Sports

FOOTBALL, PHASE ONE: With pandemic-related restrictions beginning to ease, the Livingston High School football team has started practicing for the fall season. The team is engaging in a four-part phase one session, before moving into phase two. Shown above, the Lancers get into shape during an early morning practice; at left, school district nurse Paochu Tseng administers a temperature check to team member Nick Endl prior to football practice entry.

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PHASE ONE SOCCER PRACTICE: With pandemic restrictions easing slowly, the Livingston High School boys’ soccer team has begun practice with a four-session phase one before moving into phase two. Shown here, Zachary Feldman, Noah Fisher and Jared Fiske work the ball during a dribbling drill; below, head soccer coach Roger Rubinetti conducts a temperature check on sophomore Matthew Kaye. Don Schwartz Photos

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The Last Dance Tournament was envisioned as a chance for New Jersey high school baseball players who missed out on their spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic to compete one last time.

The 222-team tournament is being played throughout New Jersey through the end of July.

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July 4 marked the opening of the brand new cricket pitch at the Basin Cricket Ground for the Sanskriti sports community. Basin Cricket Ground is located on Madison Court, opposite Northland Pool.

During the opening ceremony, Nilesh Mhatre of the Sanskriti Executive Committee thanked township personnel including Jennifer Walker and Ronald Barbella ofthe Livingston Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services Department as well as the members of the Township Council for their support in assigning the Basin field to Sanskriti.

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VILLANOVA MEMBERS ARE RECREATION CHAMPS: It was announced this week that the Livingston ninth grade Villanova Wildcats defeated the UCLA Bruins in an action-packed, back-and-forth championship game in early March. Villanova avenged an earlier loss that day to the Bruins by overcoming them twice to win the ninth grade 2019-20 Livingston recreation basketball championship. Shown here, the Wildcats included coach Alex Gantman, Tyler Spielman, Ben Gantman, Luke Seidman, coach Paul Kates, Derek Ford, Keiffer Alghali, Noah Kates, Nick Youssef, Joseph Anthony, and T.J. Mollineaux. Also on the team was Ilan Gutman.

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Abe Rimatzki is the Livingston High School recipient of the Essex County Scholar Athlete award for males. It was to have been presented at a dinner that had to be canceled due to the pandemic.

As a scholar athlete, Rimatzki said it was important to maintain a balanced schedule during the sports season. He played both basketball and soccer, and explained that practices would take up a lot of time after school. “Some game days,” he added, “I would not be home until eight or nine at night.

“I spent hours in the gym getting up shots each week, and each year before soccer season I made sure to get on the track to be in soccer shape.”

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Bailey Krug, a 2020 graduate of Livingston High School, received the Yogi Berra Teammate of the Year Award during a virtual ceremony on April 20.

“The experience was definitely different but very special,” he said. “While we weren’t able to gather and support one another in person, it was nice to be able to see the other winners, and hear stories from Yogi Berra’s family and the president and CEO of Investors Bank, which sponsors the event.”

Krug played both football and lacrosse his four years at LHS, and served as varsity captain in both sports as a senior.

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Livingston officials this week announced that sports field are now open, with certain restrictions in place due to the continuing COVID-19 crisis.

Livingston Township sports fields opened to the public on Monday, June 22, for non-contact sports. The following restrictions are in place:

1. In accordance with the governor’s executive order, only noncontact practices may be played, provided that they do not involve person-to-person contact or routinely entail individuals interacting within six feet of one another. This includes football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball.

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As in the previous virtual meet, the 100-meter sprint was heavily contested by the girls. This time, the event was won by senior Liz Lam, who posted her fastest time of the season and meet with a time of 13.5. Not far behind was senior Joanne Cao at 13.8, running a season record. Next up were sophomores Maggie Siao (14.0) and Summer Yung (14.2) both of whom posted personal records. Freshmen Jadyn Kestenbaum (14.8), Monica Sharma (15.0) and Nikki Heiffler (16.0) finished out the event.

Senior Ryan Lee repeated his win in the 100 for the second virtual meet posting the fastest time and personal record of 12.2. Freshman Perry Chen was next with a time of 12.8, showing, said the coach, “promise for a complete spring season next year.” Jack Xu (13.0) finished third, followed by John Sorojka (13.8) and Lance Canent (15.8).

Editor’s Note: Livingston High School tennis coach Elliot Lovi submitted this reflection on the loss of the Lancer boys’ tennis team’s season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last Thursday, May 21, 2020, was the day that the Livingston High School boys’ tennis team had hoped to compete in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), Group IV State Tournament semi-finals and finals. The North Jersey Sectional final had been scheduled for Monday, May 18, with the State Tournament today at Mercer County Park, West Windsor. The COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic ended the spring sports season for all New Jersey public and non-public high schools on May 3 with governor Phil Murphy’s announcement that all New Jersey schools will be closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, followed by the NJSIAA statement cancelling the season. The LHS tennis team’s last practice on the Memorial Park tennis courts was on March 13.