Weiss places fourth at states

While Paige Weiss of Sparta High School didn’t repeat as a state tournament champion, the sophomore did well to place fourth at 114 pounds in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) girls state tournament during the weekend at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Weiss, who won the 100-pound title last year, was the top-seeded wrestler in the 114-pound bracket and received a bye into the quarterfinal round.

There she was stunned by eighth-seeded Paige Kirk of Ramsey in 5:34 and dropped down to the consolation bracket. Weiss then won three straight matches to reach the third-place match, where she was edged by Bordentown’s Madison Blumenthal, 4-3.

Sparta junior Logan Hrenenko qualified for the boys state tournament at 138 pounds and won his first match Thursday afternoon, Feb. 29 before suffering consecutive losses.

Hrenenko finished fourth at Region 1 on Feb. 24 after being pinned by Carlo Vanvolkenburgh of Seton Hall Prep in 3:47 in the third-place bout.

He avenged that loss by defeating Vanvolkenburgh, 6-2, in the preliminary round of the states Feb. 29 before dropping a 10-3 decision to third-seeded Dylan Ross in the pre-quarterfinal round.

He then was pinned by Kearny’s Joshua Baeza in 5:03 in the second round of wrestlebacks to end his season at 31-12.

Ice hockey

Cormac Gibbons totaled a goal and an assist, but the second-seeded Kinnelon/Jefferson/Sparta tri-op squad bowed to sixth-seeded Morris Knolls-Morris Hills, 5-3, in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Public Co-Op Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm.

KJS United trailed, 3-1, after the first period before Anthony Pandiscia scored in the second period and Michael Pandiscia connected early in the third to knot the score, 3-3. Luke Dickerson then scored his fourth and fifth goals of the game to propel Morris Knolls-Morris Hills.

KJS United (17-5), under the direction of head coach Jeff Myhren, was led offensively this season by Anthony Prunty (23 goals, 16 assists), Adam Stefancik (16 goals, 19 assists), Braydon Sisco (18 goals, 15 assists), Anthony Pandiscia (12 goals, 16 assists), Jake Prunty (seven goals, 18 assists), Michael Pandiscia (six goals, 14 assists), Logan Winslow (eight goals, 14 assists), Joey Kopec (10 goals, four assists), Gibbons (seven goals, four assists), Alex Roslan (one goal, nine assists) and Aiden Parlapiano (two goals, six assists).

Goalies Rylan Gibbons (417 saves) and Brian Sisti (106 saves) anchored the defense.