The Week in Sports: a Look Book and a Look Ahead
The boy's basketball team hopes to play all of their games this week.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – From basketball to wrestling, and indoor track to bowling, here is the latest news in Fort Lee sports:
- The Fort Lee boys’ basketball team was delayed twice this week for two completely different reasons. The Bridgemen were prevented from hosting Mahwah on Tuesday due to a broken water pipe at the high school, and then Fort Lee was snowed out from playing Westwood on Thursday. The Bridgemen did make up the Westwood game on Friday in a 63-44 road loss to the Cardinals. Sophomore guard Nick Gentile scored 14 points in the defeat. Fort Lee has now lost four straight games as they enter another difficult week. The Bridgemen will host Mahwah Monday at 4:30 p.m. then Dwight Morrow on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Fort Lee also visits Ridgefield Park on Thursday night at seven before hosting Ramsey on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
- The Fort Lee girls’ basketball team finished the week even with one win and one loss. The Lady Bridgemen fell to Mahwah on the road 47-34 on Tuesday, were snowed out from playing Westwood on Thursday, and successfully defeated the visiting Lodi Lady Rams on Saturday 46-35. Senior forward Bindi Parikh scored 18 points in the team’s game against Mahwah and also recorded a 15 rebound performance in Saturday’s victory.
Lady Bridgemen End Losing Streak With Win Over Lodi
Stacie Zafiris draws up a play for Renee Mattesich.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Facing a possible five-game losing streak, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen were looking to have a strong start in their game against Lodi on Saturday in hopes of returning with a win.
Earlier in the week, Fort Lee fell behind 13-0 to the Mahwah Thunderbirds. Today, the Lady Bridgemen stormed ahead to a 9-0 advantage over the Lady Rams that eventually helped Fort Lee earn a 46-35 win.
“It was definitely a big confidence boost,” said Fort Lee senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “We never really got that lead this season in the beginning. So for us to actually have that, we felt really confident the whole game.”
Lodi was forced to battle back from that deficit, but the Lady Rams were only able to score nine total points in the first half.
“It was tough because we had trouble scoring,” Lodi head coach John Way said. “[Fort Lee] had a good game plan and they knew to take away [senior forward] Tia Cangialosi.”
Athlete of the Week: Bowler David Daniels
Senior bowler David Daniels
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Senior David Daniels has tried a number of different sports in high school. He has received awards for playing soccer and even participated in basketball, but his current sport, bowling, may be the most enjoyable one of the three.
And it almost never came to be.
Last year, Daniels elected not to try out for basketball again and was heading into a winter sports season with no team to play for.
So one day in chemistry class, all of David’s friends were talking about their after-school activities when his chemistry teacher asked what Daniels had planned.
The conversation changed everything for David, as his teacher, who was also the bowling coach, convinced Daniels to give the sport a try.
“[Coach Dennis Sayer] said ‘why don’t you come out for the bowling team’ so I said ‘what’s the worst that can happen,” Daniels said looking back.
Lady Bridgmen Losing Streak Hits Four in Loss at Mahwah
Renee Mattesich waits for the ball to inbound.
(MAHWAH, N.J.) – Senior forward Bindi Parikh led all players with 18 points, but it was the Mahwah Lady Thunderbirds who defeated Fort Lee on Tuesday night 47-34.
Entering the contest on a three-game losing streak, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen were looking for a strong start in hopes of getting back in the win column.
That didn’t happen, however, as Mahwah scored the first 13 points of the game on the way to their 10th win of the season.
“It wasn’t turnovers that were hurting us which is great,” said Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris. “We weren’t taking great shots and I don’t think we were really trying to run our offense through which ultimately hurt us. They are such a great team in transition that they kept getting us a couple times.”
When senior guard Brianna Mattessich made a pair of free throws to give Fort Lee its first points of the game, it would unexpectedly be the last points scored on the night by the Lady Bridgemen’s leading scorer as Mattessich was unable to add any more the rest of the game.
Sandy Burgos Still Succeeding Thanks to Basketball, Believers
Sandy Burgos in his new jersey for his new team at Harcum College.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Entering high school, Sandy Burgos was not sure who he was or where he was going. Now in college, the all-time leading scorer in Fort Lee basketball history has a much clearer vision. But the road to the many accolades and the opportunity to succeed in life was never easy.
