Olivia Baker - Girls Tennis: Despite the girls tennis team being off to an 0-4 start this fall, Olivia Baker, who is normally known for her 400 meter times, has been a great surprise for the Cougars at second singles. Baker is 2-2 overall and went 2-1 this week for Columbia.
Cougar Cuts
It seems like the Columbia athletics programs are going through some culture shock or something, because every CHS team is below .500 through the first full week of the fall season.
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The football team, which played its first ever home night game on Friday in a blowout loss to East Orange, looks like they might still be better suited for the Liberty Division. The Super Essex Conference American Division has two top 10 programs in the state and some other very good programs, this could be a long year for Columbia.
At Friday night's game I kept feeling like there was no reason the Cougars should've been playing that East Orange team, loaded with speed, size and depth that the Cougars just don't have. It's also tough for a first year head coach like Eugene Kline to be thrown into the fire like that.
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As far as the atmosphere of the night game itself, it was electric. In two years I have never seen that many people at a Columbia game, there was a line to get in that wrapped around the corner even 30 minutes after the game started. East Orange's marching band also brought some much needed energy to Underhill. Columbia's marching band is great at halftime, but at times seems non-existent during the game.
On Friday, the Columbia girls soccer team picked up its first win of the season, defeating West Essex, 2-0. They would never say it, but I did not think they should've moved up to the American Division this season. Not that they weren't good enough or anything, but I wanted to see them get one more year in the Liberty, so they would have a chance at having a real dominant year with all of those seniors. This move to the American Division puts them in an uphill battle. We will see how it plays out, maybe it hurts them during the regular season but helps come playoff time.
The field hockey team picked up its first win of the year in a shutout over Mt. St. Dominic, but also appear to have their work cut out for them this fall if they want to take another step and become a middle of the road team. We will see if they can build off of this win, and where they can go from 1-3.
Gene Chyzowych and the Columbia boys soccer team earned their first win of the season as well this week, knocking off the visiting West Side boys on Saturday. I think we have to take a wait and see attitude on the CHS boys who were decimated by losses to graduation last year, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They scored three goals in three games this week. That scoring output will have to go up significantly, if they hope to have a successful season.
Three Most Important Games of the Week
1. Football vs. East Side - Friday 7 p.m.: Columbia is still in search of its first win of the season, and almost in any sport, East Side is a good team to play win looking for win number one. If the boys can't beat or at least come close to beating the Red Raiders on Friday, we are likely in store for a tough fall season.
2. Girls tennis vs. Cedar Grove - Wednesday: You have to take wins where you can get them, and playing in the American Division, wins for the Cougar girls aren't always easy to come by. That's why this Cedar Grove game is nearly a must win, if they hope to make a push for the postseason.
3. Boys soccer vs. West Orange - Friday: They will be playing in two winnable games on Monday and then on Wednesday. So entering Friday's match, the boys could be riding a three game winning streak and a game over .500. Should they win over a very good West Orange team, it could really go a long way to jump starting this season.
