Top Headline

Strong pitching from Brennan to record his first win of the season.

Apr 02, 2025

The game was part of the Big North - National Division league play with Old Tappan improving to a 2-0 record and Bergenfield dropping to 0-2. This matchup was a pitching duel with David Brennan standing tall in the end with his first win of the year. In the baseball game, Old Tappan defeated Bergenfield with a final score of 5–1.Game Summary:Old Tappan (2–0): Scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning and 3 runs in the 6th inning, totaling 5 runs on 6 hits with no errors.Bergenfield (0–2): Scored 1 run in the 5th inning, totaling 1 run on 3 hits with no errors.Key Players: Old TappanDavid Brennan (#26): Achieved 6 strikeouts over 5 innings pitched, earning his first win of the year.Caden Yoon (#5): Recorded 2 runs and 2 hits.Mateo Skific (#24): Contributed 2 RBIs.

Clarissa Guerrero named to the All County 1st Team for Javelin

Jun 13, 2024

Clarissa Guerrero was truly dominant this season. As a reward, she was named to the All County 1st team in Bergen County. Clarissa had tremendous season throwing the javelin. One of her notable meets was her throw of 120 feet to be crowned champion at the Bergen County Meet of Champions. She is pictured here with her coach, Coach Seitz, at the All ,County acceptance dinner.

Clarissa Guerrero Preview Outdoor Season Opener

Apr 02, 2025

There’s more to N.J. track and field than just the fast times and big marks.There are noteworthy items across the sport from High Point to Cape May that deserve recognition that the average fan might not know about.Below, find our first-ever girls outdoor track and field notebook, which includes the meets to watch through the rest of the week as well as the top storylines going into the next seven days.Meets to watchHasbrouck Heights Penn Relay Qualifier, SundayImmaculate Heart senior Julia Sobilo will be in the field and she holds a PR 136-3, but comes in with a seed of 141-7 so we know she’s capable of eclipsing 140. Westwood junior Clarissa Guerrero has a PR 122-6 in the javelin and Demarest seniors Kailey Attali and Olivia Rothstein have both surpassed 18 feet in the long jump. The event to keep an eye on is the high jump as Westwood’s Brooke Wichmann has cleared 5-6 ¼ and Dwight Englewood’s Grace Dalgetty has leaped 5-5.

BASKETBALL

Boys basketball: North Jersey's Top Sophomores

Jan 14, 2025

Boys basketball: North Jersey boasts a bonanza of 'impact sophomores'Here's the annual look at North Jersey's "impact sophomores" from the Big North and NJIC. These 10th graders have started multiple games, and their coaches nominated them with supporting stats and provided insight:David Brennan, Old Tappan: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 93 percent free-throw shooter. “David is a two-year starter for Old Tappan and a really talented player,” coach Craig Ferraro said. “Dave is a competitor and never shies away from the big moments.” We are expecting big things for Brennan next year as a junior. Greg MatturaNorthJersey.com

Old Tappan can’t finish to keep the season alive

Mar 01, 2025

Inside the Morris Knolls girls basketball locker room hangs a poster with a photo of the team and a quote on the poster from University of Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.“Defend like it’s game point all game long,” is what the quote from Sampson says on the poster.Morris Knolls sees the poster each time it walks into the locker room. Defense is what Morris Knolls head coach Rob Moore wanted his team’s identity to be this season, and defense was going to determine the outcome of Saturday’s matchup against Old Tappan.Morris Knolls needed one more stop with just 3.4 seconds remaining and up by one point to make history. Old Tappan had the ball on its own baseline, looking to win the game.And as it’s been all season long, defense won Morris Knolls the game.Second-seeded Morris Knolls staged a fourth-quarter rally and then got a stop on the game’s final possession to beat seventh-seeded Old Tappan, 51-50 in overtime, in the North 1, Group 3 NJSIAA state tournament quarterfinals.With the win, Morris Knolls (22-5) advances to a sectional semifinal for the first time since 2004 and will host third-seeded and two-time defending sectional champion Teaneck on Tuesday. Old Tappen went 10-16 at the free throw line. The misses really hurt Old Tappan down the stretch.

Old Tappan Basketball Final Stats

Mar 01, 2025

Old Tappan Girls Basketball team went 18-9 for the season. With most of the starters returning, 2025/26 looks promising.

