DECEMBER 20
1959
Rec Leagues
            Was there such a thing as political correctness 50 years ago? Read the start of the following announcement in today’s Trenton Times and be the judge: “The Hamilton Township Recreation Department is organizing a new basketball league to take care of boys under five feet tall and between the ages of 12 to 16 who want to play basketball, but are not accepted on other teams because of their height.”  
          Can you even imagine having a league like that in this day and age? “C’mon out and join the too-short league cos you’re no good for the real league!” Can you say “lawsuit”?
1979
            Burlington City’s wrestling team topped Hamilton, 63-16 despite decisions by Pete Novelli at 101 pounds and Charlie Page at 141, and a pin by Mark Williams at 170.
            Cindy Astore had 19 points and Beth Davala added 10 as Willingboro beat Hamilton, 63-33, in girls basketball. Carole Whitehouse and Terry Jennings had 11 points each but Steinert fell to Bensalem, 56-48.  
1989
High School
            Abby Boldt and Erin Wingerter had eight points each but Nottingham fell to Hopewell, 44-22, in a game re-scheduled from the prior night when there was no heat in the Bulldogs gym. Kim Derrico had 15 points and Lisa Cesaro added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals as Steinert beat West Windsor-Plainsboro, 50-38. 
            Hamilton’s wrestling team survived a late Nottingham comeback for a 31-26 win over Nottingham, as Russ Tyndale, Jeff Fell and Jeff Quick got consecutive pins from 130 to 152. Ed Cook, Lamar Gore and Cunningham, whose first name was left out of the story, won by decision for Hamilton. The Northstars got decisions from Mike Gobin, Anthony Cannuli, Jeff Saia and Agugliaro (again, no first name given) had decisions for Nottingham while Mike Neely and Dominic Gliottone had pins. Steinert fell to Ewing, 36-35, despite a pin by heavyweight Rob Golenicki.  
1999
Rec Leagues
            In Hamilton U-10 soccer, the Hamilton United got two goals each from Matthew Seidner and Jim Fitzgerald in a 5-1 win over the HMS Wildcats. The U-9 Vipers played the YMS Cyclones to a scoreless tie as John Ricketti had the shutout in goal for the Vipers.
High School
            Nottingham fell to Hightstown, 6-3, despite goals by Mike Mongillo and Mark Zangara.
DECEMBER 19
1959
Rec Leagues
            In the Lew Robinson Memorial Cup Little League Soccer Tournament, Hamilton upset Marut Sunoco, 2-0, as Jerry LaGeorgia had a goal in each half. The White Horse Lions beat the Rotary Club, 5-4, as Jack Bell exploded for four goals.
            The Hamilton 15-year-old basketball league was in action and though the boxscores in the paper the next day did not list first names, here are some of the highlights. Brook scored 18 as Evan Roofing beat Yardville, 47-28. Migliacci had 14 as Creston beat VFW-A, 39-36. Bulanowski had 14 for VFW-A. Sobkowiak had 32 as Steven’s beat Sunset C.A. 79-19.
High School
            Bob Mucciarelli had 17 points and Chuck Giambelluca added 11 but it wasn’t enough as Steinert fell to Bordentown, 54-48. There were 10 lead changes in the game, which went down the final seconds. In the JV game, Steinert popped the Scotties, 63-29, as Gary Parker had 13 points and Joe Scozzarro had 10.
1969
Junior High
          Phil Brand had 22 points while Jim Ricketti and Dan Beisswanger added 13 each in Nottingham’s 56-32 win over Grice. Jim Walker had 11 for Grice. St. Anthony’s Freshman team topped Reynolds, 70-30, as John Kite (15), Jim Pinchot (13) and John Agos (11) led the way. Rich Craynock had 11 for Reynolds. High School
          Hamilton’s boys basketball team took a 61-37 win over Raritan High, prompting coach Charlie “Boss” Ross to note “I was very pleased with our cohesion. We have layed well together lately.” Kirk Taylor had nine points and 20 rebounds, while Dave Tyler and Jack Burness had 14 boards apiece. Burness had 14 points and Tyler 13 as they posted double-doubles before the term was popular.  The Steinert boys got 16 from Nate Palmer, 14 from Al Hutchins and 12 from Kevin DeSanctis in a 59-26 win over a team whose name your friendly neighborhood webmaster forgot to write down. In any event, “Our defense was tougher and we’re finally starting to keep that ball hopping on offense,” coach Jim Wilno said.
1979
High School
            The following story appeared in today’s Trentonian: Ending – at least for this year – a controversy that has raged for several months, the Hamilton Township Board of Education last night named Ken Rauba the Steinert High baseball coach for the 1980 season. Voting 5-3 for the appointment, the Board ignored the recommendation of Steinert High Principal Pete Schroeder, who had requested that former Philadelphia Phillies farm hand and Rider College baseball standout Richie Giallella be named to the position. Petitions and stormy arguments have fueled the controversy, which the Board put the rest last night in a most unusual manner by voting against the recommendation of the principal.
