Happy Friday the 13th to our Varsity Aces readers! Today’s occurrence is extra unique, since it is the final time we will have a double-13 date (12/13/13) for an entire century. Whether you’re superstitious or not, we have a little treat to commemorate the day.
Think No. 13 is good luck? Keep reading. Think it’s bad luck? Well, if the “no more double-13 dates for 100 years†thing doesn’t calm you down, here are some varsity athletes who have spent the entire year debunking the myth of triskaidekaphobia (a.k.a. fear of 13).
We have set up a poll, and the question is simple: Which athlete who wears uniform No. 13 had the best 2013 (either because of successful on the field or having a good story off it)?
Of course, not every sport uses jersey numbers — heck, I cover two of them, gymnastics and bowling — so to be fair, feel free to nominate anyone we missed in the comment section or tweet at us (@VarsityAces). If you want to vote for (as an example) a wrestling or swimming team that won something as a 13th seed, feel free to do so. Remember, it’s all meant to be in good fun.
So, which No. 13 had the best ’13? Here are the top candidates, in alphabetical order…
Caitlyn Bach, Northern Highlands girls soccer: Midfielder was one of four seniors that led the unbeaten Highlanders (23-0-1) to their third straight State Group 3 title and a state-record 72-game unbeaten streak. Scored 10 goals in 2013 and is also a pretty good swimmer, from what I’m told. (Story here, photo here)
Chris Baldi, Mahwah baseball: The ace right-hander pitched the Thunderbirds to their second consecutive North 1, Group 2 championship and second straight appearance in the State Group 2 final. He finished 11-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 83 innings, and he has moved on to play at Amherst. (Story)
Mike Coss, Pompton Lakes baseball: Left-hander not only tossed a 126-pitch complete game in the Passaic County final, he hit the go-ahead three-run homer to power the Cardinals to their first county crown in 17 years. He also helped the team to its second straight sectional title and has signed a letter of intent to play at Marist. (Story)
Avery Dravis-Stark, Midland Park girls basketball: In addition to helping the Panthers snap a 13-game Bergen County tournament losing streak, the shooting guard co-captained the team to its first-ever North 1, Group 1 title to cap off her senior season. (Story, courtesy Suburban News)
Lea Georgatos, Immaculate Conception softball: One of the top defensive catchers in North Jersey batted .480 with 47 hits (16 for extra bases) and a team-high 40 RBI. She served as one of the leaders on the Blue Wolves during the run to their first-ever state championship. (Story)
Nicole Kopyta, Indian Hills girls lacrosse: The attacker became Bergen County’s all-time leading goal-scorer in the sport with 330 over four years. Now at Rutgers, she highlighted her senior season with 90 goals, scored in 54 straight games to close her varsity career and helped the 19-2 Braves reach their first county final. (Story)
Koryn Lawrence-Barrett, Kennedy girls basketball: The 5-foot-6 guard was the Knights’ leading rebounder and a 1,000-point scorer. She earned a scholarship to Norfolk State after averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 4.7 steals her senior season. (Story)
Kendall Magliato, Northern Highlands field hockey: Senior wing tallied eight goals and six assists (including one on Lauren O’Keefe’s game-winning goal in the sectional final) to help the Highlanders win the Northeast Conference Division 2, Bergen County and North 1, Group 3 championships and earn The Record’s Team of the Year award. (Story)
Frank Nutile, Don Bosco football: In his final career game on Thanksgiving Day, the Temple-bound quarterback threw for 196 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner to tight end Tom Sweeney in the fourth quarter, to engineer a 28-21 upset of No. 1 St. Joseph and give the Ironmen a share of the Big North United Division title. (Story)
Jenifer Ramirez, Bogota girls volleyball: Senior libero registered 14 service points and 10 digs in the Bucs’ 25-16, 25-17 win over Rutherford in the State Group 1 final, which brought the program its fourth consecutive state title. She was named to the All-Bergen first team as well. (Story)
Samantha Rodriguez, Wayne Hills girls soccer: A senior from a soccer family, she led the Patriots in scoring with 20 goals and four assists and helped lead the team to its 10th Passaic County title overall and second in the past three seasons. (Story, courtesy Wayne Today)
Mike Sasso, Wayne Valley boys volleyball: Defensive specialist served a key ace in game three of the Passaic County championship match to spur the Indians to their third title in four years, 25-18, 19-25, 25-21, over defending champ Lakeland. (Story) – No photo available.
Brendan Schreiber, Clifton boys lacrosse: Despite being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March, the central defender continued to play for the Mustangs while undergoing chemotherapy and kept a positive attitude throughout, which prompted his teammates to shave their heads in solidarity. (Stories in The Record and Clifton Journal)
Steve Shanley, Paramus Catholic football: Threw a pair of touchdown passes in the Paladins’ 13-7 win over St. Peter’s Prep in the Non-Public Group 4 final. The QB now has back-to-back state championships to his credit, and he threw the touchdown pass that proved to be the difference in both the 2012 and 2013 title games. (Story)
Marissa Spinuzzi, Fair Lawn softball: Won 17 games her senior year and set a school record with a 0.69 ERA, and she struck out 218 to finish with 725 K’s for her career. Her shining moment of 2013 was a one-hit, 11-strikeout performance against Old Tappan that sent the Cutters into the Bergen County quarterfinals. (Story, courtesy Northern Valley Suburbanite)
Connor Van Caugherty, Ridgewood baseball: The right fielder hit the most dramatic home run of 2013 for the Maroons, a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth inning that capped a 4-3 victory over West Milford on May 6 and sparked a six-game win streak. The senior recently signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Cincinnati. (Story, courtesy The Ridgewood News)
Caleb Yu, Park Ridge boys soccer: Sophomore back helped the Owls post four straight shutouts in the state tournament, culminating with a 2-0 victory over Wallington in the North 1, Group 1 final, which gave the program its first-ever sectional championship. (Story here, photo here)
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.