Wrestlers Upset in Playoffs: Haddon Township Sports Week

Several Haddon Township runners and throwers found success last week at the NJSIAA Indoor Track Champions last week, highlighting a busy week of action. The boys and girls basketball teams also found success, while the wrestling team experienced disappointment.

WRESTLING

The playoffs didn’t turn out the way the Haddon Township wrestling team had hoped. The Hawks—who entered the Group 1 tournament as a No. 3 seed—were eliminated in the first round to No. 6 Woodstown, 41-22.

The Hawks got three-straight pins from Connor Kelly (120), Brian Navaro (126) and Jason Martinak (132), but managed just one win the rest match.

With the playoffs coming to a sudden end, Haddon Township will return to the practice room and gear up for the individual portion of the season, which gets underway next month.

INDOOR TRACK

Luke Kessler outlasted all of his competition, winning the 3200 at the NJSIAA Indoor Track Championships. Kessler won the race in 9:57, edging Haddonfield’s John Greenberg by two seconds. The Hawks' Andrew Shaw finished third. Shaw also took fourth in the 1600.

Junior Corson Harter also brought home some gold, winning the 55-meter hurdles in 7.22 seconds. Harter added a third-place finish in the shot put, one place behind teammate Alex Higareda.

Kaela Culmer sprinted and leaped her way to a third-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles. Culmer crossed the line in 8.99 seconds, just .47 behind the winner.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Trey Thatcher made it rain last week against Gateway. The senior guard couldn’t miss from the outside, connecting on six 3-pointers in the Hawks’ 68-36 win over the gators. Thatcher scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, helping Haddon Township build a 44-12 advantage. Pat Burns added a double-double collecting 10 boards to go with 11 points.

Thatcher stayed hot two days later when Haddon Township took on Woodbury, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Hawks from falling, 59-48. Thatcher led all scorers with 19 points, while Burns added 11.

Also last week, Haddon Township found out it will be a No. 4 seed in the Group 1 playoffs. The Hawks open at home against No. 13 Clayton, on Tuesday, Feb. 26. With a win, Haddon Township could run into No. 5 Haddon Heights in the quarterfinals.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Thanks to a strong defense, Haddon Township forced Woodbury to miss a
lot of shots when the two teams met on Thursday. Many of those misses were quickly gobbled up by Sarah Getzinger. The Hawks forward cleaned the glass all game, collecting 14 rebounds to go with seven points. While Getzinger were busy collecting misses, freshman Morgan Lenahan was filling up the nets. Lenahan finished with a game-high 17 points, while Bella Preziosi had 15 in a 59-31 Hawks’ win.

Two day earlier, the Hawks used a 24-4 first quarter to run away from Gateway in a 58-16 win. Lenahan and Bellosi were again the offensive standouts, scoring 16 and 15, respectively.

Haddon Township’s regular season success has resulted in the team earning the No. 1 seed in the Group 1 playoffs. The Hawks open against No. 16 Camden Charter on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

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