The newfound warm weather signals an end to winter sports at Seton Hall Prep. This winter sports season was an interesting one for all Pirates sports teams, as some reached the pinnacle of success, while others felt the pain of not meeting understandably high expectations. This winter season introduced individual successes for many guys breaking into the varsity ranks. All in all, fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming seasons.
The bowling team finished the season with an impressive 22-1 record and claimed the school’s first state championship. The “Pirate Pinstormers” (Impressive nickname from yours truly) finished a perfect 16-0 in Super Essex Conference play. The Pirates then ran the table in the county tournament, finishing as county champs. In bowling, teams are not split up as public and non-public. That didn’t matter as the Pirates swept every team they faced in the state playoffs in route to a overall Group 4 championship over North Brunswick. The Pirates’ sole loss of the year came against a quality Montville team, a rivalry that is sure to develop over the next couple of years. The Pirates will say goodbye to key seniors KC Campbell and Desi Cavanaugh. Campbell, arguably the greatest bowler in Prep history, bowled an impressive 238 average on the year, with a high game of 299. The Pirates return 2-year varsity man Nick Dragone ‘25 next season along with Riley Gnecco ‘26.
The Pirates basketball squad finished with a losing record for the first time in well, quite a long time. The team finished a mere 11-14, going 5-7 in the top division of the Super Essex Conference. This record does not define them, as they played some of the toughest schools in the state such as Hudson Catholic, Montclair Immaculate, Newark Arts and Bergen Catholic. The Pirates still managed to make the semifinals of the county tournament but fell to St. Benedicts. The Pirates didn’t make it far in states, as they fell in the first round to Bergen Catholic. Key wins this season came against Columbia, Newark Central, East Orange, and Red Bank Catholic. This Pirates team was quite young, as only one senior, 6’0 guard Gino Romano, played a majority of minutes, leading the team with 14 points per game. The Pirates will return a pair of 6’4 forwards in James Dunnemann ‘25 and Alex Ante ‘26. In the backcourt, Primo Delgado ‘25, Cole Jordan ‘25, and Dylan Guzzardo ‘25, are all primed for big senior campaigns. Keep an eye out for Daniel Beazer ‘26 as well next season. Also, at the conclusion of the season, the administration fired head coach Kevin Williams. Sterling Gibbs, SHP class of 2011, is set to be only the 4th coach since WWII next season.
Hockey impressed most after exceeding low expectations under first year head coach Brian Monteverde, SHP class of 1984. Monteverde brought with him a history of success, as he was part of the legendary 1983 Gordon Cup Championship Squad as a junior. Coach Monteverde sure brought a bit of that success back to West Orange this winter, as his Pirates finished 12-9 on the season, including being tied for first in the Gordan Conference National Division. The “Pirate Puckman” (another nickname by yours truly) faced some of the toughest teams in the Tri-State area has to offer such as Delbarton, Wyoming Seminary (PA), Don Bosco Prep, Malvern Prep (PA), and state champs St. Augustine. Although the “Puckmen” lost in the first rounds of both the Gordon Cup and the Non-Public state tournament, those dedicated to make the trip up to Codey Arena at 6pm on any given weeknight have a positive future to be proud of. Although the Pirates top points leaders Nicky Schneider ’24 and Chris McIntyre ’24 have dawned the Pirates sweater for the last time, new leaders such as Andrew Tralongo ’25 (25 Points), Matt Smith ’25 (19 points), Ryan Murray ’27 (19 Points) and Johnny Renzullo ’26 (16 Points) are ready to answer the ever-present call. The Pirates will also return all 3 goaltenders who saw time between the pipes at the varsity level next winter. Finally, this article cannot be written without mentioning senior defensemen Hudson Rocheville (16 Points). I had the pleasure of attending and broadcasting many Pirates hockey games this year, and my biggest takeaway was; if you ever see Rocheville on the ice, you better run as far away as possible.
The indoor track team had another fine season this winter after winning the state championship not so long ago. The team took second at the county meet as Tyler Dunn ’24 (Shot Put), Matt Oess ’25 (Pole Vault), and Ollie Millien ’24 (High Jump) all placed first in their respective events. Dunn went on to then throw nearly 58 feet at the Non-Public A indoor track and field state championships at the John Bennett Athletic Sports Bubble in Toms River in mid-February, a feat which earned him an individual state championship. The team finished 3rd at the NJSIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The Pirates in the pool made it all the way to the state finals this season before falling to Bergen Catholic. As a team, they compiled a 10-2 record, including a perfect 6-0 in Super Essex Conference play on its way to winning its 26th straight Essex County Championship. The team participated in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, where the Pirates swept the three relay events, all in school-record fashion, and had a second-place finish. Simply put, this Pirates team did nothing short of setting records all season long. Richard Poplawski ’24, who’s set to swim at Harvard next season, earned All-American status after his performance in the 200-medley relay, 400-freestyle relay, and the butterfly. The Pirates will look to claim their first state championship since the 2021-2022 season next winter.
The wrestling team finished 7-5 on the season, while going 5-1 in Super Essex Conference play, earning them a spot in a 3-way tie for first place. While the team lost in the first round of both the Catholic Duals and the team state tournament, the team dominated the Essex County tournament earning first place once again. Four Pirates won their weight classes in counties. This winter, the Pirates sent a record 8 wrestlers to Atlantic City to compete in the individual state tournament. Of those eight state qualifiers, Logan Bryzozowski ’24 placed 5th and Rocco Salerno ’26 placed 7th. The Pirates will send 3 seniors to wrestle in college in the form of Bryzozowski (Harvard), Carlo Vanvolkenburgh (University of Chicago), and Evan Surmay (Washington & Lee). Clark Rich ’25 (190), Nick Orejola ’25 (144), Salerno (215), and Livingston transfer Anthony Pellegrino ’25 (113), are all the Pirates who are poised to make a deep run in Atlantic City this same time next winter.
All in all, another successful winter ends for our student athletes. One state championship was won this winter (thanks, bowling), records were broken, and memories were made. Now it is up to the spring sports to bring home yet another state championship this winter.