The Ocean Star from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey • 30

PAGE 30 THE OCEAN STAR, FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2010 After impressive junior year, Boro's Haycook ready for more By Adam Hochron It would be difficult to imagine Kelsey Haycooks senior year at Point Boro going any better than her junior campaign did. Not only did she lead the Shore Conference in scoring during the soccer season, Haycook, 17, also used that success to help the team bring home its first state sectional title in program history Add to that a second state sectional in basketball, and the junior did more in one year than some high school athletes will do a career. As she prepares for her final turn in the black and gold, Haycook said she will take the lessons and experience she gained during the 2009-2010 school year and put them toward her last high school sports endeavors. mm On the soccer field, where the Lady Panthers will have most of their returning players back for at least another year, Haycook said the 2009 season was one big accomplishment after another. "We definitely came in working for South, and once we got that, we figured we were a good team and that we had the possibility of winning a state sectional," she recalled.

Over the course of the regular season, the Boro girls showed flashes of being unstoppable on the pitch, as their defense was rock solid with an explosive offensive arsenal. "With every game in the state tournament, we just kept getting stronger, and then we won," she said. "I think it just kind of came together at the right time." Above all else, Haycook said one of the biggest things that separated her junior year from the previous two was the way the players were able to work together toward a common goal. "This year, everyone was playing for the team and not just individual players," she said. Looking back on a year where she was within striking distance of 50 goals, Haycook said, while she was proud to help her team in the scoring department, she was not aiming for any particular individual milestone in that area.

"It was more like just being part of the team, and if that's SUEANNE GOSS, The Ocean Star Point Boro's Kelsey Haycook was a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court and the soccer field during the 2009-2010 school year. She is now preparing for her senior season with the Lady Panthers. has more to work on before entering the college soccer game. "I have to just pick up my speed of play, and fix everything all around," she said. Haycook said moving into the new Central division, with their state sectional still to be determined, the Lady Panthers will spend the fall of 2010 looking to establish themselves against new opponents, while working toward another state title.

If things go well enough, Haycook said she hopes to help lead the team not only to a sectional crown, but a group one, as well. Her desire to see improvement is fueled by the fact that the Boro made a first-round exit from that tournament last fall. "We played with each other now, and this will be a solid second year for everyone," she said. "It should be a good year." The Lady Panthers' new division figures to play a prominent role in the success they enjoy on the basketball court this coming winter. With the addition of teams like Manasquan and Wall, and losing squads like Pinelands and Barnegat, the girls figure to see bigger challenges closer to home.

After running through South during the 2009-2010 season, Haycook said the girls know it will be a different ball game next time around. think we need to pick it up, because we're playing a lot of people that weren't in our division," she said. One thing that should help the team in the long run was actually one of their few losses of the 2009-2010 season, when the Lady Panthers took on the immensely talented Scarlet Fliers from Neptune High School in the Group III Semifinal. Haycook said the loss to the Fliers was a good experience for the girls, despite the lopsided score. "At first, I know when I got in the gym, I was a little intimidated," Haycook said, of the game against Neptune.

"But once I started playing, I just knew that I had to do the same thing I did in every other game: just play hard, and that's all you could do." The rising senior said, despite the long road trip, and knowing NEW Laser Treatment for Fungus Toenails they were the heavy underdogs, it was important for her team to compete against the Neptune squad from the first tip to the final buzzer. "No matter what the outcome was, you just have to leave it on the court. I think we have to go out and play like we did against them against teams that we could have beaten this year," she said. "It was fun to play them." Much like Coach Ritter in the fall, Boro basketball Coach Dave Drew said he has enjoyed having Haycook on his team during his two-year tenure. "Kelsey Haycook is one of the best athletes I have ever seen in any sport," he said.

"You see her on the soccer field, and she certainly gets all the accolades, but you see her on the basketball court, where she doesn't get all the accolades, and she is certainly the toughest girl I have ever seen." Coach Drew agreed that the Neptune game was a momentous occasion for Haycook. "Kelsey Haycook scored 14 points and really showed that she belonged at that level, and that she's that type of athlete," he said. "That performance down there was something I'll never forget about her." The coach said having a player of Haycooks caliber on the team makes his job easier in a lot of ways. "There's not much that you have to do to improve Kelsey Haycook," he said. "You can sit back, watch and just try to encourage her and make sure the referees are calling fouls when she's out there banging bodies." Off the soccer field and the basketball court, Haycook is a member of the National Honors Society and said she is looking forward to being a senior at her school.