OUTDOOR TRACK

Old Tappan a team to watch in Group 3

Mar 27, 2025

Photo Wexler-NorthJersey.comOld TappanThe Golden Knights lose quite a bit of scoring from 2024 in multi-time M of Cs gold medalists in Abby Dennis and Layla Giordano, but there’s a core for this team to lean on at every meet. The points are predominately going to come in the field events for NVOT with senior pole vaulter Jamie Kim being one of the team’s most reliable scorers. Kim has a PR 11-6 and has cleared that height four times while her teammates in senior Salome Sanchez and sophomore Caroline Ognibene are both 10-6 vaulters. Ognibene is going to supply points across multiple events for the Golden Knights with a PR 5-3 in the high jump and plenty of potential in the long jump. Dickinson College-bound senior Sophia Katechis has a PR 11:07.26 in the 3,200 which was clocked over the winter and she’s running more 1,600s with her best being a 5:21.68.

Benjamin Shue Named New Jersey Track & Field Player of the Year

Jun 27, 2024

BERGEN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE NEW JERSEY BOYS TRACK & FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR (June 27, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Benjamin Shue of Bergen Catholic High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Shue is the first Gatorade New Jersey Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Bergen Catholic High School.Athletic ExcellenceThe 6-foot-2, 275-pound junior throws specialist won the national championship in the discus at New Balance Nationals Outdoor this past season and took second in the shot put to earn dual All-American honors. At the Non-Public Group A state meet, Shue launched the shot a personal-best 69 feet, 2 inches, a winning effort that ranked No. 6 nationally among boys prep competitors this spring at the time of his selection. He also PR’d at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, this time in the discus, winning with a throw of 205-4, which ranked tied for seventh nationally. Academic AchievementShue has maintained a 97.63 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.Exemplary CharacterAlso an offensive lineman on the school’s state championship football team as well as an All-State wrestling performer, Shue has volunteered locally by working with aspiring wrestlers in grades K-8, and on behalf of the West Milford Youth Track Club Camp. He also has donated his time measuring throws distances and recording results at area youth track and field meets.

North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week

Jun 14, 2024

North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week hitting all the right notes in legendary careerBenji Shue is a walking dichotomy.There is the strong and powerful 6-foot-2, 270-pound athlete who blocks linemen in football, wins state medals in wrestling and breaks county records in track. The student-athlete who carries a 4.19 GPA and a great respect for the history before him in discus and shot put.Then there is the guy Bergen Catholic track coach Michael Begen sees behind the scenes every day at practice. The one who likes to keep the mood light and control the playlist."My favorite memories with Benji are obviously his big personal records but aside from that is how much of a goofball he is at practice," Begen said. "People on the outside have no idea with the music and dancing and joking around.""Mostly, I like to play EDM and dancing music," Shue said. "Especially with the discus, I like to stay loose. The higher-pace, faster music makes me want to explode. It helps loosen everything up so you're not stiff throwing. But I don't know if the other track teams like what I play."In high school sports, Shue marches to the beat of his own drum. The Texas commit broke through with his first state Meet of Champions title on Wednesday in the discus (205-4) and finished with silver in the shot put. It was one of the last things on his to-do list after setting the Bergen County discus record two years ago as a freshman and adding the county shot put record last Saturday, hitting a personal-best by throwing 69-2.For Shue, it was a longtime goal to pass the shot put mark set by Emerson star Andy Papathanassiou, who went on to lead Jeff Gordon's NASCAR pit crew for a decade. Shue is hoping to pursue a similar career path after studying mechanical engineering in college."We've messaged a little bit back and forth through Twitter," said Shue, who took honors precalculus this past semester. "I've learned to know his background, tying it with how he's an athlete and changing over to NASCAR."What makes Shue so unusual is not only his talent, but his routine in an era of specialization.Shue spends his winters on the wrestling mat in Oradell and only started gearing up for track this year in early-February with a practice or two per week. By the time he stepped off the podium at Boardwalk Hall as the state fourth at heavyweight, there wasn't much time to ramp up for his only indoor meet of the year. The Nike Indoor Nationals were only eight days away."I don't know if there's a better athlete in New Jersey," Begen said. "The scary part is he's not even as strong or as in tuned as he could be in this sport. That's why he's going to last forever and do so amazing in college."Shue, who plans to compete in all three sports again as a senior, came into this year with the lofty goal of hitting 70 feet in the shotput.While it was six feet more than his previous high, Shue was convinced that his sophomore year didn't show his full potential. A week before the group championships, Shue went to throw the shot put and heard a pop in his left leg. About two months later, an MRI revealed a tear in his gracilis muscle."I was throwing on it and played football on it," Shue said. "I think it is pretty much healed now. Knock on wood, I haven't had any [setbacks]. I had a little bit of hiccup at the beginning of the wrestling."Getting back to full health has allowed Shue to rack up the medals this year. He placed second at the Penn Relays in the discus and doubled up on titles at the league, county and state group championships. His legacy should be safe for a while, at least until 7-year-old brother Bryce comes along."If anyone breaks my records, hopefully it would be him," Shue said. "That would be the goal."Benji ShueSport: Track and fieldSchool: Bergen CatholicClass: Junior. Age: 18Accomplishment: Shue captured his third straight Non-Public A titles in the discus and shotput and set the Bergen County record in the latter event.By Sean FarrellNorthJersey.comFull Article

