Jake Klaus got to step to the top of the podium this weekend at the District 28 wrestling tournament, claiming a title in the 132-pound weight class. Klaus and five teammates advanced through to regions, which will be contested this week.
In other action, the winter track season came to a close and the basketball teams competed in a couple of final tune-ups for this week’s playoff action.
WRESTLING
Jake Klaus will not be competing in the opening round of the Region 7 Wrestling Tournament this week.
He earned that right.
Klaus defeated Audubon’s Charles Livecchi, 7-6, in the 132-pound finals of the District 28 Wrestling Tournament Saturday night. Klaus, who recorded pins in the quarterfinals and semifinals, will have a bye in the first round of regions. He will be joined at regions by five of his teammates. Finishing in the top three of their respective weight class and thus qualifying for the tournament were Christian Kreps (3rd, 106) David Hessert (3rd, 138), Crawford Oswald (3rd, 145), Frank Fontino (3rd, 170) and Henry Klaus (2nd, 182).
Seeds for the region seven tournament are expected to be released on Tuesday.
INDOOR TRACK
Emily Carson showed she is not just one of the best sprinters in Group 1, but also the entire state. Carson placed fourth in the 55-meter dash at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions last week. Her time of 7.23 seconds was just .04 shy of the third-place finisher. Carson also placed 19th in the 55-meter hurdles.
Shelby Cain and Meghan Malloy also had solid showings in the 3200 with Cain placing 9th and Malloy crossing the line in 23rd. Olivia Blaber was 15th in the hurdles.
The Meet of Champions draws to a close the winter track season.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Haddonfield has spent the better part of three months running through opponent after opponent. Now, the Bulldawgs begin their quest to cap their season off with a championship.
The top-seeded Bulldawgs host No. 16 Collingswood, tonight at 6 p.m. Haddonfield is a heavy favorite after defeating the Panthers twice in the regular season by an average of 25 points.
The Bulldawgs closed the regular season with a win over Cherokee and close loss to Paulsboro. Nick PePersia and Chris Biddle carried the load against Cherokee, scoring 20 and 19, respectively. Abby Bah chipped in with 13 points.
Haddonfield went toe-to-toe with Paulsboro on Friday in one of the most anticipated matchups in south Jersey, falling 61-55. Each team entered the contest 23-2 and are favorites to win their playoff group. Biddle did his best to keep the Bulldawgs within striking distance, netting 23 points, while Billy Griffin added 13.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Bulldawgs went 1-1 in their final week of the regular season. Maddie Betley scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Bulldawgs (15-11) to a 40-36 win over Cherokee. Betley did most of her work from the charity stripe, knocking down 11 free throws. Betley led Haddonfield in scoring two days later, scoring 15 points in the Bulldawgs’ 55-48 loss to Bordentown. Hayley Raymond added 10 points.
Haddonfield opens up Group 2 playoff action today on the road against Woodstown at 5 p.m. With a victory, the seventh-seeded Bulldawgs would likely travel to take on No. 2 Middle Township on Wednesday.
