---

August 4, 2004

Summer is the time to prepare

By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist


In just a few weeks, fall sports teams will begin practicing for the 2004-05 high school season. At least, they will officially begin practicing, under the auspices of their high school.

For, in reality, high school athletes practice and compete pretty much all summer.

Sisters Rachel and Melissa Hunter and Kim Krzyk are spending time in Iowa this week, playing in the Junior Olympic field hockey tournament. There was also the Futures development program this summer for field hockey players.

Runners are running and tennis players and golfers get out almost daily. There are baseball, soccer and softball leagues for virtually every age group. Wrestlers and swimmers also have competitions that sharpen their skills.

The most prevalent competitions are in basketball, especially boys basketball. But the big news this summer comes from girls basketball.

Ocean City’s girls varsity team finished its summer in the Mainland League with a 7-1 record. They won all their games during league play but lost to Mainland, 27-11, in the semi-final round of the playoffs.

In addition, the OCHS junior varsity team defeated Mainland, 32-23, in the playoff semi-finals and meets Absegami this week in the championship game.

“We’ve had a good summer,” said Raider coach Paul Baruffi. “That JV team has a talented group of sophomores, not including the ones we’re playing in the varsity games. And two freshmen – Nancy White and Amanda Landi – have been impressive. We’ve used Nancy at point guard in some of the varsity games and she did well.”

Baruffi got some unexpected help this summer from a familiar name in OCHS girls basketball.

“Jessica Brooks has been great working with the kids,” he said. “She takes some of them out to the 35th Street courts where they play against the guys. She and (JV coach) Trish (Hopson) have both been coaching the JV team. We let Jessica coach the varsity team a couple times. She’s still got a few credits to finish up at LIU and then she wants to teach and coach. She’ll be an asset to the profession.”

Baruffi has been getting consistent efforts this summer from most of the expected players – senior Kaitlin DuRoss, junior Courtney Dougherty and sophomore Marilee Sobrinski fill the guard positions and sophomores Danielle Brady and Michelle McKinley are generally the starting baseline players.

“Casey Beyel, Julie Treen and Stacie McKinley have all played well for us,” Baruffi said. “And Kristen Ceniccola, a junior who has played mostly JV, has really stepped up. We will be young but these kids are working and getting better.”

There have been a few changes in girls basketball. John Leahy, one of the greatest players in Cape-Atlantic League history, has returned to his alma mater to coach the Middle Township girls team. He has guided them into this week’s summer playoff final against Mainland.

And Egg Harbor Township will have a new girls basketball coach, its third in three seasons. Linda Edelman-Murphy, who took over from OCHS graduate Robyn Fortsch last season, will be replaced. Though the school will not confirm any details, it seems that the finalists include current EHT assistant coaches Patty Russo and Jane Spickler and Harry Sachs, who was an assistant to Sam Botta during the school’s glory days in girls basketball.

By the way – and some of these pairings are tentative – the OCHS girls will play St. Joseph of Hammonton in the December Tipoff Weekend in Ventnor and will face Our Lady of Mercy in the 10th annual Ventnor City Shootout in February. Baruffi is also taking his team on an overnight trip to the Poconos to play a game.

John Bruno’s boys team will meet Holy Spirit during Tipoff Weekend and is paired with Seneca, Wildwood Catholic and Highland in the Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood over the holidays. The OCHS girls will also play in Wildwood during the Christmas-New Year break against Wildwood, Bridgeton and a team to be named. The Ocean City boys are also part of the Olympic-Cape Challenge in February, facing Shawnee.




Read more of Tom Williams' columns