Sports Shorts

Darren Ankosko, an 11th-grade student at East Brunswick High School, has made USA Swimming’s Top 16 list of the nation’s fastest swimmers for the 2003-2004 season. He is ranked in three events.

In the 15-16 age group, Ankosko is the eighth fastest male in the 1,000-yard freestyle event and ninth fastest in the 1,650-yard (mile) and 500-yard freestyle events (all short-course events).

Ankosko, 16, swims with the Scarlet Aquatic Club (SAC) and is one of two members of the Scarlet National Team to make the prestigious list. Rebecca Soni, a 17-year-old senior at West Windsor High, is ranked in six breaststroke events, including first in the short-course 200-yard event (girls, 15-16), fifth in the long-course 200-meter event (girls, 17-18), and sixth in the long-course 100-meter event (girls, 17-18).

The SAC program is run out of the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center on Rutgers University’s Busch Campus in Piscataway. Located at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO, USA Swimming is the national governing body for the sport of swimming. The organization administers competitive swimming in accordance with the Amateur Sports Act and provides a number of swimming-related services and resources.

For more information on USA Swimming and to see the complete Top 16 list, visit www.usaswimming.org. Click on “Results” under the “USA Swimming Tools” banner. Then click on “Times/Times Standards” and scroll down to “2003-04 Top Times,” which are broken out by sex/age group under “Short-Course Yards” or “Long-Course Meters.”

The East Brunswick/Spotswood Golden Bear Chargers Junior Midgets won a state championship with a sound defensive effort, defeating Toms River, 12-0, at East Brunswick High School Saturday. GBC got on the board in the second quarter when slotback Mark Kukoda (28 carries for 375 yards and five touchdowns on the year) broke a 63-yard run for a 6-0 lead. Late in the second quarter, quarterback Dean Vitale Jr. (39-for-63 for 728 yards, 14 TDs) hit Vin Fushetto(5-95-2) for a 63-yard strike to take a 12-0 lead at the half. Toms River drove to the GBC 19-yard line when Blake Fredricks and Jeremy Baum came up with big plays to stop the drive. GBC dug itself out of a hole with key runs by Troy Zeiger(91-764-11) and a key third-down catch by Tyler Mataya (6-133-3). Toms River had two more drives stopped when Vitale intercepted a pass early in the fourth, and Rich Yura and James Wittkop came up with key plays to stop another late drive. GBC will play Jackson at Rutgers Stadium at 10 a.m. Sunday for the Division 2 State Championship.

The East Brunswick Spirit U8 girls travel soccer team completed its first season with a 4-1 victory over the Somerset HIlls Shooting Stars. Competing in the MNJYSA, the Spirit finished 8-1-2 including two victories at the North Brunswick Spookarama tournament in October. During the season the Spirit scored 40 goals while allowing 15. The Spirit players are Emily Chimento, Nicole Girgis, Alexandra Kalafor, Katherine McCulley, Hayley NagelBerg, Guilia Reversi, Sydney Rosa, Kaitlyn Roughan, Gabrielle Sachs, Stephanie Schwailik, Julia Simoes and Carly Torrado.

The St. Bart Buffalos Pee Wee cheerleaders are going to Walt Disney World after taking top honors at the Eastern Region Pop Warner Cheer and Dance Championships at Sovereign Bank Arena on Saturday. Their first-place finish not only declared them the Eastern Region Champion, but also advances them to the National Pop Warner Championships at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Dec. 5-11.

The path to Walt Disney World began with a second-place finish at the Jersey Shore Pop Warner Cheer and Dance Competition, held at the Ritacco Center in Toms River on Oct. 24. They advanced to the Central Regional Qualifier, held at Sovereign Bank, on Oct. 31. The team’s third-place finish qualified them for the regional championship.

This Pee Wee team is preparing itself for the national competition in Disney. The cheerleaders and coaches have worked very hard to achieve this success and they will continue to practice over the next two weeks. This will be St. Bart’s first trip to Florida, and this has sent the entire organization in to fund-raising mode. Cheer parents will be approaching local business owners and friends to enlist their support, and the organization is sponsoring a spaghetti dinner on Dec. 4 to help raise the $15,000 it will take to get the team to Florida. The dinner will be held at St. Bartholomew’s Parish Hall, 460 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 10. For more information on how to help this team realize its dream, call Gerry Kelly at (732) 422-1427 or Mary McArdle at (732) 698-0946.

The St. Bart’s Buffalos Pee Wee Small Intermediate Regional Championship squad is Alyssa Lorczak, Nicole Baldesweiler, Charmaine Del Rosario, Nicolette Duhigg, Nicole Gonshor, Natalie Guidico, Katherine Kadletz, Marissa Marinelli, April Neuman, Jamie Spinelli, Bella Toto, Christie Clarke, Brooke Dienstag, Ashley Fox, Victoria Gonzalez, Kristin Hall, Kim Kelly, Jordyn Muellar, Jillian Oliastro and Brittany Stapert.

The head coach is Michele Stapert, and assistant coaches are Cheryl hall, Rene Ingle and Sue Neuman. Student demonstrators are Kara Kendall, Brielle Oliastro and Kristy Sheridan.

The Monroe Xtreme U-13 boys soccer team clinched first place in its flight with a 2-0 victory over PDA New Brunswick Titans. Timmy Brix got the Xtreme on the board with a perfect feed from Eric Paone, making it 1-0.

The midfield was totally controlled with the play of Chris Mattos, Eric Palisay, Adam Peterson, Shane Santiago and Jonathon Roman. With about two minutes left in the first half, Timmy Gandy drilled a direct kick into the upper corner from 40 yards out, making it 2-0 going into halftime.

The Xtreme buckled down with tough defense in the second half, shutting down a potent offense. The defensive play was led by Anthony Torres, Ryan Miller, John Dougherty and Francis Leferrier, leaving it all on the field. Chris Pritzlaff came up big again, recording his second shutout in a row in the goal. Harry Landy played a excellent game at forward, getting a couple of good chances in front.

The Xtreme kept their unblemished record going with the big win, making them 7-0-2 for the season. Next they will be go out to Hunterdon to finish up their season against another tough team.

Spotswood Youth Baseball League is holding board elections for the spring season on Monday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at the Spotswood Municipal Building.

Also, early registration for players ages 5-15 will be offered at a reduced rate on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 am until 1 p.m. at the Spotswood Municipal Building.