HIGH POINT-WALLKILL VALLEY-KITTATINNY
Head coach: Jeremy Dearolf, first year
Division: MCSSIHL- Haas/Charette
Last year: High Point-Wallkill-Kittatinny had a strong season last year as it finished 12-8 with a 5-3 record in the Charette Division. It reached the Charette Cup final, where it fell, 7-3 to Newton-Lenape Valley. It qualified for the North, Public Co-op state tournament, where it lost 8-3 to Mount Olive-Hopatcong-Hackettstown in the Play-in round.
Key losses: After leading the program since it began 20 years ago, Mike Beltran retired as head coach of the tri-op this offseason. Dearolf, a long-time assistant, will take the reins in leading this program now.
On the ice, the tri-op lost some important players, highlighted by its top scorer in Michael Sadowski (39 g., 16 a.), a First Team All-Charette pick. Defenseman Sebastian Hamarcak (5 g., 18 a.) was also a First Team All-Charette honoree. James Sonvico (9 g., 12 a.) and Joshua Custode (9 g., 6 a.) were also key forwards up front for this team.
Forwards: High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny will be led by a trio of seniors who have some scoring ability, which include Alex Sonvico (22 g., 14 a.), Anthony Tokar (7 g., 16 a.), and Brady Reid (10 g., 14 a.).
Defense: Defensively, look for the tri-op to be led by senior Frank Korszoloski (4 a.). Junior Hunter Baker (7 a.) also had a strong sophomore campaign which he will look to build on. Freshman Bradyn Husarenko will also join the blue line this season.
Goaltending: High Point will look to junior Landon Healy to remain the starter after playing the same role last season, where he posted an .825 save percentage with one shutout.
Outlook: It’s certainly going to be a transition this season both on the ice and behind the bench, with dynamic players like Sadowski and Hamarcak gone, as well as the steady presence of Beltran behind the bench. Luckily for High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny, Dearolf has been with the program for a long time, so this group of players will be familiar with him while he tries to make his mark on the team.
Overall, the team has a solid core intact up front with Sonvico, Tokar, and Reid, along with experienced defensemen in Korszoloski and Baker, and Healy has a full year of starting experience in net under his belt. Depending on how quickly this group adapts to new leadership and who else steps up aside from the core, this team certainly has the potential to find itself in the Haas Cup playoffs this year when all is said and done.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 