1989
High School
            Kim Derrico had 15 points but it wasn’t enough as Notre Dame’s girls hoop team topped Steinert, 61-39. “We did look tired,” said coach Bob Hutchinson. “If we’re not in shape, it’s my fault. I have to get them in better shape.” Hamilton beat Lawrence, 71-40, as Rhoda Masella canned 20 points and Kelly Sensi added 12. Diane Mazukiewicz added 13 rebounds for the unbeaten Hornets (2-0). The Nottingham girls had their game postponed because there was no heat in the Hopewell Valley gym.
            In boys hoop, Dan Clark’s 22 couldn’t save Nottingham from a 60-50 loss to Hopewell. Steinert fell to Notre Dame, 54-37, as Michael Comfort had 10 points. “It’s fairly obvious we’re not going to get in an offensive struggle with teams and come out of it well,” coach Roger “Hi C” Bigos said.
DECEMBER 18
The Trentonian headline tells the tale of Jim Smiegocki's clutch shooting in McCorristin's win over Steinert on this day in 1979.
1959
Recreation Leagues
            In the Lew Robinson Memorial Cup for Little League Soccer teams, Lawton’s took a 1-0 win over the Hamilton Lions as Jon Hogan scored off an assist from Leo Zamparelli. Jimmy Wietecha, Steve Collis and George Popeson played well for the Lions. VFW 3525 took a 1-0 win over Trenton PAL as Tom McLaughlin had the goal and Bob Levering and Nelson Cook both played well.
1969
High School
            Noel DeBlois had 18 points and Steve MacZinko added 15 but it wasn’t enough as Ewing’s boys’ basketball team topped St. Anthony, 77-60.
1979
High School
            Jim Smiegocki hit an 18-footer with two seconds left to give McCorristin a 48-46 win over visiting Steinert. Ken Edwards had tied the game on a jumper with 25 seconds left, setting up Smiegocki’s heroics. “The play was designed for Willie (Ellison) in the corner or me low,” Smiegocki said. “But when I got the ball, I just turned around and hit the jump shot.” Mark Rosoldi added 15 points and Ralph Chiarello had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mikes. Steinert’s Darryl Reaves had 17 and Rob Riley added nine.
            In freshman play, Hamilton beat Memorial, 55-44 as Ed Juniak scored 22 and Charlie Lewis had 18.
            In girls basketball, Hopewell Valley beat Steinert, 53-32, despite 10 points by Carol Whitehouse, and JFK beat Hamilton, 62-56, despite 10 by Yvette Langevin.
          The Spartans fared better in the JV game as Cindy Palinski had 11, Diana Eubanks 10 and Venus Hendricks eight in a 36-30 win over Hopewell. The Spartan freshman took a 45-26 win over Hightstown as Darlene Murphy had 15 and Lisa Gmitter wandered in off the soccer field to tally 11.
1989
High School
            Hamilton opened the season by trouncing Bordentown, 47-15, as the Cook brothers were cooking. Sophomore Chris Cook decisioned Seong P. Yoo at 103 and senior Ed Cook scored a 47-second pin over Sivan See. Lamar Gore (119) won by major decision, Bob Sciarotta (125) pinned and Matt Martens (130) won by decision to open a 22-0 lead. Russ Tyndale won by technical fall at 140, while Jeff Fell (145) and sophomores Brian Walter (171) and Rich Sabo (Hwt) pinned. The win was a warm-up for Hamilton’s match with Nottingham. “It will be a good one,” said coach Ralph “The Natural” DeLibero. “I’m just hoping everybody will read the signs I’m going to put up around the school urging them to go. It would be great if we got a lot of fans there.”
            At the same time, Nottingham’s fans were watching their team win its own tournament as the Northstars tallied 231.5 points to beat Northern Burlington by 31.5. Dennys Delgado had a 15-second pin in the 103-pound final, while championships also came from Mike Loginow (135), John Stevens (171) and Joe Herrity (215). Second-place finishes came from Mike Conklin (125) and heavyweight Mohammed El-Naggar.  
            In freshman basketball, Justin Swain had 15, Mike Snyder 11 and Robert Jones 10 in Hamilton’s 50-39 win over Lawrence.
            In ice hockey, it looked like a long year was shaping up for township teams as Notre Dame beat Nottingham 9-0 and Lawrence beat Hamilton by the same score.
College
            A pair of Steinert graduates earned NJCAA All-American status at Mercer County Community College. Goalie Jim Adams was named to the men’s team and Danielle Wilson was on the women’s team. 
1999
Recreation Leagues
            Tim Yuscavage scored seven points for OLS in its 36-18 win over Holy Angels in CYO basketball. In girls play, OLS topped St. Anthony’s 41-26, as Katie Cicia tallied 10.
            In Hamilton Little Lads Cadet Division action, Commerce Bank topped Sports World, 26-12 as Julian Diaz had 11, Andrew Roberto seven and Nick Ricigliano four. Roma Savings topped Tree King, 41-35, as Will Fairbanks had 14 and Danny Richardson added eight. Matt Richardson grabbed nine rebounds.
            The Lakers took a 47-20 win over the Suns in Hamilton PAL 10/12 action, as David Broach scored 20, Zane Clark added nine and Justin Jez had four.
DECEMBER 17
1959
High School
            Long Branch beat Hamilton, 61-43, dropping the Hornets to 2-1. Jim Spence had 15 in defeat. Hamilton won the JV game, 56-44, as Ron Matta scored 23 and Ron Kasa added 19.
