The Aceys: A look back at the 2014-15 Acey Awards — Winners, Top 3s & Party Notes

It was another great night at Moe’s Southwest Grill Thursday night for the third annual Acey Awards, even with that somewhat shaky mic. I’d first like to again thank Lee DiPrizito, the owner of Moe’s, and his staff for once again being terrific hosts. Those Under Armour T-shirts you received, that’s all Lee… we just gave him the logo and he did the rest. He went above and beyond what was expected and we look forward to continuing this event there in the future. And two other thanks to my colleagues, Darren Cooper and Paul Schwartz for showing up and greatly helping out with the event.

This whole thing started a couple of years ago when I was watching the ESPYs one summer night and thought how cool it would be to gather up all North Jersey’s best athletes in one room and have an ESPYs of our own. I texted Darren the idea and he was on board. We got approval from the boss. And so came the beginning of The Aceys, which is seemingly growing in popularity every year. Year 1 in 2013 ended with a seven-minute online video with Darren and I reading off the winners on notecards in front of a camera; Year 3 in 2015 ended with a standing-room only crowd at Moe’s after over 20,000 total votes in 16 categories.

As for the process, we really do try assembling the best of the best on these lists. A lot of time and effort goes into creating the lists of finalists you have seen the past eight days and, in an area like North Jersey, it really is an honor just to be on a ballot in any category. We ask our staff writers for potential finalists. We take suggestions on Twitter. We have lists of up to 30 or more nominees that we cut down to the final 15-17 you see as finalists. That’s never easy. The lists seem to be gradually increasing each year, because North Jersey continues producing insanely talented athletes in sports across the board.

The stars were out in full force Thursday night.

We had Ramsey home run king Ashton Bardzell and Ramsey hockey scoring king Alex Whelan and his Ram teammates in the house. Whelan was our Best Male Athlete last year and finished second in the same category this time around. Bardzell finished third in Best Record-Breaking Performance.

We had a pair of IHA softball stars in Reese Guevarra, our Player of the Year this year and winner of Best Record-Breaking Performance after recording 67 hits this spring — a new school record — and Ally Dudek, the sophomore who made headlines in early June with her walkoff RBI single to give the Blue Eagles the Non-Public A state title.

“Supergirl” Kaitlin Salisbury of Hawthorne was there, just a few weeks after an unbelievable junior season, capped with a pair of gold medals at the State Meet of Champions. Incredibly, Salisbury finished in the Top 3 in four categories Thursday night — definitely an Aceys record — and took home Best Female Athlete honors at the end of the night. She joked she was getting annoyed at the second and third-place finishes earlier in the night. After a season doing essentially nothing but winning, who could blame her? Receiving the top individual female award in the end sent her home happy.

IHA freshman soccer phenom Rebecca Jarrett and her family, including her sister Grace, were in attendance, too. Jarrett finished second in the voting for Best Female Breakthrough Athlete, and don’t be surprised to see her up for Best overall Female Athlete in the near future.

The Corcoran twins — Veronica and Victoria – of Demarest showed up fashionably late… the junior three-sport stars were busy with practices, of course. They were involved in a few categories Thursday night after being part of teams that went 70-15 in volleyball, basketball and softball. That’s a crazy stat… 70-15. And we had another pair of junior twins, Colin and Willy Daly of River Dell track and cross country there with some teammates as well. The Dalys took third in Best Male Breakthrough Athlete. Immaculate Conception’s Gabby Slade was also in attendance and her teammate Lea Georgatos showed up a little later on, with their Blue Eagles’ team up for several Aceys. Gabby served as the night’s photographer, so all the photos from the event are courtesy of Slade, who’ll be continuing her softball career next year at Rhode Island.

It seemed like all of Bergenfield was there Thursday night, headlined by Jovani and DJ Haskins and the record-breaking boys basketball team and now award-winning student section. Jovani Haskins ended the night taking home the T-Shirt for Best Male Athlete of 2014-15 (he was one of North Jersey’s most electrifying offensive players at QB in football and an All-North Jersey selection in basketball on a Group 3 state champion squad), while the boys basketball team won Best Game Acey (North 1, Group 3 sectional final win over Teaneck)

And, of course, the Bears capped the night with a wild celebration when it was announced they beat out Waldwick for this year’s Best Student Section. It was pretty cool when Darren set the stage for our top two vote-getters… you had Bergenfield on one side of the room and a few Waldwick kids on the other and the Bears erupted when it was announced they took home this year’s honor. It was a good night for Bergenfield.

