There were tons of great performances on West Deptford's fields this year, and while we've named the football team our Team of the Year for 2011-2012, you might not agree. Looking at the list of what the top Eagles squads did this year, there are plenty of arguments to be made.
Girls' track: The Eagles were dominant throughout the season, losing just one meet to conference champion Haddonfield, and had arguably two of the top athletes in South Jersey, if not the entire state, in Megan Kirschling and Samantha Budd.
Wrestling: When everyone predicted a down year for West Deptford, the Eagles went out and threw together 15 wins in a row, including a thrilling 36-28 win over Haddonfield to clinch the program’s first division title since 1978, and got a regional championship from Tyler Kaminski.
Football: Group 2 champs, avenged two straight losses to Haddonfield, ran up a five-game shutout streak and showed all season there were only two teams to talk about in the Colonial and Group 2—and on the final day of the season, made sure they were the only team anyone was talking about.
Golf: Colonial Conference co-champs, first win over Haddonfield in a decade, great finishes in the conference and county tournaments and a rock-solid core of seniors. These guys could play.
Girls’ bowling: The Eagles managed a second straight trip to states and had the second-best bowler in all of New Jersey. Need we say more?
Field hockey: It was another trip to the South Jersey, Group 2 title game, spoiled only by the dominance of Haddonfield this season.
Marching band: Think band isn’t a sport? Tell it to the kids who have won six straight South Jersey titles and two straight Atlantic Coast Championships—then strap on a tuba and see how you fare.
Girls’ soccer: A strong regular season followed with a trip into the South Jersey, Group 2 semis, where they ran into arch-nemesis Haddonfield and a heartbreaking loss on the road.
Boys’ soccer: A scrappy Eagles team battled their way to a No. 5 seed in the playoffs, and gave it their all into the quarterfinals, where they were bounced on PKs against Middle Township.
Girls’ basketball: A huge midseason win over Haddonfield was one of many highlights in another solid season, which ended in a what-if. Had Megan Kirschling not suffered an ankle injury in the first round of the playoffs, how deep could the Eagles have gone?
Boys’ basketball: Most wins since 2000, a trip back to the playoffs after a six-win season the year before and the school’s first career 1,000-point scorer in years—we can’t say enough about what the Eagles accomplished this year.
Softball: With plenty of question marks before the season, the Eagles came together and were within reach of an upset of eventual South Jersey, Group 2 champion Haddon Heights.
Boys' lacrosse: The Eagles bounced back from a tough loss to Haddonfield to claim the conference championship, and stood toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in their group before falling to Rumson-Fair Haven in the playoffs.
Girls' lacrosse: A huge home playoff win defined the season for the Eagles, who had mixed expectations after losing their top scorer to graduation.
John
10:47 am on Thursday, June 14, 2012
Looks like a "fix job" to me.
Bryan Littel
11:12 am on Thursday, June 14, 2012
Or a pretty dedicated effort by one group.
Quiet Observation
5:32 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
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