Hunterdon Central High School - Echo Yearbook (Flemington, NJ)

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.1 'ft af' Back Row: Coach Jim Dragotta, Gerry Molter, John Sowsian, Norbert Hirst, Rich Ackerman, Ted Gobillot, Jake Ruscher, Coach Joe Kleczynski, Front Row: Keith Lerch, Mike Bill, Ken Santino, Ed Ham, Ken Giles, Mark Dragotta BOYS' BASKETBALL HCHS OPP 73 Piscataway 53 80 Bridgewater West 61 45 Delaware Valley 29 71 Voorhees 51 69 K.M.l.T.: Bethlehem Catholic 52 91 Palisades 68 44 Phillispburg 51 64 Notre Dame 63 71 Belvidere 45 84 Phillipsburg Catholic 81 66 Hackettstown 54 54 Warren 1-lills 41 63 North Hunterdon 44 74 South Hunterdon 35 62 Bridgewater East 65 77 South Hunterdon 54 95 Voorhees 48 67 Delaware Valley 59 72 Belvidere 43 70 Phillipsburg Catholic 51 43 Hackettstown 47 69 Warren Hills 54 75 North Hunterdon 60 58 DRC Playoffs: Hackettstown 46 51 North Hunterdon 52 71 States: Perth Amboy 68 46 Middletown North 73

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Boys' basketball reaches state semi-finals by Cheryl Hunter This year, Hunterdon Centralis boys' basketball team made its mark in the Delaware River Confer- ence. They've come back from a 6- 16 record last year with a 16-2 sea- son C23-4 overalll. Head Coach Joe Kleczynski was pleased with the team's perfor- mance and outstanding improve- ment. The team worked together ex- tremely well as a unitf' he com- mented. Their attitudes improved tremendously. It was one total team effortf' The season started off well, as Central mauled their opponents. Ju- nior Ted Gobillot hit 30 and 29 points against Piscataway and Voorhees respectively. Then came the Memorial Invitationl Tourna- ment. Central had a depressing de- feat in the finals, losing to Phillips- burg, but that did not stop them. In one of their most impressive games, they beat Notre Dame by one point and they started reeling off wins again. - Senior Rich Ackerman continued to pull down rebounds, and senior Mark Dragotta and junior Ed Ham hit everyone inside for assists. Sen- ior Jake Ruscher, one of the best sixth men in the conference, also contributed to the team's efforts. Co-captains Dragotta and senior Norbert Hirst played tremendous defense as did the rest of the team. The loss to Hackettstown, the only defeat during the regular sea- son, did not stop the Devils in pursu- ing their goal-winning the Delaware River Conference. The last game of the regular season against North l72 Hunterdon saw Ted Gobillot, aver- aging l8 points a game, fall after a basket and break his left wrist. This did not stop the teamfs winning ways, however. The playoffs against Hackettstown showed that the Dev- ils wanted revenge. They defeated Hackettstown in the semi-finals but went on to lose to North, 52-51. Central also accomplished a feat never seen before in Hunterdon Central boys, basketball history - they won their first state game ever against Perth Amboy. They went into the game as the underdogs and proved everyone wrong. Rich Ack- erman, having one of his best games of the year with 23 points and 21 rebounds, joined Ken Santino and Keith Lerch, who replaced the in- jured Gobillot, to make the neces- sary outside shots. This did not last forever, however, as the season came to a close when the Devils lost in the semi-finals to Middletown North. Next year, Central will enter the Mid-State Conference with only six letter winners returning. They are looking forward to a tough season, as they will have to rebuild the team.

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