Lyndhurst bowling star Emily Young showed up, after shining on the Tournament of Champions title boys team last winter, and ended up taking the top honor for Best Championship Performance after posting a 759 series, outscoring all competing males. I found out at the end of the night she’ll be attending Delaware in the fall, but they unfortunately have no bowling team.

We had a lot of members of The Bird Cage from Pompton Lakes, and they were gracious in defeat, tweeting that they’ll “be back” again next year. Some of them remembered me from a soccer game I did a while back. Ryan Shafer, a Best Story finalist, was also there with the Pompton crew and finished in the Top 3 in that category. Sitting nearby the Bird Cage was the Westwood crew, which had Best Coach winner Vito Campanile‘s wife and children, Nolan Borgersen’s younger brother, and the legendary Vito Trause.

Bergen Catholic’s Gene Coleman showed up, but it was right around the time the night was ending, but he and Corey Gaarn did earn the Best Play Acey Award on that wild 33-yard touchdown connection vs. St. Joseph late in the fourth quarter, down seven, on a 4th-and-18. Coleman, one of the Crusaders’ top returning wide receivers, and his Bergen Catholic teammates are leaving for Alabama in a few days for some 7-on-7 games.

St. Mary wrestler Nick Kovacs was also there, and received the T-Shirt for Best Male Breakthrough Athlete after becoming the Gaels’ first wrestler to reach Atlantic City since 2010.

It was great meeting Waldwick’s Nick D’Annibale, who took Best Story of 2014-15 honors after overcoming leukemia as a child and started on the Warriors’ varsity baseball team as a freshman. That really is the definition of a true warrior.

Emerson baseball had major representation there Thursday night, just a few weeks after winning the Group 1 state title. The Cavos, who were our Baseball Team of the Year this spring, ended up winning Best Breakthrough Team Acey Award Thursday night. Emerson softball’s Katie Falotico unfortunately was not there after something came up earlier this week, but the rising softball star should be receiving her T-Shirt from the baseball guys soon for winning Best Female Breakthrough Athlete.

Also not there, unfortunately, was Northern Highlands girls lacrosse, but they had a valid excuse. Just about the entire team was at a late night practice. The Highlanders ended up as the top vote-getter for Best Upset, after shocking IHA, 13-11, in the Bergen County tournament semifinals, erasing an eight-goal deficit in the second half to reach their first county final in program history.

The coolest thing about the Aceys is you never really know when you’re gonna see a potential finalist, but you know it the moment you see it or read about it. Since September, there’s been dozens of texts between Darren and I saying, “Yep, that’s an Acey.” Thursday night was really a culmination of a 10-month-long process. We all hope everyone in attendance enjoyed the night and we thank everyone who came out.

With that, here are the photos and Top 3 vote-getters in all 16 categories. All 16 winners were decided by a combination of RETWEETS on Twitter and POLL VOTES on our blogs from throughout the eight-day period. To be fair to every category, every poll was open for a 24-hour period. Also, some tweets might have more Retweets now than what it indicates below. The number of Retweets were always taken after the same 24-period window every day.

We will be on the look out for potential finalists for 2015-16 in a few short weeks once the fall seasons roll around.

BEST GAME

Winner: Bergenfield boys basketball defeats Teaneck, 71-69, in N1, G3 final, ending Highwaymen’s run of 4 straight sectional titles — 140 total votes (101 Retweets + 39 poll votes)
Their wild win helped the Bears avenge two regular-season losses to eighth-seeded Teaneck and ended the defending champion’s streak of North 1, Group 3 championships at four. Junior forward Jovani Haskins led Bergenfield with a game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds.

2nd place: Bergen Catholic football defeats St. Joseph, 37-34 in double overtime, in regular season with emergency QB Corey Gaarn providing late-game heroics  –119 total votes (69 Retwets + 50 poll votes)

Third place: Paramus Catholic football over Don Bosco, 18-17, in Non-Public Group 4 semifinal on go-ahead touchdown from QB Willy Hansen to WR Marquise Spence with 21 seconds left — 93 total votes (54 Retweets + 39 poll votes)

