The Montclair Times from Montclair, New Jersey • C1

THE MONTCLAIR TIMES Sports Health C7 Obituaries C8 Religion C9 Marketplace CIO Marketplace CIO Section Thursday, November 21, 2013 northjersey.commontclair MHS FOOTBALL One down, two to go Union City awaits in sectional semifinals BY KEVIN MEACHAM OF THE MONTCLAIR TIMES After several weeks of grinding out dominant victories en route to the top seed in its playoff bracket, the Montclair High School football team opened up its championship chase by showcasing its ability to score anywhere, any time. The No. 1 -seeded Mounties scored four touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the first half en route to a 38-7 win over No. 8 North Bergen in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North 1, Group sectional playoffs Saturday in front of a Homecoming crowd at I THE SCORE Fine performances at NJSIAA group cross-country meets The Montclair High School girls' cross-country team capped its most successful season since 1999 this past Saturday, as Montclair runners overall ran solid times on a challenging Holmdel Park course at the NJSIAA Group IV championships. Two runners from the Montclair Kimberley Academy, Drew Crichlow who finished fourth overall in the Non-Public race in 16 minutes, 56.03 seconds -and Kathryn Correia third place in Non-Public in 20:04.40 were able to qualify for the state Meet of Champions, which will be held this Saturday in Holmdel.

In the Group IV championships, West Windsor-Plains-boro South took home both the boys' and girls' team titles, while the Montclair girls finished 18th overall in the team standings. Leading the Mounties was junior Stephanie Hayes (55th out of 146 runners in followed closely by sophomore Eliza Gentry (56th, Coming in next were sophomore Nora Lynch (106th, seniors Alexandra Cubbedu (113th, 21:54) and Eliana Tyler (116th, freshman Amelia Lufrano (126th, 22:22) and senior Madison Cox (134th, The only Montclair presence in the boys' Group IV race was senior Henry Whipple, who qualified as an individual. He finished 37th out of the 148 runners, crossing the line in 16:59. MKA also received a strong performance from freshman Billy Hughes, who was 18th in the Non-Public race in 17:54.92. -courtesy of Liz Lynch Woodman Inside Semifinal preview; Bloomfield game moved to Thurs.

Field. Elijah Robinson threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more a as Montclair (9- 0) won for the 21st consecutive time and made it seven straight home playoff wins dating back to 2010. The Mounties will shoot for their fourth consecutive trip to the sectional championship game this Saturday, when fifth-seeded Union City (8-2) visits Woodman at 1 p.m. The Soaring Eagles set up this semifinal showdown when they won at West Orange last Friday, 32-21. FOOTBALL C4 PHOTO BY WIL YOUNG Senior linebacker Kevin Robinson (3) wraps up North Bergen's Marc Vicente during Montclair's 38-7 playoff win Saturday.

MHS GIRLS BASKETBALL A game of Cards MKA BOYS SOCCER Gill foils Cougars' three -peat bid Girls soccer: MKA falls in North final Samantha Pai scored off an assist from Erin Duca, but the Montclair Kimberley Academy girls soccer team's season concluded with a 4-1 defeat to Morris Catholic last Thursday in the North Jersey, Non-Public sectional championship game in Wayne. The Cougars end their season with a fine 16-7-0 record, including their first state sectional championship game appearance. Led by state leading goalscorer Olivia Vaughn (79 goals combined during her freshman and sophomore years), MKA has won 32 games in the first two seasons under coach Kieran Patrick. Thursday night, Pai's goal tied the score at 1-1 13 minutes after the opening kick, but Morris Catholic scored late in the first half to take the lead, then added two more goals midway through the second half to expand their cushion. Goalkeeper Hope Buchan stopped 12 shots, including a penalty kick.

STAFF PHOTO BY KEVIN MEACHAM BY KEVIN MEACHAM OF THE MONTCLAIR TIMES The flash of disappointment hit the Montclair Kimberley Academy boys soccer team when the referee's double-whistle ended Monday night's NJSIAA Non-Public group championship game. But that moment of discouragement figures to pass, MKA coach Jordan Raper said following the Cougars' 2-0 defeat to Gill St. Bernard's at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. It was the third consecutive Non-Public title tilt between the schools, but the first victory for Gill. "It's hard to win three in a row," Raper said.

"I mean, it's hard to win two in a row. It was a tough night. I can't be upset with the way we played. They left everything on the field, and they played like champions. Credit to Gill, they certainly earned the win.