1979
High School
            Hamilton’s wrestling team rebounded from an opening-day loss by taking a 40-26 win over Lawrence as Pete Novelli had a 36-second pin at 101 to start things right. Marco Ziccardi pinned at 129 pounds, Charlie Page won by decision at 141, Mark Williams pinned at 170 and Dave Didenko, Jim Chiarello and Mike Laster won by forfeits.
            Steinert’s basketball team took a 55-52 win over Holy Cross as Rob Riley tallied all 12 of his points in the final 9:46 and converted a game-winning three-point play with three seconds remaining. Riley had come off the bench with 1:26 left in the third quarter, where he sat with three fouls. The Spartans trailed by 14 when he entered. “Things didn’t look too good then, did they?” ‘Riley said. “We kept coming back, then blowing it a little and it didn’t look good. But coach (Ken Sullivan) put in the press and that got us hustling. That’s what turned it around for us.” Tom Matlock had 20 for the Spartans, who improved to 1-1. Ken Edwards had a lay-up to tie the game and Darryl Reaves stole an inbounds pass to set up the winning basket.
            (Webmaster note: When then-Holy Cross coach Dave Lafferty, now the highly successful Seneca High School baseball coach, was asked by yours truly via Facebook if he remembered that game, his response was “Riley scored on my brother. . .Thirty years later, I still KILL my brother for being soft and weak. It makes for great family gatherings. And I always tell Riley that he got lucky.” Fish4Scores invites Coach Lafferty to print this out and show it to little brother this Christmas, as we always do our best to bring families together during the holidays!)  
            Hamilton’s basketball team took a 64-57 win over Notre Dame as Craig Williams had 18 points, Troy Stevenson added 16 and Charlie Stines 13. Hamilton product Tom Keefe had 14 points and 19 rebounds for the Irish. “Williams carried us in the first half and Stines carried us in the second,” coach Charlie “Boss” Ross said.
1989
Recreation Leagues
            In the Hamilton PAL boys basketball round-up, Bill Sweeney’s 15 points led the Sixers to a 34-23 win over the Celtics. Lamar Funderburg added 11 for the Sixers, who won their first game, while Dave Kistler and Joe Angarone excelled for the Celtics. The Bulls took a 23-20 win over the Sonics as Mike Williams and Jumal Tucker scored five key points down the stretch. Chris Coleman led the Sonics with six. Scott Fitzgerald scored 12 and Brandon Accardi 10 as the Warriors beat the Suns, 53-27. Craig Kiernan had eight for the Suns.
            The Hawks took an 18-14 win over the Rockets as Chad Gonzalez had four key fourth-quarter points. Kevin Bainbridge and Mike Echawiler scored for the Rockets. The Bullets beat the Knicks, 37-32 as Jay Duffy had 19 points and Mike Mims added 14. Justin Swain had 320 for the Knicks and Joe Johnson added six. The Nuggets topped the Royals, 31-20, as Derrick Glover and Matt Jantis excelled. Eric Masella scored eight for the Royals.
1999
High School
            Opening night in girls basketball saw Jamie McCormack score 20 points to lead Hamilton to a 63-32 win over Nottingham. Maricsa Tracey added 12, Jessica Kogel 11 and Melissa Baksany 10. Vicki Jenkins had 12 for Nottingham. Steinert fell to Hopewell, 58-51, despite 14 points from Kelly Pugh and 10 from Steph Burrell.
            In boys action, Brian Jenkins had 23 points while Willie Jackson and Yves Terilus had 10 each. Gellin Stockton scored 10 for Hamilton. Steinert opened with a 59-41 win over Hopewell as Mike Conover had 31 points. Dave Peterson scored 25 in McCorristin’s 84-65 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro.   
            It was announced earlier in the day that Steinert and Trenton High would be the first high school teams to play in the new Sovereign Bank Arena, when they would be the preliminary game before the Trenton Shooting Stars game with Richmond.
            In ice hockey, Scott Bleazey had a goal and two assists in Steinert’s 4-2 win over Lawrence. Manasquan beat Nottingham 5-2, despite goals by Jeff Stackhouse and Dan Burnston. 
DECEMBER 16
1959
Recreation Leagues
            The Hamilton Babe Ruth League elected its 1960 officers. H. Leroy Stout was elected president for the fifth consecutive term. Elmer E. Baggaley Sr. was chosen vice president for the eight straight year. Other elected officers were John S. Cook (recording secretary), Williard H. Carson Jr. (corresponding secretary), Joseph Roche (treasurer) and Maurice Cunningham, Roy Lawrence and Maskill Paxson (commissioners). Stout selected Gino Savalli, Norman E. Leaver Sr. George Borden, Baggaley and Charles Evans to serve on the executive board and John L. Sullivan as player agent.
1969
Junior High
            Phil Brand tallied 21 points and Jim Ricketti added 10 as Nottingham took a 48-37 win over Reynolds in a battle of future Steinert teammates. Rich Craynock led the Raiders with 14.
