T.J. Harcum to Represent West Deptford in Carino All-Star Game

The Eagle cager will join a roster of 15 all-star high school athletes competing in the 36th annual Al Carino Boys Basketball Club all-star game on March 24.

Multi-sport athlete T.J. Harcum will represent West Deptford in the 36th annual Al Carino Boys Basketball Club of South Jersey all-star game on March 24. The 6-foot, 4-inch forward was named to the "East" squad, which will be coached by Joe Martino of Hammonton. He is the lone Eagle to be so honored. The all-star game is scheduled for March 24 at 3 p.m. at Rutgers-Camden. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for kids under 12, and are available at the door. The full rosters are below: West - Coach Mike Ricci (Haddon Heights): Brandon Rembert (Pennsauken Tech), Brandon Joyner (Haddon Heights), Hank Davis (Cherry Hill East), Trey Thatcher (Haddon Township), Billy Griffin (Haddonfield), Josh Borrelli (Shawnee), Isaiah Ingram (Pennsauken), Stefano …

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Rory Bonner Takes Third at State Wrestling Tourney

The West Deptford High School senior shook off the disappointment of not making a top-two finish by battling back in the third-place match at the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships.

Third place is not first place, and Rory Bonner knows it. But the 195-pound West Deptford High School senior shook off the disappointment of missing a top-two finish by battling back in the third-place match at the 2013 NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships last weekend. That he earned the final victory of his high-school career over Matt Moore of Brick Township just yielded added satisfaction. Moore had pinned Bonner in a preseason tournament, and the Eagle had not forgotten that. "My semifinal match, I made a few mistakes and lost the match," Bonner told Patch on Monday. "I went back and got third." "It’s the second-highest place ever in school history," said West Deptford athletic director Tim Cammarota, who said that he "flashed back" …

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WD Alum Matt Curtis Earns All-America Honor

Matt Curtis, a 2010 West Deptford High School graduate and current Rutgers University-Camden student, won the honor at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Rutgers University-Camden submitted the following information:   NAPERVILLE, IL  – Matt Curtis (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford) can officially add “All-American” to the list of his celebrated accomplishments during the 2012-13 indoor track season. The Rutgers-Camden junior finished seventh in the 400-meter dash finals at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday afternoon to earn his All-America honor. Curtis posted a 400-meter time of 49.18 at the national finals, which were held at North Central College. Curtis had qualified for the finals on Friday night, when he ran a 49.22 clocking in the preliminaries to tie for seventh place out of the three heats. Senior Aric Hoeschen of Wisconsin-La Crosse earned the …

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WD High School Alum Makes Big Impression as Freshman Athlete

Continuing her soccer career at Salem College, Tarryn Bundy picks up where she left off, garnering numerous distinctions as a first-year forward.

Despite graduating West Deptford High School last year, Tarryn Bundy is not planning on giving up on her passion for soccer any time soon. Leaving high school as a standout athlete, Bundy now continues to make waves as a freshman at Salem College in North Carolina. "I was really excited and pleased about the season I had,” says Bundy. Coming off of her first season, Bundy was nominated to the Great South Atlantic Conference (GSAC) Women's Soccer All Freshman Team 2012 and Womens First Soccer Team All Conference. In addition, Bundy brought the GSAC Freshman of the Year Award home to Salem College. Scoring nine goals this season with five assists, Bundy reprised her position on the soccer field as a forward—a position she has played her …

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'Bye Bye Birdie' Brings Poodle Skirts, Rock 'N' Roll to WDHS

Entering their final week of rehearsals, cast members fine tune this classic production.

Joey Quaile is dancing on the floor below the high school auditorium stage. His back is turned to the stage as he breaks out some truly retro moves, reminiscent of a time centered around poodle skirts and sock hops. In any other setting Quaile may look a little daft, but with roughly 30 students on stage behind him—following his every move—it’s is just another Wednesday rehearsal night for this choreographer. “He always likes to do a variety of dances in each show,” says assistant director Allison Sheppard of Quaile. Heading into their final week of rehearsals, cast members of the West Deptford High School spring musical Bye Bye Birdie are hard at work. Coming off the production centering around British aristocracy last year, this year it’…

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Proposed Field House Debate Raises Even More Questions

Concerns about a field house's costs to exclusivity swirl as the school board and public press for more information on a field house in memory of Nick Brandemarti, a township resident who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

A large crowd gathered at the West Deptford Board of Education meeting on Monday night sought to have some of their questions answered about a proposed field house donation for the high school's football team. In January, a community group led by former soccer coach John Cobb and former board of education member Edward Houghton proposed donating a field house for the football team to the school district. The field house would be named after Nick Brandemarti Jr., a West Deptford High School alumnus and football player who died at the World Trade Center in the 9/11 attacks. Since the initial meeting, the proposal has ignited a firestorm of questions from the board of education as well as local residents. Brian Gotchel, the chairman for the …

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Hansen Gets 1,000, But WD Boys Basketball Bows Out of Playoffs

The Eagles get bounced by Medford Tech, 71-50, in the South Jersey, Group 2 playoffs.

Justin Hansen became the second West Deptford player in the past two years to crack the 1,000-point scoring mark, but the Eagles couldn't contend with the relentless offense of Medford Tech, dropping out of the South Jersey, Group 2 playoffs with a 71-50 loss Wednesday. Hansen, who scored 14, and Tyler Leonhardt (15 points) combined for the bulk of West Deptford's offense, which started out quick but couldn't keep up with Medford Tech, which piled up 27 points in the first quarter, mostly behind the shooting of Myles Powell, who drained four three-pointers in the first on his way to 27 points for the game. While the loss ended the season for the Eagles, the team's 19 wins and first-ever playoff home win are enough to give the team hope for…

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Weatherman Tells WDHS Students the Skies Are Wide Open

Television meteorologist Chris Sowers, a Glassboro native, spoke to a freshman science class at the high school on Wednesday afternoon.

One class at West Deptford High School on Wednesday afternoon learned about the art of predicting weather, and how exactly one becomes a television meteorologist, straight from the source.  Chris Sowers, the weekend meteorologist for WPVI TV-6 in Philadelphia, and a native of nearby Glassboro, came to the high school to talk to a freshman science class taught by Joel Crane and to a number of teachers in the high school's science department. He spoke about his job, how he got to where he is today and how a typical meteorologist goes about his business in predicting the weather. Sowers, who said he had wanted to be a meteorologist since he was a little kid, explained to the class how he and other meteorologists predict the weather daily. He …

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Eagles Demolish Schalick, Roll Toward Postseason

West Deptford boys basketball has won five straight games with just one game left before their playoff opener against Overbrook.

West Deptford boys basketball is hitting on all cylinders and they're doing it with the playoffs less than a week away. The Eagles clobbered Schalick on the road in non-conference play on Monday night, defeating them 76-45 behind a season-high 27-point performance by junior Mike Gardner. The win was the fifth straight for West Deptford. Schalick was never able to keep the game close as the Eagles ran out to a 28-8 lead after just the first quarter. The one-sided opening period really decided the game as the Cougars had no chance of making the game close again. Along with Gardner's 27 points, Justin Hansen scored 13 and Marquise Owens added 11. Gardner in particular has been a scoring machine for the Eagles in February. He has scored double…

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Maintenance Costs Questioned for Proposed WDHS Field House

Organizers want to build a field house named for 9/11 victim Nick Brandemarti Jr., but residents have concerns about long-term costs.