"It's crazy," she said, of three years having gone by already. "It went fast." "Fast" is a term that, when applied to Haycook, normally refers to her speed as she blazes down the soccer field or the basketball court. Although her career has flown by, she has already started to blaze a trail that figures to endure long after her gradua- Biserta was also named to the association's First Team All-East region as an outfielder. This week, Biserta earned another honor as he was named the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Division I Player of the Year. Over the course of his three-year career with the Knights, Biserta finished tied for fifth on the school's career home run list with 25.

I they have before. "In the past, I think Kelsey has always been talented and always been good, but we never had the right kids around her," the coach said. "This year, all the pieces of the puzzle came together" she continued. "We had the right defense, and we had the right kids playing in the middle and up front. You can't just have one great player and 10 others that are so-so." For the 2009 season, the coach said her squad was 13 deep, which meant there were always talented players on the field at any given time for the Lady Panthers.

While her basketball career will likely end at the conclusion of her next winter season, Haycook has already made a commitment to continue her academic and athletic career at LaSalle University. Although her time at the Boro and on the travel soccer circuit has given her a good base to build on, Haycook said she knows she New painless K-Laser treatment for fungus toenails with Keryflex resin restoration of damaged discolored nails. We also offer K-Laser treatment for chronic heel, foot and ankle pain to reduce pain and swelling. Call for your consultation. what the team needed me to do, that's what I tried to do," she said.

With footwork as solid and impressive as anyone on the field, Haycook showed she had the ability to dance through defenses. As much as her feet were an important part of her scoring, Haycook also showed that she could use her head to beat the goalie, whether on a long cross or a corner. Putting her head inches from the goalie or a defender's foot, Haycook said scoring in that manner comes down to instinct in a lot of ways, and not thinking about possible injury. "I think, if you worry about that, and you hesitate, you're just going to wind up getting hurt," she said. "It's better to just go in and sacrifice if you have to." Jen Ritter, Haycooks soccer coach last fall, said the 2009 season was the culmination of all Haycooks hard work not only with the program, but during her out-of-season training as well.

"I think just, in general, she was always talented," the coach said. "She broke her foot freshman year, and she still had five goals." With nearly 10 times that many goals during the 2009 season year, it was hard to argue with Haycooks success, her coach said. "I thought she did phenomenal this year," Coach Ritter said. "She really brought her A-game, which I thought was good." Coach Ritter said, while Haycook has been a strong contributor to the team during her time with the Lady Panthers, during the 2009 campaign, she and her team worked better than Committed to providing quality care for adults who require supervision, mmrmmmmiiii Honors keep coming for Point Boro grad Biserta hit .368 for the Knights with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs on a total of 86 hits. The 86 hits tied him for eighth on the school's single-season hits chart, while his 161 total bases was the second best tally for any Rutgers player in one season.

Over the course of the year, Biserta also compiled a slugging percentage of .688 which is the fifth best in the program's history while drawing a team leading 26 walks. By Adam Hochron As he starts his professional career with the Batavia MuckDogs, Point Boro grad Pat Biserta continues to earn accolades from a remarkably successful junior year with the Rutgers University baseball team. This week, the former Panther received two honors, most notably Third Team American Baseball Coaches AssociationRawlings NCAA Division I All American. Biserta I ALLAIRE CLNTERT A Touch of Soho with the Elegance of 5th Avenue THE PODIUM increased socialization andor assistance with activities '7W in i hii of daily living 1 I I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I I 1 1. I i i i 1 1 1 1 i i i an array of women's clothing NEW ARRIVALS EVERY WEEK our experienced sales help will cater to your every need 600 A Grand Central Ave, Lavallette, NJ 732.830.5200 Open 7:00 AM Transportation Available starting at 7:30 AM Come see for yourself why the Allaire Center may be the answer to your needs Wall Circle Park 1983 Route 34 South Wall, New Jersey 07719 732 974-7666 Please visit us at our website www.allairecenter.net email: allairecarecentermsn.com We accept Global Options, Respite Funding, VA Funding Private Pay Clients Long-term care insurance.