High School
            The Hamilton Elks Senior 11 team was announced today and consisted of Hamilton’s Irv Burnett, Gene Webb, Jeff Wolf, Russ Walters and Roy Coderoni, Steinert’s Joe Rakoski, Bruce Beisswanger and Tony Zito and St. Anthony’s Kevin Fisher, Bill McClain and John Dzurko. Hamilton won the James Rhoades Memorial Award as the township’s top football team.
            Steinert’s basketball team took a 55-42 win over St. Anthony as Nate Palmer had 15 points, Mike Rasimowicz 14 and Dick Stratton 10.l Steve MacZinko had 22 for the Iron Mikes and John Kish added 10. “We made too many fundamental mistakes to be classified as a good ball club,” coach Jim Wilno said. “They were the kind that cost you close ball games.”  Said Mikes coach Doug Hice “What can I say. We played bad.”
            Hamilton’s hoopsters defeated Cathedral, 59-58, as Dave Tyler had 14 points and nine rebounds and hit the winning points on a jump shot. Tyler’s bucket gave the Hornets a two-point edge and Cathedral’s Jim Nemeth made just one of two foul shots at the end. Bob Rossi had 12 points for the Hornets and Larry Upshur added 11. “What made me most happy out there is that we became more aggressive,” coach Charlie “Boss” Ross said.
College
            Steinert grad Don Hess scored 13 points in Cincinnati’s 89-71 loss to North Texas State.
1979
Recreation/Travel Leagues
            In the weekly Hamilton PAL round-up, the Celtics beat the Bullets, 48-37, in 13/14-year-old play as Eric Morrow tallied 20 points and Bob Jance added eight. Ken Napier tallied 28 for the Bullets. The 76ers got 17 from Tom Wilson in a 42-28 win over the Cavaliers. Jay Sub’s eight points helped the Knicks to a 33-19 win over the Nuggets. The Royals took a 34-31 win over the Bucks as Buddy Mims had 12 for the winners.
            In 10/12-year-old play, the Bulls stayed unbeaten with a 42-27 win over the Clippers as Tom O’Reilly had 25. The Hawks got 10 from Mike Sacco in a 24-14 win over the Rockets. Bob Kenny had 11 in the Sonics 26-18 win over the Suns.
            In CYO girls play, Joe O’Gorman’s St. Anthony’s powerhouse beat Our Lady of Divine Shepard, 39-18, as Joanne Zola had 15 and Kathy Meszaros, Rosalie Helmich and Renee Keister had six each.  Zola, Meszaros and Keister each tallied six and Paula Badessa also helped out in a 29-12 win over Villa Victoria. St. Raphael’s topped St. Hedwig’s, 31-24 as Lori McGarrigle had 13 points and Colleen Mulryne added 10. Theresa Abbott had 10 and Dolora Chorba eight as Our Lady of Sorrows topped Holy Cross, 34-9. 
            In CYO boys play, Jim Hoffman had eight and Rob O’Reilly six as OLS beat Incarnation, 27-10.
            In Mercer Unlimited Soccer play, Tom Moffat, Alex Herceg and Dan Hibbs tallied to lead Panorama to a 4-0 win over Stony Brook Electric. Merry Go Round topped Lawrence SC, 5-2, as Terry Clarke, Ken Muha and Greg Robb had goals.
            In Hamilton Junior Soccer League Division One play, The Fury got hat tricks from John Antinoro and Mike “Slick” Watson, two goals from Chris Snyder and one from Pat Devlin in a 9-0 win over Liberty Thriftway. GAK Gold got goals from Tom Tuffy, Ed Gauss and Dave Alito in a 3-0 win over the Princeton SC Juniors.
            The GAK White Juniors got a goal from Ed Broda in a 1-0 win over the Mercer United Juniors.  
1989
High School
            Steinert’s wrestling team finished third in its own tournament as Spartan Joe Woodard won the 135-pound weight class. Nottingham finished second in its tournament as Mike Neely (171 pounds) and Jeff Saia (135) won their weight classes.
            In JV girls basketball, Lisa Serenelli and Nevada Carabelli had nine points each and Steinert beat Ewing, 44-25. 

DECEMBER 15
1959
High School
            Steinert earned its first win of the season, 61-50, over Pennington Central. Bob Mucciarelli led Steinert with 31 points and was “in the midst of practically every Steinert play” according to The Trenton Times account. Larry Migliaccio had 14 for Steinert and Bob Mucciarelli and Chuck Giambelluca helped run the fast break and Don Huggins led the rebounding. In the JV game, Gary Parker had 13 points in Steinert’s 49-42 win over Pennington.
            Hamilton made its South-Central Jersey League debut by beating 2-0 Lenape, 63-40. Jim Spence tallied a game-high 18 while Bill Staub added 14 and Walt Antosiewicz 12. Spence had nine fourth-quarter points and Jerry McNeil ran the attack. In the JV game, Lenape took a 45-37 decision despite 18 from Ron Matta and 12 from Ron Kasa.
1969
High School
            Steinert’s Joe Rakoski was named Mercer County football’s “Back of Year” by the Trenton Times sports staff after averaging over six yards per carry, catching 14 passes for 160 yards, returning 14 kickoffs for 375 yards and three punts for 68 yards. He scored 110 points. “Our success this year was due primarily to Joe. He did everything for us and without him, we wouldn’t have had the type of year we did,” said coach Pete Brescia.