Sandy Burgos had to overcome a lot of hardships just to reach the point he is at right now as a freshman student and basketball player at Harcum College.
Sandy struggled a lot growing up. He came from a small family, who lived in a tiny apartment, didn’t do well in school and was described as having an attitude problem.
One of the toughest problems for Burgos growing up was the death of his father, Pedro. To the surprise of Sandy, his mother and brother, Pedro unexpectedly committed suicide by hanging himself on Father’s Day in 2005.
The Week in Sports: A Look Back and a Look Ahead
Brianna Mattessich and coach Stacie Zafiris
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – From basketball to wrestling, indoor track to bowling, here is the latest news in Fort Lee sports:
Let’s start with boys’ basketball, where Fort Lee had three difficult opponents standing in their way last week. The Bridgemen began the week with a 72-56 loss on the road to Dwight Morris. Sophomore guard Nick Genile led Fort Lee with 21 points on the night. Fort Lee then visited Lakeland on Thursday. Sophomore guard Tandee Mushandu tied Gentile for a team-high 13 points, but the Bridgemen also lost 61-49. The week drew to a close on Saturday when Garfield rallied for a road win at Fort Lee 70-61. Freshman guard Josh Ford and Gentile combined for 38 points in the contest. After losing three games this week, the Bridgemen hope next week will be better. They host Mahwah on Tuesday, before visiting Westwood on Thursday. Both games start at 7 p.m.
Fort Lee Losing Streak Stretches To Three in 70-61 Loss to Garfield
Coach John Ziemba talks to his players.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Sophomore guard Nick Gentile and freshman guard Josh Ford combined to score 38 points for the Bridgemen on Saturday.
On most days, that would result in a Fort Lee victory. That day was not today however.
On Saturday, the Garfield Boilermakers benefited from a fast-paced basketball game and sound rebounding as they defeated the Fort Lee Bridgemen 70-61.
Garfield started the afternoon on a 6-0 run as Fort Lee committed a pair of turnovers. The Bridgemen were unable to rebound in the early going as the Boilermakers established a nine point lead in the first quarter.
“We had a very good practice yesterday so I am surprised that we came out that way,” said Bridgemen head coach John Ziemba.
Fort Lee Runners Fare Well at Ridgewood Winter Games
Coach Justin Williams meets with Masaru Yamaguchi of the Fort Lee indoor track team.
(TEANECK, N.J.) – The Fort Lee indoor track team competed at the Ridgewood Winter Games Friday and came away from the event with an impressive haul of medals.
The games began with the 55 meter dash on one side of the gym, while the 55 meter hurdles started on the opposite side of the Rothman Center.
Fort Lee was successful in both events, claiming four medals in the earlygoing.
Ashley Jenq placed fifth in the freshman girls’ 55 meter dash, while Shawn Bei finished third in the freshman boys’ 55 meter hurdles.
“[Ashley] has placed in the 55 meter freshman dash in every race this season,” said coach Ed Garrison. “We have a lot of first year runners that are stepping up.”
Athlete of the Week: Wrestler Anatoliy Alkazov
Fort Lee Senior Wrestler Anatoliy Alkazov
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Before the wrestling season started, senior Anatoliy Alkazov knew there would be many chances for growth.
Alkazov started wrestling during his sophomore year with the Bridgemen.
He learned more about the sport his junior season, and now has become one of the top wrestlers on the Fort Lee team for his senior year.
“Anatoliy is tough,” said coach Alex Almeyda before the first match. “He put in his time over the summer…and [Alkazov] should step up and shine.”
Anatoliy has done so on my levels, both as a wrestler and as a team leader.
With ten seniors graduating from last season and many team members wrestling for the first time this season, Alkazov took it upon himself to help the underclassmen.
Lakeland Pulls Away Late in 49-30 Win Over Fort Lee
Sophomore guard Renee Mattessich at the line for two free throws against Lakeland.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen welcomed one of the top teams in New Jersey to their gym on Thursday night and hung with the enemy for most of the contest.
But in the final quarter, the visiting Lakeland Lady Lancers (11-1) pulled away with an 18-7 run to collect yet another victory.
