Boys Basketball: Josh Reiser
The Pascack Valley Boys Basketball Team finished the year 18-7. As the one seed, they advanced to the semi-finals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 Tournament, where the boys lost to the four-seeded Vernon team.
Key Players:
Devin Merker (Sr.): Scoring a total of 379 points this season, it was a remarkable season for Senior Devin Merker. Not only did he lead the team in scoring, but he reached a career mark of 1,000 points and had two buzzer-beaters this season.
Trevor Kirkby (Sr.): Kirkby finished the season with 206 points and was a key piece to this team. Kirkby also led the team in rebounds and was well-experienced on the varsity level, as he started all four years.
Memorable Games:
12/19/24 Pascack Valley vs. Wayne Hills: The Boys Basketball Team started their season with a back-and-forth win against Wayne Hills. The team was able to pull out the win in Coach Santulli’s debut as a head coach at Pascack Valley.
2/18/25 Pascack Valley vs. Old Tappan:
With a chance to win the league for the second time in 20 years, the Panthers were not going to miss out on the opportunity. The Panthers went on a 20-7 run in the third quarter to extend their lead to 18 and were able to secure the league title with a win.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The Boys Basketball Team was under a new coach this year. With first-year head coach John Santulli they did not know what to expect. They also faced multiple injuries throughout the season; but, that didn’t let them stop them from winning the league.
Looking Ahead:
Although the team is losing nine seniors, including their two leaders, Trevor Kirkby and Devin Merker, but they have a bright future ahead of them. Liam Higgins, and Dante Dacosta will return in the starting lineup, along with juniors Eli Tenzer, Patrick Sullivan, and Adrian Cano having an expanded role.
Girls Basketball: Noah Reiser
The Pascack Valley Girls Basketball Team finished the year 18-11. As the six-seed, they advanced to the finals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 Tournament, where the girls lost to the one-seeded Glen Rock team, 49-40.
Key Players:
Ava Burke (Sr.): Ava Burke scored 224 points and had 213 rebounds this season. Burke finished with 840 points for PV in her career.
Celina Bussanich (Sr.): Celina Bussanich was the leader for the Panthers, scoring 408 points, with 273 of those coming off three-pointers. Bussanich finished her PV career with 1,421 points.
Raina Gibbs (So.): Raina Gibbs scored 338 points this year, with 264 of those points coming off three-pointers. Gibbs has already scored 595 points for PV in her career.
Memorable Games:
1/23 Pascack Valley vs. Old Tappan: Valley won this game 63-42. In the second quarter, PV outscored NVOT 17-3. The Panthers had three players score in double figures, with Raina Gibbs and Ava Burke each having 17 points, while Celina Bussanich had 15 points.
3/6 Pascack Valley vs. Jefferson: Pascack Valley upset the second-seeded Jefferson team 51-46 in overtime of the semi-finals of the state tournament. Emma Costello (So.) hit a three-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. Ava Burke finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Keira O’Cathain (Fr.) finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The team had to deal with missing their senior leaders for some time in the season. Celina Bussanich suffered a knee injury, where she missed some time at the beginning of February. Ava Burke had to miss some games as well due to illness.
Looking Ahead:
Valley will need to fill two starting positions going into next year, but the team has seen good play from the underclassman. Valley will return Raina Gibbs, Keira O’Cathain, and Danielle Regula (So.) from the starting lineup. Juniors Mia Boretti, Sophia Dalton, Riley Hirsch, Sydney LaMere, Alex Kesselman, and sophomore Emma Costello will see their roles increase.
Wrestling: Trevor Kirkby
The wrestling team finished with a 19-7 record. They were rewarded with the two seed in the North 1, Group 2 state tournament, and advanced all the way to the final before losing to top-seed High Point, 33-31.
Key Players:
Dylan Biegel (Jr.): This season, Dylan Biegel emerged as a wrestler to keep an eye on throughout next season, compiling a 28-3 record for the Panthers, with 15 pins.
Adan Cedeno (Jr.): Cedeno advanced all the way to Atlantic City, where he participated in the State Meet of Champions. His overall record for the season was 32-7.
Georgie Hamilton (Sr.): George Hamilton had a record of 20-6. Of those 20 wins, 14 were pins. Georgie was rewarded with Honorable Mention All-County for his season this year.
