Tag: SJV

MIDDLETOWN – Madison McDougall set quite a high bar for her high school softball career: two state championships, over 700 strikeouts with an ERA under 1.00, along with a .474 career batting average.

It used to be section finals were the end of the road for public high school football teams. But in year four of true state championships, trophies are handed out for section titles before teams need two more wins for the coveted state title trophy.

UNION – Even with six underclassmen in the lineup, there were no nerves for the St. John Vianney softball team. After all, this group won the state championship in 2023 at Kean University.

Zoe Brooks had big moments at Saint John Vianney, from her buzzer beater to beat Hannah Hidalgo and Paul VI to knocking off Long Island Lutheran, the No. 1 team in the country and causing a court storm in Holmdel.

After four straight Shore Conference championships dating back to the COVID-shortened season, this year’s SJV team is primarily made up of underclassmen but a key senior leader and tenacious defense resulted in a fifth straight Shore Conference title.

For the 13th straight year, Christian Brothers Academy won the Shore Conference Indoor Winter Track team title, but this time, it didn’t come easy.

A successful season on the diamond for local teams extended into the summer as 16 players from The Two River Times area were part of the Jersey Shore All-Stars team that won the Philadelphia Phillies Carpenter Cup. The Major League Baseball franchise puts on an annual event featuring 16 teams of high school all-stars from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Jersey Shore Arena hosted the Shore Conference’s two cup tournament finals Feb. 16. Saint John Vianney blanked Middletown North 3-0 in the Handchen Cup final, avenging a loss to the Lions in last year’s match-up.

Ranked inside the Top 10 of every national poll, the Saint John Vianney Lady Lancers haven’t faced too much adversity during their 27-0 season. That all changed when McDonald’s All-American Zoe Brooks arrived at Monmouth University for the Shore Conference Tournament championship on crutches with a protective boot on her right foot.

After two years as a team competition, the Shore Conference returned to individual tournaments in each weight class, resulting in a number of state championship contenders getting a valuable tune-up for what’s to come on the road to Atlantic City.