1979
Recreation/Travel Leagues
            The Hamilton 64s topped the Hamilton 65s, 4-2 to take over first place in Division II of the Hamilton Junior Soccer League, as Don Such had two goals while Rick Stacklak and Jim Wyrouck added one each.  The GAK Falcons beat Hamnetts 65s, 9-2, as Andy Maraffa, Bob Falvo and Uwe Title scored two goals each and John Cardaciotto, Scott Starks and Steve Herrara had one each. The Hamilton Fury stayed perfect in Division I with a 2-0 win over the Hamilton Rowdies. John Antinoro and Rod Hauser had the goals.
            The GAK Gold got two goals from Ed Gauss and one each from Eric Knak, John Patterson and Kevin Kinnevy in a 5- win over Mercer Unlimited.
High School
            Daphne Kent’s 18 points and 16 from Carol Whitehouse led Steinert’s girls basketball team to a 64-39 win over Delhaas.
1989
High School
            In boys basketball, Hamilton topped Nottingham, 50-44 Matt Waldron and Mike Brown had 14 points and Tim Brittingham added 11. Ryan Lopez had 15 for Nottingham and Ryan Clark 11. “This was the first time most of these kids have played together and there’s no question they had the jitters,” winning coach Carmen Nitti said. Steinert fell to Ewing, 59-42 despite Michael Comfort’s 12 points and Kevin Mahoney’s 11. “We missed a couple layups, you can’t miss them and beat a team like Ewing,” Steinert coach Roger Bigos said. McCorristin beat Lawrence, 93-31 as Bryan Caver had 26 points, Mark Bass had 17 and Tommy Caldwell 13 points and 17 rebounds.
            In girls play, Rhoda Masella scored 17 points and Diane Mazukiewicz added nine as Hamilton topped Nottingham, 49-26. Erin Wingerter had 13 for the Northstars. Freshman Candie Crusen had 10 points as McCorristin beat Lawrence, 50-26. Ewing took a 37-22 win over Steinert as Sue Scheer had 13 for the Spartans. Steinert was without Lisa Cesaro (upper respiratory infection).
1999
High School Basketball
            Today’s Trentonian previews have the following forecasts:
            Hamilton boys: The Hornets come off a four-win season and have a new coach in Norm Paul. Senior Nigel Herring transferred from Trenton and will join seniors Jayson Ramos, Marcus Foster, Mike Longo, Justin Burd, Gelin Stockton, Tad Kornegay and Kurtis Johnson. Also on the squad are senior Julius Frazier, juniors Royzell Wrenn and Anthony Stevenson, sophomores Marc Kauffman and Nick Warner and freshman Jason Malloy. “There’s an air of success around the football program that I’d like to bring to the basketball team,” said Paul, a football assistant. “I think the kids I’ve selected will go to war with me.”
            Nottingham boys: Nottingham enters its second season under Nate Webber with optimism after a 6-16 season. “Our goal this year is to be more consistent,” said Webber. “To handle the pressure through most of the game and have a chance to win it at the end.” The team will feature seniors Brian Jenkins, Jeremy Coleman, Mark Conklin, Aaron Downing and Doug Matlock, juniors Yves Terilus, Brian Nixon, Andrew Paden and Duane Martin, and sophomore Larry Upshur.
            Steinert boys: Coming off consecutive Central Jersey Group IV titles, Steinert will count on Mike Conover after he averaged 16.1 points and 8.5 rebounds the previous season. Also back are seniors Joe Hernandez and Chris Talar. Newcomers are seniors Ed Francis, Jerel Smith, Matt Guarliardo and Dennis McCabe and juniors Brian Boyle, Chris Bigos, Cory Nojemko, Joe Radice and Chris Neylan. “Our kids had experience winning at the jayvee level, but we all know that’s a far cry from the varsity,” coach Roger Bigos said. “It’s the first time in a while we don’t have an experienced point guard.”
            Hamilton girls: The Hornets warm-ups have the inscription “Our time has come” as they come off an 11-13 season. We want to gain respect,” coach Linda Weise said. “We want to put Hamilton basketball on the map.” The experienced senior class includes Maricsa Tracey, Melissa Baksany, Jessica Kogel, Michele Yenchik and Jen Elliott. Also back are juniors Jaime McCormack, Amy Herbert Akilah “Kiki” Tolbert and Rachel Papp. Newcomers are seniors Kelly Wise and Sharon Noble and sophomore Katy McCormack.
            Nottingham girls: Mike Kelliher takes over as Nottingham’s third coach in four years and inherits a team that won two games the previous year. The Northstars will be led by seniors Kristin Schleher, Sarah Bucon and Stacey Kuhen. Also on the roster are seniors Erin Kopec and Stacy Micalles, juniors Jill Gootee, LaTrice Smith and Caitlin Rzeminski and sophomores Alison Werkman, Vicky Jenkins and Amy Peroni. “The biggest thing is attitude,” Kelliher said. “When they step on the court they have to believe they have a chance to win. One thing you can be sure of is that we’ll play harder than anyone.”  