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BEST PLAY

Winner: Bergen Catholic’s Corey Gaarn’s 33-yard game-tying touchdown pass to Gene Coleman on 4th-&-18 with 1:34 left in fourth quarter vs St. Joseph. BC won, 37-34 in 2OT — 239 total votes (84 Retweets + 155 poll votes)
Facing a fourth-and-18 from the St. Joseph 33 with 1:34 to go, Gaarn and Coleman hooked up on what arguably is the Play of the Year in North Jersey at the midway point of the season. Flushed out of the pocket to his right, Gaarn unleashed a bullet to Coleman for a 33-yard score. It was Mayhem in Montvale, but there still was work to be done. “It’s actually funny; right before that play, I said to Corey Russo in the huddle, ‘We’re not going down without a fight,’ ” Gaarn said. “He just goes, ‘Nope, we’re not.’ ”

Second place: Bergen Catholic QB Jarrett Guarantano’s 5-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Mike Aniello with 26 seconds left vs. St. Edward, the No. 1 team in the nation one week earlier –  235 total votes (132 Retweets + 103 poll votes)

Third place: Bergenfield QB Jovani Haskins’ elusive game-tying 70-yard touchdown pass to brother DJ Haskins late in the fourth quarter vs. eventual sectional finalist Paramus. The Bears won, 20-14, in overtime — 152 total votes (97 RT + 55 poll votes)

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BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

Winner: Lyndhurst bowler Emily Young shoots career-best 759 series to lead Lyndhurst to sectional scoring record (3,490) and North 1A, Group 1 title. Outscored all the boys, too, even though she was ineligible to win high series –177 total votes (47 Retweets + 130 poll votes)

Second place: Hawthorne junior Kaitlin Salisbury wins double gold (long jump, high jump) at the State Meet of Champions, following a four-gold performance at State Group 1 championship (LJ, HJ, 100, 200). She became first North Jersey athlete to ever win that double at the SMOC. — 115 total votes (13 Retweets + 102 poll votes)

Third place: Lakeland senior pitcher Kyle Labouseur pitches four-hit shutout in Lakeland’s 2-0 win over Ramsey, the defending champion, in the North 1, Group 2 sectional final  — 112 total votes (26 Retweets + 86 poll votes)

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BEST UPSET

Winner: Northern Highlands upsets IHA, 13-11, in Bergen County Tournament semifinals
The third-seeded Highlanders reached their first Bergen County Tournament final after defeating second-seeded IHA, erasing an eight-goal second-half deficit while snapping the Blue Eagles’ run of reaching seven straight county finals. “You slayed a giant tonight,” coach Mike Menzella told his team just moments after the win. “You proved your critics wrong. Enjoy this moment. They don’t come around all the time.” — 106 total votes (15 Retweets + 91 poll votes)

Second place: Bergen Catholic freshman wrestler Shane Griffith shocks two-time state champion, Summit’s Craig De La Cruz, 4-3, in 132-pound state final
The freshman was named Most Outstanding Wrestler in Atlantic City, believed to be the first time in the long event’s history that a ninth-grader won the award — 104 total votes (71 Retweets + 33 poll votes)

Third place:Don Bosco defeats then-No. 1 (in the nation) St. Thomas Aquinas, 24-7, at West Point on Sept. 13 — 103 total votes (68 Retweets + 35 poll votes)

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BEST MALE BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Winner: Nick Kovacs, St. Mary, Wrestling — After having surgery on his shoulder his junior year, Kovacs recorded 35 wins, reached the Region finals and became St. Mary’s first wrestler to qualify for the state tournament in Atlantic City since 2010. — 358 total votes (187 Retweets + 171 poll votes)

Second place: Willy Hansen, Paramus Catholic, Football — A two-year starter at Morris Hills in the first half of his high school career, Hansen transferred to Paramus Catholic after a near career-threatening shoulder injury, sat behind Steve Shanley the majority of his junior year and took over the starting QB reigns as a senior. He led the Paladins back to the Non-Public Group 4 state final for the third straight year, including throwing the game-winning TD pass with 21 seconds left against Don Bosco in the semifinals. — 322 total votes (14 Retweets + 308 poll votes)

Third place: Will and Colin Daly, River Dell, Track — [Will was a] major factor in River Dell’s indoor and outdoor state group titles, he scored 10 points in the Group 3 meet and led the state Meet of Champions 1,600 until the final 25 meters, finishing second in 4:11.89, 10th in Bergen County history. Like his twin, Colin scored 10 points in the state Group 3 meet and earned a medal in the state Meet of Champions 1,600, finishing fourth. He ran 49 seconds on the 4-x-400 relay and 1:52 on the 4-x-800, in addition to 4:12.24 and 9:14.66 in open 1,600 and 3,200 races. — 174 total votes (25 Retweets + 149 poll votes)