“I think we came out a little down,” said Lakeland head coach Erin Zarubnicky. “But I think we picked it up in the second half.”
Early on, both teams played a close game, as Lakeland held just a three-point lead after the first quarter. During that time, Fort Lee looked to set up their offense in a new approach.
“We slowed it down more than usual,” said senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “Today we tried to play our game and got more out of it.”
The Lady Bridgemen had seven different players score in the game.
Norsemen Take Down Bridgemen Wrestlers 60-24
Yosef Matayev and Jack Nigro get tangled up.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Weight plays a large role in the lives of many people, but in wrestling, weight sometimes has a more magnified and significant role.
The Bridgemen encountered this realization Wednesday night as two players weighed in above their desired classes, forcing head coach Alex Almeyda to shuffle his team around.
Entering the match, Fort Lee was very optimistic traveling to Northen Valley Regional High School at Demarest. All signs pointed to another close match for Fort Lee. The Bridgemen lost to Westwood by just two points last week, while the Norsemen were able to defeat the same Cardinals team by four.
But with a few players being just tenths of a pound overweight, Almeyda had to scrap his starting lineup in favor of a new one.
“It is a lot tougher because coach has to move everyone around on the sideline and bump some people up into weight classes that they are not used to,” said junior wrestler Demir Radoncic. “It definitely screws up the whole lineup.”
High-Tempo Offense Benefits Dwight Morrow in 55-39 Win Over Lady Bridgemen
The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen starting lineup.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Junior guard Melissa Reid scored 14 points in her return as Dwight Morrow returned to the win column in a 55-39 road win at Fort Lee.
After losing three consecutive games, the Lady Raiders started the night by scoring the first nine points of the evening.
“That is the start we try to have every game,” said Dwight Morrow head coach Don Osbourne. “Some games it works and some games it doesn’t. I thought the energy was great.”
On the other side of the floor, Fort Lee committed four turnovers during that timeframe as the Lady Bridgemen were forced to play from behind.
“They’re a really fast team and we can’t run with them,” said Lady Bridgemen senior guard Brianna Mattessich. “The game plan was to slow down the tempo and we definitely didn’t do that.”
The Week in Sports: A Look Back and A Look Ahead
The wrestling team also had an exciting week with matches that came down to the final weight class.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – From basketball to wrestling, and indoor track to bowling, here is the latest news in sports:
The boy’s basketball team made news this past week by winning back to back games for the first time this season. The week started with the Bridgemen losing to Westwood 52-36 after holding a double digit lead on Tuesday. But, Fort Lee recovered very well by winning their next two games by a combined 60 points. On Thursday, the Bridgemen crushed Lyndhurst 56-25 on the road and then accomplished another rout on Saturday by topping Paramus 51-22. Fort Lee now has a very important week coming up with games that will greatly determine where they will place if they make the state tournament. The Bridgemen are on the road to play Dwight Morrow on Tuesday at seven o’clock and then Lakeland on Thursday at 5:30 P.M. Fort Lee finishes out the week hosting Garfield on Saturday at one.
The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen, on the other hand, ironically won a game this week and lost a game this week by the same, identical score.
Bridgemen Win Consecutive Games for First Time this Season
The Fort Lee Bridgemen are riding high with two straight wins
(PARAMUS, N.J.) – Coach John Ziemba motivated the Fort Lee Bridgemen with a halftime speech on defense, and the result was evident, as the team allowed just five points the rest of the way in a 51-22 win over Paramus.
Fort Lee has now won back-to-back games for the first time this season and have accomplished the feat while outscoring their opponents by a combined 60 points.
“It feels amazing,” said sophomore guard Nick Gentile.
“Two wins in a row feels good after the slow start,” added senior forward George Padin. “It feels good to pick it up and get two wins in a row.”
Off the tip, Paramus set up guard Evan Kim for an early lay-up, but Fort Lee answered with the next 10 points of the game.
Athlete of the Week: Basketball Player Brianna Mattessich
Senior guard Brianna Mattessich (photo courtesy of Christopher Costa)
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – As freshman turn into sophomores, and juniors become seniors, they start to earn more responsibilities with each passing year.
