Falcons win state Group 1 championship

It was a historic week for the Jefferson Township High School girls volleyball squad.

Four days after garnering their first sectional championship, the Falcons earned the overall New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 1 championship as they defeated Raritan, 25-22, 26-24, on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 16 at Franklin High School in Somerset.

Jefferson, under the direction of head coach Gino Rose, is ranked 19th in the state.

The team closed its 2024 campaign with a 10-match winning streak and a final record of 25-5.

Against Raritan, Jefferson was led by Aleah Woelfel (22 assists, five digs, one kill), Carsyn Giessuebel (nine kills, four digs, one block), Scarlett Melick (11 kills, two blocks, two digs), Peyton Bradley (nine digs, seven kills, one assist), Kylie Plunkett (five digs), Lily Sonnenberg (two blocks) and Charlotte Sinisgalli (one dig).

“The feeling of accomplishment at Franklin was unreal,” Rose said. “We got there early to soak in the environment and plan for the game. By the time the game started, we had been in the gym long enough to let some of the nerves fade and get locked in for the game.”

Third-seeded Jefferson, appearing in its first sectional final, defeated top-seeded Glen Rock, 25-17, 25-19, there Tuesday, Nov. 12 to claim the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 title.

“When we won the sectional title on the road, it was an outstanding feeling of accomplishment for the team and staff,” said Rose. “We started off pretty rocky and cracked during the season in big games.

“As we got closer and closer to the end of the season, we started to remove the cracks and got better able to handle bigger pressure games. We had a big turn around at the end of October with our win against Montville (2-0 on Oct. 25).”

Woelfel totaled 14 assists and four aces in that win, and Jefferson was aided by Melick (seven kills, four digs, one block), Giessuebel (five kills, three digs, two aces), Sinisgalli (five aces), Bradley (five kills, four digs) and Plunkett (four digs, one ace).

Jefferson then defeated Secaucus in straight sets, 25-14, 25-23, in a Group 1 semifinal Thursday, Nov. 14 at home.

Woelfel, a senior, had 17 assists and six digs in that decision and ended her career with 1,395 assists and 159 aces.

Here’s how other Jefferson teams fared recently:

Boys soccer

The eighth-seeded Falcons ended their season with a 4-0 loss at top-seeded Ramsey in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 tournament Nov. 8.

Andrew Mohlenhoff, who made eight stops in the setback, had made seven saves in a 4-1 victory over ninth-seeded Pascack Hills in a first-round contest at home Nov. 5.

Sam Orlando had two goals and an assist; Kristijan Loncar totaled a goal and two assists; and Calen Reid also scored to key the win for Jefferson (10-10).

Loncar ended the season with 23 goals and six assists, with Orlando (seven goals, 11 assists) and Reid (five goals, nine assists) also steering the offense.

Girls soccer

Shannon Mallory stopped 17 saves, but Jefferson, the 14th seed, bowed to third-seeded Sparta, 8-0, in a NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 first-round game there Nov. 4.

Mallory, a senior goalie, finished with 230 saves this season and 846 stops for her career.

Jefferson (3-16-1) was led by Madison Manco (four goals, one assist), Marissa Mizeski (three goals), Josie Meyers (two goals, one assist), Emma Barone (one goal, two assists), Hannah Best (one goal, two assists), Ella DelMasto (one goal, one assist), Ella Barone (one goal) and Riley Strauch (one assist).

Field hockey

The 13th-seeded Falcons bowed to fourth-seeded Mountain Lakes, 1-0, in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 1 tournament there Nov. 4.

Kacey Osterhout made eight saves in the loss for Jefferson (12-7).

Jefferson, who won the NJAC Colonial Division title with a 6-0 record, were led offensively by Samantha Kepler (15 goals, two assists), Olivia Bahamondes (seven goals, seven assists) and Emily Schorr (seven goals, six assists).

Cross country

Kiley Shatzel placed 25th with a time of 22:31 to lead the Jefferson girls at the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 championships Nov. 2 at Garret Mountain in Woodland Park.

Other place-winners were Julianna Caruso (51st place in 23:55), Olivia Alvarez (78th in 25:49), Cailin Moran (86th in 26:31) and Erin Nimbley (88th in 26:36).

Joshua Reed was the lone Jefferson boys competitor. He placed 107th with a time of 23:14.