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BEST FEMALE BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Winner: Katie Falotico, Emerson, Softball — Broke out into North Jersey’s best first basemen after hitting .692 (54-for-78) to earn first team All-Bergen County honors. Only halfway through with her high school career, the Albany verbal commit has already surpassed the career 100-hit milestone an posted a .717 on-base percentage, 1.871 OPS and 1.154 slugging percentage this spring. — 415 total votes (55 Retweets + 360 poll votes)

Second place: Rebecca Jarrett, IHA, Soccer — A first team All-North Jersey selection, Jarrett scored 14 goals and added 11 assists to help guide the Blue Eagles to their first national championship.  — 190 total votes (31 Retweets + 159 poll votes)

Third place: Kaitlin Salisbury, Hawthorne, Track — Only added long jumping to sprinting her freshman year, and recently won the state Meet of Champions long jump. Just five months ago, Salisbury took up triple jump and ended up winning that event as well — the first time a North Jersey athlete has won that double at the Meet of Champs. She also struck gold four times at the State Group 1 championships, winning both jumping events along with the 100 and 200.  — 189 total votes (13 Retweets + 176 poll votes)

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BEST CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK

Winner: Bergen Catholic wrestling’s Nick Suriano wins 3rd straight state title, remains undefeated in career at 121-0 — The Bergen Catholic junior won his third state wrestling championship Sunday at Boardwalk Hall, becoming the seventh Bergen County athlete to win three gold medals in the event’s long history. The Paramus resident rolled to a 5-2 victory over Delbarton’s Tyler Agaisse in the 120-pound final, demonstrating his lethal combination of quickness and strength. — 67 total votes (37 Retweets + 30 poll votes)

Second place: Bergen Catholic wins 4th straight Non-Public A state title — The Crusaders rolled over St. Augustine, 56-9, on Sunday at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton to win their fourth straight Non-Public A state title and complete a thoroughly dominating run through the tournament. They are the first team in Bergen Catholic history to win four consecutive state titles in any sport. — 47 total votes (30 Retweets + 17 poll votes)

Third place: Fair Lawn wins 6th straight North 1 title; moves winning streak to 69 straight matches vs. North Jersey opponents — 40 total votes (30 Retweets + 10 poll votes)

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BEST BREAKTHROUGH TEAM

Winner: Emerson Baseball — The Cavos went 26-5 record, culminating in a 3-1 victory over Middlesex that gave them their first Group 1 title since 2001 and the only one for a North Jersey baseball team this spring. They won 23 of its final 25 games, claiming the NJIC Patriot Division crown along the way and earned The Record Team of the Year honor. — 164 total votes (34 Retweets + 130 poll votes)

Second place: Bergenfield Boys Basketball – Bergenfield became the first boys basketball team from Bergen County to win a state title in a dozen years. The Bears were The Record Boys Basketball Team of the Year after defeating Ewing in the Group 3 final in overtime, 80-72, one of four games in which they were one play away from elimination.  — 131 total votes (74 Retweets + 57 poll votes)

Third place: Westwood girls basketball — The Cardinals just closed out a 27-4 season in which they won the Big North Patriot Division, claimed their first sectional title since 1988, and advanced to the Group 2 title game in Toms River for the first time. — 108 total votes (33 Reweets + 75 poll votes)

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BEST COACH

Winner: Vito Campanile, Westwood Football — Campanile, who recently took the head coach job at Seton Hall Prep, guided the Cardinals to their second straight North 1, Group 2 championship. He will leave Westwood with the program riding a North Jersey-best 18-game win streak. — 181 total votes (32 Retwets + 149 poll votes)

Second place: Dave Bell, Bergen Catholic Wrestling — Guided the Crusaders to their fourth straight Non-Public A state title, another No. 1 ranking in New Jersey and crowed four individual state champions in Atlantic City. — 124 total votes (87 Retweets + 37 poll votes)

Third place: Marty Rivard, Bergenfield Basketball — He’s been coaching in North Jersey for 41 years, but this winter may have been his best performance yet. Rivard led Bergenfield to the Group 3 state title, his first-ever state crown and the Bears’ first since 1946. He owns a Bergen County-best 760 career wins. — 117 total votes (75 Retweets + 42 poll votes)

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BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE

