Weeks in Review: 12/18/23-1/1/24

Ethan Perlman, Robert Colletti, and Aidan Burke

January 2, 2024

Trevor Kirkby (Jr.) heads to the free throw line. Read more about Boys Basketball and other winter sports below on their 12/18/23-1/1/24 results.

Bowling

Boys Bowling defeated Tenafly and Bergenfield, both by scores of 7-0. Against Tenafly, Joe Devanna (Sr.) led in scoring, tallying 595 total pins and averaging 198.33 per frame. Devanna’s performance was similarly impressive against Bergenfield, as he totaled 610 pins and averaged 203.33 per frame. Joe Quinn (Sr.) and Nathaniel Veit (Sr.) have done nice jobs supporting Devanna. The team enters 2024 with a 2-1 record. The Panthers will face Demarest in their next contest on January 3.

Girls Bowling enters 2024 with three-straight wins against Old Tappan, Tenafly, and Bergenfield. Sophia Bovino (Sr.) is the leading bowler, averaging 157.67 pins per game.

Boys Basketball

St. Joes (Montvale) took a visit to Pascack Valley High School on December 19th securing the victory 47-24. The Green Knights outscored the Panthers by 17 points in the second half. Jaydan Almonor led the way for the Green Knights with 13 points, while Alex Mazzella added 11 points. For the Panthers, Devin Merker (Sr.) was the leading scorer with 10 points. Pascack Valley then went on the road to defeat Paramus by three points on 12/21. The 48-45 victory was led by Dante DaCosta (So.) who had 17 points followed by Shane Bouye (Sr.) who had 8 points. Merker matched Bouye with 8 points as well.

In the Ridgewood Holiday Tournament the boys suffered 3 tough losses to Ramsey, Glen Rock, and Ridgewood. DaCosta had 11 points for Valley in the 39-36 loss to Ramsey. Merker was the leading scorer in Valley’s 62-59 loss against Glen Rock in its second game of the Ridgewood Holiday Tournament. DaCosta had 14 points and Merker had 11 points in Valley’s loss to Ridgewood. Valley is now 2-5 as the boys take on Bergenfield in their next game on Tuesday, 1/2 in the first game of 2024.

Girls Basketball

Pascack Valley fell to 4-2 Holy Angels on December 19, 50-40, before bouncing back with a 64-20 win over 2-4 Paramus on December 21. Celina Bussanich (Jr.) led the scoring, with 18 points, while Raina Gibbs (Fr.) and Ava Burke (Jr.) added 13 and 11 points, respectively in the victory.

Bussanich scored 16 points, once again leading the Panthers in scoring, in her team’s 38-33 win over 3-4 Cresskill in the first win of the annual Joe Poli Tournament hosted by Valley. In the semifinal round, the Panthers fell to 6-1 Mahwah, 51-42, despite a strong 16-point showing from Ava Burke. In the third-place game, Valley fell to River Dell, 52-46, whom the Panthers had beaten in their season-opener, 58-36.

Entering tonight’s home contest versus Bergenfield, Valley has a 3-4 record. Bussanich is the team’s leading scorer, with 110 points on the season.

Hockey

The Pascack Hockey team started off the week of 12/18 with a tough overtime loss to Clifton. Joseph Dargan (Jr.) scored the game tying goal to bring the game to overtime. The followed up with another hard loss to state ranked Randolph 9-2. The Hockey team then played in the Steve Jaskot Memorial Tournament over the winter break, going 1-1, losing to Ridgewood but getting revenge on Clifton with a 10-2 win. Sophomores Owen Dargan and Jack Sheehan had 3 goals and 5 assists combined.

Swimming

The girls and boys swimming teams started off the week of 12/18 with two strong wins over Old Tappan by a score of 98-70 and 95.5-74.5 respectively. This was the last meet they had, and will take on Passaic County Technical Institute on Thursday, January 4th.

Wrestling

The wrestling team suffered two hard losses to top ranked opponents of St. Joes (Mont.) and Howell, but bounced back in their quad meet, earning victories against Emerson Boro and Ramsey. Enis Feratovic (Sr.) secured the win against Boro with a pin just over a minute into his match. Dylan Biegel (So.), John Allmers (Sr.), Luke Stempkowski (Fr.), Matt Bainbridge (Sr.), Alex Bainbridge (Sr.) and Dylan Selvaggio (Fr.) all won their matches by pin in the team’s match against Ramsey.

About the Contributors

Ethan Perlman, Editor In Chief

Ethan Perlman has been a part of the Valley Echo since his freshman year and has written multiple articles, including one that was included in the Pascack Press. He started as a sports writer, quickly became active in the sports writing department, then transitioned into an Assistant Sports Editor his sophomore year. In his Junior year, he was a co-Head Sports Editor of the Valley Echo, active in clubs such as the Investment Club, and DECA, while also being a representative on the student council. This year, he transitioned into an Co-Editor In Chief role, leading the Valley Echo to greater heights and accomplishents.He plays soccer and lacrosse for PV. He looks to continue his writing and editing production, exploring the various stories that involve PV life and sports.

Robert Colletti, Sports Editor

Robert Colletti, a Pascack Valley senior is the sports editor of the Valley Echo. He has been writing for the publication for a total of three years. He loves covering sports games and writing feature stories. When he's not writing for the Echo, Robert is mostly playing baseball or playing golf with his friends.

Ava Kim, Photo Editor

Ava Kim is a senior who has been a part of The Valley Echo since her freshman year. This is her second year as a photo editor and she is looking forward to pursuing her passion for photography. When she is not taking photos for the publication, Ava can be seen baking or cheering on the Pascack Valley varsity and competition cheer team.