With the 2023-2024 school year approaching the end, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood spring sports teams are also wrapping up the first half of their seasons. Each team has been off to a hot start, paving the way for potential long runs in county and state tournaments. Here is a more detailed breakdown of the results of the season so far: 

Baseball (10-4)

With the depth of the pitching rotation and hot bats behind the plate, the Raiders sit six games above .500. After losing the first two games, SPF went on a four game winning streak and is currently riding along with a six game winning streak. The Raiders were given Union County team of the week after going 3-0 against Summit, Cranford and Middlesex. Jack Byrne’s stellar performance against Cranford helped the Raiders beat the Cougars for the first time since 2019. Senior Ryan Quinones and junior CJ Bates have been strong on the mound, combining for only 14 earned runs in nine starts. Jaden Carpien has led the offense, slashing a .390 batting average with 16 hits including two home runs and 16 runs batted in. 

Wins against:

(4/6) Brearley: 6-4

(4/9) Summit: 3-1

(4/10) Cranford: 4-1

(4/13) Middlesex: 11-0

(4/17) Dayton: 5-4

(4/19) Roselle Catholic: 11-3

(4/20) North Brunswick: 18-6

(4/23) New Providence: 5-4

(4/24) Johnson: 5-2

(4/25) Union City: 13-4

Losses against:

(4/1) Union Catholic: 3-8

(4/5) Bridgewater-Raritan: 1-8

(4/15) Governor Livingston: 1-9

(4/16) Westfield: 4-5

Boys Lacrosse (4-6)

The Raiders got off to a great start taking down Wayne Valley and No. 13 Wall in overtime. SPF moved up to the Fitch-Pitt Division last season, finishing with a record of 10-10. The schedule for this team got even more challenging and the Raiders have held their ground for the most part. Senior Colin McAuliffe leads the team with 20 goals and 29 points. Junior Ryan Mauer has been gritty on faceoffs winning 69% of 194 taken. Colin Kochanowicz has been bright spots for the future of the program, combining for 25 goals and 38 points. 

Wins against:

(4/2) Wayne Valley: 9-5

(4/6) Wall: 10-9

(4/15) New Providence: 12-7

(4/25) North Hunterdon: 13-3

Losses against:

(4/9) Summit: 2-11

(4/11) Chatham: 2-13

(4/13) Sparta: 10-11

(4/17) Delbarton: 8-12

(4/20) Seton Hall Prep: 4-15

(4/23) Westfield: 5-13

Boys Tennis (6-3)

The boys tennis team was fortunate to have junior Anand Sahasrabudhe return to the roster, who has not lost a match yet this season. Junior Edward Li has stepped up for the Raiders as the second singles. Li has only lost two matches this season. SPF won four straight, bouncing back from a difficult opener against Westfield. With the experience behind the roster, SPF has erased last season from their minds and are expecting to end the year with a winning record. 

Wins against:

(4/9) Dayton: 5-0

(4/10) Elizabeth: 5-0

(4/15) Roselle Park: 5-0

(4/18) Watchung Hills: 3-2

(4/23) New Providence: 3-2

(4/25) Seton Hall Prep: 4-1

Losses against:

(4/5) Westfield: 0-5

(4/19) Summit: 1-4

(4/24) Westfield: 1-4

Boys Volleyball (13-0)

There is no questioning how good of a job the boys volleyball team has done in recent years. They continue to come into every season with a new goal. The team has repeated as Union County champions for five straight years and have defended the NJSIAA Group Three Sectional title the last two seasons. Division One UC-Irvine commit Tim Ennis is easily the best player the program has had. Ennis has a career total of 858 kills, 671 digs and 564 service points. The Raiders continue to put up historic numbers as they are still undefeated this year and are favored to win it all again. 

Wins against:

(4/1) Linden: 2-0

(4/2) Piscataway: 2-0

(4/3) Elizabeth: 2-0

(4/5) Westfield: 2-0

(4/9) Livingston: 2-0

(4/11) Oratory: 2-0

(4/15) Bridgewater-Raritan: 2-0

(4/16) Summit: 2-0

(4/17) Union: 2-0

(4/19) Roselle Catholic: 2-0

(4/23) Elizabeth: 2-0

(4/24) Southern: 2-0

(4/25) Westfield: 2-0

Girls Flag Football (1-3)

Girls flag football kicked off their first season recognized as a club sport at the high school, thanks to the New York Jets organization. They got their very first win against Kent Place with one touchdown from junior Annabella Pugliese and two from junior Alexa LaRosa. The team has high hopes for the future as they wish to be acknowledged as an official sport at the high school. 

Wins against:

(4/11) Kent Place: 18-12

Losses against:

(4/9) South Brunswick: 8-12

(4/18) Westfield: 6-28

(4/23) Summit: 12-46

Girls Lacrosse (6-4)

In only 10 games this season, junior Juliana Doran scored 45 goals and tallied 52 points. This remarkable start has helped the team obtain a winning record. The Raiders have remained calm in tight matches, defeating opponents by two or less goals in five out of their six wins. After being upset in the first round last year of the NJSIAA tournament, SPF looks to be a sneaky team that could make a deep run this year. 

Wins against:

(4/2) Mount St. Mary: 8-7

(4/8) Mount St. Dominic: 15-10

(4/11) Cranford: 9-8

(4/16) Montville: 13-12

(4/18) Ridge: 8-7

(4/23) Kinnelon: 8-6

Losses against:

(4/4) Glen Rock: 6-13

(4/6) Verona: 11-17

(4/13) West Morris: 6-14

(4/20) Montclair Kimberley: 7-12

Golf (4-2)

SPF matched their best start to a season as they had in 2022, coming out on top in the first four games of the season. Junior Tyler Glynn, one of the best golfers for the program, is missing the year due to an injury. Sophomore Jake Todaro is developing into one of the key pieces of the team as Glynn’s presence is significantly missed. 

Wins against:

(4/8) Johnson: 162-179

(4/9) St. Peter’s Prep: 179-185

(4/10) Union: 170-244

(4/11) Summit: 149-151

Losses against:

(4/15) Oratory: 180-157

(4/18) Cranford: 169-161

Softball (8-3) 

The softball team flipped the script under new head coach Matt Giannacio and rebuilt the core of the roster. They are outscoring their opponents 76 to 20 in the eight wins the Raiders earned this year. Junior Angelina Valente is exceeding her previous numbers and having a tremendous start to the year. She is batting .581 with 18 hits including two home runs and has 13 runs batted in. The hot bats don’t stop there, because the Raiders have four other players who have over a .400 batting average. On the pitching side, Olivia DiSalvo has been lights out. DiSalvo currently has a 1.52 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched.  

Wins against:

(4/1) Johnson: 4-2

(4/10) Summit: 6-1

(4/13) J.P. Stevens: 13-2

(4/13) Middlesex: 12-8

(4/16) Union Catholic: 16-0

(4/18) New Providence: 10-5

(4/19) Dayton: 5-2

(4/23) Union: 10-0

Losses against:

(4/4) Elizabeth: 0-8

(4/5) South Plainfield: 0-6

(4/17) Brearley: 1-9

Track

Championship meets are right around the corner and SPF is currently soaring high. The girls came in first at the 2024 Matawan Regional High School Huskie Relays and had a relay team come in first at Penn Relays in the 4×400 with a time of 4:08.42. Senior Abi Elliot and Providence commit Keira Kelly are the backbone of consistency behind the titles the girls win. Seniors Ameen Zubair and Ian Hopkins have stepped up with the departure of number one high school hurdler Nate Rayan, leading the hurdling crew while also filling roles on the boys sprinting relay teams.