            Steinert girls: Coach Jim “Jules” Giglio must rebuild after graduating five seniors from an 11-12 team. “But we do have speed, so we’ll try to rely on the press, cause a lot of havoc and score a lot in transition,” Giglio said. The team will depend on sophomores Kelly Pugh and Kelly Dutko, along with juniors Kim Schmidt and Rebecca Martinez and seniors Michelle Neukirchen and Danielle Makrancy. Also on the roster are sophomore newcomers Sarah Bahr, Stephanie Burrell, Stephanie Ludwig and Cynthia Marquez.            
High School Wrestling
            Also in today’s Trentonian are the wrestling previews:
            Hamilton: The Hornets enter the season having won a CVC title 11 of the last 12 years but were Valley co-champs with Princeton the last two. This year’s team features Joe Schiaretti, Carl Mottola, Scott Brettell, Frank Page, Syed Naqvi, Mike Paglione, Steve Elmer, Brian Vallery, Steve Opalski, Chris McCarthy, Mike Reed, Mark Sheridan, Frank Prihoda, Noah Vickers, Jose Burgos, Eric Hall, George Gordon, Nick Snyder, Walter Burbela, Don Snyder, Brian Lyons and Sal Figueroa.
            Nottingham: Dave Dempster’s team returns an experienced squad from a 10-5 team that went 9-1 and won the CVC Colonial Division. The lineup includes Dennys Delgado, Ryan Bitner, Dan Mooney, Mike Kobylarz, Ryan Esposti, Paul Reres, Robert Hope, Matt Lellich, Joe Arico, Charlie Iacono, John Keane, Mike Loginow, Joe Hope, Tom Stevens, Tim Adams, Justin Schieder, Ismael Soto, John Stevens, Islem El Naggar, Joe Herrity and Mohamed El Naggar. “We have the potential to be as good as last year in dual meets,” Dempster said.
            Steinert: The Spartans lost eight wrestlers from an 8-5 team. This year’s roster includes Dave Jennings, Corey Butchko, Greg Badessa, Eugene Pascucci, John Vaneekhoven, Nick Guarraggi, Sean Mattis, Matt Gregorowicz, Mike Cuniglio, Brian Andrewsky, Dan Hoffman, Marc Cuniglio, Vince Cestare, Chuddy Whalen, Ken Weeden, Mark O’Neill and Farrid Sayed.   
DECEMBER 14
1979
High School
            The Steinert freshman basketball team took a 56-52 win over Bensalem as John Keele had 24 points and Eric Kent and Kike Ksekpa had 11 each.
            In varsity play, Rob Riley’s 30 point’s could not keep Steinert from a 65-60 loss to Bensalem. Rich Babuschak had 10 for the Spartans. Hamilton was nipped by Peddie, 62-61, despite 19 from Troy Stevenson.
            Kate Larkin had 20 and Kelli Williams 11 as the McCorristin girls beat Asbury Park, 50-39. Woodrow Wilson topped Hamilton, 60-52, despite 14 from Beth Davalin and 12 from Yvette Langevin. Steinert fell to Hightstown, 54-21, but was part of history as future Division I college coach Melanie Balcomb scored her 1,000^th point.
1989
High School Basketball
            The Trentonian’s basketball previews appeared today, and here’s how things were predicted to shape up:
            Hamilton boys: The Hornets return junior Mike Brown from an 11-14 team, along with junior Tony Velez. Also on the squad are senior Charles Upshur, junior transfer Tim Brittingham and juniors Brian Turner and Tom White. Other newcomers are Ed Dixon, Tony Belfiora, Matt Waldron and freshman Mike Verini. “Only one of four juniors who played last year came out this year,” coach Carmen Nitti said. “We’re gonna take our knocks.”
            McCorristin boys: The Iron Mikes, coming off a 27-4 season in which it won the Parochial  A title, return starters Bryan Caver, Blitz Wooten and Mark Bass and got transfer Tom Caldwell from Peddie. Also on the team are Adrian Ellison, George Carthan, Eric Evan, Ken Veres, Terrance Rattley, Reggie Coleman and Cameron Taylor. “We have a nice, deep, experienced squad,” coach John Castaldo said.
              Nottingham boys: Seniors Chris Barnes, Nick Mayer, Steve Miranda and Bob Tackett and juniors Dan Clark and Ryan Lopez return from a team that went 1-21. Also on the team are senior Dennis Roberts, juniors Joel DiCintil and Mark Czismadia and Ron Brown. “We’re not making any predictions about a won or loss record,” coach Pete Leonard said. “The kids know we can’t measure seasons that way at this point. We’re looking for effort – for a group that cares about what it’s doing.”
             Steinert boys: The Spartans are coming off an 11-13 year and will count on seniors Ryan Johnson, Jason Cromwell and Randy Jacobs, and juniors Michael Comfort, Dominic Pisapia, Todd Jacobs, Scott Dickson, Ben Gonzales, Jeff Michel, Bill Mahoney, Ross Schultz and Chris Almanzor. “What are we looking at, fourteen, fifteen wins. That’s about normal,” coach Roger Bigos said. “We just don’t have the kids that play basketball year round. Despite that, we hold our own.”
