HOME OF THE CHARGERS

SHS varsity boys won their first-ever state championship

BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
SPOTSWOOD - Local and state officials honored a varsity baseball team that took its school to new heights and captured the state title.

The Spotswood High School Chargers were present at a July 23 Borough Council meeting to be recognized by dignitaries for their unlikely achievement. Despite coming from a small town, the varsity boys team won the state championship in June, defeating Indian Hills High School 11-1 in five innings to lay claim to New Jersey's Group II title.

"I'm personally very proud of their achievements, and I recognize how hard the entire team worked and came together as a team," Mayor Barry Zagnit said later. "They came together to go against some mighty opponents."

The team captured its first sectional title with a 1-0 victory over Somerville and then won the school's first ever Greater Middlesex Tournament championship with a 7-6 win over J.P. Stevens High School. It then traveled to New Egypt High School and beat the South Jersey Group II champs, Sterling, in a 13-2 rout. That paved the way to the June 9 championship game with Indian Hills in Toms River, where Spotswood became the state champ.

The team went 26-4 on the season, a school record.

Zagnit issued the team a proclamation at the July meeting, and state Sen. Barbara Buono and assemblymen Peter Barnes and Patrick Diegnan were all on hand to congratulate the team.

"Up until now we've never had a team like this," Zagnit said.

Glenn Fredricks, the team's coach, knows that firsthand. He played baseball at Spotswood High School, as did his brother Dan, who now serves as pitching coach for the varsity team.

"For myself and my brother, it's special," Glenn said of the victory. "It's like giving us closure for what we tried to do as players."

Glenn graduated from Spotswood High School in 1994, and Dan in 1997. The two did play on the team together one year, when Dan was a freshman pitcher/outfielder and Glenn a second basemen/pitcher.

Glenn said this year's team included a "good blend" of players, including underclassmen and a core of senior leadership. Among the players with years of experience on the team were William Beard, Mike Hohman, Anthony Addone, John Michael Berner III and Phil Spina. Brian Curci, Daniel Hohman, Richard Kuhn Jr., Brian Scott, Nicholas Brown, Michael Collins, David Lynch, Christopher J. Mooney, Joseph Reid, Timothy J. Snook, Jamie Cullen, Patrick Dwyer, Jonathan Martin, Joseph Petosa, Vincent Vizzi and Cody Pace rounded out the team.

Glenn, who has coached the team for three years, said the team's consistency finally paid off in a big way. Making the victories sweeter, he said, is the schedule the team faced.

"I think this was by far the toughest schedule I've seen at SHS," he said. "The schedule magnifies the amount of wins we had."

Council President Curtis Stollen called it a "remarkable achievement" that the team will remember 50 years from now.

"They'll accomplish other great things but always remember this one," Stollen said.

Fredricks thanked Athletic Director Graham Peabody for his support.

"He was a big part of our success and doesn't get enough thanks," he said.