This happens both in the classroom and in athletics.
One basketball player has embraced the responsibilities of being a senior captain and is putting up the numbers to go with it.
Fort Lee’s senior guard Brianna Mattessich scored 22 points and corralled 12 rebounds in a win Tuesday against Westwood and followed that with a 19-point performance at New Milford on Thursday night.
“[Brianna] has been doing some things the last couple games that really make her a caliber player in the league and in the county,” Fort Lee Coach Stacie Zafiris said. “I wouldn’t trade her for anybody.”
Fort Lee Loses in Final Match Against Westwood 38-36
Fort Lee fell behind early before rallying back in the heavyweight classes.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – After junior Demir Radoncic pinned his opponent at 215, the majority of the crowd at Fort Lee High School erupted.
Because of Radoncic, the Bridgemen held their first lead of the night going into the final match of the evening.
Unfortunately for the Bridgemen, the lead was only short lived as Westwood’s Nick Palatta pinned Fort Lee sophomore Kevin Sabaci in 31 seconds to win the overall match for the Cardinals.
“We knew we needed more than four points to get the victory there and our big guy came through for us in the clutch,” said Westwood head coach Paul Castalini. “[Palatta] led us down a bit last week and I think he had it in his head that he had to come through and make up for the errors of last week.”
Westwood started with back-to-back pins at 103 and 112 for the early advantage, as Fort Lee was unable to secure the lead in the lightweights.
DeFreese Leads New Milford Past Fort Lee 41-33
The Lady Bridgemen line up on the court for the National Anthem.
(NEW MILFORD, N.J.) – The Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen received a 19-point performance from senior guard Brianna Mattessich, but the team struggled to score otherwise in a 41-33 road loss at the Dumont Lady Knights.
Mattessich scored 14 points in the first half alone, but Fort Lee only had two points from the rest of the team at that point.
“We didn’t have five girls on the floor willing to shoot the ball and looking to score,” said Fort Lee head coach Stacie Zafiris. “That ultimately hurt us.”
The Lady Bridgemen had the scoring edge early when they jumped out to a 12-5 lead. The advantage would have been smaller, but Mattessich was fouled heaving a half-court shot as the first quarter ended. Brianna made two of the three free throws to hand Fort Lee their biggest lead of the game.
Fort Lee’s Second Half Lead Snowballs into Westwood Win
Coach Ziemba and the Bridgemen lost their double digit lead in a loss to Westwood.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – After leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Fort Lee Bridgemen saw their lead evaporate into a 16 point loss on Tuesday night against Westwood.
“We defended incredibly well in the second half,” said Westwood head coach John Santulli. “We were not playing any defense in the first half.”
Early on, Fort Lee gained the advantage by dishing the ball inside to sophomore center Anthony Rafes. The down-low presence scored six of the first eight points for the Bridgemen in a new offensive set.
At the beginning of the year, Fort Lee head coach John Ziemba mentioned how his team’s offensive attack was founded mostly around the guard play. Now, the 20-year head coach has changed that philosophy to include the 6’6’’ center.
“The new offense we put it is to get him the ball,” Ziemba said. “We have to go through Anthony and he is still a sophomore but I’m still trying to see what certain guys can do.”
Coach MacIver Returns to Fort Lee With Win Against Former Team
Sophomore Yosef Matayev (left) stares at his opponent before beginning the 112 match.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Ken MacIver was an assistant coach with the Fort Lee Bridgemen for the last three seasons.
During that time he fulfilled the role of mentor, coach and driving instructor to some of Fort Lee’s wrestlers and is even the godfather of coach Alex Almeyda’s son.
But Monday culminated in a new role for MacIver as he was now the opponent of Fort Lee in a make-up wrestling match from last Friday’s snowstorm.
MacIver returned to his alma mater this year as the head coach of the Dumont Huskies program and entered the contest with a little more than just wrestling on his mind.
“I wouldn’t have left Alex and the boys unless it was my high school,” an emotional MacIver said shortly after the match. “I knew what we were in for, and I had a good scouting report myself.”
