B state sectional title, rallying from behind against Union Catholic to capture the crown.
The Hawks (31-2) lost the first set by five points, then stormed back to win the last two games by scores of 25-17 and 25-18 in the third and decisive set.
It was a long, tedious and emotionally gruesome evening, but the Hawks managed to prevail with help from setter Kaylana Lee Chow, who had 16 assists, including the 1,000th of her career. It was quite an event, considering that Chow is only a junior and to procure the volleyball milestone as a junior is an extraordinary feat.
Alanais Alvarado had 22 kills and nine digs, while Rose Vega had 17 digs and seven service points.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Hudson Catholic head coach Fernando Colon said. “This team really fought hard. A lot of the games, we were down, but like always, we always fought back. We took a step up this year and it was a step in the right direction.”
While the celebration at the school lingered on, many traveled six miles west to Kearny High School for the finals of the NJSIAA Non-Public B North boys’ soccer tournament, where Hudson Catholic was taking on Montclair Kimberley Academy.
The Hawks’ two stars, namely Pape Taha (last week’s Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week) assisted on goal-scoring machine Ariel Parada’s tally. The goal stood up, as the Hawks came away with the 1-0 victory.
“It was an incredible experience for our guys,” said Hudson Catholic head coach Rui dos Santos. “We have a young team and the success we had, we will be able to reap benefits from for the years to come. I’m proud of these guys, because no one expected anything from us. But we stuck to the plan and were able to bounce back and win. I couldn’t be prouder of them and everything they accomplished.”
It was a remarkable turnaround for the young Hawks, who had to deal with the adversity of forfeiting the first seven games of the season, due to the use of an ineligible player.
“We knew things were tough, but they answered the call,” dos Santos said. “That’s the biggest testament to this team. They stepped it up. They understood the situation, accepted what happened and came back to go to the overall state finals. That says a lot.”
Unfortunately, the calendar cannot remain at Thursday every day.
Both teams lost in the overall NJSIAA state championship game. The Hawks’ soccer team fell to Gill-St. Bernard’s of Peapack-Gladstone, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at Kean University for the overall Non-Public B title.
The volleyball team gave it a valiant effort, but lost to Immaculate Heart Academy, coached by Guttenberg native and former long-time Secaucus head coach Maria Nolan, 27-25 and 25-18, for the overall Non-Public B crown at William Paterson University. It marked the 10th straight year that IHA won an overall state title.
Remarkably, the Hawks (31-2) lost only twice all season – both times to IHA.
The Golden Eagles of IHA won thanks to a sterling all-around effort from Catherine Fazio, who has her own local ties.
Fazio is the daughter of former Emerson High School and St. Peter’s College basketball standout Bob Fazio, who later became principal at Emerson and eventually Superintendent of Schools in Union City before retiring a few years ago. Bob Fazio is a member of the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame, as is Nolan.
Catherine Fazio filled up the score sheet, colleting 11 digs, seven digs, three service points, one service ace, two assists and a block.
Still, nothing can ever tarnish the glory of “Championship Thursday,” as Hudson Catholic, which only started to allow female students a decade ago in an effort to keep the school from closing.
“I thought it was awesome,” said Colon, who doubles as the school’s tuition director. “We knew that the soccer team was also doing well and had a great playoff run. I spoke to the team about how ironic it all was. We were able to pack up our things and head to Kearny to support the boys’ soccer team. The boys’ soccer team was watching our game and cheering for us as they waited for their bus to arrive to take them to Kearny.
Added Colon, “It was a proud day for the school. It was very grand for Hudson Catholic. The students did a great job of packing the stands in Kearny. That’s something that the kids, all the kids, should be proud. We had a good year and we hope to build on it.”
The boys’ soccer team also vowed that it might have been the first state title on “Championship Thursday,” but it won’t be the last.
“We’re an established program now,” dos Santos said. “It was a great day for the school and the sports program. It was great all around. These were the kinds of things that we hoped would happen. It’s just crazy coincidence that it happened on the same day. We hope to have several more in the future.”
It took the school more than 50 years to get the first “Championship Thursday.” Now, there’s talk already of several. Spoken like a true champion.
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com. This week, Jim has his take on the NJSIAA’s football playoff controversy.