Overall, it was a very successful year in terms of athletics for the Winter Sports portion of the school year. Let’s take a look at how each of our teams fared:

The Boys Fencing Team had another outstanding season where they had an 11-2 district record and a 13-2 overall record. The team was named Conference Champions this year. They were lead by standout fencers Dawson Sieradzky, who was the NJSIAA 2nd Place Saber, Nick Panarin who was the NJSIAA Men’s Epee State Champion, and Justin Park, who was the NJSIAA 3rd Place Men’s Saber. Sieradzky will be taking his talents to Columbia University after he graduates this year. The girls fencing team as also successful as they had a 9-6 district record along with a 9-6 overall record.

The Boys and Girls Basketball Teams were also taking a large step forward. The boys team was a perfect 10-0 in conference/division games and was 20-7 overall. They were also named Conference champs. Unfortunately, they lost in the Quarterfinal round in the playoffs to a crushing overtime loss to Teaneck, but they can definitely improve next season. Despite losing a large presence on their team in Senior Justin Hodge, most of the team will be returning next year. The girls also had a great season as they were 8-2 in conference/division games and was 13-9 overall. They were likewise named Conference Champions. Their last game was a loss in the State Playoffs to Old Tappan and they will be losing a lot of their starting players as they are Seniors, so they will look to their underclassmen to pick up where their teammates left off. Coach Kevin Grimes said, “We had a great year. It’s not too often you have back to back 20 win seasons, but I’m most proud of how unselfish we played and how much pride our players took in their academic priorities. For next season, I think there will be a lot of people who look at this group and see we are returning four starters and make some assumptions, but we will be different. Our expectations here will always be the same no matter the group. We want to win a league title and compete for a county and state championship. I do expect this group to work hard, stay together, and be tough. If we are, then we will be just fine.”

The Wayne Hills Swimming Teams have had varying results this season. They boys had a tough season as they had a 4-6 record. They have a lot of young swimmers in their program and will hope to bounce back next season. The girls team had a 4-5 record which they will hope to improve upon next season. One of their swimmers, Junior Cassandra Lee, was a County Champion this season and will look to repeat this feat next season as well.

The Bowling Teams had a varying levels of success this season. The boys team had an 11-4 and were named Sectional Champions. They were lead by Patrick Mayor, who was named to the Second All-Passaic County Team. The girls team had a 5-9 record and will hope to improve come next season.

The Wrestling Team had a tough year for the 2017 wrestling season. They struggled this year with their overall record as they went 6-17. Their is some upside to their record as they went 2-3 in conference play. They will be looking forward to next season. The team do have two studs on their team in Anthony Rua and Justin Ramirez who helped carry the team this year. They both have qualified for the NJSIAA Championships which are in Atlantic City. Their best win this year was against Manchester Regional where they won 69-9. The boys will be looking forward to next season and they will look to improve on their record.

The Ice Hockey Team played hard the whole season, and despite losing in the first round of the NJSIAA Public B Tournament, they should be proud of their season.  They bounced back from losing their first game against Wayne Valley and then beat them twice later in the season.  The two games were not even close as the Patriots beat them 5-1 and obliterated them another time by a score of 11-2. The team won the Mayor’s Cup Championship, which is a tremendous feat and the team will look to repeat this next season.  “We’re definitely happy that we beat Valley twice and overall it was just a fun season for me, and a great experience for me being a freshman and starting at goalie,” said freshman Dan Riina.  

The ski team had a fantastic season. They played against Don Bosco which is one of their toughest competitors. Some will even call it a rivalry. They did great against them as they beat them. That wasn’t the only great thing that happened to the ski team. Hailey Montanaro qualified for the NJ State Skiing Race of Champions. She was helped put the team on her back for the season and helped carry them to win. “Hailey was a huge part of our success and she helped us through the season. We wouldn’t be where we are without her.” said freshman Dylan Scher.