Memorable Matches:
12/28 Pascack Valley vs. River Dell: The Panthers took part in a tri-match against Emerson, Ramsey, and rival River Dell. After securing wins against Emerson and Ramsey, they fell behind 26-21 against River Dell. Then, they scored 21 unanswered points to win the game, led by three straight pins from Dylan Biegel (Jr.), Adan Cedeno (Jr.), and Brayden Morgan (Sr.).
1/24 Pascack Valley vs. Pascack Hills: The biggest win of the year for Valley came against rivals Pascack Hills, where they won 52-20. Valley led for the entire night, and the matchup featured five Panther Pins, and a 39-8 Valley run to end the game.
Challenges/Setbacks
This season the Panthers suffered adversity through the form of injuries and cold streaks. Senior Brayden Morgan went down with an injury late in the year. In addition, there were four straight losses from Jan. 11 to Jan. 22. However, the team bounced back from this and overcame that adversity by winning 7 of their 8 final matches.
Looking Ahead:
The Panthers should be right back at the top of North 1, Group 2 next year, and will have plenty of talented wrestlers still on the mat. George Hamilton and Brayden Morgan will need to have their roles filled, but Juniors Dylan Biegel and Adan Cedeno will return for their senior year, and Luke Stempkowski (So.), Alex Bainbridge (So.), and Jack Wormer (Fr.), are key varsity contributors.
Hockey: Ryan Shea
Key Players:
Jack Sheehan (Jr.): Sheehan accumulated 51 points over Valley’s 22 games, with 25 goals. He had hat tricks against Pearl River, Paramus, and Clifton.
Owen Dargan (Jr.): Dargan totaled 42 points this season and had 15 goals on the season.
Yulianna Krol (Sr.): Krol had a .881 save percentage in her 19 games. Krol had a shutout against Pearl River (NY.) on December 8th.
Memorable Games:
12/19/24 Pascack vs Northern Highlands: Valley defeated Northern Highlands in a game that was key to them sharing the league championship. Yulianna Krol had 23 saves and Owen Dargan and Jack Sheehan both scored in the 2-1 win.
2/11/25 Pascack vs Ramapo: Valley defeated Ramapo in the Gold Cup semifinals 4-1. Jack Sheehan and Austin Groves (Jr.) each scored two goals.
Challenges/Setbacks:
Valley started 7-0 but then went on a three-game losing streak, with losses coming against Northern Highlands, Ridgewood, and St. Joseph’s. They then got back into rhythm, earning the number one seed in the state tournament.
Looking Ahead:
Valley has many key returners for next year’s team including Jack Sheehan, Owen Dargan, and Austin Groves. It will be tough to replace Seniors Yulianna Krol, Joey Dargan, Tyler Rothstein, Ryan Defelice, Hunter Goodman, and Jake Kovach, but they will have significant scoring to build around for next season.
Winter Track: Tim Ngai
The Pascack Valley Winter Track Team had a successful season
Key Players:
Johanna Chang (Jr.), Marc Monti (Sr.), Alia Moreira (Sr.), Adam Shaw (Jr.), Cameron Sidrow (So.), and Maddie Wu (So.)
Memorable Events:
Shaw and Sidrow: During this season, Adam Shaw and Cameron Sidrow set a new Bergen County record in the Triple Jump.
Challenges/Setbacks:
Marcus Koshy (Jr.) was a key factor in the team’s success last season but was out all season due to a shin stress reaction injury. Additionally ,the team said the weather, especially the snow, was a factor in their overall performance.
Looking Ahead:
Current freshmen Mattias Barboni, Zoe Conti, and Alexa Gadewere were great additions to the team this past season. Other teammates like Sean Flynn (Jr.), Adam Shaw, and Johanna Chang will have to fill in the shoes of many graduating seniors, such as Peyton Gallo, Marc Monti, Alia Moreira, and Laert Goci.
Girls Bowling: Nathan Faber
This past season the Pascack Valley Girls Bowling went 5-9.
List Key Players:
Bella Diomede (So.): Diomede this season had an average of 115.80.
Meghan Greve (Sr.): Greve this season had an average of 135.71.