Winner: Reese Guevarra, IHA Softball — Voted as last year’s Best Female Breakthrough Athlete as a freshman, Guevarra one-upped herself this spring, earning The Record Player of Year honor after hitting .563 with six home runs, 35 RBI (batting leadoff), 67 hits, 52 runs, 12 steals and errorless play all season in center field. Verbally committed to Connecticut, Guevarra broke IHA’s single-season hits record of 62, set by Carly Piccinich in 2012. — 197 total votes (64 Retweets + 133 poll votes)

Second place: Kaitlin Salisbury, Hawthorne Track — At State Meet of Champions, the junior Salisbury and Record Girls Track Athlete of the Year became the first North Jersey jumper in state history to win the gold in both the long and triple jump. She also won four Group 1 golds in the 100, 200 and both jumps. — 91 total votes (16 Retweets + 75 poll votes)

Third place: Ashton Bardzell, Ramsey Baseball — In a season for the ages, the Hartford-bound senior Bardzell and Record Player of the Year smashed a nation-best 18 home runs, putting him alongside current Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout for the state single-season record. — 78 total votes (35 Retweets + 43 poll votes)

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BEST STORY

Winner: Waldwick’s Nick D’Annibale a true Warrior –Nick D’Annibale remembers being scared. “Really scared,” said the Waldwick freshman left fielder. But what 11-year-old wouldn’t be after being told he had leukemia? It was a life-changing moment, and the start of a four-year battle that just ended in February with a final treatment. “It was a long recovery, and the first year was tough,” said his father, Joseph, a retired Waldwick police officer. “But he never complained. He just did what he had to do.” That included playing freshman basketball for the Warriors last winter, even though he still was undergoing treatment. D’Annibale followed that by claiming a starting job on one of North Jersey’s premier Group 1 baseball teams.  — 219 total votes (83 Retweets + 136 poll votes)

Second place: Pompton Lakes’ Ryan Shafer — Ryan Shafer considers the question. He’s lived through brain surgery, a broken back, a couple of concussions, too many sprained ankles to count and currently is sleeping in a recliner because he just had surgery on a torn labrum and his right arm is locked in a sling. So, how does he feel? “Lucky,” said Shafer, a Pompton Lakes senior. “I mean that in a positive way. I’ve been blessed with a quick healing body and the ability to do what I love.”  — 158 (14 Retweets + 144 poll votes)

Third place: Rutherford’s Neal Calabrese — Neal Calabrese is slowly learning what it feels like to be an inspiration. The Rutherford senior shortstop first experienced it last September at Liberty State Park when he said a few words before the annual Tomorrows Children’s Fund “Life and Liberty Walk.” Calabrese overcame leukemia as a small child, so he was particularly qualified to talk about courage and determination to an audience filled with children battling cancer and their parents.  — 144 total votes (65 Retweets + 79 poll votes)

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BEST TEAM (Big School)

Winner: Bergen Catholic Wrestling – Bergen Catholic proved it’s on another level this season by going wire to wire as the No. 1 team in the state for the second straight year. The Crusaders capped it off by becoming just the third team since 1949 to crown four individual state champions. Bergen Catholic went 15-2 on the way to their fourth straight Non-Public A championship.  — 107 total votes (52 Retweets + 55 poll votes)

Second place: Bergenfield Boys Basketball — Bergenfield became the first boys basketball team from Bergen County to win a state title in a dozen years. The Bears earned honors as The Record Boys Basketball Team of the Year after defeating Ewing in the Group 3 final in overtime, 80-72, one of four games in which they were one play away from elimination. — 104 total votes (66 Retweets + 38 poll votes)

Third place: Pascack Valley Football — The Indians finished 10-2 and won the North, Group 4 sectional title for the second straight year after defeating Paramus, 22-6, in the final at MetLife Stadium. They ended the season on a 4-game win streak and proved most dominant during their three-game postseason run, outscoring its trio of playoff opponents, 107-27. — 60 total votes (26 Retweets + 34 poll votes)

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BEST TEAM (Small School)

Winner: Westwood Girls Basketball — The Cardinals went 27-4 season and claimed their first sectional title since 1988, advancing to the Group 2 title game in Toms River for the first time. The program made the huge and often complicated jump from simply respectable to dangerous this season, and that’s why the Cardinals were The Record Girls Basketball Team of the Year. They also claimed the Big North Patriot Division title. — 90 total votes (18 Retweets + 72 poll votes)

Second place: Westwood Football — The Cardinals went 12-0 and captured their second straight North 1, Group 2 title after their 21-7 win over Waldwick/Midland Park in the title game. They extended their winning streak to a North Jersey-best 18 games, dating back to the 2013-14 school year. The Westwood defense allowed just 19 points in three state playoff games.

