Little, Frattura win gold at states
SPARTA. Pope John girls softball team to play top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Mount St. Dominic for the sectional championship Tuesday.
![Little, Frattura win gold at states SL! Sparta is in a defensive mode as a West Morris ball carrier advances in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 2 tournament May 31. West Morris won, 14-7. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)](http://www.spartaindependent.com/binrepository/648x432/0c0/0d0/none/1126177/FYKN/imgp7867_4-7788193_20240603191119.jpg)
![Little, Frattura win gold at states SL2 Sparta's Adam Teixeira and Thomas Kachala of West Morris jostle each other while pursuing the ball.](http://www.spartaindependent.com/binrepository/648x432/0c0/0d0/none/1126177/QSKN/imgp5414_4-7788196_20240603191121.jpg)
![Little, Frattura win gold at states SL3 Sparta's Matt Ciarelli holds the ball with his crosse as Jake Nisivoccia of West Morris moves toward him. Ciarelli scored two goals.](http://www.spartaindependent.com/binrepository/585x432/0c0/0d0/none/1126177/WYKP/imgp7737_4-7788202_20240603191123.jpg)
![Little, Frattura win gold at states From left, Sparta’s Marco Aquino (5) leaps and launches the ball toward the net, resulting in a goal in the first period. He scored three goals in the game.](http://www.spartaindependent.com/binrepository/648x432/0c0/0d0/none/1126177/DAKN/imgp7697_4-7788199_20240603191122.jpg)
![Little, Frattura win gold at states Cole Friedmanis of West Morris is in possession of the ball as Sparta's Greg Peters reaches in with his crosse to interfere.](http://www.spartaindependent.com/binrepository/648x432/0c0/0d0/none/1126177/XRKN/imgp7846_4-7788205_20240603191125.jpg)
![Little, Frattura win gold at states Sparta's Luke Spelman made an assist and scooped up one ground ball during the game.](http://www.spartaindependent.com/binrepository/648x432/0c0/0d0/none/1126177/AYKN/imgp7740_4-7788208_20240603191126.jpg)
Le-Shem Little won the 100-meter dash and also earned gold in the 200-meter dash and Isabella Frattura won the javelin event with an effort of 133-3 to pace the Sparta High School outdoor track and field teas at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Groups 2 and 3 championships May 31-June 1 at Vernon Township High School.
Little’s time in the 100-meter dash was 11.09 and in the 200-meter dash was 22.01
Frattura placed third in the high jump with a leap of 5-0 and ninth in the long jump with a bound of 16-0.25.
Other top 10 place-winners included the boys 4x400 meter relay team of Jack Wittenmeier, Jarrell Remson, Tyler Harms and Little that placed sixth in 3:33.06.
Ashley Crane was second in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:13.71, Ava Barone was seventh in the 3,200-meter run in 11:58.28 and eighth in the 1,600-meter run in 5:32.21, and Lauren Wittkowski was 11th in the shot put with an effort of 30-6.
Here’s how other Sparta teams fared last week:
Sparta softball
Maya Laliker was 3-for-3 with an RBI and Alexa Berry and Emily Ciaburri each went 2-for-3 with a run as ninth-seeded Sparta bowed to fifth-seeded Morris Hills, 3-2, in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament Thursday, May 30 in Rockaway.
Sparta (12-11) had upset top-seeded Ramapo, 8-4, in nine innings in a sectional quarterfinal Tuesday, May 28 in Franklin Lakes.
Kathryn Sutton tripled, drove in three runs and scored; Laliker went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run; and Alexis Arpino singled twice and scored twice for Sparta, which plated four runs in the top of the ninth.
Sparta boys lacrosse
Marco Aquino scored three times; Greg Peters had two goals; and Eddie Brown added a goal and an assist as second-seeded Sparta dropped a 14-7 decision to third-seeded West Morris in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 2 tournament May 31 at home.
Sparta had its nine-game winning streak snapped with the loss and ended its superb spring at 18-3.
Sparta girls lacrosse
Ava Capeci, Uma Kowalski and Moira Sweeney each scored for third-seeded Sparta, which bowed to second-seeded and No. 17 ranked Mendham, 17-3, in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 2 tournament there Saturday afternoon, June 1.
Kowalski ended her junior season with 92 goals and 25 assists and will take 292 goals and 95 assists into her senior campaign next year for Sparta (15-5).
Pope John softball
Reese Tobey hurled a four-hitter with four strikeouts and two walks; Olivia Cilli went 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI; Abbey Davis was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI; Isabella Evicci doubled in a run and scored; and Kylie Otero singled in a run and scored to pace third-seeded Pope John XXIII Regional High School to a 5-2 victory over second-seeded and No. 5 ranked Immaculate Heart in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A tournament May 31 in Washington Township.
The Lions (19-8) are slated to play top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Mount St. Dominic (28-1) for the sectional championship for the first time since 2015 on Tuesday, June 4.
Pope John baseball
Pope John, seeded seventh, fought valiantly but suffered a 1-0 loss to second-seeded and No. 5 ranked Don Bosco in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A tournament on May 28 in Ramsey.
Brendan Opat scattered two hits and five walks and struck out seven in the first 5.1 innings. Mac Tufts, Marco Bonfiglio and Joseph Manco each singled to account for the Lions’ three hits.