2011 Colts Neck High School Fall Sports Preview

Football ---

Cougars head coach Greg LaCava is preparing Colts Neck for his third season at the helm, and, hopefully, the upcoming will be better than the last. While the team showed promise in 2010, never losing a game by more than a touchdown after week two, the Cougars still finished the year at 2-8. Senior quarterback Dylan Cottrell leads a team consisting of 23 seniors into 2011.

“I hate to make predictions,” said LaCava. “We’re going to go as far into December as we can this season. That’s my prediction.”

Boys Soccer ---

Heading into 2011, the Cougars boys’ soccer team is one that is without nine starters from its previous season. Head coach Art Collier is currently undergoing a progression to replace his entire 2010 defense. The rebuilding process could be assisted by juniors Dave Reingold, a goalkeeper, and forward Alex Ramos, who missed his sophomore season due to injury. While the goal for Colts Neck always seems to be a B-North championship, Collier says his team will be “somewhat satisfied” if they’re, at least, in the hunt when the season comes to a close.

“We’re a really young team, and we’ve got some younger guys learning on the job,” said Collier. “Everyone on this team has an idea of what to do with the ball when its at their feet. They’re starting to come together slowly.”

Girls Soccer ---

In 2010, the Cougars girls’ soccer team was awarded the title of B-North Public champions. While that would satisfy many teams, Colts Neck refuses to settle. This season, the team is returning nine starters, including sophomore Meg Mulligan who was named First Team All-Shore as a freshman, and hopes to overtake Red Bank Catholic as the B-North overall champion.

“I think over the past two years, we’ve fallen short in the postseason,” said head coach Doug Phillips. “This year, we’ve talked a lot about it: we want to peak at the right time.”

Field Hockey ---

The Colts Neck varsity field hockey team experienced a developing season in 2010, and 2011 might have the same fate for the Cougars. The team has only returning two players in their starting positions, one of whom is senior fullback Elaina Stewart, who assistant coach Maria Merlucci hopes can provide some veteran leadership.

 “We’re still developing a lot of our players,” said assistant coach Maria Merlucci. “We’re still developing some skills, but we’re hoping to go .500.”

Gymnastics ---

In spite of the team's eight returning gymnasts, the Cougars find themselves without a senior in 2011. A bright spot for the team comes in the form of junior Courtney DeDea who placed eighth in the state tournament last season.

“We have a very young team this year,” said head coach Nicole Pandozzi. “It’s going to take them a little bit of time to mature, but I think that they will definitely hold their own.”

Tennis ---

The Colts Neck varsity tennis team also goes into 2011 with eyes on their newcomers. Head coach Bob Seidel, after about two weeks of summer practices, is optimistic about the outlook of the coming season, saying his team is going to have “some experience” with “a lot of new talent” to compliment. The tennis team is the first of Colts Neck High School’s fall sports to begin. They’ll take the courts at home on September 7^th against Freehold Boro.

“We have a very talented group of incoming freshman,” said Seidel. “It’s going to take them a little bit of time to get used to the varsity level, but they’ll get better as the year goes on.”