Viral Video Makes Lady Bridgemen Basketball Players Instant Celebrities at School
Seniors Brianna Mattessich (left) and Lindsey Clesmere's failed bump attempt bumped their popularity at school
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – One of the new sayings in today’s fast paced world is that everything travels quicker on the Internet. The old idea was that information flew through high schools just as quickly. Put the two together, and it could be a recipe for a sweeping phenomenon, like the viral video that rushed through Fort Lee High School this past week.
On Dec. 31, the Lady Bridgemen basketball team won their second straight holiday tournament when they defeated the Park Ridge Owls. Winning the trophy in back-to-back years brought the girls some recognition but nothing close to the popularity the team received after a video surfaced – a video originally posted on Patch – of their championship celebration.
After the final buzzer sounded, senior guard Brianna Mattessich rushed toward the Fort Lee bench to be with her teammates. At the same time, senior guard Lindsey Clesmere left the bench to join the girls on the floor. The result made the girls instant celebrities at their school.
The Week in Sports: A Look Back and A Look Ahead
Fort Lee wrestler Demir Radoncic faces Cliffside Park's Chris Piper.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Here is a rundown of Fort Lee athletics for the past week and a look at the upcoming week in sports:
The girl’s basketball team started the week as reigning two-time holiday tournament champions by losing back-to-back contests. The Lady Bridgemen fell to Ridgefield Park on Tuesday 52-33 before falling to an undefeated Dumont team on Thursday 57-42. In their last game of the week, Fort Lee traveled to beat Memorial High School on Saturday 40-25, and they now look forward to what next week has in store. But in order to carry the momentum to Tuesday night’s game at Westwood, the Lady Bridgemen are hoping to have the services of senior forward Bindi Parikh. The soft-spoken student athlete suffered a foot injury on Saturday and her status for the Westwood game and New Milford contest on Thursday are uncertain.
In boy’s basketball, the Bridgemen also lost to Ridgefield Park on Tuesday, 52-40, but then recovered with a victory against Dumont 51-40 on Thursday. Freshman point guard Dashaun Washington was named the Athlete of the Week after scoring double digits in both of those games including 13 of them in the team’s last game of the week.
Lady Bridgemen Back to Winning Ways with Victory at Memorial
Coach Stacie Zafiris talks to the Lady Bridgemen during a timeout.
(WEST NEW YORK, N.J.) – Despite losing senior forward Bindi Parikh to a foot injury, the Fort Lee Lady Bridgemen were able to overcome her absence in a 40-25 road win against the Memorial Tigers.
After losing back-to-back games entering Saturday’s action, Fort Lee was in full pursuit of avoiding a possible three-game losing streak.
The Lady Bridgemen started the game by winning the tip, working for a good shot and finding junior guard Ally Long for a corner three. Fort Lee scored seven of the first eight points in the game. The last points of that stretch were scored by Parikh, whose night ended when she was taken out of the game a few minutes later.
“When Bindi got hurt we stepped up as a team,” said junior guard Megan Gimson.
Athlete of the Week: Basketball Player Dashaun Washington
Freshman point guard Dashaun Washington
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Freshman year of high school is a unique time for all boys and girls.
It is a time to be nervous yet anxious, excited and worried, but most of all, high school comes with uncertainty.
Today, Patch’s Athlete of the Week award is presented to a freshman who is making a name for himself on the hardwood.
Against players twice his size and some even four years older than him, guard Dashaun Washington looks overmatched.
But on the basketball floor, he is matching up just fine.
Washington has been “playing up” since his time in the Fort Lee rec program where he was a younger athlete already playing with 7th and 8th graders.
This season it happened again.
Fort Lee Sports Cancelled for Friday Night
The wrestling team will have to wait until tomorrow for a chance at their first win.
(FORT LEE, N.J.) – Just like in late December, a snowstorm is once more shifting the Fort Lee sports scene.
Both the bowling and wrestling matches for Friday evening have been postponed.
According to Fort Lee High School Athletic Director Patrick Ambrosio, the events have not been rescheduled yet and all games for Saturday are still on.
The bowling team was scheduled to play Lakeland Friday at Bowler City beginning at 4 p.m., but the cancellation continues a whirlwind of events for the student athletes. Most of the Bridgemen bowlers were snowed out from practicing over the school break due to the most recent blizzard, then returned only to have no opponent on Tuesday and now are prevented from playing again.
