(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) HONOR SOCIETY: Princeton High boys’ swimming star Victor Honore gets ready to start a backstroke race this season. Sophomore Honore emerged as a major star for the Little Tigers this winter. At the Mercer County Championships, Honore won both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke and was named the meet’s Most Valuable Swimmer on the boys’ side. He later helped PHS win its second straight Public B Central Jersey sectional title.

PHS Swimmer Honore, Stuart Hoops’ Lewis Earn Nod as Town Topics’ Top Winter Stars

Bill Alden

Last summer, Victor Honore headed to Vienna, Austria and competed in the World Sports Festival 2009 through the People-to-People Sports Ambassador Program.

The rising Princeton High sophomore made quite a splash in the international competition, taking first in the boys’ U-16 50-meter backstroke, second in the 100 butterfly, third in the 100 freestyle, and fourth in the 200 back. He also helped both the 4x100 medley relay and the 8x50 free mixed relay teams take second.

In reflecting on the experience, Honore had a feeling it would pay dividends during his sophomore season with PHS.

“It felt unreal, I was amazed to be representing the U.S.,” said Honore.

“I am more focused and confident about going fast. I am pretty sure it is going to help me going forward.”

Honore proved to be faster than the competition once the high school season rolled around, piling up win after win in the butterfly and backstroke events.

At the Mercer County Championships, Honore won both the 100 fly and 100 back as he was named the meet’s Most Valuable Swimmer on the boys’ side.

Despite his heroics, which helped PHS take second in the boys’ team standings, Honore wasn’t expecting to win the MVS award.

“I was pretty surprised; I didn’t think that I would get it,” said Honore, recalling the moment when he realized he had won the MVS award.

“I thought somebody else would get it. I just heard them say my name and I don’t know what was going on.”

PHS head coach Greg Hand, though, wasn’t surprised by Honore’s achievement.

“I was glad to see that he was recognized,” said Hand. “The real thrill is seeing how much his training since last year’s counties has paid off for him; how much better his technique is and how much more endurance he has got. He is completely committed to delivering for his teammates.”

After the county meet, Honore kept delivering for PHS, serving as a driving force in helping PHS win its second straight Public B Central Jersey sectional title.

For Honore, his success this winter was the product of tunnel vision in the water.

“I don’t really think about the race,” said Honore, who also stars for the Princeton-based X-Cel swimming club. “I don’t look around. I think about myself in the water. I am in my zone.

For staying in a winning zone from beginning to end, Honore is the choice as the Town Topics’ top male performer of the high school winter season.

Top Female Performer

Before she even began her senior season with Stuart Country Day basketball team, Diamond Lewis knew she would be carrying a big burden this winter.

With backcourt running mates Amber Bowman and Jasmine Smarr sidelined due to knee injuries suffered over the summer, Lewis was left on an island as the team’s main ballhandler and top outside shooting threat.

Predictably, the Tartans hit some rough water early in the season, struggling to a 2-5 start.

Lewis, who passed the 1,000-point mark in her career as a junior, acknowledged that she felt an extra responsibility.

“It’s tough not having two other ballhandlers out there,” said Lewis. “I have just got to focus on the team I have now and who can play and try to help them. Sometimes I trust them too much, sometimes I don’t trust them enough. I am just trying to balance out what they are good at; their weaknesses and strengths.”

Lewis found that balance, producing some memorable performances as Stuart caught fire down the stretch. The speedy Lewis, a Prep champion for the Stuart track team in the spring, shredded opposing defenses with her speed and savvy.

She averaged a team-high 19.5 points with five assists and five steals a game. Lewis scored 29 points in a win over Wardlaw-Hartridge and scored 31 points in a heartbreaking loss to Princeton Day School in the state prep B quarterfinals.

Ending her career on a high note, Lewis scored 16 points in a 56-33 win over Princeton High and then had 18 in a season-ending win over Allentown as the Tartans finished with a solid 10-9 mark.

Stuart head coach Tony Bowman certainly appreciated the performance he got from Lewis in her final campaign.

“I am happy with her; she led us in scoring and assists every year of her career,” said Bowman, referring to Lewis. “She made people around her better. She led us by playing hard.”

For assuming her extra responsibility with aplomb and helping Stuart surge to a winning record, Lewis gets the nod as the Town Topics’ top female performer this winter.

Top Newcomers

Coming into the winter, Princeton Day School boys’ hockey head coach Scott Bertoli knew that he needed his group of freshman players to mature quickly.

“We will be relying on the freshman and seeing if they can play a 25-game season and fight through the bumps and bruises,” said Bertoli. “If they can hang in there, we have the make-up to be successful.”

One of those freshmen, forward Alex Nespor, did more than just hang in there, emerging as a key scoring threat for the Panthers.

While Nespor scored some clutch goals during the regular season, he saved his best for last as the Panthers competed in the Mercer County Tournament.

Scoring five goals in the MCT, including a hat trick in the win over WW/P-N in the semis and a key late goal in the title game against Princeton High, Nespor sparked PDS to the its first-ever county crown.