Third place: Cresskill Boys Basketball — The Cougars went 27-4, winning the North 1, Group 1 sectional title with a thrilling 72-60 overtime win over Wood-Ridge in the championship game. They gave University all it could handle in the Group 1 semis, falling 56-55. — 71 total votes (17 Retweets + 54 poll votes)

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BEST MALE ATHLETE

Winner: JOVANI HASKINS, Bergenfield, Basketball/Football — The 6-foot-4 Haskins was Bergen County’s best low-post player. Haskins, also a Division I-A football recruit, sparked the 23-6 Bears’ run to the state Group 3 title by averaging 17.2 points on 57 percent shooting and 11.7 rebounds. … In 10 games at quarterback after taking over for an injured starter, Haskins threw for 1,090 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran for 690 yards and seven scores. He immediately became one of the most exciting offensive payers in North Jersey’s and is in the process of choosing between 16 Division I-A offers. — 283 total votes (56 Retweets + 227 poll votes)

Second place: ALEX WHELAN, Ramsey, Hockey — Whelan put together one of the greatest careers in Bergen County and New Jersey history, guiding Ramsey to two straight county finals, four straight Public B semifinals and the past two Public B state finals. He finished with a record-breaking 265 career points (145 goals, 120 assists), including a North Jersey-best 49-goal, 32-assist season — with at least one goal in his final 18 games, including two in the state final. He is The Record Hockey Player of the Year for the third consecutive time. — 219 total votes (59 Retweets + 160 poll votes)

Third place: NICK SURIANO, Bergen Catholic, Wrestling — Became the seventh Bergen County athlete ever to win three gold medals at the state tournament in Atlantic City in the event’s long history. The Paramus resident rolled to a 5-2 victory over Delbarton’s Tyler Agaisse in the 120-pound final to remain unbeaten in his high school career, now at 121-0. — 158 total votes (53 Retweets + 105 poll votes)

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BEST FEMALE ATHLETE

Winner: KAITLIN SALISBURY, Hawthorne, Track — The numbers are astonishing. In 19 events in league, county, state sectional, state Group and state Meet of Champions competition, she won 17, including a North Jersey-first win in both the long and triple jumps at the state Meet of Champions. … As a freshman she added long jumping to sprinting, and won the SMOC long jump this spring. Just five months ago, Salisbury took up triple jump and ended up winning that event as well this spring — the first time a North Jersey athlete has won that double at the State Meet of Champs. Salisbury’s athletic success earned her The Record Girls Track Field Athlete of the Year honor. — 209 total votes (17 Retweets + 192 poll votes)

Second place: REESE GUEVARRA, Immaculate Heart, Softball — Reese Guevarra is quick to admit that she wasn’t a natural the first time she stepped onto a softball field as a kid. “I remember running around the bases in the wrong direction,” she said. From inauspicious beginnings. The resident of New City, N.Y., built on a successful freshman season for Immaculate Heart last year by batting .563 with a school-record 67 hits and 52 runs scored from the leadoff spot to spark the offense and help lead the Blue Eagles to their state-record 10th Non-Public A state softball title. — 192 total votes (55 Retweets + 137 poll votes)

Third place: MARIA BELLINGER, Paramus, Volleyball — Bellinger’s offensive statistics were impressive. In 61 sets, she totaled 462 kills in 922 attempts and only 95 errors. In a Bergen semifinal loss to eventual repeat champion Immaculate Heart, 25-19, 29-27, she kept the Spartans in it with 19 kills. In three seasons, she has 1,093 career kills. Bellinger, whose mother, MariaElena, is her coach, showed her versatility with defense and serving. She had 140 digs and 122 service points, including 36 aces. She has 501 career digs, 367 service points and 112 aces. — 179 total votes (20 Retweets + 159 poll votes)

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BEST STUDENT SECTION

Winner: Bergenfield
494 total votes (141 Retweets + 353 poll votes)

Second place: Waldwick
388 total votes (110 Retweets + 278 poll votes)

Third place: Bergen Catholic
369 total votes (109 Retweets + 260 poll votes)

Fourth place: Wayne Valley
278 total votes (57 Retweets + 221 poll votes)

Fifth place: Pompton Lakes
237 total votes (42 Retweets + 195 poll votes)

Sixth place: DePaul
228 total votes (51 Retweets + 177 poll votes)