The 2024 school year is coming to a close, in that so are the 2024 spring sports seasons.
For Becton Baseball, Domenic Maucione reached his 100th hit, achieved Second-Team All County and received the 2024 NJIC Sportsmanship Award. In addition, a handful of players received All-league Honors mentions as well. First-Team mentions included Domenic Maucione, and sophomores Gianni Figueroa and Justin Diez. The Second-Team mentions included senior Owen DeKoyer, freshman Austin Reiner and junior Jayden Reyes. In addition, junior Adrian Rozon was recognized with Honorable Mention.
“The team knew going into this year that we could do some damage. Only graduating one full time starter from the year before, the boys gained crucial experience which allowed them to have an easier transition into the season,” Coach Lind commented. The season took its “hits” here and there, but Becton ended up making it to the NJSIAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
Becton Softball was full of many great accomplishments all around. Two Lady Wildcats reached great milestones. Senior Gabby O’Hare was able to successfully achieve 100 hits in her high school career. Alongside this, senior Demi Dembinski was able to strike out 500 batters. There were also many All-League mentions and also an All-County mention for junior Francesca Buda. First-Team were juniors Francesca and Nina Buda, and seniors Gabby O’Hare and Demi Dembinski. Second-Team were juniors Morgan Wagner, Kaitlyn Reiner and Ava Romano, and senior Samantha Joseph. Samantha Joseph also received the 2024 NJIC Sportsmanship Award. Finally, Francesca Buda was recognized during this season for making the 3rd Team All-County for the second year in a row and Shania Healy was awarded an Honorable Mention.
Coach Coffaro comments, “Next season will be a work-in-progress. Commitment is the key. Hopefully we can build from our seniors next season to help guide our underclassmen.”
Juniors Francesca and Nina Buda, both 1st Team All-League recipients, shared some advice on the future of Becton Softball. Francesca had some advice for the underclassmen, “No matter how much time you may get on the field, even just showing up and working hard counts and plays a role in every win.” Nina sets team goals for next year, “Our goal is to win a lot more games to make it further in the playoffs, help the underclassmen grow their confidence, and to work as a unit.”
This year, Becton Tennis Head Coach Damian Daniello was joined by new assistant coach, Ms. Jessica O’Driscoll. As for the athletes, most of the team consisted of seniors: Christian Perez, Tim Pineda, Devanshu Bodhankar, Sean Pedone, and junior Akash Sathish.
“Tim Pineda took over at first singles, was able to win a few matches only being a second-year player and even got an Honorable Mention in the NJIC,” Coach Daniello stated. His advice to upcoming Becton Tennis enthusiasts is to, “Get to work right away. Just because the season’s over doesn’t mean work stops.”
Underclassmen Akash Sathish also had some words on the season, “We had a lot more practice this year and got to practice more efficiently indoors. Despite weather conditions, we really pulled it together this year and fought all the way to the finish line!”
Boys Volleyball made their debut this season. Head Coach Chef Edward Perdomo was assisted by Mr. Edward Donovan, and a new addition to the coaching staff, Mr. Christopher Buchta. As their first time as a sport, Boys’ Volleyball had 21 dedicated athletes.
The athletes were beyond proud of their first season. Captain Robert Polanco shared, “This was our first year as a program at Becton and I couldn’t be more proud of my guys. They went from hardly knowing the basics to being able to keep up with some of the best teams in our division, run plays and compete. I honestly believe that our success is due not only to our coaches but also to the individual players motivating each other and working hard at what they needed to improve.”
Sophomore Jordan Prise discussed the future of Boy’s Volleyball, “We plan on improving and hopefully be above .500 soon. Most first-year teams play as an unofficial JV team but we started as a Varsity team, which is pretty commendable.”
Last, but certainly not least, Spring Track surprised no one with another successful season. Many records were broken this year, some include the girls 3200M by Mika Tampadong, the boys 3200M by Max Thorn, girls High Jump by Analise Feliz and girls Triple Jump by Gracie Taylor. Also another great achievement, Coach Geraghty has. yet again, won a Coach of the Year award– this time for NJIC National Track and Field.
Below is a full list of all achievements made during this Boy’s & Girl’s Track Seasons:
- Boy’s Track wins NJIC National Division Championship
- Coach Geraghty NJIC National Track & Field Coach of the Year
- Mika Tampadong places 8th in the 3200m at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions with a school record of 10:56
- Analise Feliz breaks school record in the High Jump 5-3, 2nd Team All-County
- Gracie Taylor breaks school record in the Triple Jump 35-4.5, 3rd Team All-County
- Steel Grabowski, Sean Palsi, Jaydon Gilkes and Gustavo Costa break school record for boys 4×100 44.61
- Gustavo Costa, Jaydon Gilkes, Yannick Fall and Steven Longo break school record for boys 4×400 3:32.40
- Max Thorn, Fernando Ramos Garcia, Kyron Soumpholphakdy and Steven Longo break school record for boys 4×800 8:25.97
- Max Thorn breaks school record 32oom 9.50.47
- Mika Tampadong wins the Bergen County Championship 3200m, first Becton County Champ ever
- Kai Morris will be throwing at Kean University
Coach Geraghty validates program efforts, “Our team was so successful this year because we had some awesome numbers, amazing chemistry and many who were committed to not just individual goals, but team goals.”