VOLLEYBALL

Undefeated State Champs

Nov 22, 2024

Last pictures of the season with the Undefeated State Champs. For the first time since 2017, Old Tappan - ranked No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20 - is a state champion. The Golden Knights’ 25-20, 25-11 tally over No. 9 Gov. Livingston in the NJSIAA Group 2 state finals on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Franklin High School capped one of the most incredible campaigns in program history, closing out the year with an unblemished 25-0 record.

Girls volleyball final Top 20 ranking: Old Tappan ends season at #3 in the State.

Nov 21, 2024

3-Old Tappan (25-0)Old Tappan is the first team to go undefeated in New Jersey volleyball since Williamstown in 2021. It is also Old Tappan’s second time going undefeated in history. Sprinting to championships in the Bergen County Tournament, North 1 Group 2 tournament, and the Group 2 state tournament, the Golden Knights were difficult to contain on any given day to capture their 15th state crown.Season Box Scores ByPJ Potter | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comFull Acticle

Undefeated State Champions; Old Tappan 25-0

Nov 17, 2024

Old Tappan’s dream season is complete: Knights finish undefeated, Group 2 state champs A coach never expects their team to go undefeated. In any sport, at any level, it is just too mighty of an ask to demand perfection. For Old Tappan’s Melissa Landeck, she never once had the desire to see her squad finish with a perfect record. However, this 2024 unit shattered all expectations, kicking down the door with authority as the undoubted powerhouse of Bergen County and Group 2 volleyball. For the first time since 2017, Old Tappan - ranked No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20 - is a state champion. The Golden Knights’ 25-20, 25-11 tally over No. 9 Gov. Livingston in the NJSIAA Group 2 state finals on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Franklin High School capped one of the most incredible campaigns in program history, closing out the year with an unblemished 25-0 record.“I am so proud of this group. There is just a unified belief in one another, which made this season so special,” Old Tappan head coach Melissa Landeck said. “I am beyond proud of them.” Old Tappan is the first team to finish an undefeated season since Williamstown in 2021, logging their 15th state title in history. The idea of this convincingly surfacing to fruition did not dawn on Old Tappan until they defeated Immaculate Heart in the Bergen County Tournament championship, which was the team’s 20th win of the fall. “Once you get through the county tournament and see that you still haven’t lost a match, it sort of takes on a life of its own. It’s been an incredible ride,” Landeck said.There was no looking back for the Knights after that win. The sky was the limit. Old Tappan’s senior setter distributed 23 assists in Sunday’s win, surpassing 1,000 for her career. As if nabbing the state crown and finishing undefeated wasn’t memorable enough, Gioffre walks out of Old Tappan as a legend of the program.“Volleyball has been a huge part of my life for as long as I could remember. These last four years in particular have been the greatest of my career. I love this team and I am just so happy,” said Gioffre, who graduated with 1,011 assists. Fellow senior Samantha Kranzler, who battled an injury that sidelined her for most of 2023, was undeniable in her closing campaign. Finishing her career with 672, Kranzler dotted a dozen kills and two aces in her final act.She set the tone early on, ripping Old Tappan’s first three points of the day. To end the first set, she logged four of OT’s last points, all from a kill, including the set-winner. Junior Julia Whaley has blossomed into stardom over the past month. In the state finals, Whaley was staunch at the net, recording two blocks against a tough Gov. Livingston attack. She also rallied for seven kills, including the final three points of the season. She pummeled the match-winning point on a spike, sending Old Tappan’s faithful into a frenzy. “Julia works so hard to have her spot on the team. She’s grown more and more prominent as the season went on, so for her to have her moment in the spotlight makes us really happy,” Landeck said. Bianca Benasillo and Eva Curko spread the court well, producing kills apiece. It was the same model used all season. Backed by smart decision-making from Gioffre, Old Tappan has the ability to slam the floor from multiple options. This all led to 25 consecutive wins. “It really is crazy to think about this team finishing without a loss. We had different goals throughout the season and we kept checking them off the list. Winning a state championship was the main thing for us, but to go undefeated is something we will also never forget,” Kranzler said. Desi Malafis and Jamie Kim each sizzled one ace in Sunday’s victory. Old Tappan’s road to a state championship and a perfect record included postseason victories against Vernon, Pascack Valley, Sparta, Lyndhurst, and Gov. Livingston.ByPJ Potter | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comFull Acticle

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