Sports roundup: Janus places 4th in state sectionals
VERNON. Haw finishes sixth and Janus seventh in 200-meter dash at NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Championships.
Vernon /
| 25 May 2025 | 08:09
VL1 Vernon and Columbia players focus on the ball Friday, May 23. The Vikings lost, 18-7. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
VL2 Vernon's Emma Lally carries the ball with her crosse as she maneuvers. She scored her team's first goal of the game in the first period.
VL3 Columbia's Annabelle Nelson is on the move carrying the ball while Vernon's Analiese Drupka keeps pace.
A Viking and Cougar go head-to- head.
A Viking launches the ball toward the Columbia goal.
Lacrosse players pursue the ball.
Vernon's goalkeeper Abby Sokolewicz at her post.
The Vernon lacrosse team huddles before the game.
Samantha Janus finished fourth in the 100-meter dash in 12.52 and Sophia Haw was sixth in the 200-meter dash in 25.79 followed by Janus in seventh in 25.81 to pace the Vernon Township High School girls outdoor track team at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Championships on May 16-17 at home.
Other girls placing in the top 10 included Haw, who was sixth in the 400-meter dash in 59.31; Brooke Schneider, who was 10th in the 800-meter run in 2:29.50; Kaylee Mahoney, who was seventh in the high jump in 4-10 followed by Juliette Jalbert in 10th place in 4-8; and Maureen Lovett and Alejandrina Roman, who tied for 10th in the discus with throws of 92-1.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Gabrielle Austin, Monica Curry, Haw and Janus placed fourth in 49.90 and the 4x400-meter relay of Abigail DeYoung, Haw, Curry and Schneider finished fifth in 4:10.75.
On the boys side, Samuel Silva was the highest-placing individual, placing 10th in the 200-meter dash in 23.26. The 4x100-meter relay team of Ty Mountain, Joes Rodriguez, Ruben Ardila and Silva placed 10th in 46.06.
The top six place-winners in each event advance to the NJSIAA Group 2 Championships on May 30-31 at South Plainfield High School.
Here’s how other Vernon teams have fared recently:
Baseball
Gavin Bruno went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs; Matthew Baumann was 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs; Tyler Dobrzynski singled in two runs; and Charlie Paladino was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and one score to lead Vernon to an 11-5 victory at High Point on May 20.
With the win, Vernon (14-5) clinched the Freedom Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference with an 8-1 record.
The Vikings are seeded second for the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 tournament and are scheduled to play host to 15th-seeded Ridgefield in a first-round game at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 27.
Softball
The Vikings earned a 5-4 victory over North Warren at home May 19 to improve to 13-6 this spring.
Madigan VanBlarcom led the way, going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, two stolen bases, four RBI and two runs.
Kaitlyn VanBlarcom went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run, and Elizabeth Peek and Miranda Ebbinhausen each singled and scored for Vernon.
The Vikings are seeded sixth in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 tournament and will play host to 11th-seeded Westwood on Wednesday, May 28.
Boys lacrosse
Jake DelRosario collected two goals and two assists; Collin Sensbach totaled two goals and an assist; and Dean Grundy, Noah Rivera and Jack Paton each scored twice to fuel Vernon’s 11-4 victory over Hackettstown there May 5.
Vernon closed out its 2025 season with a 10-5 loss to Wayne Valley on May 20, finishing with a 4-13 mark.
DelRosario (23 goals, 11 assists), Grundy (18 goals, 10 assists), Andrew Geisen (14 goals, seven assists), Branden Curley (14 goals, six assists) and Paton (seven goals, four assists) led the Vikings in scoring. Goalie Luca Vizzini finished with 229 saves.
Girls lacrosse
In its penultimate game of the season, Vernon earned a 14-10 victory over Morris Hills there May 21.
The Vikings were led by Emma Lally, who scored six goals; Payton Wilson, who collected two goals and three assists; and Annalliese Drupka, who also scored twice.
Audra Leiter (one goal, one assist), Sara Verge (one goal, one assist), Grace Dobrzynski (one goal), Abby Cawley (one goal) and Abby Sokolewicz (six saves) aided the win for Vernon, which finished with a 5-12 record.