Luli SooHoo (So.): SooHoo this season had an average of 125.45.
Memorable Games:
1/24/25 Pascack Valley vs. Teaneck: In one of the last games of the season for the team, the girls won 4-3, as Meghan Greve had an average of 127.00. Valley knocked down a total of 1,335 pins, which led to a Valley win against Teaneck.
Challenges/Setbacks:
This girls bowling team had a rough start to the season going 2-6, but they were able to finish the last six games of the season with a record of 3-3. They also did not have Bella Diomide, who missed 4 games during the season.
Looking Ahead:
Luckily the Panthers will only need to replace 1 senior next year, Meaghan Greve. Though, the team will have some returners too such as Bella Diomede, Sophie Galasso, and Luli SooHoo. These 3 experienced varsity players will lead the way for this Valley team going into next season.
Boys Bowling: Drew Elbogen
The Pascack Valley Boys Bowling Team finished the year 12-5. As the three seed, they advanced to the finals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 2 Tournament, where the boys lost to the one-seeded Demarest team, 2-1.
Key Players:
Brett Fischbein (Fr.): Brett Fischbein had 9,762 total pins this year and tallied a high set of 684, with his highest scoring game being 246. Fischbein had an average of 195.24.
Tommy Magarelli (Jr.): Tommy Magarelli had 8,755 total pins this year and a high set of 673, with a high game of 236. He finished with an average of 186.28 on the season.
Lucas Mercado (So.): Lucas Mercado had 10,140 total pins this season along with a high set of 722, and a high game of 263. Mercado led the team in average at 202.80.
Memorable Games:
1/19/25 Pascack Valley vs. Vernon: The Boys Bowling team faced off against Vernon in the Semifinal Rounds of the Section 1, Group 2 Tournament. They won by 100 pins with a score of 1,729-1,629. Brett Ficshbein led the way for the Panthers with 408 total pins.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The Boys Bowling team started off the year 3-3 and were an inexperienced team with a group of underclassmen. After the first six matches they finished the season going 10-2 in their last 12 matches.
Looking Ahead:
They have a lot of key returning players in Lucas Mercado, Brett Fischbein, and Tommy Magarelli. They are only losing one senior in Evan Minneker.
Boys Swimming: Ben Perlman
The Boys Swimming team went 3-4 on their season and 3-1 in the Big North.
List Key Players:
Sean Bramley (Sr.) and Nathan Jeong (Jr.) led the way for the team, finishing in first in multiple races throughout the season, and helping secure wins over Passaic and Lakeland.
Memorable Games:
1/08/25 Pascack Valley vs. Lakeland: The Boys swimming team had a win over Lakeland, 105-61 on January 8th. The boys dominated the events, only losing two events out of the entire meet. The boys had been on a losing skid, so the win was extremely important to getting back on track and finishing the season strong.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The biggest challenge faced by the boys was their lack of experience. With only one senior on the roster being surrounded by underclassmen, it was difficult to adjust to the highschool level sports. Despite winning some games, the boys faced many challenges when dealing with adversity, due to being inexperienced.
Looking Ahead:
The boys are extremely young. They only lose one senior and have rising sophomores with more experience for next year. They should be able to take this year and learn from it.
Girls Swimming: Matt Rilli
The girls swimming team finished with a final record of 4-4, going 3-1 in the division. The team lost to Ridgewood in the NJSIAA Tournament, Quarterfinal Round, North 1, Group A.
Key Players:
Amanda Bramley (Jr), and Rianna Kirkorian, (So), led the team with multiple great times and wins throughout the season. They helped the team secure wins over Clifton, Lakeland, River Dell, and Passaic.
Memorable Games:
12/21 Pascack Valley vs River Dell: Valley defeated their rivals from River Dell by a score of 92-78 points at Bethany Community Center. This was Valley’s closest game all season. Amanda Bramley led the team, as she won the 500 free, with a time of 05:36.84.
Challenges/Setbacks:
The challenges and setbacks the team faced this season was that they were very young. Having only one senior, it was difficult for the less experienced players to compete at the varsity level and gain experience.
Looking Ahead:
The team is very young. They are surrounded by freshmen and sophomores, so there is a bright future ahead of them since they are getting tons of experience early on.
