Yes, Verona’s public schools will be closed for spring vacation next week. But Verona High School’s baseball, softball, golf, lacrosse, boys tennis and track and field athletes will be home to start their seasons.
Boys tennis will be the first in action, hosting Cedar Grove on the VHS courts at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 1. The team was 10-13 last year, a year that ended with a first round loss in the NJSIAA’s North 2 Group 1 tournament. Aidan Azarowicz is back for his senior year, as are Eoin Moy and Esteban Patrone-Michellod.
Baseball also opens on Monday with a 1 p.m. away game at West Orange. The team is looking to rebound from 13-15 record last year that still saw them make it to the semifinals of the NJSIAA’s North 2 Group 1 tournament. This year’s squad includes four seniors: Dan Kozachuk, Ryan Radigan, Julian Santorelli and Matt Vaccaro. Radigan has committed to play baseball at Arcadia University, a D3 school.
Softball will round out the Monday lineup with a 4 p.m. game against Millburn on the Varsity Softball Field along Grove Avenue. Softball glides into this season after a 19-9 record last year that also ended in the N2G1 semifinals. The senior-heavy 2024 squad will feature Gabby Egnezzo, Olivia Fuentes, Julia Loudon, Lauren Paz, Alexandra Popowich and Georganne Valera.
On Tuesday, April 2, the golf team will be at the Montclair Golf Club to tee off against Seton Hall Prep at 4 p.m. The small team is four juniors and one sophomore, and they will be looking to build a record better than last year’s 10-10 finish.
Girls lacrosse will also start Tuesday at 4 p.m., but they must travel all the way out to Randolph High School. Lacrosse, always a powerhouse, finished last year with a 15-5 record and was 7-0 in NJIGLL’s Freedom North division. The year’s big squad includes just two seniors Lauren Gawley and Kendra Santos–and a large contingent of sophomores and freshmen.
Boys lacrosse will open at home on Wednesday, April 3, at 4 p.m. against West Orange. The boys, who finished 6-12 last year, are just back from a pre-season trip to the USA Lacrosse headquarters and National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum in Maryland. This year’s team includes seniors Jack Fatatis, Jake Ferry, Ethan Fersch, Zachary Garmont, Andrew Healy, Dominic Houck, Jake Marion, and Matthew Toomsoo. Healy has committed to play lacrosse at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is a D2 school, while Houck has signed with Moravian University, a D3 school.
The boys and girls track and field teams will open with a multi-school meet on the track behind H.B. Whitehorne Middle School on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Ian Zalewski, who has committed to run for D1 Lehigh University, will be back for his final outdoor season. Michael Costner will also be back, and has committed to track at Sacred Heart University.
You can follow the schedule for all Verona teams on the Super Essex Conference calendar.
Scrimmage photos by Mike Perry