            Hamilton girls: Former Hornet Lynn McGarrigle reported on the forecast of her alma mater, noting that a team that went 10-13 could prosper with the play of seniors Kelli Sensi, Kathy Lanzi and Angela Berga, junior Jen Caterson and sophomore Diane Mazukiewicz. Also on the team are Kathy Lanzi and Angela Berga, along with varsity/JV players Karyn Garsky, Stacy Walter, Andrea Longwell and Kim Walter. “”One of our goals is to improve last year’s record and also to qualify for the state and county tournaments,” coach Mickey Kessler said.
            McCorristin girls: Joe Smiegocki takes over a team that went 13-12 and returns Alyson Yonkowski at center. Also on the squad are juniors Lori Angelini, Jean McDougal, Leanne Anama, Vicki Renelli and Mary Beckett, sophomore Katie Beringer and freshmen Margaret Doyle and Candi Crusen.
            Nottingham girls: In another McGarrigle piece, the Northstars will be led by Erin Wingerter, juniors Kerry Kelly, Terri Beach and Dana Thompson, and sophomores Beth Peterson, Abby Boldt, Marianne Paranech and Kristy Calloway. “This year we have some players with varsity experience,” coach Leroy Peterson said.
            Steinert girls: The Spartans return three starters from an 18-7 team, including senior Sue Scheer and juniors Kim Derrico and Lisa Cesaro. Also back are juniors Caroline Dilts and Amy McGrath. Others on the roster are juniors Sandy McNichol, Melissa Carvale, Justine Panfen, Kori Panella, Jodi Apicelli and Nevada Carabelli. “Basically, we’re the same as last year,” coach Bob Hutchinson said. “We’re ahead of where we were at this point of the season last year, especially knowledge-wise.”
            In today’s Trentonian pre-season polls, the Steinert girls basketball team is ranked 17^th in the state and third in the Colonial Valley Conference and the area.
High School Wrestling
            The Trentonian also ran its wrestling previews today and forecasts were as follows:
            Hamilton: Ralph “The Natural” DeLibero’s Hornets come off a 14-5 season and will feature seniors Jeff Fell, Jeff Quick, Paul Maksomow and Spencer Cunningham, juniors Alan Constance, Eddie Cook, Bob Sciarrotta, Matt Martins, Russ Tyndale and Tom Dymowski, sophomores Chris Cook, Prime Molina, Lamar Gore, Mike Karas, Brian Walter and Rich Sabo, and freshman Joe Lestician. “We’ve got the potential to be a very good team,” said DeLibero. “I was very happy with last year’s accomplishments. The program is now in full swing.”
            Nottingham: The Northstars are coming off a 12-3 season and coach Ron “Swampfox” Nicklow says “IF we stay healthy, we’ll be competitive. If we wrestle up to our potential, we can have a good team.” Nottingham’s roster features juniors Mike Thames, Roger Ince, Jeff Saia, Steve Banacz, Steve Diefenbach, Dan DeLorenzo, Scott Bartless, Mike Gobin,  Kevin Greenberg, Sean Harrsion and Harry Schulz, seniors Kip Harrison, Tom Agugliaro, Kyle Thornton, Bruce Lyon, Joe Immordino, Mike Neely and Dominick Gliotone, and sophomores Jason Gilsenan, Jeff Neely and Carl Kellgrin. 
            Steinert: The Spartans, who were 3-13 a year ago, feature sophomores Jason Ullrich, Tom Shoenfelt, Kevin Decker, Mike Kownacki, Pete Nichols and Chris Burch, senior Andy Van Buskirk and juniors Mike Tynan, Brian Simon, Tom Julian, Rob Pazer, Charles DiFranco, Dan Toth, Jason Hart, Eric Schwartz and Anthony Valentino. “We’re still young,” coach Chris “Barr” Holcombe said. “In some ways we’re in better shape but it’s hard to say how we’ll do, we’ll either be better or stay about the same.”  
High School Hockey
            Steinert’s hockey team fell to West Windsor-Plainsboro, 6-0, despite 19 saves (on 21 shots) by goalie Rob Bucchino and nine saves by Larry Penardi.  
DECEMBER 13
1969
College
            Steinert grad Don Hess scored16 points in the University of Cincinnati’s 56-55 win over Miami of Ohio.
1999
High School
            Goalie Chris Goodwin made 52 saves but Nottingham’s ice hockey team still fell, 4-2, to Lawrence. Steinert took a 7-3 win over Pennington as Scott Bleazey had two goals and Ian Snook added a goal and an assist.
DECEMBER 12
1959
High School
            Hamilton West’s basketball team gave coach Ray Fresella his first win by taking a 77-59 over Alumni. Walt Antosiewicz scored 11 of his 21 points in the first quarter while “Big” Ed Butscu and Bill Straub each had 13.
           Burlington topped Steinert, 59-42, in the Spartans opener despite 18 points from Rick Danser, 13 from Bob Mucciarelli and 10 by Chuck Giambelluca.
           The Spartans JV team also lost, 52-34, despite 13 points by Ron Cubberly.
                                                     * * * *
            The Hamilton West football and soccer teams named their captains for the 1960 season. Football coach Barney Emil announced that Ron Matta and Bill Walters will be the football captains, and coach Carl Abbott announced that Carl Sensi is his soccer captain.
