The No. 6 Pascack Valley Boys Soccer team finished the year 11-12. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 Tournament after beating Newton in the first round 2-1. In the quarterfinal, the boys lost to No. 3 West Milford 3-2.
Key Players:
Adrian Cano (Sr.): Forward Adrian Cano was the lead goal scorer for the Panthers. Cano scored 18 goals this year, giving him a total of 24 goals in his career at PV.
Liam Verdicchio (Jr.): Sweeper Liam Verdicchio was the anchor of the back line for Valley this season. Verdicchio had one goal this year, coming against Waldwick on Oct. 18, when the Panthers defeated the Warriors 5-4.
Jake Liebchen (Sr.): Goalie Jake Liebchen led the team in saves this season with 86, including four shutout games.
Memorable Games:
10/18 Pascack Valley vs. Waldwick: Valley won this game 5-4 in the quarterfinal round of the Bergen County Invitational Tournament. Adrian Cano scored two goals, and Juniors Liam Verdicchio, Hudson Sollecito, and Lucas Mercado each scored one goal. In addition, Mercado had two assists, and Marco Jardim (So.) also tallied an assist.
10/21 Pascack Valley vs. Demarest: After losing to Demarest earlier in the season 2-1, the Panthers went into Demarest and came out with a 1-0 win. Adrian Cano scored the goal for Valley off an assist from Hudson Sollecito. Liebchen also tallied eight saves in the shutout win.
Challenges/Setbacks:
Coming into the year, the team had high expectations with many key returning starters. Due to inconsistency this season, Valley was not able to get into a groove. Even with the loss of five key senior players, Valley still has a bright future with many experienced players coming back next season.
The Pascack Valley Girls Soccer team had a great year, making the state sectional final, where they lost to Ramsey 4-0. They also made the quarterfinal round of the county tournament. The girls finished with a final record of 18-5-1, with a 7-2 record in the Big-North.
Key Players:
Allie Polyniak (Sr.): Forward Allie Polyniak had 24 goals and 13 assists and was the leading scorer for the team this year.
Maddie Wu (Jr.): Despite missing some time throughout the season due to injury, Maddie Wu finished with 7 goals and 6 assists, and was the second leading goal scorer.
Ciara DerSimonian (Sr.): DerSimonian finished with 5 goals and 3 assists, and served as the engine for the midfield throughout the season.
Memorable Games:
9/5 Pascack Valley @ Wayne Hills: Valley won this game 2-1 and improved their record to 2-0 with the win in a challenging early-season game. Defender Alex Lambrinos (Jr.) scored both goals in the game in a comeback effort. Goalie Gabby Velecela (Jr.) also had 9 saves.
10/15 Pascack Valley @ Saddle River Day: In a round of 16 county tournament matchup against Saddle River Day, the Panthers won in penalties to advance to the quarter finals. Allie Polyniak scored the goal for the Panthers to extend the game to overtime, where they won in penalties.
11/12 Pascack Valley vs. Vernon: Abby Comer (Sr.) had the lone goal in the game as the Panthers advanced to the State Sectional Final with the win. The goal came in a tight contest in the second half after defending well throughout the game.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The girls had to deal with injuries throughout the season, with key players on offense and defense missing key time this season. Additionally, the girls had a difficult schedule this year, playing powerhouse programs such as Ramsey twice, Old Tappan twice, and Ridgewood. The girls played a total of 24 games this season, which was a lot more game time than in past years.
The Pascack Valley Football team finished the season 4-5. The No. 7 Panthers lost to Passaic Valley in the first round of the NJSIAA Group 3 Tournament.
Key Players:
Adam Shaw (Sr.): Despite having a season-ending injury in week 3, Michigan State Commit Adam Shaw still led the team in rushing yards with 356 and 6 rushing touchdowns. He also tallied 40 tackles in just three games.
Kai Smith (Sr.): While missing some time due to injury, Kai Smith was dominant when available for the Panthers. Smith had 338 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on just 43 attempts this season.
Marc Dellaquila (Sr.): Marc Dellaquila had a great season on both sides of the ball. On offense, Dellaquila led the team in receiving yards, with 336 and 3 touchdowns. On defense, he led the team with 3 interceptions.
