Sports roundup: 2 Pope John wrestlers win regional titles
SPARTA. Seven athletes to compete in state tournament this week.
Sparta /
| 03 Mar 2025 | 01:28
Sparta's Molly Chapman (34) tosses the ball toward the hoop in the game Feb. 26 against Northern Highlands. The Spartans won, 49-42, to advance to the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
Sparta's Brooke Shust raises the ball toward the hoop. She scored 12 points.
Sparta's Kayla Barreau handles the ball under tight coverage. She scored three points and grabbed five rebounds.
Sparta's Katie Sutton drives forward in the first half. She scored four points, grabbed six rebounds, made three assists and was credited with one steal.
Sparta's Abby Connors drives while covered by a Northern Highlands defender. She scored seven points.
Sparta's Moira Sweeney scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds and was credited with three steals.
Sparta’s Chase Brodersen, left, and Pope John’s Dalton Weber battle in the 132-pound match Jan. 9. Weber won the match by technical fall, 22-4. He will compete this week in the NJSIAA state tournament. (File photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Donny Almeyda
Pope John XXIII Regional High School wrestlers Dalton Weber (132 pounds) and Donny Almeyda (144) are headed to Atlantic City in style.
Weber and Almeyda each won their respective weight classes and Carson Walsh (second at 138), Braydan Lombreglia (second at 157), Cole Dunham (third at 165), David Thomson (third at 175) and Luke Katsigiannis (fourth at 150) also excelled in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Region 3 tournament Saturday afternoon, March 1 in West Orange.
The top four place-winners in each weight class in each of the eight regions of New Jersey qualified for the state tournament March 6-8.
Weber won the 132-pound championship at Region 3 with a 4-2 decision over Ryan DeGeorge of Delbarton, and Almeyda won the 144-pound title with a 4-2 decision over Nicholas Schwartz of Delbarton.
Other place-winners for the Lions included Jake Holly (fifth at 113 pounds) and Shawn Baumann (sixth at 215).
Pope John finished second in the team race with 162.5 points. Delbarton, ranked second in the state, won the 39-team event with 331 points.
Here’s how other Sparta area teams fared recently:
Sparta wrestling
Ryan Hrenenko and Logan Hrenenko each finished in second place and Luke Brown was third to pace Sparta in the NJSIAA Region 1 tournament March 1 in West Milford.
The Sparta trio are headed to Atlantic City to compete in the season’s final event: the state tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Ryan Hrenenko reached the 132-pound final, where he was defeated by Don Bosco Prep’s Brian Little, 19-4, in a tech fall of 4:09.
Logan Hrenenko was decisioned, 10-1, by Bergen Catholic’s Gideon Gonzalez in the 138-pound final.
Brown won by major decision, 13-3, over Redon Xheladini of Pompton Lakes in the 190-pound third-place bout.
Sparta finished seventh of 39 competing schools at Region 1 with 67 points. Bergen Catholic won the event with 242 points.
Sparta girls basketball
Abby Connnors had 11 points and Isabella Vanwinkle added nine, but sixth-seeded Sparta bowed to third-seeded and No. 19 ranked Teaneck, 55-32, in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament there March 1.
Sparta had advanced with a 49-42 victory over 11th-seeded Northern Highlands at home Feb. 26.
Molly Chapman keyed the win with a 14-point, eight-rebound and three-steal effort. Brooke Shust (12 points, four rebounds), Connors (seven points, four rebounds, five steals), Moira Sweeney (eight points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists), Katie Sutton (four points, six rebounds, three assists) and Kayla Barreau (three points, five rebounds) aided the victory.
Sparta (20-7) won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament for the fourth time in the past five tournaments Feb. 21.
The team was led this season by seniors Chapman (13.1 points per game), Sutton (7.3 ppg) and Connors (7 ppg), junior Sweeney (4 ppg) and sophomore Shust (7.3 ppg).
Sparta boys basketball
Tyler Conlee scored 14 points and Leshem Little added 10 points, but 15th-seeded Sparta bowed to second-seeded Tenafly in the opening round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament there Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Sparta finished with a 9-16 record. The team was led this winter by seniors Conlee (10.9 ppg) and Pat Connors (5.9 ppg) and juniors Little (14.9 ppg), Shane Hoover (10.3 ppg), Brady Shagawat (5.4 ppg) and Hayden Kopco (5.1 ppg).
Ice hockey
Braydon Sisco had two goals and two assists; Jake Prunty added two goals and an assist; and Alex Roslan and Michael Pandiscia each added a goal to pace the eighth-seeded Kinnelon/Jefferson/Sparta squad to a 6-2 upset victory over top-seeded Pascack Valley/Pascack Hills in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Public Schools Co-Op tournament.
The game was Thursday, Feb. 27 at Sport-O-Rama in Monsey, N.Y.
Pascack Valley/Pascack Hills is ranked No. 18 in the state.
KJS United (12-8-2) is scheduled to play fourth-seeded West Essex/Caldwell in a sectional semifinal at 4 p.m. Monday, March 3 at Codey Arena in West Orange.