Another fall sports season is in the books at West Milford High School as soccer, cross country, football, field hockey, and girls tennis are wrapped up.

The girls Cross Country squad, led by seniors Taylor Ryan, Amy Cochran, Jessica Bradt, Katie Schiller, Caroline Kearney and Heather Piccoli and freshman standouts Francesca Carnuccio and Samantha Williams, posted a 4-1 record, including an electric victory over Wayne Valley, their first victory against the school in over five years. The young team placed 4^th in the County Championships and 3^rd in Conference Championships meets. Coach Douma “could not have been happier with how the season went” adding that this year’s team “set a solid foundation for years to come.” This is a team that’s on the rise.

Boys Soccer had a disappointing season, putting together a 3-12-1 record. Despite their record, the team was able to beat rival Lakeland 3-1. They also notched a 2-2 tie with Passaic Valley. The squad had two close losses to Clifton and Fair Lawn. The team consisted of ten seniors Nick Costello, Ryan Darragh, Kevin Diana, Mike Tallia, Blake McQuade, Ian Charmichael, Mike Kelly, Brendan Pick, Dakota McAveney, and Ben Osborne. One of the lone bright spots for the team was Sophomore Sam Yuhas who had twelve goals and one assist. Coach Louis DeVito was still positive about the group, saying “we played better than the stats show”, continuing with “we’ll be better next year.” [slideshow id=40]

Field Hockey delivered another solid performance following a state sectional title last year. The Lady Highlanders finished their season with a second round loss in the state tournament, a season that started with practices starting Aug. 15. The squad boasted a staunch defense led by seniors Gianna Galioto, selected to 1^st Team All-County and All-Conference, and Maranda Jones.  Juniors Taylor Messler and Danielle Peck and Sophomore Sammie Mickens rounded out the defense. The midfielders were able to dominate and control most games. Forwards struggled to score in the beginning of the season but began heating up for the home stretch. The team will be losing 3-year starting goalie Jenna Bednarvosky along with seven other seniors which will be a big blow to the team next year. Coach Krista Provost is confident that “the team will rebuild next season and make changes to fill in those positions.”

The Girls Tennis season was highlighted by Coach Zimmerman’s 500^th win as girls’ coach and his 1,000^th overall. The Varsity captains Sabrina Koropchak and Ashley Dondershine led a squad that had a 10-7 record and finished third place in the Passaic County Tourney. The team boasted five seniors, Franzie Federico, Taylor Justin, Brielle Jussen, Rachel Damelio and Kelsey O’Connell. Junior Sabrina Koropchak won 1^st Singles County Tourney and was named to 1^st Team All-Conference. Ashley Dondershine and Franzie Federico were named honorable mention All-County, and Tina Lokai and Tess Korinko, the two teammates in the first doubles pair, were both named honorable mention All-Conference.

The Gymnastics team finished with a record of 4-6, placing third at the Passaic County Gymnastics Championships and second at the North Jersey Gymnastics League B Championships. It was a very strong season from the entire team, especially junior standouts Emily McNamara, 1^st Team All-County on beam, Sydney Lllewellyn, 2^nd Team All-County on all-around, Lauren Chimileski, 1^st Team All-County on floor, Gianna Barrere, 2^nd Team All-County on floor, and Alyssa Herbaugh, 2^nd Team All-County on the beam. Senior captains Samantha Czulada earned 2^nd team All-County floor, Sara Longo, honorable mention All-County, and Jackie Leddy honorable mention All-County. Other seniors Dana Ross and Brandon Walsh also contributed to the success of the team. The group had a great year and next year could be even better if they cash in on the loads of talent they have. [slideshow id=39]