For Boy’s Track, Sean Palsi reflects on his own achievement, “I broke the school 4×1 record as a freshman which, in my opinion, is a big deal for me.” He offers some words to the wise as well, “Just keep going and don’t give up, no matter how tired you get. Just communicate with the coaches and they will understand and help you.”
Yannick Fall indulges on why he believes this season was even more determined than previously, “We had something to run for. Our head coach, Coach Geraghty, said that he ‘saw something’ in this year’s lineup, and he believed we could achieve records and titles that have not been accomplished since the 90s.”
Fall’s own goal is to quality for the 400m Intermediate Hurdles as he placed 7th this year. However, his advice is as follows, “Maintain good grades because they will affect your track career, stay out of trouble, be kind to others and never complain.”
Kyron Soumpholphakdy credits the team’s unrelenting determination to their success. “We worked hard every single day regardless of the weather. It could be inside the school hallways and we’d still be grinding to achieve our best.”
Soumpholphakdy reflects on Boys’ Track & Field this season, “My team and I were able to destroy our previous school record with an 8:25.97 in the 4×800, qualifying us for groups. Let alone, we’d won the Boys’ NJIC Track Banner for the first time in 29 years! I feel so proud of my team. I see the future of this track team becoming the best in Bergen County.”
Soumpholphakdy recalls wanting to set an example for the younger track athletes, “This year’s outdoor track, I wanted to go out hard for my senior year and leave it all on the track to set a standard for the newcomers and younger side of the track team. All I wanted to do throughout my high school career was win a banner and build a stronger and dominant foundation for our track. In order to achieve this, I would need to motivate those surrounding me. Especially with my brother coming into high school next year, I want to show him how varsity is if he wants to be the best.”
“I will always hear Coach Geraghty’s voice screaming at me to ‘make a move!” Soumpholphakdy closes off, sharing memories on the field he will never forget.
Girl’s Track athlete, Gracie Taylor, shares a few words on behalf of her coaches, “Our coaches always go above and beyond for us as they have dedication and passion for the sport. They teach us both technical skills for track and also critical lessons, shaping us not just as athletes, but as individuals.”
Taylor continues, “Our team succeeded through training, dedicated coaching, and teamwork this year. The entire team committed themselves to improving their performance while supporting and motivating one another!”
“My advice to underclassmen is to be patient,” Current record-holder of the High Jump Analise Feliz shares, “You have to put in the work and not give up. There’s going to be days when you feel like giving up, and you say ‘This isn’t worth it, I’m never gonna be able to do it,’ but that’s a complete lie. Tell yourself that you can and eventually, progress will show.”
Feliz’s accomplishments this year include breaking the Javelin Throw school record with a throw of 109’8, and the High Jump record with ranging a jump of 5’3. On these feats, she shares, “My success makes me feel good about myself and it’s a daily reminder that I can improve and achieve more as long as I put in the work and stay focused. I know I can accomplish so much.”
Last but not least, star-athlete Mika Tampadong, adds, “Going into the future, I am just hoping for progress and to get a good load of training during the summer in preparation for my last Cross-Country season. Since I am entering my senior year, I feel the pressure of meeting college recruitment times and building relationships with coaches, so I hope to find a college I am excited to attend and compete for. I am just excited to see how much more I can do and hope to continue surprising myself and my coaches with my times in the future.”
As Tampadong puts it, “For the past couple of years, Becton Track has been seen as the underdogs considering we had an almost completely new coaching staff and a whole new team since Maywood joined the mix. Previously, we had not made an impact even on the local level, so a lot of long-standing school records in individual and relay events have been broken.”
Tampadong concludes with encouraging words, “My advice for the underclassmen for the next season is to take the next step to be successful. I would suggest to not be afraid of the heat and be willing to train at times and in temperatures that your competitors would typically avoid. I think progress depends on how much effort you put on and off the track so you constantly have to make the choice to be uncomfortable if you want to develop.”
From the CEV, we would like to congratulate all athletes, and even more-so senior athletes who have been Wildcats for the past four years, on successful seasons. You have all shaped the future of Becton Sports and have instilled determination, leadership and courage into the athletes behind you.
