Lancers Boys Eliminated from States

The Miller boys epee squad put together a 6-3 performance and were supported by 5-4 performances from the sabre and foil squads to help secure a 16-11 victory over Livingston in the first round of the Sweet 16 state fencing tournament on Tuesday night.

"I feel very happy," said Millburn head coach Bob Baum. "They really turned around their fencing from earlier this season. They fenced with a lot of confidence tonight."

After a stretch of bouts where the Lancers claimed three of four matches to tie the score at eight wins apiece, the Miller boys stepped on the gas and never looked back. They claiming the next five matches to take a commanding 13-8 lead.

"They're a great team and they have a great coach. I take my hats off to them," said Livingston head coach Larry Weckstein. "We made it close, if a couple of bouts had swung our way, it would've been tied after two rounds."

Just one point away from elimination, the Lancers fought back and got wins from Daniel Tracey and Jamar Negron in the foil. Millburn's Harry Glicklich finished off the Lancers with a 5-0 win over Eric Hartmann, to go up 14-10 and advance to the state quarterfinals.

"I wasn't that worried. I have a lot of confidence in our epee team and I have a lot of confidence in our foil team as well," Baum said. "Harry Glicklich won the deciding match a couple of times this season.

The Lancers began the meet winning two of the first three bouts, but Millburn took control for good in the fifth bout where Glicklich earned a 5-3 decision over Negron. With the win, the Millers took a 3-2 lead and never trailed again.

Livingston stayed close and were trailing by just one point on four different occasions during the meet. But anytime the Lancers put together a nice string of wins, Millburn would counter with its own run of victories.

Millburn and Livingston faced off earlier this season with the Lancers taking a one-point home victory over the Millers. However, District 3 sabre champion Mike Mills was not present at the earlier meet, which made a world of difference on Tuesday night. Mills went 3-0, as did Rei Otake in the epee. Glicklich was victorious twice in the foil as was Sidi Huang. Livingston's only multiple match winner was Tracy, who was victorious twice in the foil.

"We didn't do as well in foil and sabre as we did last time, besides Michael Mills. So we were a little bit off," Weckstein said. "I'm very proud of them, we had a great year."

The end of the meet was somewhat marred by Livingston's Pacal Bloch in the second to last bout of the meet with the match already decided. Bloch appeared to be fencing in jest, wobbling back and forth in what was supposed to be a joking manner. He was fencing in his last match ever and was trying to have fun, imitating a fencer they had faced earlier in the season.

"He was having a little fun, maybe he was having a little too much fun," Weckstein said. "He's a really good kid. That kid's a hard worker, it was just that it was his last career bout and he wanted to have a little fun."

The official warned Bloch for incorrect fencing, Millburn parents along with coach Baum were not happy about Bloch's attempt humor.

"I was pretty upset. I talked to the coach immediately and I said that if it had been my fencer, I would've stopped the bout and pulled my fencer off of the strip," Baum said.

Livingston finished its season with a 9-3 record and still has its sabre and foil team competing in the state squad championships along with Tracey in the individual state championships to be held in March. Millburn moves on to face the winner of Indian Hills and North Hunterdon.

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