1969
High School
            Coming off a 14-7 season, coach Charlie “Boss” Ross is back at the helm of Hamilton West’s basketball team despite an off-season of rumors that he was leaving.
            “I’ve looked around before,” Ross told The Trentonian’s Bill Rick. “But I’m really impressed here. Especially this year. . . .the attitude has me very pleased.” The team’s starting lineup consists of sophomores Larry Upshur and Dan Tyler, junior Bob Rossi and seniors Jack Burness and Kirk Taylor. None have varsity experience. Backups are sophomores Bob Hollins and Joe Bartolmei and senior Mike Roland. Thad Stockton and Gene Webb are both recovering from football injuries.  
College                                            
            Today’s Trenton Times reports that former Steinert High star “Doctor” Don Hess is enjoying a strong season at the University of Cincinnati. Hess is averaging 13.5 points per game as a junior. “Don is our best offensive rebounder and he’s becoming a good defensive player,” Bearcats coach Tay Baker said. “He has the necessary confidence this year and he’s gotten the big thing – the chance to play and show just what he can do.”
1999
Rec Leagues
            In Hamilton Little Lads Cadet action, Julian Diaz had 14 points and Andrew Roberto 11 as Commerce Bank topped Emerson Karate, 31-9. Nick Rizigiani played well for Commerce. Wes & Sons topped Crestwood Construction, 28-8 as Tyler Hamran and Greg Kubacki each had five points and Joe Zaccari played well.
            In Cadet action, Sports World took a 19-8 win over Maurice’s as Anthony Farina had eight points. Dylan Smith tallied six in defeat.
            In Hamilton PAL 10-12 play, the Lakers got 22 from Davis Broach and 11 from Justin Jez in a 51-33 win over the Pistons. Kyle Goodwin had eight and Kevin McAvinea grabbed eight rebounds. Corey Radice had 21 for the Pistons.
                                          * * * *
            In Mercer County Community College indoor soccer play, the U-10 Hamilton United topped the Lawrence Rockets, 8-0, as Aldo Tonti and Patrick Delli had two goals each while Jim Fitzgerald, Dylan Smith, Ryan Gilligan and Charlie Nocera also scored. Matthew Seidner and Steve Collucio combined on the shutout.
DECEMBER 11
1959
High School
          In today’s Trenton Times, opening day of the basketball season brings this report on Steinert:
           “Steinert’s starting five lacks height. Only one of the quintet reaches six feet and he’s pivot man Larry Migliaccio. Bob Mucciarelli and Chuck Giambelluca, backcourt men, are the only holdovers from the varsity squad of last year. Mucciarelli is 5-8 and Chuck stands 5-6. Up front, Wilno plans to start 5-6 Rick Danser and 5-11 Rich George. The outlook will improve considerably when 6-6 Bob Zarr returns to action. He’s mending from a broken leg suffered during the grid campaign.”
1969
Junior High 
            Today’s Trentonian ran a photo of Grice Junior High football coaches Joe Hibbard and Ken Sullivan, along with captain Chris Carey, who show off the trophy for winning the Mercer County Junior High School Conference’s championship. Grice outscored its foes, 178-6 during the season, went unbeaten for the third straight year and ended the season with a 24-game winning streak. During it’s three perfect season, Grice outscored foes 585-26.  
High School
            The Hamilton West basketball outlook appeared in today’s Times as coach Charlie Ross begins his eight season at the him. Here was the outlook:
            “Injuries KO’d both Gene Webb and Thaddeus Stockton and neither will start for a while . . . the two sophomores who started last night (in a scrimmage) are 5-8 guard Larry Upshur and 6-2 forward Dan Tyler. They were joined by three players who are up from the junior varsity, junior guard Bob Rossi and seniors Jack Burness and Kirk Taylor. Bob Hollins and 6-2 Chuck Bartolomei will be the varsity-junior varsity swing men, as will sophomore Bob Harris. Completing the varsity are juniors Phil Hilton, Larry Bender and Pete Taylor.”
            The Trentonian ran its Steinert preview today and Bill Rick reports that “Skipper Jim Wilno, dean of Mercer County court coaches, is pretty concerned with the lack of height in Spartanland. He’s got a couple of lanky players in 6-5 Bob Hutchinson and 6-4 Bruce Witkowski, but overall the Spartans are tiny.” Other players listed in the preview are “Kevin DeSanctis and Mike Rasimowicz, a pair of hustling seniors who will find themselves directing operations from the backcourt with Nate Palmer, a junior with springs in his legs, and Al Hutchins, working up front. Either Hutchinson or 6-3 Dick Stratton will be the other starter. Junior Witkowski or football player Mike Larkin could crack the starting unit with a little more polish.”
           (Editor's note: Truth be known, it was actually Mark Larkin trying to crack the lineup and get polish, as Mike had since graduated. They must have had a hard time letting go of Mike, as this was about the third article in the 1969 papers that had his name mentioned when it should have been Mark. Ol' Mike must have been a helluva guy).
The Trentonian (below) greets the world with the news of Steinert's potential lack of size in the upcoming basketball season. And if you notice the headline below, Richard Nixon was getting in trouble way before Watergate when he incited controversy by declaring Penn State the nation's top college football team.

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