Volleyball
One team that has seen much success is the Volleyball team, led by senior captains Eden O’Connor, Sophia Christoffers, and Eva Erichetti, who all played stellar in their Sectional final win against New Providence.
This win marks the second time they have won a sectional title in two consecutive years.
The game ended off an easy series, with a huge spike by Binghamton commit Sophia Christoffers.
However, the game wasn’t that easy the entire time, as the Dodgers were down big at one point. It wasn’t until Junior Tarana Menon had an amazing 10 straight serve sequence that changed the momentum.
The Dodgers kept that momentum which helped them get the sectional victory.
However, their season came to an end after an unfortunate loss to Raritan high school in the Group 1 semifinal. But it doesn’t take away from the hard work this team put into getting into the position they were in and all that they have accomplished.
Field Hockey
Another team experiencing sectional success was the field hockey team, defeating Newton 3-2.
The Dodgers had to play from behind at half, down 2-1, but the Dodgers were able to clutch up and get the job done in the last quarter.
The biggest performance was most definitely captain and Michigan commit, Lindsay Catchpole. She scored all 3 goals, and two in the last quarter to take the late lead.
”It feels good because we lost to Newton last year, so it’s like revenge,” Margaret Merson explained, talking about how it felt to defeat a team that they lost to a year prior. “But we were really expecting it”.
Unfortunately their season came to an end after a close loss to Shore Regional in the Group 1 state final. But Madison field hockey has been a strong sport for years and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
Girls Soccer
Here’s another program that has been exceptionally successful and strong this year. Led by Dartmouth commit Anna Gominiak, the Dodgers are in state title contention.
It isn’t a surprise that this team is in this position, mainly because of their play last year, winning a sectional title and making it to the Group 2 state final. Most of their players from that team returned next year.
The Dodgers went back to back on sectional titles, defeating West Morris Central 2-0 in a defensive game. The two goals coming from Anna Gominiak and Brwyn Hines.
But the story was definitely the defense. Antonia Waddington with huge saves throughout the game. And the back line with Samantha Nielsen, Kate Reigle, Kate Mack and Giada Opperman all stepped up big to shut their opponent out.
They look to continue their title run against a strong Ramsey team.
Football
One of the craziest stories of the season was definitely the Cinderella run the Dodger football team had. Led by Luke Mcguire who was a huge threat in the air and on the ground. And Coach Kubik, who’s coaching his last season for the Madison High School Football team.
The run all started with a tone setting upset against a #2 seeded Bernards. The 7 seeded Dodgers were playing in a very tight game, and even worse, QB Luke Mcguire went down with an injury in the 4th quarter.
But out came backup senior QB George Cripe, who led the Dodgers down the field for a Liam Melvin Touchdown run. Followed by this was a gutsy play call to go for two, and Javier Izzo got the job done.
The following game against Becton was a second half blowout, led by backup QB George Cripe, but more specifically the run game.
After this game was the Sectional championship game against a 1-seeded Shabazz. The Dodgers had high hopes coming into this one because of their recent playoff underdog magic.
But the Cinderella story ended in tragic fashion in a 26-16 loss. But the result shouldn’t take away from the hard work and determination this team had, and the legacy of Coach Kubik.
Boys Soccer
Last but not least, this program has been working harder than ever this summer, with a bad taste in their mouths from last season. The boys soccer team has been dominant all year, with the help of the goal scoring from Justin Macrina.
At the beginning of the year, the team had to play without their best player Guilherme Dos Santos against extremely tough opponents.
But the Dodgers rose over some of the obstacles in their way and went the entire regular season undefeated, with a notable win coming against Westfield. With these results, the team climbed up the rankings and became a top 10 school in NJ.
The Dodgers took their regular season success into the playoffs with wins against Bernards and Becton, and a clash with Harrison in the Sectional final (who beat them the year prior).
It’s safe to say the Dodgers remembered what happened last year and took revenge on Harrison, as they came to an easy 3-1 victory.
Their next opponent is a home game against West Milford, who lost 3-0 earlier in the season to Harrison. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see them in the Group 2 state final, if they play at the top of their game.
It was most definitely a crazy good year for all of fall sports. Many great runs and historic milestones. Girls cross country for example, who finished with the most points they’ve ever had in a sectional meet.
With 4 out of 5 Sectional champions and 2 more teams in state title contention, this will be a sports year to remember. And we still have 2 more seasons.