The Indian Hills sports teams have had an impressive start to the winter season. It’s exciting to see the players showcasing school spirit in their team colors, with many students coming out to support them at the events. Here’s how the teams have been doing so far.
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team has faced some tough competition this season, but secured an impressive overtime win against Bogota, winning 68-64. Senior Connor Matthews scored 26 points, and sophomore Charlie Brugna scored 22. Senior Eric Finale reflected on the season by stating, “The team started off to a slow start, but we are starting to get hot and win a couple of games in a row.” Finale later added, “With a huge win versus Cliffside Park we are in the top 16 of our state sectional, and would be qualified for the state tournament.” The team will face a divisional matchup against Demarest.
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team also had a challenging start to their season. However, they put on an exciting performance at the Blue, Gold & Brave game, defeating Weehawken 40- 28 in front of many recreational basketball players. Sophomore Julia DiMasi was the leading scorer with 15 points, while junior Morgan Quill scored 12 points. DiMasi reflected on the season, sharing how “even though this season is not what we expected, the bond we have created makes it so fun to play.” The girls’ team continues with their season with eight games in February.
Girls Bowling
The girls bowling dominated against Paterson Eastside, securing a 7- 0 victory. Junior Shannon Cassidy played three games, averaging an impressive 155.67. The team looks forward to facing divisional opponent Ramsey on February 12th.
Boys Bowling
The boys’ bowling team recently defeated Teaneck 5-2. Senior Ryan Clemente delivered a strong performance, playing three games with an average score of 196.33. They will take on Ramsey on February 12th as they continue their season.
Boys Fencing
The boys team clinched a hard-fought win over Passaic Valley. The epee team secured a narrow 5-4 win. Unfortunately, the foil team fell 2-7, but the saber team’s large win of 7-2 sealed the overall win. The team now has 5 wins and will continue on their season strong.
Girls Fencing
The girls team has faced a tough season, including a close loss to West Milford. The epee team delivered a commanding 8-1 victory in the matchup, but both the foil and saber teams fell short with 3-6 and 1-8 losses, respectively. The team hopes for a strong run in the state tournament.
Boys Swimming
The boys swim team put up a strong fight throughout the regular season, but unfortunately, their season has come to an end. In their final meet against Mahwah, senior Federico Cela Pagola secured second place in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke.
Girls Swimming
The girls swim team delivered an outstanding performance at the county meet, securing first place in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relay and finishing second overall. Senior Katie Lawrence made history as the first girl to win all eight of her individual races across her four-year high school career. Sophomore Olivia de los Reyes reflected on the season, saying, “The season was so much fun. I’m so glad we were able to come away with so many wins.” The team advanced to the first round of the state championship, where they faced Ramsey, but they fell in the second round to Old Tappan.
Wrestling
The wrestling team kicked off their season with a decisive 57-21 win over Ramsey. More recently, they secured a narrow 43-42 victory against Hackensack. Senior Brendan Pelonero spoke highly of the team, saying, “All of our wrestlers care deeply about the sport and their teammates. During practice, no one takes time off—everyone gives their all. The underclassmen, including Braddock DiMasi, have improved tremendously. Despite setbacks like forfeits, our season has been electric.” The team looks ahead to the matchup against Becton on February 14th.
Competitive Dance
Although the competitive dance team consists of just five athletes, the team has made itself a strong and difficult team to beat. In their most recent competition, they placed first in jazz and second in pom. Sophomore Avery Ezmat shared, “Even though we had four people and the other teams had 10 to 12 people, our team has a very strong bond, which motivates us to do our best.” The team now sets their sights on the state competition on February 22nd and hopes to place.
Competition Cheerleading
The Indian Hills competition cheerleading team has had a dominant start to their season, winning all of their competitions and securing the division championship. They headed to Florida at the beginning of February to compete on a national stage and have a competition at Howell High School on February 15th.
Ice Hockey
For the second year, the Indian Hills hockey team has been combined with Ramsey and is now competing in the semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament. The team has an 11-6 record and recently celebrated a 4-0 senior night victory against Paramus/Mahwah/Lyndhurst. Reflecting on the game, sophomore Shayna Pallarino said, “There’s always so much spirit at the games, but our senior night stood out the most. Without a doubt, we’ll miss our seniors.” The team will take on Tenafly on February 18th.
Winter Track
The winter track team has had a strong start to their season. At a recent meet on January 22nd, the girls team placed 9th in the 4×200 relay. On the boys side, Maximus Daniels finished 2nd in the long jump, Luke Traficant placed 3rd in the pole vault, and the team secured 6th place overall. Sophomore Lukas Kertesz reflected on the team’s performance, stating, “Even though our squad is small, we’ve been doing well, and we hope to continue this momentum into the postseason championships.” The winter track team will compete in the New Jersey Sectional Championship on February 8th.
The Indian Hills winter sports teams have performed impressively in the first part of the season. Let’s continue to support them as county and state championships begin. Let’s go Braves!
