BY ELLA BROCKWAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ’17
This is the first edition of the Buc Sports Weekly, your recap of this week in RBR sports.
Girls Soccer (4-11, 3-9)
The Bucs fell to Matawan in a 1-0 loss on Monday, but bounced back with a big 4-0 win over Mater Dei on Wednesday. Freshman Maggie Cahill, junior Amy Olivia and senior Bella Conti all scored for the Bucs, while senior Grace Dengler and junior Cammi Plage each finished with two assists. The Bucs ended the busy week with a 4-2 loss to Monmouth Regional. Junior keeper Tyra Vaughn had 14 saves, and junior Alexis Disbrow and sophomore Abby Marascio scored.
A Central rank: 6th
From the field: “We had a great week in regards to effort, and we’re looking forward to gaining more momentum before States.” – senior midfielder Grace Dengler
What’s next: at Ranney (10/25, 4 P.M.); St. Rose (10/27, 4 P.M)
Football (2-3, 2-2)
The Bucs faced Ridge Road-rivals Rumson-Fair Haven on Friday night in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s Central Jersey Group III Championship game. The Rumson defense was too strong for RBR’s run-powered offense, and the Bucs fell to their division rivals in a 24-7 loss. There were some bright moments on the otherwise foggy and rainy Friday night, though. Chris Outterbridge had a team-high of four tackles on the defensive end, and senior jack-of-all-trades Chris Brannagan (he plays quarterback, free safety, running back and wide receiver) had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to put the Bucs on the board.
A Central rank: 4th
From the field: “We had a good week of practice, and we need to keep up that momentum this week if we want to beat our crosstown rival, RBC.” – senior defensive end Jack Haytaian; “We played tough on both sides of the ball, but had a hard time finding rhythm on offense. We’re going to get back to practice (this week) and work out the kinks.” – senior athlete Chris Brannagan
What’s next: at Red Bank Catholic (10/28, 7 P.M.)
Field Hockey (5-10-1, 3-6-1)
The Bucs went 1-1 this week in their last slate of games before the state tournament begins this week. Senior forward Michelle Mazzucca scored twice and tallied one assist in Monday’s 3-2 win over St. Rose. Mazzucca scored the lone goal for the Bucs off of an assist from senior midfielder/defender Ricci Bigelow in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Manasquan. Sophomore goalie Tara Clark, who has 74 saves on the season, is also up for the title of the Shore Conference’s top goalie on NJ.com.
A Central rank: 4th
From the field: “We ended with a tough loss last week, but we’re ready to come out strong in our first round of States.” – senior forward Michelle Mazzucca
What’s next: at Lawrence (state tournament, 10/24, 2 P.M.); Ranney (10/25, 4 P.M.); at Manchester Township (10/27, 4 P.M.)
Girls’ Tennis (12-8, 9-6)
The Bucs made history on the tennis courts this week, as they beat Ridge Road rival Rumson-Fair Haven in a tight 3-2 match on the road on Thursday. Junior Abby Decker won at first singles in a tough three-setter (4-6, 6-2, 6-3) and freshman Madeline Solon won at third singles in two sets. The first doubles team of junior Bridget Tobin and freshman Belle McCarthy gave the Bucs the win with a 7-5, 6-2 victory. Wednesday marked RBR’s first win over Rumson in girls’ tennis since 2002.
N.J. Section II Group 3 rank: 6th
From the court: “We were so proud to give Coach Kanuga his first win against a big rival this week, and we hope to finish the season strong next week.” – junior first singles Abby Decker
What’s next: St. John Vianney (10/24, 3:45 P.M.)
Boys’ Soccer (6-7-2, 5-5-2)
It was a big week on the pitch for the Bucs: the team scored 10 goals in two games while allowing only one goal. The Bucs opened the week with a hard-fought draw with Matawan, one of the top teams in the A Central division. Sophomore Robbie DeMarco scored RBR’s lone goal. The week ended with a big 9-0 win over Mater Dei. Senior Chris Fuentes and junior Kevin Gomez each had two goals, and junior keeper Jack MacPherson had a shutout in goal.
A Central rank: 5th
From the field: “We had a solid week, and we look to continue our success in an important upcoming week.” – senior midfielder Jake McIntyre
What’s next: Monmouth Regional (10/24, 4 P.M.); Ranney (10/25, 4 P.M.)
Volleyball (3-17)
The Bucs ended what has been a tough season with two losses this week to Donovan Catholic and Jackson Memorial. The team will finish the season with a 3-17 record. Junior Kelly Farley finished the season with a team-high of 11 aces, while fellow juniors Jackie Izzo and Sarah Curtis led the team in kills. The Bucs will return a majority of their roster next year, so it looks like we’ll see an experienced and improved team on the court next fall.
From the court: “Although our record wasn’t very good, we improved with every game of the season. Our last game was definitely one of our best games, and we fought hard.” – senior libero Lauren Bevacqua
Boys’ Cross Country
The division champs had a strong showing this week at Tuesday’s Monmouth County Championships at Holmdel Park. The Bucs placed 6th as a team out of 27 schools, with an average 5K time of 18:02. Senior Ryan Humelsine finished 12th overall in the Boys’ Varsity 5K with a time of 17:09. Sophomore Tyler Schwinn (17:50, 33rd) and junior Sam Goldzweig (18:15, 46th) also placed in the top 50.
From the field: “We performed well at our county meet. It’s been a while since we’ve placed that well in Monmouth County. We’re looking forward to seeing how we do this we at (the) Shore Conference Championships. We expect to hit some fast times there.” – senior captain Ryan Humelsine
What’s next: Shore Conference Championships (10/27, Ocean County Park)
Girls’ Cross Country
The Lady Bucs again proved why they are one of the top teams in the Shore Conference on Tuesday, as they placed 6th out of 21 teams at the Monmouth County Championships with an average 5K time of 21:52. Junior Charlotte Cochrane finished 11th overall with a time of 21:50 in the Girls’ Varsity 5K. Freshman Claudia Kelly (21:14, 22nd) and senior Kristen Haynes (21:47, 34th) also placed in the top 50.
What’s next: Shore Conference Championships (10/27, Ocean County Park)
The Buccaneer 