Memorable Games:
8/28 @ Union City: In a week 0 matchup, Pascack Valley traveled to Union City to take them on at their rooftop stadium. Adam Shaw and Kai Smith totaled for 5 rushing touchdowns and 287 yards on the ground.
9/12 Pascack Valley vs. Teaneck: PV defeated Teaneck under the lights on a game-winning touchdown run by Nick Ocampo (Sr.). Adam Shaw led the game with 140 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. This game put Valley back in the win column after a loss to Westwood.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The Panthers faced lots of adversity throughout the year due to numerous injuries. Michigan State Commit Adam Shaw was injured in the third game of the season for the rest of the year. Seniors Kai and Marley Smith also both faced injuries in the first game of the season against Union City, which caused them both to miss multiple games throughout the season.
The Pascack Valley Volleyball team finished the season 11-11. After defeating Vernon 3-0 in the first round of the North 1 Group 2 tournament. In the quarterfinal round, the No. 6 Panthers had to go on the road against Demarest — who later won the N1 G2 Championship — and lost three straight sets.
Key Players:
Addison Demyen (Sr.)
This year, Addison Demyen had 103 kills, 22 blocks, 70 digs, 4 assists, and 9 aces. She had the second-highest blocks on the team.
Riley Hirsch (Sr.)
This season, Riley Hirsch had 176 kills, 10 blocks, 208 digs, 4 assists, and 17 aces. Hirsch had the second-highest amount of kills and digs on the team.
Maddy Romero (Sr.)
The senior libero racked up 4 kills, 532 digs, 51 assists, and 32 aces. Romero led the team in digs and aces.
Celia Torres (Sr.)
Celia Torres had 20 kills, 1 block, 182 digs, 472 assists, and 28 aces this season. The senior led the team in assists and reached 1,000 career assists this season.
Memorable Games:
10/06 Pascack Valley vs. Old Tappan: The Pascack Valley Volleyball team had a great 2-0 road win against a tough Old Tappan team whose record was 9-2 at the time. The Panthers were led by Riley Hirsch, who accumulated 8 kills; Addison Demyen, who led the team with two blocks; Maddy Romero, who led the team in digs with 20; and Celia Torres, who led the team in assists with 22.
10/11 Pascack Valley vs. River Dell: The Pascack Valley Volleyball team defeated River Dell 3-2 in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament. This match came down to the wire, but PV came out on top after winning the last two sets to move on to the second round. In this match, Riley Hirsch led the team with 21 kills, Rylee Jurik (Sr.) led the team in blocks with 4, Maddy Romero led the team in digs with 56, and Celia Torres led the team in assists with 38.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The Pascack Valley Volleyball team’s season was filled with ups and downs throughout the whole year. They faced many difficult opponents, such as Immaculate Heart Academy, Demarest, and Ramapo, where they weren’t able to come out on top. This season, the volleyball team will be losing seven seniors, but next season, they will still have many experienced returners.
The Pascack Valley Girls Tennis team finished the season 10-7. They made it to the second round of the State Tournament in Section 1, Group 2, beating Paramus 5-0. Then, they went on to play against Mahwah in the quarterfinal round and lost 4-1.
Key Players:
Emilia Rettew (Sr.) and Kristina Wegner (Sr.): They played in doubles matches all season together with a 7-5 record in their matches. The duo earned key wins against Pascack Hills and Old Tappan.
Memorable Games:
10/15 Pascack Valley vs. Pascack Hills: Pascack Valley beat Hills 4-1 on the road. Head Coach Daniel Philips said, “That was the first time that the girls’ tennis team had beaten Pascack Hills, I think in about twenty years, so that’s a pretty big deal.” Valley got wins in all three singles games from Jillian Herzog (Jr.), Abby Osso (Fr.), and Alexa Ganz (Sr.). They also had a win in the first doubles game from Kristina Wegner and Emilia Rettew.
Challenges/Setbacks:
Valley struggled against Mahwah this season, as they lost both matches. This season, there were eight seniors on the team, so that leaves just four returning players for next season, plus any incoming freshmen. So next year, they will need everyone to step up and contribute.
