Inside Mt. Laurel Sports

There are lots of super, young athletes in Mt. Laurel. Starting with the K-2 age group, through to those who are signing contracts with colleges for next year, many of the area's young men and women are working hard and playing well.

Here are some of the highlights of Mt. Laurel sports:

Lenape Leads The Way For Mt. Laurel

Tim Tedesco has faced some tough challenges this season. The head coach of the men's swim team at Lenape has seen his squad go against the top teams in the region. However, Tedesco faced a unique challenge on Feb. 6, when his Indians took to the pool against Holy Cross. Tedesco's mother, Peggy, coaches the Lancers, so the younger Tedesco was faced with the unenviable task of defeating his mom to keep his team near the top of the standings. "It was fun," said Tedesco. "It would have actually been a little more fun if they were a stronger team this year, but they're rebuilding with some young swimmers. I'm still glad that I don't have to face her every week." The Indians beat the Lancers, 109-60, as they picked up their seventh win of the season. Three days later, Lenape knocked off Washington Township, 105-80. Lenape finished with an 8-3 regular season mark. The win over the Lancers wasn't just for family bragging rights. The younger Tedesco swam for the Lancers for four seasons and later became the head coach of his alma mater. He coached the seniors on Holy Cross when they were freshmen. "It is special because of my time there," said Tedesco. "I also know a lot of their kids. I hope they keep getting better and pick up some wins, just not when they're swimming against us."

Lenape Wrestling

Each year, there is a team that earns the honor of being "the best team not to reach the playoffs." The Lenape Indians are this year's example in the South Jersey wrestling world. Lenape has ranked in the top ten all winter and had suffered just two losses by the playoff cutoff date. However, the Indians wrestle in a Group 4 bracket that features some of the best teams in the state. When the final power rankings were released, Lenape narrowly missed the cut for the final playoff spot. "The power points system does work," said head coach Russ Minuto. "But an important match could be snowed out and that could ruin a team's chances. It hurt Absegami. They're the number one team in the area and they barely made it in. My gripe isn't with the power points system. It's just tough with only six teams in Group 4 since it's one of the toughest Groups in the state."

The Indians have nothing to hang their heads about this season. Their only two losses before the cutoff came against No. 3 Camden Catholic and No. 4 Washington Twp. The loss to the Minutemen went down to the wire before falling 31-24. The loss dropped Lenape into second place in the Olympic American Division, but Minuto was happy to see his team wrestle for a division crown late in the season. "I'm real happy with this team," Minuto said. "I had what was basically half of a JV team get the job done. We depend on everyone on our team, and our number two wrestlers work just as hard as the number one guys." The Indians had a strong mix of upperclassmen and newcomers that made an impact this season. Seniors Matt Heberlig (119), Zack Worrell (152), Matt Dye (189) and Matt Gaskill (Hwt.) all had at least 12 wins by the playoff cutoff date. Freshman Scott Minuto (125), sophomores Doug Umbehauer (171) and Zeb Davis (215) had each won at least 15 matches. While the seniors will be missed next season, the Indians have a strong nucleus in place to get back into contention. Don't be surprised if the power points put Lenape in the post-season in 2003

Lange Leads Lenape

The wrestling team wasn't the only Lenape squad that fared well against one of the toughest schedules in South Jersey. The boys' basketball team reached the postseason with a record of 10-5 at the cutoff. Lenape lost two games each to Eastern and Shawnee and one game to Camden Catholic, teams with a combined record of 46-3 at the playoff deadline. The Indians are the team in the Olympic Conference that nobody wants to face in the post-season. Head coach Bill Lange has received plenty of balance from a squad that doesn't have the same size as some of the division-leading teams. Leading the way for Lenape is Chris Betley, the team's top scorer and rebounder. "Chris is such a tough kid," said Lange. "He puts up big numbers in scoring and rebounding, but he also does all of the little things. He's a tremendously hard worker."

Lenape Bowling

It has been a banner year for the girls of the Lenape bowling team. The Indians entered February with a record of 35-1 and a 10-game lead over Shawnee in the Olympic American Division. Jen Steibel bowled a 232 in a game this season, while teammate Elizabeth Bruschi had a 231.

College Bound

Athletes were able to sign letters of intent to colleges starting Feb 6. Two Lenape girls' soccer players decided to remain in the area. Lisa Genna will play at LaSalle while Katie Grillo is headed to St. Joseph's. Genna and Grillo led the Indians to the number one ranking in South Jersey and the championship games of the Coaches Tournament and the Group 4 playoffs. Lenape football standout Lamarr Watkins is heading to Wisconsin. Watkins was one of the area's top rushers and linebackers. He will line up at running back for the Badgers.

Youth Basketball

It was a busy month for the Mt. Laurel Basketball League. The local boys' and girls' teams finished up the regular season in February and also spent time raising money for a worthy cause. The teams held a fundraiser in which players shot baskets and for every basket made, a donation was made to fight juvenile diabetes. The league raised close to $10,000. There are nine boys' and six girls' travel teams in the Mt. Laurel League. There are also 170 teams in the local league. Grades K-2 are involved in an instructional league while students in grades 3-12 play in a competitive league. Lee Mitchell's seventh and eighth grade girls' team finished unbeaten in the regular season.

Content provided by South Jersey Sports Club.

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Author: SJ Sports Club-Ed Benkin