We didn't give it to them by any means." Led by standout juniors Malcolm Dixon and Wesley Wade and reliable seniors like Sam Eisen, Tommy Fusco and Ryan Fennelly, MKA (12-8-1) can look at its 2013 season in a positive light. The Cougars won the North Jersey, Non-Public sectional title for the third consecutive year, defeating Oratory Prep 2-1 last Thursday on a spectacular strike from Eisen with four minutes remaining in regulation. Then, against their annual late-November rivals from Gill, MKA turned in a more-than-credible performance, just two weeks after the Somerset County school had earned a 4-1 victory when the teams met in the Prep championship game. In fact, for a time it looked as if a Cougar goal was inevitable. "We certainly had some opportunities," Raper said.

"There were some chances there for us, we couldn't take them. I thought that if we had gotten a goal early in the second half, when we really had a Myisha Hines-Allen signs her National Letter of Intent to play for Louisville during a ceremony last Wednesday at the Montclair High School library. Highly touted Hines-Allen signs with Louisville Football: MKA drops heartbreaker in finale The Montclair Kimberley Academy football team dropped a last-second 31-26 decision to Morris Catholic Saturday afternoon at Van Brunt Field in an NJSIAA consolation game. A furious final two minutes saw Morris Catholic edge ahead, 25-18, on a one-yard Steve Lahoe touchdown plunge. That was followed by an MKA drive that ended with Dan Yanes' 31 -yard touchdown run with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Instead of trying a tying PAT, MKA went for 2 and got it on Eric Zeug's pass to Yanes, giving MKA a 26-25 lead. But the lead would be shortlived, as Morris Catholic quickly moved down the field and scored with 10 seconds to play on Zach Poreman's 34-yard touchdown pass to Justin Connolly. The Cougars' season concludes at 2-8. MKA received touchdowns on Derek Kleinman's 98-yard fumble return and Zeug's 22-yard pass to Max Hall to enter the THE SCORE -C3 STAFF PHOTO BY KEVIN MEACHAM MKA senior Sam Eisen sends in a corner kick Monday. couple good ones, it might have changed things.

But that's how this game goes." After a first half mostly controlled by the Knights including a daring goal-line clearance by Fennelly after a save by goalkeeper David Kauffman, who played a strong game himself MKA broke loose with improved service toward the fun-to-watch duo of Dixon and Wade up top and letting them showcase their skills. A minute into the second half, Dixon blasted a shot from the top of the box, pushing it just wide of diving Gill keeper Jordan Schreer. Ibrahim Abukwaik tested Schreer moments later with a high shot that the net-minder tipped to himself. The Knights then scored the initial goal moments later on a counter-attack, as Justin Durcan got loose and took his chance, scoring on a strike from about 15 yards away. But MKA pushed for an equalizer as Eisen, Fennelly and Danny SOCCER -C3 ball recruiting service.

HoopGurlz ranks her as the third-best player in the Class of 2014 in New Jersey, and No. 34 nationally. A gifted wing player with a high level of skill around the rim and an improving jump shot, Hines-Allen led the Mounties in scoring (22.6 points per game) and rebounding (9.6 per game) as a junior. Physically, Hines-Allen is quick and powerful as a runner with excellent leaping ability a natural fit in Louisville's up-tempo style of play, she told The Times. "They play fast and they like to run," said Hines-Allen, who listed Georgia Tech, West Vir- hoops C4 BY KEVIN MEACHAM OF THE MONTCLAIR TIMES Myisha Hines-Allen's highlight reel usually involves eye-popping displays on the basketball court, where she has blossomed into one of New Jersey's best scholastic players.

But the senior's latest standout moment occurred while sitting calmly and smiling to the assembled family, friends, teachers and teammates inside the Montclair High School library. Last Wednesday afternoon, Hines-Allen officially signed her binding National Letter of Intent to accept a basketball scholarship at the University of Louisville beginning next fall. Under NCAA rules, Nov. 13 was the first day of the week-long "early signing period" for basketball recruits in the Class of 2014. Hines-Allen announced an unofficial verbal commitment to the Cardinal program in September.

"It's official now," Hines-Allen told The Times following Wednesday's ceremony. "It's a new chapter, very exciting. It means a lot that my friends, my teammates and my family came out, that everyone wanted to be a part of this. And I want to thank them, my AAU team the New Jersey Sparks and Louisville for the opportunity they've given me." Hines-Allen, a 6-foot-1 forward, is rated a five-star prospect by ESPN's HoopGurlz women's basket.