Nespor was named as the tourney’s Taras Pyl MVP Award after the Panthers’ 3-0 triumph over PHS in the championship game.

By the end of the season Bertoli had gained complete confidence in his group of freshman which also included Conrad Denise, Cody Triolo, Taran Auslander, and Bump Lisk.

“My younger kids are the better players, they are smarter,” said Bertoli, who lauded Nespor for his ability to both create and finish scoring opportunities. “They play a good level of travel hockey.”

For playing such a key role in helping PDS on its trip to the MCT crown, Nespor is the choice as the top male newcomer of the winter season.

Freshman Serena Deardorff gained a comfort level from the moment she first came on the deck with the Princeton High girls’ swimming team.

“I felt really welcome; on the first day, people were introducing themselves,” said Deardorff.

“The meets have been fun; everyone is outgoing and cheering. It helps knowing that my team is there behind me for my swim.”

Deardorff didn’t waste any time earning the cheers of her teammates, starting her PHS career by winning the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly in the Little Tigers’ season-opening win over Hightstown.

The precocious Deardorff never stopped winning all season, emerging as a dominant force in the sprinting events for the Little Tigers.

“I have always been a sprinter,” said Deardorff, who started swimming with the X-Cel swim club when she was eight years old.

“I don’t find myself a good person at endurance events; I get tired easily. I have more fun going all out.”

The fun kept coming for Deardorff and her teammates all winter long as PHS finished third in the Mercer County Championships and then edged Manasquan 90-80 in the Public B Central Jersey sectional final before falling to Haddonfield in the Public B state semis.

PHS head coach Greg Hand was impressed by what Deardorff brought to the table.

“She has talent, a great work ethic, and competitive fire,” said Hand, in assessing her contribution to the team.

Deardorff’s ability to go all out and consistently best the competition makes her the choice as the top female newcomer of the winter season.

Top Coaches

In 2009, two senior stars, Sean MacKenzie and Alex Zantal led the way as the Princeton High boys’ swimming team won the Public B Central Jersey sectional title.

With MacKenzie and Zantal gone, the team was left to rely on a group of promising sophomores and junior co-captain Peter Deardorff.

While PHS head coach Greg Hand knew he had some big holes to fill, he had the sense that his kids would be alright.

“When you have a solid young core, you don’t feel like you have to get things done this year and things can just happen,” said Hand. “Sometimes that is the best position to be in.”

With sophomore stars Derek Colaizzo, Harun Filipovic, Addison Hebert, Victor Honore, and Matt Kuhlik all showing improvement, it became clear that PHS was once again a force.

PHS went undefeated in dual-meet action until late February when they dropped a nailbiter to Notre Dame in the regular season finale.

In post-season action, the Little Tigers showed that their dual meet record was no fluke, PHS finished second in the team standings in the Mercer County Championships with Honore being chosen as the meet’s Most Valuable Swimmer on the boys’ side.

Seeded No. 1 in the Public B Central Jersey sectional, PHS lived up to that billing, edging Ocean 87-83 in the semis and then cruising past Lawrence High 99-71 in the finals to earn its second straight crown.

“They have responded to the challenge of doing something special, finishing highly in the counties (second) and winning another sectional,” said Hand, whose team fell to Haddonfield in the Public B semis to end the season at 14-2.

“There is a lot of pride in repeating as sectional champions. When we look at Central B, like in all tournaments, the strength of the other teams varies from year to year.”

For providing the strong and steady leadership that helped his young squad reach that championship, Hand is the choice as the top coach of a male team this winter.

Even though her Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team got off to an up-and-down 3-3 start in the 2009 portion of its schedule, Jessica Katz was confident that the new year would bring good things.

“We will work together better,” said PDS head coach Katz. “I am glad we will have a few days to practice and fine tune some of the things we did in the tournament. I am looking for a strong 2010; things are coming together well.”

Katz’s vision proved to be right on as the Panthers caught fire after the holiday break.

Led by the trio of Janie Smukler, Tiffany Patterson, and Sarah Godwin, PDS went 12-1 over the rest of the regular season, knocking off such formidable foes as Lawrenceville, Pennington, Princeton High, and Rutgers Prep.

In the post-season, the Panthers topped WW/P-S in the opening round of the Mercer County Tournament before falling to powerful Hamilton in the quarterfinals.

PDS rebounded from that loss to produce a scintillating run in the state Prep B tourney, as the third-seeded Panthers edged No. 6 Stuart in the first round and then upset second-seeded Montclair Kimberley to earn a shot at top-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s in the title game.

Although the Panthers fell 70-52 to state power Gill in the championship game, Katz was proud of what the team accomplished this winter.

“It is one of the best years that PDS basketball has had since 1988,” said Katz. “In 1994-95, they were 20-6 so this is the second best.”

For Katz, it wasn’t just the record that made the season special. “They have grown up so much; you look back at our first two games this year against Pennington and Blair which were losses,” said Katz. “Just to see what they have done since then and how they have grown up is really nice.”

Katz’s guidance in helping her team mature into a championship contender earns her the nod as the top coach among female teams this winter.

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